Missoni for Target - managing expectations

Have you ever just about given up? Felt defeated? Thought that nothing was going to get better? Ever? 

We’ve all been there.

Well today, SIA saw a sign.  She finally felt the tweak that the universe only gives you what you can handle.  That it may be OK after all.

Let’s go back a few steps.

Tomorrow. Missoni for Target launch in Oz.

Here they are getting ready:

Here too: 

It will all be in one area at the front & centre of each store.

Here is the NSW flyer – notice it’s black & white.  The ink required for the beautiful 7,491 colours that go into a Missoni chevron would have eaten up all the profits.

You see for weeks now, SIA has been stressing that the Missoni for Target launch will create unfulfilled expectations in people.  People will go nuts and trample each other to grab the clothes, shoes, homewares, stationery etc.  More than 200 pieces.  Trolley will be filled (does Oz Target even have trolleys?) with duplicates & triplicates. People will be buying to resell on ebay at five times the price, to our cousins in the US (who actually had their version of Missoni for Target USA fun back in 2011).

Can you picture it? Bedlam.

But the real bedlam starts when you commence to use it and that’s what SIA is feeling defeated about. Like life just isn’t fair.

You see, the following will happen, as sure as night follows day:

1. The clothes are poster kids for a viscose rich environment & so wont wear well.
2. The deck chairs will wobble & then fall apart. While you’re sitting in them.
3. The rich Missoni colours on the melamine cups will scratch off. Yesterday.
4. The strings on the bikinis will be woven so they are too slippery to stay put.
5. The towels will pull
6. The umbrella skeletons will break. When there is no wind or rain. 
7. The backpacks and the totes will wear at the corners
8. The knitted blankets will cause suffocation because they will be acrylic.
9. The knit clothes will make you look lumpy because they are one layer of cheap knit with very few samples being made to perfect them.

All this will happen a lot sooner rather than later.

And it’s understandable because it’s a collaboration with a discount store. 

Please don’t get me wrong. I LOVE Missoni. I have a tailored chevron jacket & two chevron scarves (from before the time chevron became cool) and they are amazing & they have been amazing for many years.

So what’s the sad bit?

But when a designer, no matter how uber, collaborates with a discount store, you still get discount quality merchandise. Which looks cute when you are bashing other women to get your mits on it. Plus the fact that everyone wants it makes it even cuter. Ever noticed that?

But you get what you pay for.

Let me repeat that.

You get what you pay for.

So where’s the tragedy? The life not worth living bit?

People will expect champagne (sorry France, sparkling wine) on the beer prices.

When the sparkling tastes like beer, they will be sad. They will (& do) then become disappointed with the brand. The uber designer brand which makes the best sparkling.

Because, despite the discount store environment, (generally), they expect more than they are getting.

I am not telling you not to buy. I am just saying you get what you pay for.

Mind you, I’ll be there way before 8 am to push a few women aside & prepare for the attack.

So what’s the sign? The universe giving you what you can handle bit?

SIA walked out of a Target store thinking she may need to get some couch time to deal with this problem.

Walking to the car.

Next thing I knew – those familiar colours & patterns jumped out at me. In a good way.

OMG. It was a store selling the real deal.  It's called Galerie. The universe provided it just at the right time to make everything make 100% sense.

Looks what I saw…..

Beautiful cottons.
Look at how the stripes stop, move over a touch,
re-arrange themselves, then start again.
The real deal.

Soft wool throw & matching cushion.
Def not too matchy matchy.
The real deal.

Cushion with self check floral.
Candles. Gorgeous presentation.
Don't laugh, but the candles were $160 each but the jars were art.
And heavy.
Beautiful. The real deal. 

The top girl is an ombre brown velour cushion with sparkle bits all over it.
The read deal.

She has multi coloured fringe
She has primary coloured chevron.
She is a perfect specimen.
The read deal.

A wool throw.
Soft, not scrtachy.
The real deal.

The store is the only one in Sydney. Sure there are other stores selling genuine Missoni product, but seeing the product anywhere is just a treat that you can never get at a discount store.

How did this loot fix things?

Everything made my heart flutter. Just at the right time when I was contemplating that cliff jump.  The timing was perfection.

When your heart flutters, everything is OK. 

Hope is back. With flutter, there is hope. I should have been a shrink. 

As long as there is the good stuff, nothing else matters.

And that’s how the universe is allowing SIA to handle all those people who buy Missoni for Target hoping that they are getting sparkling for a beer price. 

See you at Target but remember, you get what you pay for.

