Missoni for Target

Around Town: Scoring Missoni and showing it off

A week ago Tuesday, the alarm went off at 6:30 a.m.

“Where are you going?” asked my husband.

“To Pasadena, for the Missoni for Target launch.”

“What’s Missoni?” he replied.

I explained that Target has a long history of successful collaborations with high-end designers, and now, Missoni, the luxury Italian knitwear designer, had collaborated with Target to market a limited-edition line of clothing and housewares.

“What’s a Missoni?” he asked again.

By 7:45 a.m., I stood at the parking lot entrance of the Pasadena Target. There were 20 people ahead of me. There were 60 people behind me.

It was an eclectic group. I had expected to see ladies from the 91011 (and 91012), but there were also two artistic-looking young boy-men dressed in tight jeans and black T-shirts, with slightly-spiked hair. There were young mothers from San Marino and South Pasadena with babies in tow. An older lady from New Jersey wanted a Missoni umbrella. The blond lady in front of me, dressed in a sleeveless designer shift and tan patent flat sandals with little bows, had a written list.

“This is exciting,” I said.

“The Target website crashed this morning,” she informed me.

Pretty soon, everyone was talking. The website was down. The Chicago stores sold out in 10 minutes. Items were showing up on Ebay.

An elegant African American lady behind me noted the diversity of the crowd. We were a cross-section. Every age and ethnicity was represented. We were all united in our common goal: to acquire fabled Missoni products at Target prices.

A few Target employees milled around with stunned expressions. Soon, four security guards arrived.

“No running!” they said.

Promptly at 8 a.m., the doors opened. I followed the blond lady to the clothing section, with 200 of my new best friends right behind me.

By 8:04 a.m., the racks were bare. In my arms were several coveted items, including the Missoni multicolored, earth-toned, thigh-length open cardigan for $49.99.

After completing my purchase, I headed to work.

I arrived at the office before 8:30 a.m., just in time to show off my loot. I took off my jacket and put on the cardigan. It looked stunning. It was just perfect against my black Michael Kors dress and black Arche ballet flats.

A short time later, I was headed down Colorado Boulevard, ostensibly to purchase coffee. The real reason was the need to show off my Missoni for Target garb.

I sat near the window at Intelligentsia, sipping drip brew from Finca Ojo de Agua, enjoying the soothing sound of traffic from a safe distance.

It was a clear, sunny morning. Blue skies. There’s nothing like Old Town Pasadena on a good day.

ANITA SUSAN BRENNER is a longtime La Cañada Flintridge resident and an attorney with Law Offices of Torres and Brenner in Pasadena. Email her at anitasusan.brenner@yahoo.com.