As the old adage goes, when it rains, it pours, and now your feet are soaking wet. Just kidding, that’s not the actual saying but the sentiment about being prepared with reliable rain boots is more likely true than not. That’s the thing about rain boots — they’re out of sight and out of mind (and not really on your fashion shopping list) until you find yourself trapped under a shabby awning while torrential downpour cascades around you. You look down at your “water-resistant” shoes that are absolutely going to get destroyed and you think, “Well, here goes nothing” as you make a run for it. Don’t let this happen to you.
Instead, peruse our Hype Machine guide to the best rain boots for women, featuring highly-rated, all-time customer faves as recommended by people who have actually trekked out in storms. We hope that this roundup helps you secure at least one pair of tried-and-true, 100% waterproof footwear ahead of the dicey, wet weather of fall and winter. And while most of the styles are of classic duck boots, up-the-leg Wellingtons, and rain booties disguised as Chelseas, we’ve also found budget-friendly slip-on rain shoes from Amazon, the best rain boots for extremely cold climates, and much more.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Everlane The Rain Boot
Best Ankle Rain Bootie
Leave it to Everlane, our go-to for elevated basics, to create a no-frills, pull-on rain boot that is both cute and practical. It's a solid option for those wintry-mix days when you're not in dire need of anything too high-rise or heavy.
The Hype: 4.63 out of 5 stars and 1,851 reviews on everlane.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "I’m in love with these boots! The color is gorgeous and they are very well-made. They feel substantial without being heavy. They are extremely comfortable with a cushy sole. I have muscular calves and knee-high rain boots never fit well, so these are absolutely perfect. I’m a size 10, regular width, and the 10 fits perfectly with the medium-weight socks I wear in the PNW winter. I’ll be enjoying these for years to come."
These mid-calf UGG wellies come especially highly rated for the brand's signature sheepskin-lined PU insole. Needless to say, the fluffy footbeds make even the rainest, coldest days feel cushier and comfier with every step.
The Hype: 5 out of 5 stars and 2,020 reviews on zappos.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "I just got my rain boots and I am very impressed! I used my new boots to take my dog on a walk through the woods behind our house. The trails are tricky to walk on this time of year because of snow, ice, slush, mud, and water. I was so surprised by the boot's amazing traction! I didn't miss a step or slip once, even when going up a fairly difficult slushy, snowy and icy incline. My feet stayed dry and warm (I wore a pair of thin wool socks inside). What a great purchase! I couldn't ask for a better boot."
A mind-boggling 15,000+ buyers have rated these $30 waterproof Chelsea boots a 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon. With 13 color options available (including neutrals like black and brown, bold solids like hunter green and canary yellow, and unexpected turns like this all-over silver glitter seen here), this trendy wet-weather offering is a runaway hit.
The Hype: 4.6 out of 5 stars and 15,119 reviews on amazon.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "I wear these boots literally all the time and cannot stop recommending them to everyone I know. They are amazing. I don't know how, but they are SO comfortable - the sole is sufficiently flexible to afford easy walking but durable enough to make walking on snow or gravel comfortable. They are 100% waterproof (up to the elastic part), and yet they don't make my feet sweat during vigorous walking (how??). They are flat-footed, so it's easy to slide them on, yet my high arches never hurt - and I once stayed up overnight in an airport because of a flight delay. That's about 36 hours of comfortable continuous wear! I rarely experience a product that just so absolutely nails it, and Asgard nailed so many dimensions. I hope I die in these boots."
Asgard Women's Waterproof Chelsea Boots, $, available at Amazon
Chooka Market Rain Shoe
Best Slip-On Rain and Garden Shoe
These Chookas are great for those light, on-and-off drizzly days that don't require a full-on rain boot. Or, as many reviewers have noted, they're also perfect for quick errands in rainy weather or for the garden. This shoe also comes in a cute yellow with an allover bee print.
The Hype: 4.7 out of 5 stars and 70 reviews on dsw.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "I bought these shoes to keep my feet dry when I walk my dog in the morning and the grass is covered with morning dew. They are perfect!"
