March Modness (with snowdrops!)

You know how I'm always burbling about snowdrops and how happy they make me?

Guess how happy I am now that they're finally here!

Other flowery things that make me happy:  This dress from Target's Liberty of London collection.

Dress: Target

Yellow belt: TJMaxx

White trench: Daisy Fuentes, thrifted

Burgundy fishnet stockings (cut down from tights: depths of the drawer

Beige platforms: John Fluevog, remixed

For the most part, I was... less than thrilled by the Target/Liberty of London collection. I put very little stock in most of Target's designer collaborations: my opinion is that a simplified, mass-produced item with a designer label on it is still a simplified, mass-produced item, without any of the quality workmanship or individuality of a full-fledged designer product.

However, Liberty of London, with its collaborations with Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau greats like William Morris and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was perhaps the original purveyor of the concept of "style for the masses," which makes it a perfect partner for the similarly-inclined Target. 

The prints, needless to say, are beyond awesome, and after seeing them online, I was prepared to fall head over heels with the clothes. 

Sadly, I was disappointed by most of the fabrics and the styling of the clothes. This cotton sateen is substantial and feels like it won't fall apart after the third wear: not so for the lightweight poly gauzes used for the majority of the collection. 

As for the styling, most of the pieces were cut along floaty, ruffly lines. There were ruffled peasant blouses, sundresses with tiers of ruffles, even ruffled one-shoulder maxi dresses. Almost every piece seemed to feature the word "ruffle" in its description.

I have nothing against ruffles. I like 'em! In fact, later this week, I'll be showing off some pieces that show just how dear to my heart a well-executed ruffle can be. But...

But in my mind, when you pair such aggressively floral prints with ruffly, floaty cuts, you end up square in 1970s Bohemianland, and that, Dear Readers, is not a place I want to be. At least not to that extent. 

That's why, to me, this dress was such a standout. It's tailored on clean, structured lines, which balance the exuberant floral print nicely. It's a perfect example of a mixed style register - despite the print, with the skinny belt and white trench, I feel more like a product of Mod London than anything else.

The hair's helping with that. I think I'm finally getting into my groove with it.

Tiny mandala earrings and amber shaggy-chain necklace (remixed), made by me

This has become a constant gesture. The bangs still aren't staying where I want them (although they're starting to) and I'm not used to the pressure on my forehead!

Yeah, it's not so bad as all that. I guess.

Have you seen the Target/Liberty of London collection? What do you think of it? How would you style these over-the-top floral pieces?