Monthly Archives: September 2011

The Crazy Target Experience :: Missing Missoni.

September 14, 2011Alix's Closet, Things We Likecrazy target missoni sale, missoni flats, missoni maddness, target missoni, target missoni sold outAlix

So yeah. Not sure if you heard but this little Italian brand debuted yesterday at Target. No? You didn’t hear?Â HAHAHA. Of COURSE you heard! You and 1000s of other people because ladies and gentlemen, it wasn’t just a sale. It was INSANITY.

I went to my Target (OK, who are we kidding…I went to TWO Targets) to check out the Missoni scene. And I do mean scene.Â Target opens at 8:00am. I arrived around 9:15am. I was actually a bit embarrassed, thinking, “Sheesh, I’m going so early!” Â I eagerly walked inside, anxious to see the prized garments, only to find….

Nothing. There were literally TWO sweaters swaying in the breeze. As I stared at the empty racks I foolishly thought, “Maybe I’m so early they haven’t put anything out yet?” Ah, little Alix. How naive. A woman strolled past me with a cart PILED sky high (chatting loudly on her phone to a friend, “You want baby stuff? They got baby stuff.”) I then realized I was horribly late to the party. I dashed around the store in hopes of finding some straggler items.

Scarves/hats/gloves? NOTHING.
Bedding or dishware? NADA
Purses? Silky scarves? ZILCH!

A lone zig zag tumbleweed rolled on by….

It wasn’t entirely a bust. As I raced around, I scooped up some tights and socks. Found a couple of rogueÂ scarves in the wrong section…..grabbed a pair of the sassy flats. As I circled aroundÂ , I discovered some people had put things back, so I was able to snap up some knit tunics and tops.

I saw the luggage which was dreamy and actually very well made, but at $149, for a smallish suitcase…I passed.

They had laptop cases and stationary stuff and lots of little girl and baby things (REALLY cute, though pricey).

As I wandered around, I passed several other women, each with only a few items in their cart. We late comers formed a sort of fellowship….chatting about how crazy it was that nearly everything was gone within an hour. Another woman joined us with a semi full cart and we eagerly peered inside as she shared things we never even got a chance to see. (“Oooh, the glass vase! It’s so pretty!”) One woman said that she was at another Target and the women were positively vicious. Another chimed in that someone tried to steal things out of her cart as she tried on a few items. My friend Tracy (aka Shutterbean) texted me that there was a man with FOUR shopping carts filled with Missoni goodies. Now friends, that’s just wrong. What happened to people?

(Yes, Tracy texted me a photo of the FOUR CARTS.)

I was so discouraged by the behavior of some people. If you buy everything because you want to wear it/use it, more power to you. But those people who greedily grabbed EVERYTHING just so they could resell it on eBay? (Hello Four-Cart Meanie, I’m talkin’ to YOU!) Not classy. Not cool.

Missoni Mania was so out of control, the entire Target web site crashed. THE ENTIRE DAY. I am a huge Target fan, but I have to say they didn’t plan for this very well. Not enough product after the HUGE HUGE hype (ads running pretty much EVERYWHEREâ€”print, TV, web, videos!) is kind of a no-no. I also feel like they need to implement some rules to prevent the crazies from grabbing every stinkin’ thang on the rack (say, “you can not purchase more than two of any one item”).

As I chatted with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Zig Zags (my fellow Target shoppers) we discussed how we couldn’t even really enjoy the experienceâ€”it was so nutso you just frantically grabbed what you could.

I decided to snag a mess o’ stuff and suss it all out at home.Â Here is some of what I grabbed from the slim pickin’s. (And I’m not keeping it all, just so ya know!)

This sweater is really thick and soft and well made…..but i’m not really an earth tone person. We’ll see.

I looooooved this. The sleeves and back are really cool, the front is semi sheer. So pretty. But it made my arms look like Popeye. So it’s going back.

Tights and socks? Cute, cute and cute. (The far left is a scarf from the little girl’s department. Not great for snowy days but for fall and our California winter it’ll be perfect!)

Weeeeeee! The flats! The black and white shirt is very fun, but crazy. I am not keeping it, but I think it would look really cute under a jumper or little sweater vest.

This sweater dress is the grooviest fabric and very soft. I’m not sure it looks that cute on me, so we’ll see.

I really love the flats. Super cute. But in my insanity I grabbed a half size too big. Boo!