PS: I think it's worth noting that my Roberto Cavalli for Target (Oct 2012) ballet flats (sans any leather) are still going strong, as is the cotton floral kaftan top from the same collection and the 100% poly floaty floral top.  In all honesty I have eased up on the wear of the ballet flats - there is only so far that you can push vinyl.  

Last minute PS: 

WHICH STORES ARE CARRYING THE COMPLETE RANGE

From the SIA Facebook page:

"Geez Target Australia are EGG HEADS.

Re: Missoni for Target 
Which stores are stocking the ENTIRE Missoni collection? 

Someone asked which Victorian stores will stock the COMPLETE RANGE and the administrators just answered by referring them to the stockists flyer (which lists the Victorian stores carrying Missoni). 

So one would ASSUME that ALL the Victorian stores on that flyer are carrying all pieces. Sounds reasonable? 

Then later in the day someone asks which SYDNEY stores are carrying the full range and another asks which PERTH stores are carrying the full range. 

And the administrators proceed to CARVE out, from the flyer list, the Sydney & Perth stores which are carrying the full range.

For Sydney: Miranda, Bondi, Penrith, Warringah Mall & Chatswood

For Perth: Morley, Innaloo, Perth & Joondalup 

So in the other states, if you are expecting the full range, you may not see it when you turn up to the Timbuktoo store. Even though Timbuktoo is on the flyer. 

Ridiculous communication skils & lack of clarity. 

If I didn't know better, I may even suggest that they tried to keep the full stockists deliberately quiet.

Of course, the on line store is carrying everything - but some of us want the FULL bricks experience. 

Meet Hannah: Woman of Style in Cue

Meet Hannah.

I found her in the bathroom at the mall. 

We were both washing our hands. 

She looked amazing so I had to ask where her dress was from.

When she said Cue I asked if she worked there. The answer was yes. 

Then she lifted her arms to show me that it was a crop top & skirt. I chuckled - she had a terrific figure and could have worked a paper bag if she wanted to. She said that at her age she didn't feel comfortable in crop tops. Amen to that sister. 

Then I went off to have a cup of tea and forgot about her. 
Sorry Hannah. Forgetting about her proves that SIA isn't a stalker. Glad we got that sorted. Actually it did occur to me to ask for a photo but we were in a toilet, so the whole photograph vibe thing hadn't fully morphed. Plus she would have thought I was a lunatic and well, no one has ever thought that before about SIA, so I couldnt set a precedent, could I?   

Back to coffee. The coffee shop had mags to browse through and I was pouring through the recent Myer Emporium magazine. 

And it was then that Hannah jumped off the page. Well, actually, her outfit jumped. As far as I was aware Hannah was at planet Cue selling frocks and I had to now stalk her. She had officially become uber blog worthy.  Not just blog worthy. Uber blog worthy. 

Here is what I saw:

It was the Hannah outfit, sans bomber jacket. Which is good because we all know bomber jackets flatter no one. Sorry Cue, it's not personal. 


Aside from the midriff exposure, notice how on Jenn it's above the knee but on a normal girl, it's midi city? 
TIP: Always think about those things when you are perusing mags. 

So what happened here? 

What was fabulous about this incident was that the retailer is selling an ensemble, styled in a particular way. Cue (pardon the pun) exposed considerable midriff, cue print mixing, cue tropical island, cue cocktails, oops, getting carried away, cue very youth oriented advertisement. 

The outfit obviously resonates with Hannah but she knows herself well enough to know that isn't her look. Technically she could pull it off mind you, but she won't be happy about it. She wants to wear it HER way.

Her way is a bit more demure. That's code for less skin on show. A bit more grown up. Add the men's shoes for a funky cerebral slant on the styling. And voila. We have Hannah.  

The moral of this post is: 

Like Hannah shows us, don't feel pressured to wear pieces exactly the way the retailers presents them. Giving them your twist is what makes the look unique and gives you your wonderful personality. It's what gives you style. 

The only requirement is to know what you like & what suits you. Then look around to marry that with what's on offer at the mall (or vintage store). 

Have you done any sartorial remodelling lately? 

The House Clothes Challenge

Most fashion people think that house clothes are hideous.

SIA is not one of those people.

There is nothing nicer than coming home, getting out of stuffy clothes into something soft and cuddly which doesn't restrict your movement. 

Just to be clear, house clothes are the things you ONLY wear around the house.

When the door bell rings, unless you are sure it’s the Net-A Porter guy or a charity collector, no one outside the house sees you in your house clothes. No one.

Even going to the letterbox is fraught with embarrassment when it’s in your house clothes.

Don’t ever try to tell me that you thought you would go to the shops in them. Because you always see someone who happens to be the last person you would ever want to see you in your house clothes.

