The Recessionista Reviews Thakoon for Target

The Recessionista’s Top Pick: The Thakoon Floral Raincoat

One day early, we found most of the eagerly awaited Thakoon (Thakoon Panichgu) collection for Target available at our local Super Target here in North Carolina. I’ve been a Thakoon fan since last season’s Gap White Shirt Collection made his fashions accessible to thrifty fashionistas. In the summer, I still wear the Petal dress and the puff sleeve blouse from the 1st Gap White Shirt Collection which featured Thakoon. Before that Gap collection, the only hope for affordable Thakoon was shopping the end of season sales at Saks & Nordstroms looking for his pieces. So its great that Thakoon has partnered with Target to bring more of his designs to Recessionistas working within their “new economy” budget.

I’m here in North Carolina this week visiting my family, so it was a pleasant surprise to find the collection already on the racks. However, I had an unexpected rival for scooping up my favorites from the collection. To my surprise, my dear Mom was my chief competitor for scooping up these reasonably pieced gems. Mom is an experienced shopper and world class coupon user. Its no surprise that she took the best piece of the collection right from my hands. Pictured below is Mom wearing her new Thakoon Floral Raincoat!! She picked up the last one in our size. I had to give it to her because, really it looks adorable on her. And for $44.99 it was a great value. Mom doesn’t usually give a second thought to Go Collections from Target, regardless of who the designer is. ( And yes, she considers Go for teenagers). She’s all about Talbot’s collections and their classic looks. But this Target Go Collection was special. Thakoon for Target peaked her interest because she knew that our new first lady, Michelle Obama was a wearer of Thakoon. She loved the picture of Mrs. Obama wearing a Thakoon dress at the Democratic Convention. However she did not love the price of Mrs. Obama’s dress: $1,500 USD. So, Mom was thrilled to find something of Mrs. Obama’s style at an affordable price. And I think its great to show that affordable fashion is not just for the young, it can also be for the young at heart. After all, once a fashionista, always a fashionista. Age does not change a love for fashion or the appreciation of a great piece at a great price!

The leader of Team Recessionista, the Author’s Mother in Thakoon for Target.

The cut of this coat is ageless and a timeless classic. I love the print & the little slit pockets. The front placket hides the covered buttons on the front. The coat is 100% cotton canvas. It seems really durable. Its also machine washable. This is my top pick from the collection. Mom picked it up tonight, but I will sneak onto Target online later & order mine 🙂 I am letting her savor her victory lap tonight as she knows she got the last one.

Below is another of my picks, this darling yellow print cotton top. This was not available at the Target we went to, so I am basing my opinion on the online pictures.

Thakoon for Target Yellow Print Tee, $14.99 USD

Another item of interest, is this very fashionable black dress with the ruffle trim. We also couldn’t find this in the store, but our people (me , myself & I ) will be looking for this at other Targets 🙂 It looks like it would be perfect to go from the office to the evening. And it looks very classy. As with all Target Go Collections, you don’t know until you try it on.

One item we did find in the store, was the prettyBatik like navy & white dress shown in many of the adverts for the line. This particular dress is of special interest as its very similar to a dress from Thakoon’s Spring 2008 line. This dress is in the same “Shibori” pattern (inspired by Japanese tie-dying techniques) as the dress from his high-end line. The key differences are the length of the dress (the Target version is short) and of course the quality of the fabric. Although the Target version of the dress is beautiful, one word of caution. The fabric is quite stiff. Its made of 100% cotton, so the question is , how will this look after its washed? My guess is that it should really not be machine washed, and will last longer if its gently treated & hand washed. A little extra TLC and hand washing might preserve the delicate pleats around the neck and bodice for a few extra wears. For the price, its well worth it.

As with every Target Go collection , there are hits and misses. One of the biggest disappointments is this floral dress pictured below. Its so over sized, that its not flattering.
The print is absolutely gorgeous, but because its lacks any structure or shaping, its almost like a beautiful potato sack. When I tried it on, I could barely look at my reflection. It was that unflattering. Sorry Mr. Thakoon, I just don’t like this one 🙂 Great print, poor execution and I can’t recommend it at any price.

Thakoon for Target Floral Dress

I’m also not completely sold on the cardigansfrom the line. They looked way cute on the racks, but they were not shapely on, at least for me. My advice would be to try them on before ordering or buying, if you can find one at your local store. Also, read the reviews from other Target shoppers on Target online. I always find those to be extremely helpful.

But overall, I give the collection a thumbs-up. There are some good pieces here at affordable prices. Sizing runs the gamut, with some pieces over sized (floral dress and some of the tops), and some running in the usual Target Go habit of running small (i.e. the green windbreaker). No comment on thebikinis, I left those for Mariah Carey, as I was sure she wanted them 🙂

If you live outside the US, and you are interested in Thakoon, I’m sure alot of it will find its way to eBay shortly. Also, if you have friends in the US, just ask them to pick up a piece for you. I just sent a friend in Australia a Target Anya Hindmarch bag for Christmas. Later, she will send me some stuff from Target Australia that I can’t find in the US.

PS–although my Mom snatched up the floral raincoat, I was able to console myself with a pair of Sigerson Morrison aqua flats for $14.99. That’s an in store sale, and worth checking out. Online they are $20.99.