Victoria Beckham for Target Review

I love a good collaboration. I especially love Target ones since it’s a place I already enjoy shopping. Often, I get too caught up in the excitement though. I’ve noticed over the years that some items get little wear. That Jason Wu for Target poplin dress? At the time I had to have it. It was so cute! It even had pockets! But I only wore it a handful of times, and then it hung in my closet for years. During a recent closet purge, I realized it wasn’t really my style.

So I’m trying to be stricter and not fall for the collab FOMO frenzy. In the early morning of April 9th, when Victoria Beckham’s Target line went live on the website, I calmly ordered just one dress in two sizes. (Shout out to the Target website folks. It all went smoothly this time.) I didn’t get to a brick-and-mortar Target store until the afternoon. But by that time, I’d already seen photos on social media of people with their #VBxTarget haul. It made me wish I had bought more to try on. Suddenly, I was asking myself if I needed a romper (even though I live in San Francisco, where it’s rarely warm enough to romp in a romper).

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Women’s Clothing

I went to two Target stores. (This is how you know you’ve sort of lost it: when you start going to multiple Targets). I didn’t see some of the items in person that I was curious about, like the embellished bug bomber, which is now sold out online. What was left at this point was mostly the Calla Lily Ruffle Dress (but not the top or pants, which Beckham had worn in ads and thus, they were predictably sold out), the Black and White Mod Shift Tulip Applique Dress, the Collared Dress with bunny, and some of the the English Lace items. Overall, the quality and cuts seemed decent and the fabrics looked nice. The fabrics that were least impressive were the bright-colored twill items (like the orange skirt or fuchsia items).  Here are some detail photos of the fabrics:

I found the collection to be pretty true to size and consistent with Merona sizing. Your usual size should work. One caveat though: the arms holes for the dresses and rompers I tried on seemed overly large. The price point for this collection seemed a little lower than past collaborations, which was a pleasant surprise. Dresses in past Target collaborations have usually run $40 or $45. The dresses in this line were either $35 or $40 and topped at $60 for the embellished bug dress. I wonder if part of the reason is that there are no numeric sizes for the dresses this time around. They come in lettered sizing, such as S, M, L, 1X, which means there are fewer versions to make than if they made numbered sizing.

OK, get ready for some unflattering fitting room photos:

So, this fitting room session pretty much squashed my romper coveting. They just look wide on me, giving off a ’90s mom vibe. I liked the fabric of the retro floral one better, which was a crepe material. The arm holes on both of them are too big, especially on the orange scallop one. I’m a size 4 and wear XS or S in most brands. I’m wearing the small in both rompers above.

I was also curious about the Blue Stripe Poplin Dress, but didn’t see it in person. (And of course it’s sold out now.) I didn’t think to buy it at first because I am not generally a fan of empire waists, but I reconsidered after seeing how cute other people looked in it. It also looks similar to this dress in the Victoria, Victoria Beckham line. The Target one is $35 while the Victoria one is $560.

I didn’t try on much else. I have to say, as far as the women’s clothing goes, I’m a little disappointed. I was excited when I first heard that Victoria Beckham was creating a diffusion line for Target. When I think of Victoria Beckham, I think of her 2010 fall ready to wear line, modern and a bit minimalist with simple dramatic folds. I loved the dresses that season. This collection is more in line with her casual, playful Victoria, Victoria Beckham line, which of course makes perfect sense for Target’s audience.

The bunny and floral motifs are a smart marketing move for Easter and Passover. The collection is fun and colorful, but it’s just not for me. There’s quite a few drop waist dresses, which don’t work for my body shape. And the skirts are so short! I think there will be a lot of these orange skirts left over. (An aside: I wish the embellished bug design also came in a sweatshirt. I would rock that hard.)

In the end, I only ended up with one item.

I’m wearing the small in this photo. Again, I found the arm holes big, but not as bad as the rompers. Do note that it’s short, so it’s a good option for petites. I’m 5′ 4″ and it’s already several inches above my knee. I wish it went to the knee instead. I don’t recommend it for anyone tall. Also, because of the piping on the dress, the zipper is a little tricky and can be hard to zip where the piping cuts midway through the dress.

I could get it to zip up, but to take the dress off, I had to unzip the dress halfway, then turn it around so that the back is on my front. Then, I could get a better grip on the area to unzip the dress all the way.

Children’s Clothing

Now, on to the children’s clothing. Honestly, I think some of the best pieces in the collection were for the kids. I mean, look at this cute striped bee outfit and the clear raincoat! (The white scallop lines on the bee outfit aren’t printed. They’re actually sewn on.)

While I’m not a fan of the bunny theme for myself, I think it’s adorable on a child.

I adore this bee print dress.

The bee stuff is even cute for babies.

And these outfits! I kind of wished that there were adult versions.

The other thing this collection is great for? Twinning with your kid.

So, what did you think of the collection, and what will you be keeping?

UPDATE 4/18/17 – Read part 2 of my review.

UPDATE 5/14/17 – I’ve heard that the English Floral dress starts pilling already after two wears. That’s really disappointing. I’m going to have to return mine.

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UPDATE 12/10/17 – I’m trying to be better about making ethical shopping choices, so I’m updating posts with info about where and how things were made. Some of these clothes are made out of polyester which is petroleum-based, not biodegradable, and pollutes our oceans. Natural fibers are generally better for the environment. These clothes were made in China. I don’t have any specifics about its supply chain, but Target was named an ethical company in 2010 by Ethisphere Institute.