House clothes are typically old, pilled, ill fitting, faded, in cacky colours with remnants of stains which don’t come out no matter how many stain cycles you run it through.

How can anything with those characteristics not make you feel blah?

Hardly self esteem inducing.  Hence house clothes definitely are hideous.

There is only one rule for clothes like that.

Throw them out.

Don’t even keep them for painting the house, washing the car or moving house.
Yes, throw them out. You heard right. 

But instead of roaming the house naked, you will prepare yourself for the purge.

Here’s what you need to do:

Take the next $100 you had planned to spend on the high street crapola and go to Target, Coles, Big W, Kmart or wherever and find some new house clothes.  

With that sort of budget, you should be able to get a 4-6 pieces depending on what you go for. Personally, I would suggest a trip to Coles & the whole range is available on line. Bonus, at the moment, everything is on sale, everywhere.

SIA suggests:

·       pretty colours – think lemon, lavender, pale blue or pale pink
If you hate pastels try black, navy, red, orange, hot pink & grey marle.

·        in sizes which fit you

·        throw in a print

·        in shapes which flatter your figure – big boobs, no high necklines please

·        make sure they all go together

If you keep your house clothes fresh and worthy of you, then SIA totally approves of your house clothes. 

Mind you, you’ll still wear them only around the house. This post in no way, shape or form authorises you to wear house clothes outside the house. But at least now you can face the neighbours at the letterbox with confidence. And the Net-A-Porter guy.

Are you willing to take the house clothes challenge? 

Woman of Style: Colourful Elke

The scene is Coles supermarket at Carlingford.
Think small mall, small suburb. 

So when I spotted this lady, looking at chocolates of all things, I knew I would regret it if I didn't stop & said hello. 

People like her don't turn up often. In Carlingford.

Her name was Elke (please correct me if I have spelt it wrong). 

I complimented her on her hair & glasses & well, her whole look. 

Then we played scarves. 

She was wearing a finely striped silk in shades of mint, orange, taupe, maybe a bit of blue. 

She was wearing hers in the classic European knot.

So I showed her some variations of this.

1. One end in the loop, then twist the loop & put the other end in. 

2. Twisting clockwise v anti clockwise

3. Inserting the single ends east to west & west to east.

4. Another one which I cant explain but I will find the instructions for it & add them here soon. 

Since all of these were going swimmingly, I figured we could challenge ourselves with the "Friendship knot". It's so different as far as scarf knots go, I couldnt let a stylish lady leave without imparting that knowledge to her. 

And we did & it worked. But we were there a while making it work & the Coles people did keep a watch on us. Surely they realised by the end, that we were harmless? Surely?

Here is a Hermes friend's video of the friendship knot. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvlaVhScbT4

The photos I took show Elke keeping her friendship knot intact. That's a sign she liked it. 

Some photos show her looking at her left - that's her fending off other customers who wanted to go through our photography studio to get to aisles 12+. How rude! 

I took some photos, then Elke started to wheel her trolley away and I realised she had slung a handbag over her arm & I hadn't photographed it! So we went back into the Coles studio for more photos! The bag was a print fabric in a natural canvas with a thick red shoulder strap....in red. 

Elke looked amazing.

She had pulled together colour & texture in a funky but relaxed way.  

She was wearing basics in neutrals (even the jacket was a tiny houndstooth men's print) but showed her personality through the accessories. Down to the animal men's slipper with the red trim. 

Definitely blog worthy. 

It was no surprise that Elke was European - that's not to put Aussies down, but to say that we have alot to learn from our Euro sisters!

Finally, one of the best scarf tying videos from Wendy's Look Book. I never tire of this one and as we get new readers all the time, I am sure some of you may not have seen it yet. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaSrE1-xh_M

Finally, finally, if you see a stylish woman in your midst, tap her on the shoulder & pay her a compliment.  

Dressing an apple shape - Camryn Manheim

SIA is having a girl crush on Camryn Manheim. 

Camryn is an apple shape in a plus size & she manages to look every so stylish because she knows how to dress for her shape.  

Her looks revolve around the following formula:

* basic neutrals (or strategic colour/print placement), 

* usually in knits or sheer wovens 

* with a flare from under the bust (empire bust)

* open necklines always (expose decolletage not cleavage)

* often bell sleeves to balance the bust

* often bracelet sleeves to expose the wrists

* fabulous jewellery/necklaces in fine layers - nothing chunky which bounces around the girls. 

Does anyone notice what she wears on the bottom? 

Usually black pants but it doesnt matter. 

She does it so well, that all the attention is on top, near her face. 

A line, vertical blocks of grey, covering the bum. 

