Mission Missoni Accomplished: Right on Target!

So, I set my alarm for about 5 a.m. yesterday morning, only to realize that I was already too late to purchase Missoni for Target online.  Target.com had crashed and my dream of purchasing my Missoni flats while in the comfort of my own jammies had become a nightmare.

I had to switch into plan B.

On the way to the freeway, I made an impulsive decision to stop by a local Target in Redondo Beach.

As I pulled up, there were a few women waiting for the doors to open, but it certainly wasn’t the mob scene that my friend Rachel reported from the Manhattan Beach Target Greatland.

At 8 a.m. on the dot, I rushed into the store – with about a dozen other women.  As I was headed up the escalator, I realized that I didn’t have a game-plan; but my fellow shoppers certainly seemed to have strategies.

And their off...

I watched in awe as most of them grabbed shopping carts and, as if they were on that game show “Supermarket Sweep,” they were off and shopping.  Once everyone got into the store and dispersed, there weren’t enough people to really make a big difference so I merely walked quickly – sans cart – to the shoe department.

But this wasn’t the case at the 1,762 Target stores across the U.S. and online.

The Missoni for Target collection – which is made up of 400 items ranging in price from $3 to $600 – with the Italian design house’s trademark zig-zag pattern was scheduled to run from Sept. 13 through Oct. 22.  However, most locations sold out in less than a day.

The Missoni chevrons covered everything from clothing to housewares to furniture and finally, to my favorite, bikes (which sadly did not come home with me today). 

Most items retailed for less than $40 and included knit sweaters, shirts, dresses, tights, shoes, rain boots, scarves, luggage, travel accessories, umbrellas, bedding, luggage, dinnerware and even iPad and iPod covers.

By the time I left my location, Target employees were already starting to refill in the empty shelves and racks.

The Score

I am happy to report that I scored the shoes that I wanted.  Also, I couldn’t resist picking up a few clothing items and additional accessories.

To some of my high-end fashionista friends, I may not be rocking the real deal with this lower-end version of the popular Italian powerhouse.  Yet, I remember how absolutely sad I was to miss out on scoring a piece from Karl Lagerfeld’s collection for H&M last year. 

With the new house, my designer dud spending sprees are on lock-down.  I am just happy to be able to represent.

Obviously, I risk finding myself face-to-face with another gal wearing the same outfit as me but, hopefully, the exclusivity of the line will keep that from happening.

Target isn’t expected to receive any more Missoni inventory.  So it is not surprising that there are already reports of the Target for Missoni line being sold on eBay at sky high prices.  The chevron zig-zag tote bag that I scored for $34.99 was listed for more than $100 with starting bids at $50.

With the sun setting on the horizon and the Target website still down, I still haven’t crashed from fashion high.

Mission Missoni accomplished.