My mom is awesome. I called her up to tell her about the maddness. Being a fashion plate of the 60s and 70s, she of course knew Missoni and said she’d check out her Target. She called me up while in the store and said that amazingly they had LOADS of things! (Alas, no throw blanket) We had a laugh attack as I basically guided her through the store (“So the suit case…let me know what you think! No, it’s not with the purses, it’s near the sporting goods and menswear. Yeah. Oooh, they have the umbrella? No way!!”) We had a blast virtually shopping together. I’m sending her some of what I found out here, and she has a bunch of things she’s sending me.Â Including the flats IN MY SIZE! Yay mama!

Soooooo, did you check it out? Was it all gone or did you score some fun goodies? Here’s a hilarious account of the mayhem at one Houston Target.

Oh, and you know, if you run into that dang throw blanket….let me know!

Real Life:: The Peach’s Big Bed.

September 13, 2011Real Life : DottieDottie

Folks, the Peach has a big girl bed. Finally.

We tried it earlier this year right after she turned two but she just wasn’t ready. Â After spinning like a top and waking up crying a few days in a row in her big girl bed, the child actually ASKED for her crib.

But now, she’s ready. But I don’t know if I am! She’s just so little. Â But she’s not. She’s a big girl and big girls don’t sleep in cribs. Â They sleep in beds.

But she still uses the little quilt I made her when I was pregnant. And she has all of her friends near her too.

OK, I’m a little bit nervous about her rolling out of the bed, so we rolled up two towels and put them under the mattress cover.

But I think I Â a bit more nervous about her getting up and demanding to come into Mama’s bed. Â Or maybe just maybe, I’m kinda hoping for it. Â To pull her into bed for a little extra snuggle.

How did you deal with the whole big bed? Â How do you keep them in the beds all night long?

Real Life :: Making Marinara Sauce.

September 13, 2011Kiddo Cooks, Real Life : DottieDottie

I love a well stocked freezer.

Actually, it helps to have a garage that you can put the mid-size energy efficient stand alone freezer your parents made you buy at an estate sale. But I love that freezer and the bounty of time saving joy it brings me in the form of frozen goodies. Â CHOW’s old food editor swore that the freezer was the best kitchen trick she had to producing great food fast.

It’s one of those things that helps me sleep at night. Â I always have a couple of quarts of frozen chicken stock and usually a couple frozen dishes for later. Â But that’s my baggage from my college summer job working as a costumed interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village. (Don’t worry, I am SO going to write about that later…)

I noticed the wonderful glut of cheap organic tomatoes at the farmer’s market and thought, “hey–why don’t I make my own marinara that i can freeze and pull out when I want! It will be so much healthier and cheaper and not canned!”

Sure. Why not? Because I have all this free time. HAHAHAHAHA Â (wipes tear away from laughter…) Â Oh. and a million other projects that need to be finished and linen closets to clean out and. . .

Like THAT ever stopped me before. Over the past weekend, I made marinara from scratch. And it was crazy easy.

Here is what I’ve learned: making marinara sauce from fresh tomatoes to freeze is easy, but takes times. Â Because of the steps. Oh, yeah. The steps. I basically used this recipe from Former Chef.

Here’s how it went:

I started with ten lbs of glorious tomatoes that I bought for a steal at the farmer’s market.

I thought this was going to be a serious pain in the kiester, but it wasn’t. Just drop each tomato in boiling water until the skin starts to look kinda wrinkly then pop it in icy water and pinch the skin off. Not too hard.

Next step was to ditch all those seeds, which was kinda fun believe it or not.Â But messy—I’m not going to lie to you about that. And I’m glad I didn’t have any cuts because I’m sure the tomato juice would have not been too pleasant to get into a cut.

Then, just chop the tomatoes into quarters and run them through a food mill. So far, the whole experience has ten about an hour with a good size chunk in the middle. And at this point I decide to call it quits and put the nice puree into the fridge and deal with the rest of it Sunday.

The next morning, I pulled out the tomatoes and got cracking again.Â I sauted a large onion until translucent. Added garlic and saute for a minute. Added tomatoes and some yummy dried herbs–oregano and basil and a bit of red wine.Â And with some great bread my brother brought from his favorite bakery, we tasted it until it was perfect.

Afterward, I left the sauce cool and we put the sauce in jars the next day and popped in freezer.

