Fashion
Product Review: Victoria Beckham for Target
Victoria Beckham for Target is a valiant effort by Target to bring customers a great designer collaboration for Spring at reasonable prices. Does it achieve that objective? Well, yes and no. This is a hit or miss collection and it was clear to me shopping with a few other women at Target on launch day that whether you will buy any of Victoria Beckham x Target depends on your personal style. Do you want to wear bright orange or fuchsia? Do you feel comfortable with big lilies on your chest? The women shopping with me this morning did not. At the Target I was at there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm. In many markets, Victoria Beckham is not a known brand name. I predict that this isn’t going to be a sell-out like Lilly Pulitzer for Target was. In California and New York, where Victoria Beckham’s upscale line is better known, this may be greeted with enthusiasm, but in the South and the Midwest, I don’t think it will be.
The cute “school mistress dress” popularized by L’Wren Scott a few years ago, looked great online. But when but when you see it in store, you’ll notice there are bunnies on the little collar.
A fashion miss: most adults don’t want to wear bunnies on their clothing. This is the collar of the Blush Collared Dress – Victoria Beckham for Target.
As one fellow shopper said to me, “they look like evil bunnies.” The bunnies are on the collar of the dress in blush and black, and they frankly ruin what would otherwise be a great piece. Look for this piece to end up on the Target clearance racks in a few weeks! (see my update on the returns and items on the clearance rack for Victoria Beckham at Target)
The scalloped edge tops are very cute, and good value. The women’s gingham peplum top looks cute on the rack, but its very oversized. I didn’t care for it on as there is too much volume in the peplum and it was not flattering. In contrast, the navy sweat top with the lace applique is much better looking in person and I bought one. It’s nice dressed up top for casual wear. The many sleeveless drop waist dresses are cute on the racks, but if you are a bit hippy, they might not give you the sleek fit that the advertisements show off. These dresses are replicas of the Flounce hem dress from the Victoria by Victoria Beckham line, but the flounce hem dresses work as the colors are more muted and the dresses are just above the knee in length, not mini. The result is a better fit with the Victoria by Victoria Beckham dresses, but they are also several hundred dollars more than the Target dresses. This is definitely a case where cheap does not mean chic.
I liked the Orange Drop Waist Scallop Trim Dress, but didn’t buy it because of the slim fit in the hips and the ruffle for trim at the bottom. If you are not curvy, then you will probably love this dress, with the little tie at the back and the tiny black covered buttons.
Victoria Beckham Scarf with Bee Print at Target.
One of my favorite pieces is the bumble bee scarf with Marigold trim which I purchased in store. It’s charming and oh so very British. For $30.00 this is a great accessory.
I was able to get the satin bomber jacket with the bumble bees by going to a second store. The embroidered and appliqued bees on the back are very cute. I don’t know if I will keep it, as I have to confess I purchased it more because I knew it was sold out everywhere else.
My impulse purchase the VB x Target Bomber jacket with bees.
There’s always a risk of impulse shopping with these discount designer collaborations. For the $70.00 price tag, it’s a good deal, I just don’t know how much use I’ll get out of it.
The Victoria Beckham for Target collection features prints with Calla Lillies for women and children.
The English Floral prints and Cala Lillies aren’t as attractive in person as they were in the pictures on Target.com. The prints just don’t render as well. They look like imitation Liberty of London, and not in a good way. The floral damask prints on the bomber jacket and shorts don’t work either as they look like drapery fabric.
One of the cute Victoria Beckham for Target little girls dresses.
The little girls dresses and the toddler dresses are adorable, and ultimately, these may sell better for Target than the women’s styles. With Easter coming, these vintage style dresses with the floral appliques are perfect. The little plastic rain coat with applique flowers is also darling.
The plastic raincoat with the appliques is charming.
If you’re shopping online, prepare to place your order a few times. My cart emptied at Target.com, after I signed into my account. I had to replace all my orders and order again. On the second time it did go through. The Victoria Beckham website also seems to be having technical problems with UK customers reporting the same issues. Overall, Target.com is running better than it has in the past, but there are still technical difficulties that make the customer experience painful. The back button, once you are in the collection doesn’t work, so you can’t easily navigate back and forth from piece to piece to keep shopping. In-store shopping will be less frustrating, if you can get what you want in store.
