MISSONI for Target advertisement

Maybe it was the blurb in the “Vanities” section of last month’s Vanity Fair.  Perhaps it was the insane 20 page center-spread in the famed September Issue of Vogue.  It might even have been the molto favoloso 30 second television spots featuring Margherita Missoni trouncing around Milan in an homage to ‘60s Italian pop cinema that have been running so often of late, that Target might have singlehandedly saved the careers of media-buyers up and down Madison Avenue.  Whatever it was, I’ve now had a bee in my bonnet for the MISSONI for Target collection for about a month or so.

Various looks from the MISSONI for Target collection

It’s no secret that Target has collaborated with some of the biggest names in fashion on a number of successful capsule collections over the past decade.  Starting (as far as I’m concerned) with Todd Oldham in 2002, and working their way through collaborations with Isaac Mizrahi, Cynthia Rowley, Alexander McQueen, Rodarte, Zac Posen, Anna Sui, Thakoon, Erickson Beamon, Rogan, Anya Hindmarch, Tracy Feith, Libertine, Erin Fetherston, Temperley, Behnaz Sarafpour, Luella Bartley, and Jean Paul Gaultier, these partnerships have paired designers familiar to the denizens of Neiman Marcus and Henri Bendel, with price-points more familiar to habitués of, well, Target.

28" Women's Comfort Bike by MISSONI for Target

But what really sets Missoni apart from all of these is the fact that it is an incredibly well-established luxury brand; and now with the family business entering its third generation (from Rosita and Ottavio, to their daughter, Angela; and now their grand-daughter, Margherita), those zig-zags have been a hallmark of style and substance for more than a half-century.  Furthermore, this is the largest collection any designer has ever done for the mass market retailer, with 400 pieces, ranging from home décor to fashion, bobby pins to bicycles, rugs to rain boots, luggage to leggings, and more!

Assorted products from the MISSONI for Target collection

Now that I’ve given you the backstory, you’ll just have to come back tomorrow, and read about the amazing, absurd, and absolutely amusing adventure Jacob and I undertook over the past 48 hours; captivated by the Missoni for Target collection; including our online travails, swag accumulation, photo-shoot, and my transatlantic phone call with Angela Missoni.  Until then..!

MISSONI for Target

Get into it!