Hi! I'm Alana. I used to work in fashion buying at Bloomingdale's, which means that (for better or for worse) I usually cannot shop without checking things like fabric tags, stitching, and construction first. So when I walked into Target's summer section recently, I immediately started sorting the genuinely good finds from the pieces that were...well, not.

After years of working in fashion and personal styling, I like to think I have built a pretty good radar for whether a piece is worth it. Some pieces feel trend-churned and mass-produced, while others genuinely look elevated for the price.

And BTW, I love an affordable impulse buy as much as anyone else. I fully fell victim to Amazon's and Target's "Festival Edits" before my recent Stagecoach trip.

But to me, there IS a difference between cheap vs. affordable, and I wanted to see what at Target right now actually felt wearable, well-made for its price point, and worth adding to carts this summer.

So, without furher ado, let's get into it.…