Calypso for Target Review

I arrived at Target at a decent hour this morning to shop the Calypso St. Barth collection and inspect the goods for my review. I mainly browsed the Women's clothing, Girls' clothing, Women's accessories, and the oddly appealing metallic pouf. I didn't have the chance to see the espadrille wedges, since an employee was just setting up the display as I walked past. The only department in which I noticed a gathering of shoppers was in Jewelry. Apparently, the elephant pendant necklaces and hammered cuffs were selling quickly. In Women's clothing, I was the only one browsing, so I selected five of my favorite pieces to try on.

The clothing was merchandised by color palette (Sea Collection, Reef Collection, and Shore Collection, as seen online), and the majority of items I wanted to try on (such as the crochet tank dress for $69.99, the turquoise dress for $36.99 and pink caftan for $49.99) were not in stock. This was my main complaint about this collection, besides the fact that it was merchandised in too many places throughout the store, making things hard to find and also making it more time-consuming to shop than it needs to be (just like the Liberty of London collection). Hey Target, perhaps a Calypso shop-within-a-shop type of merchandising could have been done so that all items in the collection would be in one central store location?

I managed to snag the elephant chain belt ($19.99), which I admired in the look book but couldn't find online. The colorful bags, scarves, hats, and flip flops seemed to be in full supply and were easy to find in the front of the store.

I had a hunch the metallic pouf would be a popular item, and after seeing the silver one in person, I could see why. I had to hunt it down in the housewares department, behind an emplyee's stock table. (I think they had just put these items out.) It was well worth the hunt. It's both versatile and stylish at a price of $59.99. My store had three in silver...well, now they have two. Both the silver and gold appear to be sold out on Target's website already.
Now for the Calypso St. Barth for Target Women's apparel and fitting room photos. Truth be told, Calypso St. Barth's beachy, relaxed vibe and bold prints are not really my style, but a few items appealed to me, so I tried them on out of curiosity. First up was the blue crochet bib tunic. Not surprisingly, this top runs big, and I'm wearing size XS. It's made of 100% silk, and fortunately, it does not wrinkle too badly. The hand is soft and lightweight but not sheer. I think it's so perfect for summer. Due to the long length, it can be worn untucked as a tunic, or tucked in as a flowy blouse. Thumbs up on this top due to the fabric and nice crochet details at a great price.

The medallion print tunic in pink/orange fit the same as the previous top, has the same price point, and is also made of silk. I bought one for my mom for Mother's Day, as it fits her style and I'm confident that she'll love it. I'm wearing a sixe XS, and this time, I tucked it in for a more custom fit. I also think it might work well untucked and worn with a belt - perhaps the elephant chain belt from this collection for a world traveler vibe.

Below is one of my favorite dresses in the collection. I'm wearing a size 2, and was impressed by the thick red lining, heavy cotton construction, and very tailored fit. It has a side zip and straps that cross in the back. The length was perfect for me while wearing 3" heels, and I'm petite.

Simply for fun I put together this look with the tunic and harem pants. It's not really my style, since it's too relaxed and resort-like for my taste, however, I found both pieces to be incredibly comfortable together. (Potentially perfect for some ladies going on vacation or a day of lounging at the beach though.) The pants are a size small, have side pockets, back patch pockets, a drawstring, and seem to run true to size. They're also very sheer due to the lightweight linen and cotton fabric, so the proper undergarments are essential for wearing these pants. I also want to note that these aren't really harem pants in my opinion. The fit loosely and have elastic hems, but there is no harem-esque drop crotch silhouette. I'm also wearing my new, ultra comfortable Swedish Hasbeens for H&M lace-up wedges. Perhaps I look ready to hop aboard a cruise ship, don some huge sunglasses, and sip something with an umbrella in it?

Bear with me here. I stopped by the Girls' department to browse the dresses (yes, for myself) and I found a cute Indian-inspired elephant print tunic. Being petite, I can sometimes get away with wearing a size XL in Girls'. Unfortunately, the length on this tunic was too short for my tastes, but would work much better with leggings or shorts. The fit was A-line with a tie in the back, and it was made of 100% cotton. If it had an extra 3-4 inches, I would've taken it home.

Overall, I appreciated the use of natural fabrics in the collection and the variety of items available (everything from teapots and tunics to belts and candles.) I also liked the timing of the release a week before Mother's Day, so people like me can buy gifts from this collection a week in advance. If I had to bet, I'd predict that the teapots, sandals, Girls' dresses, pendant necklaces, and tie dye print pieces will sell the fastest. My biggest disappointment is not being able to try on a few of the dresses in the store, especially the crochet tank dress. Bonus points to Target for doing Plus and Petite size ranges (available online) in order to appeal to a wider range of shoppers.