Women’s Black Embellished Bug Dress – Victoria Beckham for Target
There a several online exclusives that will make you want to keep trying to get your Victoria Beckham order even if Target.com hiccups. I waited to get the dress with bumble bees, and was finally successful. I also ordered the peplum jacket and the black and white ladies sweater with the bell sleeves, both of which are online exclusives. I didn’t order any of the bright colored prints as I thought they were too busy after seeing it in store.
Postscript: I’ve received my online orders, and I am disappointed and will be doing some returns. The black and white ladies sweater with the bell sleeves is a keeper and fits well. Sadly, the peplum jacket is a big miss.The fit is not flattering as the ruffle is placed too high on the garment. The jacket has no closure except for one small gold colored metal hook at the collar, which doesn’t keep the two sides of the jacket in place very well. Maybe Target was trying to save on manufacturing costs by not adding a zipper or a closure at the waist via a button or a hook, but this peplum jacket is poorly designed. I will go look for a better fitting one at Saks Off Fifth or Neiman Marcus Last Call.
Have you shopped Victoria Beckham for Target yet readers? If so let me know your thoughts in the comments. Some of my readers are already telling me on Twitter that they are “underwhelmed” by the collection. Right now there are over 6,000 eBay listings for Victoria Beckham for Target. Right now, I don’t see those getting many bids or going into the frenetic bidding that I saw for previous collections like Phillip Lim for Target or even Altuzarra for Target. However, both those collections , especially the Phillip Lim for Target offered better quality and better fit. Sadly, Victoria Beckham for Target has more misses than hits in my opinion.
If you bought any VB x Target, remember you have 14 days from date of purchase to return for a full refund. If you purchased with a RedCard, you have 30 days to make your returns. Finally, if you are a shopper who missed this collection, check your local Target store in the next week as the returns will start to flow in.
Since 2008, Mary Hall has been the author of
Holly
April 9, 2017 at 7:13 pm
I took your advice Mary and stayed up and ordered the striped dress, the embellished bees dress and bomber, and the embellished sweater/sweatshirt. I went back this morning for the black and white tulip shift. We will see how it goes in real life. Since I’m a ginger not all of the colors were great. I liked the mint green lace online but didn’t bother since pastels wash me out. The pale mauve paisley looked cute. I loved the ideas throughout the collection but we will see execution later. Good review!
Target-Addict
April 9, 2017 at 9:03 pm
I got the bee scarf too! But shhhh… don’t tell my mom, as it’s a present for her 😉
I ended up going to one of my local stores when they opened this morning, which I NEVER do (but my BFF talked me into it). I found the sizing to be a bit all over the map. One dress in my size was huge, and the other was too tight. Luckily I had already ordered the too-small dress in a larger size online, so I’ll get that in the mail eventually. The orange scalloped shell top I tried on was too big, so again, I went back online to order in a smaller size. The women I stood in line with (about 20 in all) were buying, but they didn’t seem impressed with the line overall. I predict LOTS of returns on this collab!
Kate
April 10, 2017 at 5:41 pm
I tried on so much and there were plenty of hits and misses. First, I can’t picture Victoria Beckham wearing any of this, so that gave me pause.The patterns and appliques are so “signature” that they’ll get old fast. And, everyone will be wearing them. When you see more than one person wearing head-to-toe calla lilies, you know it’s toast! I found fit issues were a problem throughout the collection. The long black pants were a huge disappointment as they were cut without any room for actual hips-very specific body type only. The matching top was really nice. I too found the dresses to be impossibly short and in particular, the few skirts were insanely short. The lace dress fit well and was long enough, but a mint-green lace dress? I know it’s a near-prefect replica of her expensive one, but the color? Same for the pink damask pieces which seemed very Amal Clooney but felt like cheap tablecloth material. What I did like (and bought)) were the white long sleeve shirt (very elegant), the scarves (nice fabric-could have done without the writing on them), the navy blue applique sweatshirt, and the gingham dress. The sleeeve on that dress are a bit strange, but it’s cute and summery. I’ve also ordered two online only pieces (a sweater and a jacket)–we’ll see! Thanks for your excellent review!
Mary Hall
April 11, 2017 at 1:25 am
Really agree with your comments, saw the pink damask jackets at another Target store last night..meh, they reminded me of curtains. Hopefully, your online orders will be ok, and if not, back they go!