Yes, that’s right–stare at the nice orderly jars of marinara sauce–not the bathroom floor. Or the linen closet. Or my closet. Don’t even look in the direction of my attic. Or garage. Or… Well,Â Let’s just be happy about the sauce, alright?

Missoni for Target. Zigga Ziggahhhhh!

September 12, 2011Things We LikeAlix

Oh me, oh my! Not since the great Orla Kiely Episode of 2009 have people been this giddy with anticipation over a Target Collection. Missoni, famous for their bold and graphic knits and zig zag chevron patterns, is releasing 400 different pieces this Tuesday. And people are getting ready to lose their fashion-lovin’ minds! Clothing (for women, girls and babies), luggage, kitchen ware and even a bicycle….all sure to be snapped up in no time at all.

Ottavio and RositaÂ Missoni founded their small knitwear company in Italy back in 1953. In the 60s, they became a favorite of Vogue Editor Diana Vreeland and the rest is history. They were known as a real luxury brand through out the 70s and 80s. By the mid 90s the Missoni name took on a sexier, slinkier look thanks to daughter Angela Missoni. Granddaughter Margherita Missoni has also helped propel the label as the official “muse” of the houseâ€”she stars in many of their ad campaigns and is a real star on the socialite scene.
It’s true, the patterns can be a leetle overwhelmingâ€”the crazy zig zags are not for the faint of heart. But I love how they haveÂ elevated knitwear to an art form:

“Our philosophy since we went into business has been that a piece of clothing should be like a work of art. It should not be bought for a special occasion or because it’s in fashion, but because a woman likes itâ€¦and feels she could wear it forever.” Â â€”Rosita Missoni, New York PostÂ Â (24 May 1978)

The press photos are a little mad, piling on the pieces in a eye-crossing array of prints, but mixed in with your own wardrobe I think these will be loads of fun. Here are some of my favorite pieces!

For little girls, these tunics are really cute (would look great over jeans/leggings) and the little capelet is really pretty fab.

You know i’m cardigan obsessed, so I think this one would be really cool….I can’t decide if the under sweater tunic thang would be sorta slimming (vertical stripes!) or make me look like Charlie Brown’s hip older sister. Hmmm.

These scarves should be an affordable fun way to get yer Missoni on!

I’m not crazy about everything layered together, but I do like mixing fabrics and textures. My friend Pilgrim and I were chatting and trying to figure out if that was a sweater vest up there (yay!) OR a long knit tunic (boo!).

I love these! Those little flats would be a great pop of color with jeans or even tights and a dress. I’m also into the gloves and scarves and that blanket….great for cuddling up on the couch OR as a cozy throw on your bed.

I need coffee cups like a hole in the head (I still have a zillion Orla Kiely mugs, not to mention my vintage coffee mug collection) BUT I do love these little guys.

So OK, not every single thing is making me gaga, BUT I’m eager to see it all in person! How about you? Are you going to check it out tomorrow??

Yahoo!!! It’s the Vintage Kiddo Retro Round Up!

September 12, 2011Kiddo Style: VintageDottie

I still can’t get over the fact that it is September. I hope you all made the most of the last of the summer fruit and veggies and perhaps the a little bit more sun. I found some goodies today to share with you!

Friends, let’s start it off with a bang. I give you the holy grail of vintage toys. The EZ Bake Oven. Â Don’t look directly at the photo lest you be blinded by its awesomeness. From Etsy seller, Retro Vintage Bazaar.

I really didn’t think this sweet baby boy’s knitted cowboy romper could really get any cuter. Until you such a cute lil’ baby in it! And bonus points for the yellow gingham background.Â From Etsy seller, Pinkleberries says the baby’s not for sale (drat!)

The Littlest Shop always has some wonderful pieces, but my heart goes out to this vintage jumper featuring fluffy little lambs frolicking all over gingham and plaid mountains. Â I. Die.

As a lover of all things Frenchie, so of course I adore this sweet French words vintage patterned shirt. J’adore! From Etsy seller, Pretty Retro.

Any way I could get these in grown up size? Because I freaking love ’em!Â Blue flowers and green background.Â And only ten bones too? Mmm….Â From Etsy seller, Sweet Shop Vintage.

Stripes aren’ t enough for this cutie little stripey dress. It needs a rollerskating kitty on it of course! From Etsy seller, Oh Sydney.

You know I have a thing for shoes. And these vintage shoes are just killer. KILLER! The red edging and the little argyle feature as well. From Etsy seller, Eastern Market.