Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

In Person: Target’s New “Fitted” Light Blue Dress Shirt

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Target Merona Light Blue Fitted Dress Shirt – $22.99

Much has been said on this website about Target’s White Ultimate Dress shirt by their house brand Merona.  The substantial collar, surprisingly smooth & comfortable 60/40 blend fabric, and the better than decent off the rack fit around the middle.

So it’s a bit of a surprise that their new, light blue “fitted” version has a slightly smaller collar, comes with a bit of itch off the rack, and actually measures a solid inch wider than it’s stark predecessor.

Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?

The highly scientific “Lay the old one on top of the new one” test.  Tape measure showed a 1″ difference as well, no matter where you took the measurement.  Aprox. 19″ vs. 20″ at 6th button from top.

Other differences worth noting on this new light blue version include a lack of side pleats on the back (pleats help a shirt’s fit while aiding movement), and the fabric is less a silky poplin and more a thin oxford cloth with some texture.  And again, the collar is about a 1/4″ smaller from fold to point when compared to the old one, so it doesn’t look quite as good tieless.

All of that said (and yeah, it seems like there was a lot to say there) it’s hardly a disaster for just over twenty bucks.  It’s much more fitted than any standard fit department store shirt you’d land for $20 on sale.  There are some quirks to it, but it’ll do extremely well layered under a blazer or sweater, and the scratch seems to go away after a wash or two.

Currently not sold in stores, and to lump one more oddity on the pile, Target.com is calling it a “Mossimo & Co.” long sleeve shirt, despite the tags clearly saying “Merona” in the online pics as well as in person.

Bottom line:  It ain’t perfect, but it’s certainly a good deal at $22.  Shipping and handling is an extra $5 unless you break the $50 ships free threshold, so it’d help out a ton if they started selling these things in store.

It’s not terrible, but a little less right about here would be great…

Comments

  1. If you get a Target card, shipping is free with no minimums and you get 5% off any purchase from Target. Its a great deal!

  3. Costco is selling their Kirkland brand slim-fit dress shirts for $19, I like them a lot.  Much better than the shirts I’ve seen in Target.

  5. Really? I haven’t seen these as Costco yet. Are they nationwide and what colors do they come in?

  9. I will have to look for these. Generally I don’t even bother looking at Costco shirts because the sizes only start at M or 15/15.5.

  10. Your collar looks great there. Wurkin stiffs? How much of an upgrade are they vs. standard solid plastic collar stays?

  13. At $28 with shipping ($30 and change with tax?), why not get a Banana Republic or Gap shirt, as those guys are on perma-sale? I’ve never spent more than $32 (tax included) on a BR shirt. This Target shirt doesn’t seem to be worth the “low” price.

  17. I’m sure some will prefer the BR option, but I own both (the Banana Republic slim fit stretch poplin: http://dappered.com/2011/07/style-battle-express-1mx-vs-banana-republic-stretch-poplin/ ) and I gotta say, as weird as this sounds… I prefer the Target version.  At least in the white.  The collar is more substantial, it wrinkles much less than the BR, and it’s more durable.  But that’s just my experience so far. 

    Wish the Blue was the same as the White for the Target version.  Still kept it though.

  18. That is interesting. I also dislike the slim fit poplin in white from BR, to be honest, but that’s in favor for the 1MX (or whatever they are) from Express, so I don’t have any experience with the Target. I just thought I’d draw attention to the price similarity between the two, as it might be useful information to some people.

  20.  I don’t have any experience with them.  Yet.  Continues to be on the list of things to get to though…

  21. Sounds like you’re going for a slimmer shirt?  The 1mx is slimmer (even if it’s not the super-slim version) than the BR.  And the Target is a little roomier than the BR.  But if you’re always layering over it, then it’s no big deal, and I’m not just in a shirt all that often.

  22.  Wurkin stiffs are fantastic.  I was intrigued for a long time and my wife bought them for me for Christmas.  I wear them everyday with suit and tie, and wear them casually with non-button down collars, which made some ‘meh’ shirts in my wardrobe come back to life.  Highly recommend.

  23. Wow, a few infinitesimal differences between a cheap white shirt and a cheap blue shirt and you jump to cracking some bad comedic analogue to Lincoln’s assassination? Calm down and put your sartorial hypersensitivities in some real life perspective.

  25. Joe could you wear the white Merona ultimate dress shirt as a stand alone, or is it too poofy on the sides.

  26. I’m only sure about white and blue, wasn’t looking for anything else at the time so I didn’t check to see if the striped and checked shirts near them were also slim-fit.  

    As far as I know they’re nationwide, I first read about them on some forums.

  27. I will feel very comfertable when my shirt is fitted to my body. I like to wearing fitting mens clothes


    . when i wants to going for a picnic then i surely wear the fitting shirts. Nice blog & nice content added in the particular blog.
    Thanks.

  28.  As would I! They fit better than the Target shirts, in my opinion. Seem to be reviewed well, where I’ve found them reviewed.

  30. It’s a little poofy.  I don’t wear dress shirts alone much as it is.  It’s certainly not terrible, but there’s some extra cloth there for sure.

  31. I’ve been looking for the past 6 months, where do you see them? they have been sold out in San Diego