The most reviewed waterproof shoe on L.L.Bean is this Rubber Moc, stylized to slip on easy like a mocassin. Over 2,200 happy customers say this rain shoe is an absolute dream for keeping feet dry. Sturdier and more substantial than a regular garden shoe, this Rubber Moc can take on muddier, wetter grounds.
The Hype: 4.2 out of 5 stars and 2,208 reviews on llbean.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "These shoes are great for mucking about outside. They slip on and off easily but have enough of a heel to keep most pooling water or mud out. I keep them by my back door when I need to take the dogs out or run over to the neighbors. However, they are such classics that I've worn them out and about with the right outfit. They run quite large (I usually wear an 8 and sized down to a 7) and you need to use the laces to really dial the fit in. Great arch support - I'm on my second pair and will always have a pair on hand. Like I said, a classic! XO"
L.L. Bean Women's Bean Boots, Rubber Moc, $, available at L.L. Bean
Jeffrey Campbell Hurricane Waterproof Boot
Best Heeled Chelsea Rain Boots (That Don't Look Like Rain Boots)
If you can't stand the look of actual rain boots — hey, we get it, they're big and chunky and not the most fashion-forward shoe — then get yourself a pair of these sleek Jeffrey Campbells rain Chelsea. These have a matte black finish, but they also come in patent black, patent red, and patent light blue.
The Hype: 4.2 out of 5 stars and 131 reviews on nordstrom.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "I got the black matte, which are actually pretty comfortable for being made of rubber. They look really cute on and don’t even look like rain boots unless you look at them very closely. They look great with jeans or leggings! These are a great boot if you live in a rainy area, you can dress them up and not worry about your shoes getting wet or ruined."
Jeffrey Campbell Hurricane Waterproof Boot, $, available at Nordstrom
Sperry Saltwater Quilted Nylon
Best Quilted Duck Rain Boot
A bit more luxe and fashion-forward than the standard duck boot, this Sperry boot also has a micro-fleece lining for keeping you extra cozy from very inclement cold weather.
The Hype: 4 out of 5 stars and 144 reviews on zappos.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "What can I say......Sperry makes an amazing boot! I LOVE this boot so much that this year I also bought the shiny black, the brown tan, the pink and the gray! In the winter I live in leggings and these boots go perfectly with them! I live in western PA, we get quite a bit of bad weather, and I live in these boots! I wore these at least 3 times a week during the entire fall and winter last year, and so far this year, and they still look brand new! The fit is perfect. It is extremely hard for me to find comfortable footwear because I have both a hammertoe and bunion on my right foot and I can still wear boot socks with these boots. If you need a pair of boots for nasty weather and love to wear jeans and leggings then look no further."
Sperry Saltwater Quilted Nylon, $, available at Zappos
Hunter Original Tall
Best Knee-High Wellington Rain Boot
If memory serves correctly (and it does), Hunter Original Tall wellies were the preferred rain boot by the likes of Alexa Chung, Cara Delevingne, and Suki Waterhouse at the very muddy grounds of 2016's Glastonbury Music Festival. And, five years later, these knee-high classics are still protective as ever from super slushy, sloppy, schleppy weather.
The Hype: 4 out of 5 stars and 422 reviews on zappos.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "I got these to walk in the waves at the beach in colder weather...AWESOME! Super super happy. I think they are adorable and they are more comfortable than I’d imagined. So happy I can walk near the water all year long now! They are very well made and look great."
Don't be fooled by the affordable price tag — this rain shoe delivers when it comes to wet days! Sloggers are also offered in many prints and colors (including a chic standard patent black), so be sure to take a peek at the Amazon page for all the cute options. An "all-day comfort" insole additionally makes this shoe extra comfy.
