About the Author: Ryan N. is a professional web developer for (and alum from) the University of Delaware, who keeps a close shave as to not be confused with his strongly-bearded twin brother. He plays guitar and drums, loves going to concerts with his wife, and loves being a dad.
Target’s Goodfellow & Co. line of clothes has been steadily improving, if not homogenizing a bit, and finding a real groove. While that can mean less “chances” taken overall (remember when they offered wool overcoats in fall/winter??), it means that their good stuff, it’s proven good stuff. And that goes a long way. While I’m pretty happy with this year’s line, I’m miffed that there is no jacket offering this Spring. I’ve found a favorite jacket each of the last three seasons, and was hoping this would continue that trend. How did the rest fare?
Note: It’s important to note this year that the supply chain woes nationwide seem to have been starting to hit Goodfellow & Co., as there are some slightly higher prices than last year, and slightly higher prices across the board overall. But it’s mostly plenty fair for what you get for the price, as we’ll see.
SIZING NOTES: I’m 5’9″ / 160, all tops shown are a size small. Jeans & chinos are 30—30 unless noted.
Best in show – again? Goodfellow’s denim has become my go-to, for the consistent fit, easy stretch and great colors. Now, I was a sucker for their lightweight denim before, in both the Light Indigo and White shades, but this? Dark jeans for summer? Be still my heart. Fabric definitely allows for plenty of movement, and the same quality we’ve come to expect from Goodfellow denim. My old pairs are still kicking, with no loose waist due to stretchy materials, just the same great jeans. Kudos to Goodfellow for producing resilient pieces that don’t wear themselves into the donation pile within a year.
I think I called this one back in the Banana Republic Factory roundup — it feels like everyone is making one of these short sleeve, knit, full-button casual shirts, and Target hops on board here. I have one from last season, and it’s one of my favorites. This year, they’ve introduced a number of new patterns, including this floral option. A note – floral is MASSIVE this year, especially in Goodfellow’s own catalog. All. The. Flowers.
Henley time, GO! The “all under the same umbrella” strikes again for Target. As far as I can tell, this Olive version looks, feels, and fits differently than the other color options that were available in-store for me at post time, outside of the “Oatmeal grey”. There are seven colors in total, and I wasn’t able to find all seven in store, but this fits WAY better, and feels way nicer. My nits with the “standard fit” of years past was that the arms were on the roomy side, and that the collar could be a little more solid. Boom. Target brings it again and makes those improvements. But maybe only for one color? Argh, come on, Target! We shouldn’t have to write “Argh, come on, Target” literally year on year. It’s a tradition.
Really great fit and feel. Yes, the inseam is short, but the drop is low enough that they don’t feel constricting at all. I hope they expand these to more than the current selection of styles, because in only grey and pink (with.. sigh, matching shirts), these shorts are a hidden gem. The 86% cotton / 14% poly blend feels great and breathes nicely, while being quite movable due to the short inseam. Fair at $19.99, and was an absolute steal at $13.99 during the recent 30% off sale.
Hm.. at first glance out of the package, I thought these were the same model of shirt. They’re cut basically the same, look similar, but.. the “perfect” tees are a 60/50 blend, while the other is 100% cotton. But are they that different? I’ll reluctantly say yes. The 100% cotton tee just feels nicer on the body. Still, at the price points, you can’t go wrong. And know that not all of the color/stripe options on the “Novelty Tee” product page are all cotton. Many are, but some revert back to the 60/40 blend of the “perfect” tee. Confusing? Yes. For sure. But speaking of 100% cotton tees..
Another winner, in both fit and style. Made from sustainable cotton, these tees fit nicely and help the environment. If I had the choice between these and the 100% cotton tee from the last entry, I’d pick these in a heartbeat. They just fall nicer, and feel nicer. There’s a slight “slub” to the texture, but not to the point that it feels too casual. It’s subtle. Unfortunately, the blue shown here was only available in store, but it’s the best of the bunch if you can find it, in my opinion.
Basically their flagship short now, this 98% cotton, 2% stretch short is one of those “proven good stuff” items that Goodfellow has built their reputation on. Excellent, a bit stretchy, comfortable, and solid. 2 front slash pockets, coin pocket, and buttoned back welt pockets. In the past, this short was combined with other, differently-materialled (Ed: that’s not a word, Ryan) versions of the same short, but it appears that this listing has mostly the same short. 6 colors to choose from in the 7″ variety, with other colors being available in the 9″ length and 10.5″ length, because, you know, Target gonna Target. A note: some reviews say these run large, but I thought the 30 fit me fairly accurately.
Considering how many long sleeve button downs Target has this season, I fully expected this to be another situation where they’d throw a bunch of similar but not identical shirts under the same umbrella/product page. But that’s not the case! These 100% cotton shirts with the button chest pocket are breezy, comfortable, and lightweight, coming in five additional colors to this “pink lemonade” color. The collar could be a little stronger, and the presentation a little less “wrinkly,” but since the fabric is lighter weight, both are kind of expected. Solid overall.
I wanted to like this SO badly. It’s got everything you’d want in a summer shirt – puckered seersucker-like fabric, fun color pattern, and.. it’s just not my style. I just can’t get on board with camp collars. It looks pretty good here with the buttons open, but when it’s buttoned up, the collar just doesn’t really do much to frame your face. I would have preferred it to have any amount of cotton in it for a little breathability, but it’s fully synthetic: 84% rayon and 16% poly. Six colors and patterns to choose from.
These are another item that was so good last year, they didn’t change a thing for this year’s run. Decided to eschew the normal khaki or grey color for a bright summery, almost Nantucket red this year. It doesn’t wear “pink-pink,” but gives you a nice pop to your outfit. It’s reassuring that Goodfellow is producing the same quality “wheelhouse” items like this year after year. These are my go-to shorts a lot of the summer. Aptly named, they’re easy to pull on, come in a variety of colors, and hit at a great length that’s not too long nor too short. Your choice of eight colors.
Yikes. Medium on the left, Small on the right.
Speaking of the Everyday Short, Goodfellow decided to introduce an “Everyday Pant” to sate our collective WFH vibes. I love their Everyday Short, and have for years now. I was excited to see what they would bring to an Everyday Pant. Unfortunately, the answer is.. not much. This is a massive swing and miss for me. Sizing down worked for me on the shorts (size S), but a Small in the Everyday Pant is woefully tugging on the upper thigh area (right side, on the image above), and sizing up leaves way too much room in the legs. Did I mention the “parachute pants”-esque drop crotch? Goodness. Makes you wonder who that would be a “slim” fit for. Could you wear these as super-casual pants? Yes. But it’s lacking the fit and finish I’ve come to expect from Goodfellow. Feels half-baked. Let’s revisit this one next year, perhaps?
Got a tip on something from Target’s Goodfellow & Co. line that didn’t make this round up? Send those suggestions into joe@dappered.com.
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