Layering the jewellery over simple pieces. 

Another A line. The sheer sleeves & the
bell shape of the sleeves adds allure. 

More formula - sheer sleeves, open neck,
fitted boobs, floats over the hips. 

This is stunning & likely to be Max Mara. Open neck, sheer sleeves,
embroidery creates vertical lines, A line. Easy. 

An open blouse with ruffles helps to slim her front.
Three quarter sleeves add to the allure. 

This looks works in some ways & doesnt in others. It's way too long for her, swamping her.
The jeans are also way too wide. For a more feminine look, I would also swap the shoes for something with a low vamp. Otherwise not too bad for a non black boho look. 

Again, A line, bum covering, arm exposing, narrow pant legs but I would
substitute a shoe with a low vamp which exposes some of the foot.
Notice how to bright colour is limited to the front of the top - not making her look like a ten tonne tessie from a bright colour being wrapped around her torso. 

Notice the vertical lines on the lace pattern?
Also the band of lace that sits just under her bust
& emphasises that as the narrowest part of her torso.
This is how a "tent" top should work. 

Another gorgeous top - low cut, band under the bust & notice the
wide paisley band on the hem?
That helps to give it an A line shape which flatters her hips.
Also love the sheer sleeve panels. Sheer stops tops being too covering up. 

Another gorgeous empire line - but this one has an issue -
the section below the bust isnt long enough.
A one thirds to 2 thirds split is more attractive than the 1:1 of this top. 

More empire line, more layered necklaces, more flattery.

Another empire line - notice how this has a
vertical centre panel like it is a top & a cardi?
Great slimming vertical lines. 

This isnt an empire line (there is no seam under the bust) - but the way
the print is printed to reveal the white background is a terrific way of creating an A line.  

Pin tucks create a snug bust, floaty below the bust.
Bell sleeves add balance to a large top half. 

This top is magic.
Black upper minimises the bust, fanning into a print at her border.
Open neck as always. 

The age old trick of a scarf which isn't too bulky or wide sitting over the girls. 

This is one of the few I am not a fan of.
Why? The dark colours under her bust look
like they are sitting half on her bust & half off.
It seems to cut her off in the bust, looking too small in the cups.
I do however like the vertical dark lines flowing down the centre of the garment. 

Not a fan of short structured jackets like this on a plus size.
I would prefer clean lapels (ie: no lapels) and
that necklace doesnt work with such a heavy velvet fabric.
It may have been better of the top coming out from under the jacket was a bit floatier
& had a shape slightly different to the hemline of the jacket. 

This is gorgeous, showing you that structured can work on a plus size.
Longer line, clean lapels, contrast top.
Notice the cuffs are not too long?  Perfection. 

Another stunning business look. Probably from The Practice.
Probably expensive but stunning. The neckline, the cuffs. Perfection. 

This one has one big fail & that is that the grey band is not wide enough to
cover her breasts and highlight the
narrowest part of her torso immediately under the breasts.
Because the seam joining grey & black falls across her breasts,
the narrowest part of her torso is hidden. Not flattering. 

Love the way to necklaces are layered to mimic the scoop neck of the top.
This woman leaves nothing to chance. 

No one has fat shoulders. Expose one.
Simple. Easy. Why aren't you doing this?

Leave the neckline open, wear a cami underneath,
make it a print & all lumps
& bumps are hidden/covered. 

Low neck cardigans like this with one button done up always work well.
The shape has to be an A line, though - no straight up & down.
When you see one, grab it. 

Similar neckline cardi in a tie dye look. Perfect. 

Low neck, fitted bust, flare under the bust, bell sleeves,
sheer & vertical beading in your best metal.
It's a formula. Use it. 

This looks like a wrap knit, again fitted in the bust, open neckline. 

Floaty fabric & sheer sleeves. 

A wrap shirt (or dress) acts like an empire line as long as it starts
 to secure just under the bust & never  at the waist. 

The fitted A line knits she wears on Extant.

Do up one button or hook. & let the sides float outwards.
Never do up more than one button unless it's tailor made. 

Notice how she does the brocade outer up so only a small section is
coming together? Notice how that section is just under the bust?
Totally strategic. Totally works.  

Even though orange isnt her colour, the correct shade
of red in the jewellery & the lippy rocks this look. 

Please be really careful with high necklines. This is a pose &
anything looks good in a pose.
The reality may be a whole other story. 

This print is fattening. The only reason she remotely gets
away with it is b/c the pattern is printed in an empire line.
Very hard to find this in real life. 

Be careful with prints larger than the size of your fist - they can be fattening. 

When SIA grows up......