Sloggers Women's Waterproof Rain and Garden Shoe, $, available at Amazon
L.L.Bean Women's Bean Boots, 10" Shearling-Lined
Best Shearling-Lined Rain Boots For Extremely Cold Weather
When it comes to outdoorsy life, L.L.Bean knows what's up. It's no surprise, then, that the outdoorsy company would offer a cult-favorite rain boot made that can withstand temperatures down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit (seriously), thanks to lightweight but powerful insulation and genuine natural sheepskin shearling.
The Hype: 4.4 out of 5 stars and 636 reviews on llbean.com
What Puddle Hoppers Are Saying: "Very warm! Wore the boots to a football game in 35-degree weather. They stood up for almost 12 hours of tailgating and watching the game and I was the only one without frozen feet! Could not be happier with this purchase."
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Cara Delevingne attends 2021 Costume Institute Benefit – In America: A Lexicon of Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
On September 13, as the star-studded Met Gala 2021 was in full swing on New York City’s Upper East Side, Luna Matatas was in her Toronto home nearly 500 miles away, stewing. When she’d opened Twitter that night, she’d found herself tagged by users pointing her to a picture of the model Cara Delevingne, who was wearing a white vest emblazoned with red lettering spelling out “Peg the Patriarchy” — a phrase that Matatas says she coined in 2015, and filed to have trademarked in Canada in 2017 (the trademark was approved in 2018).
Matatas didn’t have any idea that Delevingne would be wearing an outfit incorporating the phrase, and at the Met Gala, neither the model nor Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, who designed the outfit, seemed to credit Matatas at all. The most elaboration Delevingne gave when asked about her outfit referred to the sex act pegging. “If anyone doesn’t know what this word is, you’re going to have to look it up because I’m not going to explain it,” Delevingne said.
Matatas’ reaction was complicated: Part of her was “giddy” to see the phrase she’d come up with being given such a large stage. But she also felt a strong sense of injustice about not getting credit from a huge fashion institution and a white, cis woman with a platform. “This happens to small artists all the time,” she said on Instagram. “So much so that I have an assistant whose job includes finding and tracing people printing and selling Peg the Patriarchy. Remember that as a fat, queer, POC I am working twice as hard just to do what I’m already amazing at. From censorship to patriarchy to racism, all biz barriers specific to my social location. Enter sex shop co-owner at Met Gala with a custom designed vest with Peg the Patriarchy on it.”
A representative for Dior didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment from Refinery29, and a representative for Delevingne declined to comment. Lora DiCarlo, the sexual wellness brand co-owned by Delevingne, said in a statement: “Lora DiCarlo was not involved with the 2021 Met Gala.”
Until now, most of the people who co-opted “Peg the Patriarchy” were small Etsy shop owners who hadn’t realized the phrase was trademarked and who happily took their products down; Matatas even later befriended some of these creators. But, unlike these small businesses, Delevingne and Dior had the resources to research the term and properly credit it, Matatas says, which is why this particular use is so frustrating. “Having the conversation taken away from my brand and not being accredited is very patriarchal,” Matatas tells Refinery29. “Queens lift queens up, and it would have been so easy to just credit me.”
Legally, Matatas may not have much recourse, says Todd J. Braverman, a lawyer, former U.S. Trademark Office examining attorney, and a partner and current head of the U.S. Trademark Group at Pearl Cohen in New York. Delevingne and the designer don’t appear to be selling “Peg the Patriarchy” vests, and Delevingne could argue that, at the Met Gala, she was simply expressing her values and making a statement. As such, this use of the phrase may be covered as free expression under the First Amendment. “Delevingne’s First Amendment free speech rights would prevail over Matatas’ trademark right,” Braverman says. He adds that short phrases can be harder to trademark in the U.S. than names or logos, like the Nike swoosh.
But if Delevingne, the designer, or any other shop started to make and sell “Peg the Patriarchy” merch (the latter of which has already begun to happen on Etsy, Matatas says), Braverman would likely suggest Matatas send cease-and-desist letters. The sex educator owns a Canadian trademark registration for “Peg the Patriarchy,” but the term isn’t trademarked in the U.S. (though “shred the patriarchy” and “patriarchy is a bitch” are). Even so, if Matatas can prove that she had previously sold “Peg the Patriarchy” merch to people in cities where the copycat sellers were now trying to sell products, her trademark rights might be enforceable in this case, Braverman says.
