So...That Happened: Missoni Mania

Sweet fancy Moses! The fashionistas broke Target!

Seriously, did any of you get in on the "Missoni Mania"? I mean, before it hit eBay? My Target wasn't hit as hard as most, so I was able to snap up a couple of pair of tights this morning when I went to check out the carnage...you know what? Let me start at the beginning...

For the past few years, Target has teamed up with various big name designers (Isaac Mizrahi, Michael Kors, etc.) to bring the masses high-end fashion at discount prices. Let me tell you, I have been all over that like white on rice! It's a fantastic idea, and I really hope this little debacle hasn't put the kibosh on future partnerships.

Anyway, the latest design house to hop aboard the Target Express was Missoni, the iconic Italian label. Early lookbooks showed some very promising designs, with bold hues and eye-popping patterns. Target advertised the heck out the launch and people got very excited. A little too excited, actually. Lines wrapped around stores. The website crashed. Target experienced crowds that would make Black Friday veterans shudder. The entire supply of stock-that should have lasted for over a month-sold out within a few hours. Anyone who waited for their lunch break to hit the stores was ess oh ell, if you get my drift. That's insane.

So, obviously, this Fall, we're going to be seeing tons of people walking around in cool, stripey sweaters, right? Um...probably not. It seems that a lot of the stock didn't quite make it into closets...at least, not yet. If you look up Missoni on eBay, you'll find tons (30,835 items at writing) of the Target merch, and at significantly marked up prices. Like, the $16.99 tights I picked up (scored, if you will) are running upwards of $50, in some cases.

Now, I don't blame Target. They've been doing this for years with no real problems. I don't blame Missoni. They were being really cool by making their stuff affordable. I, especially, don't blame the folks that lined up to be the first through the doors. We're in a recession and Christmas is coming up. I get it. I'd have been there, too, if I could have. I blame the greedy vultures who decided to ruin the fun for the rest of us. I just hope they haven't ruined it permanently.