The Recessionista Reviews Albertus Swanepoel Hats for Target

Pictured: Two lonely Swanepoel Hats on the racks at Target, Francoise hat on left,  Katherine hat on the right.

Today Target launched a 14 piece collection of hats by Albertus Swanepoel. The hats will be on sale at Target stores and online until December 22nd (or until they are gone.)  Although Albertus Swanepoel is a well-respected designer in fashion circles, he’s not exactly a household name. A hat from Swanepoel’s designer collection sells for $500.00 or more.  Each hat in the Target collection sells for $19.99. The Target collection is made up of colorful felt fedoras with playful accent ribbons and bows (see above.) I wasn’t sure Target buyers would appreciate the hats by Albertus Swanepoel, by judging by the empty racks, it was clear that the hats were selling briskly. Only a handful of the Swanepoel hats were left, sandwiched in between many Mossimo hats. The Swanepoel hats stood out because of their more striking colors and accents, but otherwise they were indistinguishable.  There was no special signage or display area for the collection.  I was surprised that my local store didn’t have more marketing for the new products.

Pictured: The Jill Hat features violets and black flowers over a baby blue ribbon (photo: M Hall)

The leopard spotted fedoras and faux fur riding hats were not at my store, although they are available on the semi-reliable Target.com (the site as down again this week for a few hours.)  They look good, especially when you consider the low price tag.  I liked all the various versions of the Fedoras. The styles are very true to the original 1940’s style, and I’ve read that Swanepoel uses an original 1940s block to recreate the style and shape of his Fedoras.  The lavender Fedora Katherine hat is particularly striking, although the one I saw had very irregular stitching around the brim.  But hey, for $19.99, you can’t really expect perfection.

Pictured: Two hats not in stock at my store, the Leopard Kwele and the Ganache Cloche.

The hat I liked most in the collection was not available at either at my local store or online, the Ganache Cloche, pictured above. The style is a bit more understated and will compliment the colors of my winter coats and sweaters.  I’ll have to keep searching for it. Right now, only 8 of the 14 hats reported to be in the collection are available on Target.com.  (Update: as of 10/31 all 14 hats are available on Target.com to order.) Have any of you seen the Cloche at your local stores? So far, I have not seen any of the Albertus Swanepoel hats being resold in mass quantities on eBay, which is good news for those of us who want to own a Swanepoel hat without paying an outrageous price for it.  With the vintage vibe of the collection, bright colors on the bands and flowers, I’m wondering how many Target shoppers will be anxious to get their hands on these.  These are definitely for the fashionista who wants to stand out and make a statement.

If you want to save now on the hats, I recommend shopping with Target Coupons via the ShopatHome portal site. ShopatHome members get 6% cash back when they shop via the ShopatHome link.