Matatas knows that right now, legally, there’s not much she can do about the situation she’s in with Delevingne and Dior, but just because something is technically legal doesn’t make it right, and the sex educator doesn’t plan to stay quiet about what happened. She’s using this moment to speak up about small artists’ rights — and to clarify what she meant when she came up with the phrase “Peg the Patriarchy.”
That last point has become increasingly important since, after it gained so much attention at the Met Gala, some folks on social media have pointed out problems with the phrase. “The ‘peg the patriarchy’ Met Gala outfit is only a dig on hegemonic masculinity if one accepts the premise it is degrading to be a man on the receiving end of anal sex — a premise which is not only itself homophobic, but is also a fundamental aspect of homophobic ideology itself,” tweeted Stephen Molldrem, PhD, a professor who’s done research on queer studies, among other topics. In other words, the phrase “peg the patriarchy” can be interpreted in a way that casts pegging in a negative, shame-inducing way that equates anal sex with humiliation, domination, or worse. In fact, pegging is often a pleasurable act, and as Matatas previously told Refinery29 in an article about pegging, “We know that anyone, even people with penises, can strap on [a dildo] and anyone, even people without penises, can receive strap-on play.”
Here, we ask Matatas about the power and limitations of the phrase she coined, and what she wants people to know in the aftermath of virality.
Refinery29: What does the phrase “Peg the Patriarchy” mean to you?
Luna Matatas: “I wanted to start these conversations about the ways in which equity is connected to our empowerment but also our erotic side. We play a lot with fantasy and power and we can use those metaphors in our social activism. It really is a metaphor. Pegging is a fantasy about anal penetration. But it’s not so much about anal sex. It’s not so much about cis-men. Because patriarchy has no gender — it’s a system and it affects everybody. We’re all in a position of either power or subservient under patriarchy. Which doesn’t work for anybody. So ‘peg the patriarchy’ is kind of saying, ‘Let’s subvert this. Let’s not obey and be subservient. Let’s use this fantasy metaphor to shake things up.”
That makes sense. And you said you came up with the phrase in 2015, which was quite a year, with Donald Trump announcing his run for president and such. I’m curious how the phrase felt right in the moment and how it still holds up today.
“Right! Context obviously matters and I think it coming up then right before the election was also important. We were seeing this alpha dominance, we were seeing a lot of toxic masculinity — and those are the behaviors that anyone can embody, but they uphold the same system. And now we’re seeing so many debates around bodily autonomy for people with uteruses and abortion debates. So we’re, we’re also in this vibe of, ‘Why are we still using this system? Patriarchy doesn’t work. Let’s stop using it.’”
When you decided to start selling merch with this phrase on it, what were some challenges you faced?
“It’s been tough to merchandise it because patriarchy is also in business. And so, some graphic designers don’t want to work with it and some companies don’t want to print it or I often get treated differently [because of the word peg]. There’s so much censorship on social media, especially for fat, POC people. It’s been challenging but really fun.
What led you to trademark the phrase?
“Cause someone stole it. I saw people were using it. And usually, it’s other small artists who are printing t-shirts too. Most people I reach out to and I say, ‘Hey, you know, can you not do that?’ And they’re usually pretty good about taking it down… But with this… I’m a small business owner, so I don’t have a legal team. It’s me and a few staff. But in the aftermath of the [Met Gala], now my SEO is distorted, there’s like seven copycats on Etsy.”
What do you want people to know about the way “Peg the Patriarchy” was promoted at the Met Gala?
“Not being accredited is very patriarchal. Patriarchy is subconsciously woven into a lot of things that we’ve normalized, like competitiveness and ‘power over’ instead of ‘power with.’ Subverting that means thinking, behaving, and questioning in different ways. And it’s really uncomfortable to do that. Ideally, I would just love to see people talking about it more.”
