Jason Wu for Target Clothing Reviews

After spending two long nights sleeping on planes, I was happy to be back in the U.S. today. I checked my Twitter feed upon landing (hooray for Twitter, FB, and Blogger not being blocked!) and realized that today was a good day to return...

Me (shooting up from my airplane seat, suddenly alert): "The Jason Wu for Target line is launching this morning! How convenient!!"
Groggy Nick: "Wha? What's that?"
Me (sly smile creeping across face): "Stores open in one hour!"
Unamused Nick: "You're kidding me, right."

I would typically never subject my boyfriend to the madness of women at a collaboration launch, but my local Target is outside of the city and I don't drive in Boston (for good reason). After some coaxing and promises of an "American breakfast" afterwards, we dropped off our luggage and were on our way.

I arrived at 7:45AM and there were about 20 people in line ahead of me. We were told that each shopper was limited to 6 pieces from the collection. I was relieved to hear this, as there were definitely some eBay'ers ahead of me (unless they were generous husbands/grandmothers picking up merchandise for loved ones?). When doors opened at 8AM sharp, I speed-walked in and grabbed every XS I could find. All dresses were already snatched up except for this one, which I was happy to grab:

Preface: All clothing in this collection is in women's regular sizing. Sizing seems to run normal for a women's regular line, which means it will probably not fit extra petite ladies without alterations. Most items have a boxy cut, with a straight-up-and-down silhouette when un-belted. Everything seems to be sold out online today, but Target might quietly restock like they did with Missoni.

Now, on to this dress. This piece appeared unflattering on models in both stock photos and ads, but in-person, I thought it was one of the more interesting pieces of the collection. I love the combination of goldenrod and black against blush pink, as well as the details like a simple collar, pearly buttons, and scalloped trim on the front pleats. This would be lovely for brunch in the spring, and can also be business-casual appropriate in warmer weather.

1. Jason Wu for Target pleated shift dress w/ tie belt, $39.99, sz XS. CL Simple 100 Pumps.

On me (~ 5 feet tall, 32-24-32), this dress needs some slimming along the torso to make the armholes a bit smaller, and to rectify the bunching back as shown below. The belt loops also fall below my actual waist, so I would move those an inch or two upwards. Another aspect I don't love about this dress that can't be changed is the wide angled cap sleeves.

2. Jason Wu for Target dotted bow blouse in navy or blush, XS, $34.99.
Old Navy jeggings in 0 Short, CL Decolette Pumps (starts in sz 4, now also in nude)

This blouse is boxy like everything else in the collection, but drapes well enough that it doesn't need alterations on someone my size. I like how it looks worn casually with jeans or tucked into a pencil skirt. The blouse does poof out when fully tucked in, so I would slim the sides a little or layer on a cardigan / blazer.

This top is a darker navy than what my photo shows below. I'm not sure if the twisted collar is part of the design, or just bad craftsmanship. I noticed that every top in this collection with a tie-style collar was really twisted along the neckline. I like the fabric-covered buttons and pleated sleeves.

3. Jason Wu for Target floral sleeveless top w/ mesh, $26.99, sz XS. Ann Taylor ponte skirt in 00P.

In the ads, this top looked gorgeous paired with the floral pleated skirt. On the hanger, it looked wide and tent-like. Nick took one look and scoffed, and I almost put it back, but decided there was no harm in bringing it home to try on.

When worn, this top was surprisingly girly and pretty. I love the dotted mesh against the navy floral and can see this top (as well as many others in this collection) pairing perfectly with crisp white skinny jeans. I added a yellow belt for fun and the resulting look wasn't too bad - almost like a peplum silhouette.

4. Jason Wu for Target short sleeve tee with tie, in blush or white, sz XS, $22.99

5. Jason Wu for Target lace print straight skirt, sz 2 (smallest), $29.99

These 100% rayon tees were a definite no for me. The material was stretchy and cool to the touch, but felt like they would pill after a few wash n' wears. The tees looked similar to stuff you can get at H&M any day. The twisted-ness of the neck is also more visible with the black trim, making the quality look cheap.

The skirts and dresses in numerical sizing all started at size 2. I wasn't too disappointed about not finding any pleated skirts or dresses because they would require costly alterations, anyways. This skirt is 100% cotton and feels like a stiffer poplin material. I like the grosgrain ribbon waist, the pockets (sucker for pockets), and front pleats, but found the printed material to look a bit tacky.

I also grabbed the popular sheer blush dot blouse that is often paired with this skirt, but the smallest size left was a S. In person, the blouse was feminine and floaty, but a S looked generous on the hanger. I certainly do not need a 4th nude blouse, so I offered it to a fellow shopper who actually turned out to be a reader! I was surprised to meet a few readers at Target today...it was a pleasure to meet women with common interests and to connect "real life" faces to the readership of this little blog.

Readers - Out of #1-3, help me decide which piece(s) to keep! If any of you also shopped this collection, I'd love to hear what you got!