Review: Who What Wear Collaboration at Target

My favorite look from Target’s collaboration with the Who What Wear Blog

The Who What Wear fashion collaboration  arrived at Target stores today and with very low expectations, I went to my local store to check it out. Overall, the Who What Wear  collection at Target runs the gamut.  There’s good, bad and just plain fugly here.  Overall there are more misses than hits. However, there are a few things here that I do like very much.  The Moto jackets, floral midi skirt and the jeans are very pleasant surprises.  The dresses in the collection are the biggest misses as they lack structure or any kind of shape to give them a flattering fit.  At my Target there was very little excitement among shoppers for this collection–the beauty and grocery store aisles were far more lively than the Who What Wear racks.   My prediction is that much of this collaboration will end up on sale and on the clearance racks.  However, some of these items won’t and these are the ones you might want to put into your shopping cart.  Read on to see The Recessionista’s top picks from Who What Wear at Target.

The adorable Who What Wear Cross Body bags from the Target collab are already sold-out online

The floral midi  pencil skirt in yellow and blue  (priced at $27.99) is a very attractive print and looks good paired with the  collection’s elbow sleeve top and the Moto jacket.  The same print in the floral top or the dress is not quite as attractive (not the shift dress comes in solid and other prints,but I didn’t see those in-store) , as it doesn’t have the same long silhouette and can appear overwhelming.  It’s a lot of print for a dress, better looking in the skirt which looks good paired with a solid top or a stripped top.  The midi pencil skirt also comes in an ebony print and a white and black polka dot print, both of which are attractive, but not as striking as the floral combination.

Modeling the Who What Wear Black Pleather Motorcycle Jacket at Target (price $44.99 US)

The Moto jackets were the biggest surprise to me in this collection.  On the racks, I was ready to disregard these. You have to try these on to really see their merits.  For under $50.00, these are great “fast fashion” pieces.  Sure there are better Moto jackets,and real leather ones, but they are going to be a lot more expensive that the Who What Wear at Target versions.  This is a Moto Jacket to just get a fast fashion fix.  It’s not going to last forever for $45.00.

In store trying on the blue faux suede Who What Wear Target jacket priced at $39.99.

The lapis blue faux suede jacket for $39.99 is striking on and has a surprisingly relaxed fit.  The blue Mod Moto jacket also comes in plus-size,available only online.  On the rack, the black pleather Who What Wear motorcycle jacket doesn’t look  like much, but try it on and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. At $44.99, the pleather Moto jacket is a worthy piece of fast fashion.

The collection features a variety of marine striped tops , very similar to more expensive versions at J Crew, that are casual and comfortable.  They’re not special,but they are easy to wear and good looking.

The crepe black cape blazer in the collection is good looking and a good way to get in on one of the season’s hottest trends for under $50.00.  The blazer is $39.99 in Women’s and $44.99 in Plus-Size–a price discrepancy  that Target shoppers probably won’t appreciate. The cape comes in black and is a bit small in the shoulders, but generous everywhere else.

The Olive trench vest and utility jacket from Who Wear Wear at  Target.

So what’s not great here?  Sadly, there are plenty of misses.   Avoid these items and save your hard earned money:

• The Trench Vest:  Why ? That’s all I can say.  A trench is not meant to be a vest so your arms get wet in the rain!
• The Peplum Utility Jacket: The opposite of what chic is all about.   The words peplum and utility should not describe the same garment…this is just wrong!
• The Dresses:  The Who What Wear Target dresses are rather shapeless and bland in my opinion.  Save your money.  The ribbed sweater midi dress just looks cheap not chic n’ cheap.
• The Pants:   The skinny crop pants with the back zipper are just kinda crazy….the fit is poor.  The culottes are oversized–run from them.  The best thing here are the jeans.
• Sweaters: The bateau stripped sweater is ok, the rest are very lightweight and I don’t they will wear well.

Target has said the Who What Wear collaboration will be  monthly collection at Target stores….if that is what they want to do with this, then they have some work to do to make this attractive to consumers.  There’s so much great fashion available from H&M and via sales at Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack and Neiman Marcus Last Call that it will be hard for this Who What Wear collection at Target to find a loyal following.