You mentioned in your Instagram post that this has been especially difficult because you’re a small business owner, and added “remember that as a fat, queer, POC I am working twice as hard just to do what I’m already amazing at.” Can you talk a bit more about those dynamics, and why they’re important to this conversation?
“Thanks for the opportunity to do that, because I think that is the jelly in the sandwich. It’s the fact that her world and access to power is so different from mine. This makes it even harder for me, and they make it harder for me to challenge them versus challenging another like-minded Etsy creator, who are usually really lovely and who are usually like, ‘Let me take it down. I didn’t know.’ It can feel very disempowering to be reminded where your social location lands you. And, and so that’s of the personal part where I’m like, ‘Oh, I have to not take this personally.’ With a thin, cis, white woman with a lot of power and privilege, of course, she has more access and it’s easier to get legitimized. I think it’s amazing I’ve been able to do it without that access to power and to do it in a way that’s true to my identity. There’s a lot of social justice power in living in this body and doing things from this body. For Cara too, there’s probably things where she probably gets judged by certain aspects coming from patriarchy in a heavily visible industry about bodies and modeling. It’s all connected.”
I know sometimes when a phrase goes viral, its meaning can be distorted or misunderstood. Do you see that happening online?
“Yes, some have made it about receiving anal sex and so it’s been really personalized into the act. We forget the patriarchy is not a body and it’s something that we’re trying to disempower. And so the narrative has really gone much more into the act of pegging and what it looks like between two people and the implications of fantasy, like pegging, which people have different opinions about. I guess it’s also good people are talking about pegging, but it’s not really rooted in the social justice piece of ‘peg the patriarchy.’”
That makes sense. I also wanted to ask you about some sentiments online that I saw, where people were saying it’s reductive to use ‘peg’ in this way because it sounds like it’s being used as a punishment, which it isn’t always, especially in LGBTQ+ spaces.
“My identity is also part of the vessel of this message. But it’s humbling because I can’t interpret every single meaning of everybody’s perspective when I’m creating something. It’s humbling to bump into other people’s interpretations. Some of them, I think, are very valid. They are perspectives on pegging that don’t work for some people in the way that they see their bodies, their sex acts, and their gender identity. For other people, it has been a way of dealing with internalized homophobia and so throwing pleasure at it through this specific fantasy. So anyone can have strap-on sex. Anyone can have anal sex, but pegging is just the derivative fantasy of this. But there’s also an attachment to it, because it’s something that cis, het men are identifying with, it feels like it’s stealing from some of the other interpretations. But I just don’t see it that way. I think it’s a fantasy, and our erotic imaginations sometimes use really painful things that we’ve internalized — such as homophobia or racism or sexism — and they throw pleasure at it. And so we enter into that erotic space through that connection bumping up against our dark sides. That’s what kink is.”
What are your next steps?
“I’ve become more susceptible to people who have a lot of hate for the phrase or for feminism. So I’m trying to take care of myself… And my big focus has been trying to insert myself into a story that was being owned by somebody else. And so that means engaging in some conversations and also soaking up the amazing support from the community that has just shown up with fierceness and warmth. Right now I’m trying to reclaim my baby, my brand — and I’ll create more things and this won’t be the first time that something’s stolen or the last time. But I would love to have the narrative come back to where it was originally rooted and have it be about dismantling the system.”
How can we all “Peg the Patriarchy” ourselves?
“So we first need to eliminate the gender binary. And so that means more gender expansiveness and gender diversity. It also means dismantling any of the social or institutional or political structures that are dependent on the gender binary and that default to men — that ‘men do this and women do that.’ I think it would be great for us to start to have those conversations more in the mainstream. And it would be great for everyone to start to see that patriarchy affects all genders, and the ways in which patriarchy reinforces a lot of the pain and discomfort people are living with.
