Confessions of a Shopaholic: Missoni for Target

That right there? That's my one Missoni for Target purchase. I've been thinking about getting a larger mug for my morning tea, and this one jumped out at me. It was $4.99.

But, lest I seem like too much of a saintly thrifty shopper, let's talk about the fact that at one point there was about $175 worth of Missoni for Target clothing in my cart. In the form of 4 items. Yes, the lure of "Limited Time Designer Collaboration" nearly got me.

How did this all go down? Let's start from the beginning. There's been a lot of hype surrounding this line, the biggest designer collaboration score so far for the chain. I was drawn in by the bold patterns and simple shapes of the clothes. They seemed perfect for fall. I was intrigued by the home wares. And that bicycle was simply beautiful.

I was definitely expecting a higher price point than usual. That's par for the course with the designer collabs. However, when I finally got on the website this morning (the site was down for a few hours, probably due to heavy traffic) I have to say I was a little blown away. The prices for the clothing were insane, but the home wares were fairly reasonable. I did decide that I'd stop by the store to check out the quality and fit, and maybe snag some tights if they seemed sturdy.

Our Target is fairly small, so I wasn't expecting to see the full line. When I went to the women's clothing section, though, I was totally surprised to see that many of the items that the store had stocked were nearly sold out. This was about 1:45 this afternoon. I grabbed a couple of the sweater dresses and two cardigans to try on. When I got to hosiery, I couldn't find any of the tights or socks. An employee told me that the store hadn't received any yet, and weren't sure if they would. I also grabbed a pair of heels so I could see how the dresses looked with both flats and heels.




The shoes were cute, had genuine suede uppers, and seemed well constructed, but they ran pretty small. I usually wear a 6.5 or 7 in heels, and had to grab an 8 for them to go on comfortably. I have wide feet, but usually don't have to go up to more than a 7.5 in a more narrow shoe. I think the $39.99 price was fair. I'm not in the market for any pumps right now, but I would have considered these if I were.



In the dressing room, the sweater dresses were first up. I chose XL for both and they fit great. You really can't go wrong with an A-line shift, but the neckline isn't the most flattering thing for me. Had either of these been v-neck, I would have been more tempted to buy. They were also incredibly short. I'm 5'4" tall. If you're a taller girl and want one of these, you might want to consider wearing it with skinny jeans or very opaque tights. The construction was pretty good, but the fabric was mostly acrylic and rayon. Am I wrong in expecting something better at a $54.99 price point?

I was actually very tempted to get the one on the right. The print was more flattering, and it had a bit of cotton in the blend, making it softer. This one ended up wandering around the store in my cart along with the cardigans ($49.99 each) and a scarf from the men's section ($24.99.)

This is where it got hard for me, and weird. I had clearly told myself that I'd just wait to see if any of it went on clearance. That I was just looking, doing research so I could report back on quality. That I would check out Fake Target in a month to see if they had any of it. Yet I kept it in my cart, because I thought I would regret it if I put them back and they sold out.

Ultimately, I did put it all back. The first to go was the sweater dress. I had to ask myself if I would have paid that much for the dress if it weren't for the label and the limited quantities. The answer was no.



Next to go was the scarf. It's a cute scarf, but I have several cute scarves, and if I want more I would rather support an Etsy crafter or a fair trade artisan than buy one that was made in China.

Then came the first cardigan. It was hard because cardigans are a staple in my wardrobe, and this print was so much fun and could be paired with so many different solid pieces. It was well constructed. But again, the question. Would I have paid $49.99 for this piece in different circumstances? Back it went.


Then there was this. I liked that it was different from any cardigan I had. Longer, heavier, more earthy. The pricing didn't seem as bad for this one. I could see myself wearing it to death this fall and winter. So it stayed in the cart much longer, because I could justify it with price per wear.

And then, I just stopped and put it back. Because $50 is our internet bill. It's a month of school lunches for Maya. It's a family night at the movies. It should be much more than a sweater, of which I have many. So I put it back. There will be a time in my life when I can spend that kind of money on a sweater again. Now is not that time.

The amazing thing is that I was so worried I would regret not getting it, but when I finally put it back, I felt so much lighter. I literally felt a physical change come over me, as tension and guilt were lifted.

Usually, when I avoid impulse buys, I put the money in savings. This time, though, I used the money on some things we'd been needing for the house, and gave myself the indulgence of a giant mug for my milky morning tea.

In the shopping world, I like to say that if you love something, set it free. If it's on clearance when you go back, it's meant to be. So that sweater may become a part of my life in the future, if it makes it to clearance or shows up at Fake Target, but more likely it'll slip from my mind like the myriad "must have" items that I've let go back on the rack.




All images via target.com