Missoni for target collection, missoni for target, missoni for target online, sarah hyland, target online

Demand for Missoni line so hot, it crashes 

Target's Web site

Talk about a shopping nightmare!

Fashionistas in search of clothing, housewares, bedding and everything else from Target's designer collaboration with Missoni were left with empty shelves and racks as the collection blew out of the store within hours of appearing. The incredible demand also crashed the store's Web site for much of Tuesday.

But fear not, design divas: More merchandise is on the way.

At least two well-traveled metro stores -- Target Greatland in Troy and the Target in Madison Heights -- could have more stock on shelves and racks as early as Thursday morning.

The collection by the storied Italian design house known for knitwear and iconic zigzag patterns debuted Tuesday morning to enthusiastic shoppers; women piled carts full of clothing and everything else.

"We had around 30 to 40 people at the doors this morning," said Ashley Keinath, a manager at Target Greatland, who added the store was mostly sold out within an hour. "There were guests who had multiple carts with multiple items. ... All day, the team was talking about how it felt like Christmas, the day after Thanksgiving."

Said shopper Lisa Maas, 47, of Royal Oak who owns a public relations firm: "I had a meeting this morning and I got out of my meeting at 9:30 and was very close to ... the store. I thought, 'This is great. I'm just going to pop in here and leave.' I walked in, there was nothing on the rack. I thought, 'Why didn't they set up the rack?' I asked one of the associates and she said, 'It's already gone.' "

Later, Maas was able to get onto the store Web site. "I got the duvet set, shower curtains, towels and some items of clothing. I'm really excited," she said.

Bridget LaForest, 43, of Warren said she stopped at the Warren Target on her lunch break.

"I went looking for a tote bag, a scarf and a cardigan, but was looking forward to seeing the entire collection," she said. "They had some very picked-over kids' clothes, a couple women's knit skirts. In the linens department there was one comforter, a couple serving trays and canisters. ... It's a bit surprising more stock isn't available as this line was advertised in both magazines and TV commercials."

The Target store in Brighton fared a little better. By midafternoon it still had about 20 mugs, a few scarves and an assortment of shoes.

Target collaborates frequently with high-end design houses. Missoni was founded in 1953 by the husband-and-wife team Ottavio and Rosita Missoni. But none of the other Target collaborations have been as popular or as expansive as the one with Missoni.

Dresses in the Missoni for Target collection are less than $60. Dresses carrying the Missoni label typically cost more than $1,000 at stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Dresses in Missoni's less-expensive line, M Missoni, tend to start in the $600 range.

Target's Missoni collection includes everything from scarves ($19.99) to a bicycle ($399.99).

It also includes clothing for babies and girls (the knit cape is darling); lingerie; clothing, shoes and accessories for women; clothing for men (very handsome silk jacquard ties for $24.99); mugs, dishes and serving pieces; bedding; bath towels, and pillows.

Much of Target's Missoni collection is available -- at super-inflated prices -- on eBay.com. The ballet flats that retail for $29.99 were marked up to $129.99 on eBay.

The collection is to be available through Oct. 22 at all Target stores and target.com. Select pieces from the collection are to be available through early December at target.com.

Source: 

http://www.freep.com/article/C4/20110914/FEATURES13/109140369/Demand-Missoni-line-hot-crashes-Target-s-Web-site?odyssey=nav|head