So if you feel that men aren’t allowed to express themselves emotionally and that’s terrible, we should be talking about that. Patriarchy has decided these things. Questioning what we’ve learned about masculinity and femininity and the exclusion of other types of gender expression and how that’s showing up in ourselves is important. That’s going to be a really powerful motivator for people to start asking, ‘Where patriarchy is existing in my day-to-day life?’”
This interview has been condensed for clarity and length.
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Clothing is a cultural touchstone for communities around the world. Traditional ceremonies, from weddings to quinceañeras, revolve around a particular garment that’s meant to represent not only the occasion, but the history behind it. The sari — a traditional garment worn by women in South Asia — is one of the most recognizable. And while saris hold a significant cultural value, designer Sheena Sood is trying to give them new life through the simple act of upcycling.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about ways to repurpose this material that a lot of us may have but we wear only once,” says Sood, the founder of New York-based indie label abacaxi, named after the Portuguese word for “pineapple” and known for its bold colors and handcrafted techniques.
Last month, Sood launched the Up-Sari Set, a new line of matching sets made from upcycled vintage saris from India. Each set comes with a long-sleeved top, featuring a collar and a shell-button placket, as well as wide-leg pants — all made from woven cotton and silk fabrics sourced from the South Asian country.
Traditionally, saris are worn in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal with various styles of fabrics and drapings, depending on each culture and occasion. Although they are heavily rooted in Eastern nations, their cultural heritage has migrated all over the world, thanks to the South Asian diasporas. There are over 100 ways to wear a sari, but the most common style is the Nivi, worn with a fitted bodice and a loose end, called the pallu, draped over the shoulder. Ironically, this style emerged as an adaptation to British ways of dressing during the Victorian era, a lingering effect of colonial rule in the region for nearly a century. Many saris don’t include zippers or buttons, and are instead held together by pins, allowing women to adapt the pieces to their body as they please.
In many ways, the Up-Sari project has been a lifetime in the making. Though Sood grew up in the Midwest, she remembers strolling through local markets in New Delhi and “being fascinated by all the textiles.” She says this experience is largely what ignited her interest in becoming a designer: not only the saris’ rich colors and ostentatious beading, but their structure and functionality. For Sood, saris are “the ultimate design because it’s a piece that can fit almost anybody.” Unlike her mother, who has “never liked wearing saris,” Sood enjoys wearing them and has always had a soft spot for their value as family heirlooms. “There are saris that have been passed down through generations that I would never dare to cut up,” she says.
Sood’s project, which started during the pandemic, is just one of many solutions brought forward by young designers who are trying to come up with strategies to reduce the amount of waste created by the fashion industry. Upcycling, which involves using fabrics from an older garment to create a new one, is one of the most popular. Sood had been playing around with the idea of using the saris as the source material for her upcycling projects, creating custom-made dresses in her studio, as well as inviting customers to send their old saris for her to repurpose. “The material is so beautiful and there are so many that are just used once,” she says.
Therefore, when she came up with the idea for the Up-sari set, she didn’t have a lack of options to choose from. But, in order to procure more saris, Sood has had to get crafty. Due to the pandemic, she’s unable to travel to India, where in “an ideal situation” she’d personally source the saris from vintage sellers, collectors, or people’s closets. But Sood has been able to set up a virtual chain of supply, thanks to a New Delhi-based online vendor.
For this project, she chose saris made from tie-dying techniques that allow for intricate textile designs that form “tiny little circles.” In contrast to more elaborate saris, which can cost upwards of $1,000, Sood says that she’s able to keep the price of her Up-Sari set somewhere in the middle of the spectrum by sourcing more simple garments. This also allows her more room to play as she cuts up the vintage sari to create her matching set. “Even if it’s a custom-made set, I didn’t want the price to be so high,” she says. “I chose saris that I loved for the color and design.”
For a limited time, Abacaxi’s Up-Sari set is available to order on abacaxi-nyc.com.
