Missoni for Target

On Tuesday September 13th, 2011 I rose early as usual, took my children to school, headed over to my client’s office to drop off some work, and then turned around and made a b-line for my local Target.  I knew this trip to Target would be different upon arriving in the underground parking lot. Usually empty that early in the morning, there was nary a spot to be found.  In the elevator I found myself with a woman clutching 5 boxes of Missoni shoes and asked her what it was like “up there”.  She responded, breathlessly, that she’d only gotten the shoes by grabbing them out of the box before the salesperson could put them on the shelf. By the time I entered the doors around 8:20 all the “Missoni for Target” clothing, picture frames, plates, tumblers, and shoes were already sold out.

I hadn’t planned on buying any clothing really. I just wanted to look at the line in person.  I was especially interested in the pillows and comforters and things like that, but they were gone too.  There were nothing but empty shelves under the Missoni signs, women with carts piled high with zig-zag print things, and a few Target employees looking a bit shell-shocked.  All over the country the story was the same.  Target’s website crashed from the demand and the shopping frenzy even raised their stock price.

So why am I wearing a Missoni print dress?  My mom came to my rescue, scouring the local Targets in search of a few leftover or returned pieces.

How to Wear a Little Knit Nightgown During the Day without Looking Like You Forgot to Get Dressed that Morning

This little dress is actually a nightgown, but since it’s REAL “Missoni for Target” it’s just too precious to wear to bed!  My husband loves it on me and wants me to find more nightgowns to wear during the day.  Styling it had some problems though.  The fabric is a rather thin printed knit.  I first tried it on with some heavier pieces (boots, tights, a leather jacket) but they overpowered the lightweight material and made it look cheap.  Here are a few tips I learned putting together the outfit:

- Wear supportive undergarments.  I’m wearing a strapless bra and a half slip under the dress.  The slip helps the dress fall nicely, and the bra, well you know what they do.  The nice thing with a strapless bra is that there are no straps sticking out looking sloppy.

- Layer something under the dress.  In this case I’m wearing a simple brown knit camisole under the nightgown. It makes what would otherwise be a too-revealing nightgown look much more appropriate for daytime.

- Put on some snazzy shoes. High heels can add a bit of glamour and refinement to almost any outfit. These orange sandals were just the perfect thing to take the nightgown from super casual to just dressy enough for day.

- Add a lightweight jacket. I’m having a love affair with short, fitted, jackets at the moment.  They seem to take any outfit, even jeans and a t-shirt, and give it a little refinement and professionalism.  The military inspired jacket I’m wearing in the first photo is a very light weight cotton so it doesn’t overpower the little dress. The drab color compliments the muted oranges and browns in print on the dress and helps them pop.

I am beyond excited about this “snake-skin” clutch.  I’ve been wanting one since I fist saw the Prada ads showing their delightful line of clutch bags.  In fact, I purchased some of the things I needed to sew a little clutch because my coveting was out of control.  Then I found this purse AT THE LOCAL GOODWILL. Obviously it’s not Prada, it’s not even Frada, but it’s darn cute for $5!  Any hesitation I had about buying things second-hand has now gone completely out the window.

These earrings have been a big favorite of mine this Summer, and I rather like Turquoise in early Fall as well. Although I’m not a big fan of online shopping, I do like purchasing jewelry this way.  It seems like the selection is much larger than what I can find in person.

• Dress – “Missoni for Target” nightgown
• Jacket – Caslon
• Knit camisole – Target
• Earrings – Kenneth Jay Lane, Gilt.com
• Sunnies – Fendi, perscription
• Purse – Thrifted
• Shoes – Camper

Do you have a story about shopping the Missoni for Target line?  Did you look?  What did you think of it?  Did you purchase any?

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