Welcome Objects
April 11, 2017 at 6:21 am
Out here in California after a day, there’s a lace print and jacquard stuff left, but most of the popular pieces (poplin dress, bee shirt) are gone. Wasn’t feeling all the drop waist dresses. The rompers fits strangely on me (cue unflattering fitting room photos): https://welcomeobjects.com
Patou
April 13, 2017 at 4:20 pm
I too was looking forward to this collection; the last time I bought any Target collaboration was in 2011-Missoni, and I scored some great, wearable pieces. I also got on that line (in the Harlem store in NYC) early and the line was insane. Got to the Harlem Target by 7:30am on Sunday and –shocker-there were only 4 people on line…which didn’t bode well for the collection. I have to commend the staff of the store for keeping everything uber-organized and calm, and everyone was respectful and mellow, unlike those at the Missoni collab. Racks were stocked so I was able to grab everything I wanted in my size (I’m very slim with no hips)…I tried on many many items; some were adorable and others…meh. I agree that the jacquard bomber jackets and shorts looked like cheap, old lady sofa material…I loved the applique navy shirt, the black and white tulip applique shift, and I actually bought several pieces from the kids line-a pink and black shift with adorable daisy pockets. and a pink sweater with a black bunny outline. I did lots of impulse shopping and will be returning the calla-lili shirt/pants, several shifts, the mint green lace coat dress, and several other mediocre pieces…I’m hoping they’ll be doing a collab with Lagerfeld soon, but I think that’s wishful thinking…
Kate
April 14, 2017 at 12:56 pm
Update to my review: I received two online only pieces yesterday and wanted to share my impressions. The first was the peplum jacket. I ordered this in medium, my usual Target size. For me, this piece was a miss. It’s a bit large and all of the gathers around the waist added bulk and made me look larger than I am. Also, it looks strange when closed at the neck (there’s no waist closure) and doesn’t really work unclosed. Also, there was no real bottom offered that truly went with it. Back it goes.
The second is the sweater with white bands at the neck and cuffs. Again, I ordered a medium. For me, this piece as a hit! Lightweight but substantial, classy, elegant, but different, too. Good fit everywhere and long enough to wear with medium-rise jeans. This is a piece worth stalking. How its under $30.00 is beyond me!
Mary Hall
April 16, 2017 at 1:22 pm
I agree with your comments, I also returned the VB x Target Peplum jacket, but kept the sweater. The design of the Peplum was just odd with the one hook closure at the neck. But the sweater is a great, comfortable piece. That’s a keeper!
Dionne
April 16, 2017 at 4:26 pm
Hello,
This was the first time I purchased from one of the Target collaborations. I was very pleased with the fit and look of the pieces I purchased for my granddaughter. I will keep each one. The items I purchased for myself and my daughter sadly weren’t as successful. The Lily pants were too long and wouldn’t fair well with tailoring. Sadly, I was never able to find the blue and white gingham pants in my size. The scalloped shirt and skirt would have been better with a more tailored fit and shorter skirt. I have mixed feelings about the peplum jacket and will likely return it. I have already returned several items I purchased online. The best piece was the black and white high neck sweater.
I hope next time the collections are offered equally in all markets. Our store only had tops and dresses but no pants! This collection was interesting enough that I would shop again to find the best pieces from the next collaboration.
Mary Hall
April 17, 2017 at 1:39 pm
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Dionne. I agree the kids clothes were a better value and fit than the womens wear in Victoria Beckham for Target.
Matt
April 22, 2017 at 10:48 pm
The rabbits on the collar (and the type of collar) are a complete ripoff of Jessicka Addams’ cat collars.
See for yourself: https://houseofaddams.com/
Mary Hall
April 26, 2017 at 5:11 pm
WOW Matt, you are right. And the cats looked quirky & cute, the bunnies just look odd and ridiculous! I wonder how many they will sell.
Valerie Graham
April 26, 2017 at 10:39 am
The quality of the bee blouse is shocking the fabric is cheap and the collars don’t sit right my guess is they cost $2 to make. The fabric creases like a dish cloth. Great quirky design and print but the blouse/shirt is so so cheap looking really hard stiff fabric. Such a shams as had such high hopes for this cheaper brand. Both the cala lilly and bee scarf are devine though. Oh well back to her main line stuff..
Kasia
May 16, 2017 at 6:56 am
Absolutely nothing fits my xs frame btw. I’m almost 5.5″, so I’m not super short. Everything hangs on me like “on a hanger” and it’s too long. Matronly or childish. Maybe the bee scarf, but even that is way too big and where am I’m going to wear such a dressy,polyester, oversized scarf?
Big disappointment.