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Thanks largely in part to TikTok and the natural human response of “when the going gets tough, the tough seek comfort,” ’90s style has had a stronger hold on fashion than the hair gel keeping a boy-band frontman’s curls intact. This fall, it’s (still) all aboard the nostalgia train, with a new denim collection from H&M that combines sentimental styling and a thoroughly modern focus on sustainability.
Made from 100% recycled denim fabrics with a baggy fit and DIY patchwork details, the 10-piece range also uses partly recycled metal zippers and trims, washes free from harmful chemicals, and dyes that save up to 95% more water versus conventional processes. Ahead, prepare to get misty-eyed over every trucker jacket and tapered jean from the drop, because some things really are better the second time around.
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The four-part designer collection houses over 180 items, from dresses and jackets to bags and hair accessories, most of which cost under $50 and all of which are available in sizes XXS to 4X. Sounds great, right? Right, but only if you have the time (and decision-making capabilities) to sort through that many pieces before Target releases the entire selection on September 25 — especially since the brand’s designer collabs notoriously sell out quickly. (Bravo to anyone able to snag a $55 Christopher John Rogers number before they disappeared.)
That is where Refinery29’s fashion and shopping teams come in. Rather than trying to shop Target’s fall designer collection blind, find out what eight editors have to say about the impending lineup.
“The first time I saw the complete lookbook, I noticed there was something for everyone,” says Frances Solá Santiago, Refinery29 Fashion Writer. “Though past Target collections have featured different designers, they’ve always seemed to remain within the same vibe. This one, however, really brings each designer’s aesthetic in a unique way.”
Solá Santiago says that because of this, she immediately gravitated toward the brands she already knew and loved. Specifically, she chose a black peacoat with gold buttons from Nili Lotan’s collection, a staple for the label. “I picked Nili Lotan because menswear-inspired tailoring is the one trend I’m sticking to this fall,” she says. “Her Target collection is minimalistic and full of basics that really fit into that style.”
As for the quality of the coat itself, Solá Santiago says she was pleasantly surprised to discover that, rather than the lightweight jacket she assumed it would be from the lookbook, one not qualified to handle a New York winter, her Nili Lotan x Target outerwear felt like a true, heavy coat. “That’s what I ended up liking about it, because it doesn’t look like I’m a badly wrapped burrito (a feeling I try to avoid in winter as much as possible),” she says.
Associate Deals Writer Mercedes Viera also chose to test out a piece from Nili Lotan’s line — a billowy leopard-print blouse with voluminous sleeves and a keyhole neck detail — explaining that they immediately noticed the elevated and interesting silhouettes offered in the designer’s selection for Target. “I picked this top because of its pirate-esque shape,” Viera says. “I was drawn right away to its androgynous look, [as well as the print].”
While the cheetah-print was a tad less subtle than expected once they saw the garment in person, they say the quality of the fabric made up for it. “It felt so nice against my skin and fit super well,” they say. “High-neck or deep-V, it flattered me and fit nicely — flow-y in all the right places. And of course, I loved the sleeves.”
That same high-quality, low-price combo was what drew Chichi Offor, Affiliate Associates Writer, to Rachel Comey’s Target creations. “I was definitely impressed with the quality considering the $55 price point,” Offor says, having chosen a brown mock-croc jacket from the line. “It has the same essence as Rachel Comey’s in-house collections,” she says, calling the pieces “fun, yet sophisticated, like a lot of the pieces that [Comey] creates.”
Offor, who wears a size 2X, says she was worried at first about the sizing in the collection: “Sizing is a bit finicky for me a lot of times,” she says. “I was genuinely pleased when I slipped the jacket on and it fit absolutely perfectly — it fell on my body at just the right point.” According to her, there’s just enough room for light layering come the chillier end of fall.
Following Offor’s lead, I, too, chose pieces from Rachel Comey’s line to test ahead of the launch. I selected a lighter-weight set — a psychedelic turtleneck top and matching midi skirt — in the hopes that they could be worn together or separately, with the top, especially, being used for layering. Because I live in a true New York shoebox, it’s important for me to be able to get the most out of my wardrobe, so versatility is key.
Luckily, my assumptions were spot on, and the items I chose looked great mixed and matched. Initially, I styled them together as a set, wearing the skirt and top with just gold hoops and a pair of light brown, mock-croc heels. Later, I chose a more daring ensemble, coupling the skirt with a black bra top and tying the top around my shoulders, WASP-style. What I loved most was that those were but two of about a dozen different ways I could have styled my pieces using only additions that already exist in my wardrobe.
Irina Grechko, Fashion Director, had a similar thought process when selecting her items from the upcoming Target launch. “I am a huge fan of Victor Glemaud’s knitwear, so I knew that, going into fall, his would be the designer pieces that I would get the most use out of,” says Grechko, who chose a black-and-white ribbed vest and shorts set from the Queens-born designer and 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist. “I already have this Victor Glemaud black-and-white skirt and sweater, so I chose something that I could amalgamate with those looks.”
To truly compare the in-house collection with the Target one, Grechko unboxed her Target pieces alongside the Victor Glemaud pieces she already owned. “The colors were a perfect match,” she says. “I could easily style the vest with the skirt and the shorts with the sweater.” That said, she did notice that the Target pieces felt a lot lighter and thinner than standard Victor Glemaud knits. “The Target pieces have less of a skin-tight, fitted fit that I really like from the in-house collection,” she says. Given the significant difference in price, however, a contrast between the two offerings is somewhat expected.
Having never owned the in-house collection before, Karina Hoshikawa, Beauty and Wellness Market Writer, was pleasantly surprised at the soft yet heavy feel of her Victor Glemaud for Target knit sweater, which features a mock neck and lime-green-and-teal stripes. “My first thoughts were pretty much, OMG CUTE?!?!” says Hoshikawa. “I was a little worried that it would be a bit snug from looking at the on-model photos, but I took my true size and was pleased that it had a slightly boxy fit that I love.”
Size was also one of the biggest draws for Affiliate Strategist Kate Spencer, in addition to price. Spencer chose to test out a pair of army pants from Sandy Liang because, despite the fact that it is one of her favorite brands, its main line was always out of her price range. “I’ve always admired Sandy Liang and appreciated her quirky and fun, yet super wearable pieces, so I was really excited to see her collection at Target,” Spencer says. “These cargos were a no-brainer pick for me: Oversized and baggy pants are kind of my thing.”
Because of her petite frame, Spencer, a size XS, was nervous about the way her pants would fit. “Pant sizing is tricky for me, as I’m naturally pretty slim and really short, aka some tailoring is pretty much always necessary,” she says. “But I have to say, these worked great for me: technically, I think they’re supposed to be high-waisted, but they ride pretty low on my hips, which I’m not mad about.” Low-rise pants are in, after all. “I can easily roll the cuff up if I want a cropped look or roll them down if I want them to be full length,” she adds.
Alexandra Polk, Associate Lifestyle Writer, was likewise impressed with the similarity between her Sandy Liang for Target pick, a black-and-pink floral quarter-zip fleece, and the jackets currently for sale on the brand’s website. “It’s almost like the Ermie Coat ($2,900) and the Checker Fleece ($525) had an affordable love child,” Polk says. But it isn’t just pleasing to the eye. “The jacket is soft, durable, and bright,” she says, “though, while it would definitely suffice on a chilly day, it would mandate layering once temps hit below 50 degrees.”
The best part about Target’s forthcoming drop? The above make up only a fraction of the full assortment — ten pieces from a selection of over 180 — which means that if none of them speak to your individual aesthetic, there’s still likely to be something in the collection that does.
“Each designer has such a variety of styles that will easily transition from summer to fall and winter,” says Spencer. Utility jumpsuits, bodycon dresses, classic trench coats, cottagecore frocks — there really is an affordable option for everyone in this season’s offering. Find them all in the recently released lookbook and start planning which pieces you want to add to your wardrobe come September 25.
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