Mis-Matched Exotic Prints With Kohl’s

I’ve never been good at matchy-matchy – I always wore blacks with browns, polka dots with stripes, clunky boots with dresses – and some of that, in the early years, was a product of not being a morning person (brush hair, put on shirt, put on pants, walk out house, don’t forget shoes.) Today my mismatched wardrobe has become a nod to my personality. I’m a bit quiet, though I have plenty to say (thus the love for writing, I suppose!) Clothes, accessories, shoes – they give me a chance to fake being loud, sans microphone. And animal prints – therein lies my passion for fashion.

So, when Kohl’s asked me to style a look for the Exotic Trend, I was more than happy to oblige! Let me start by openly admitting, I obsess over the show Jerseylicious. If you’ve never tuned in, you really should. I heart The Style Network in a big way, and Jerseylicious is the dramatic, Jersey smack-talking, all-things-animal-print-wearing, ying to my quiet-as-a-mouse yang. The point being (I promise, I have one), these ladies rock animal prints from head-to-toe. While I adore their cray cray style, I’m not suggesting you step out in giraffe print top, zebra pants, leopard shoes, and so on (take note: this is not a cute look; I may or may not have tried it at some point.)

But when it comes to animal prints, I do like taking risks (I mean, I am wearing cheetah print.) And this season, wouldn’t you know, it’s all about mixing prints. Forget ‘matchy-matchy’, get ‘clashy’.

MY EXOTIC TREND SHOPPING AGENDA:

I tackled Kohl’s with the staples in mind – LBD (little black dress) and great exotic accessories. But you know, the shopping bug hit me and I kind of wanted it all. I am an admitted Kohl’s newbie, so I was surprised to find so much fabulousness packed into one reasonably-sized department store. I ogled over the dresses from Jennifer Lopez’s line – seriously, if you need a steady supply of well-made solid-colored dresses, look no further. A few of the rocker chic tops from Rock & Republic completely stole my heart. And every pair of Candie’s shoes belonged in my closet. But then they hit me like “a sack of potatoes” (said in British little girl accent – watch this clip from Ellen, and absolutely, I watch too much TV.) There on the racks was a pair of floral skinny jeans in my size. The designer? My style icon, Lauren Conrad. Floral. Floral. Yep, not exotic trend. Not at all. But then I remembered, who am I kidding? I never ever match. And therein lies the making of a brilliantly mis-matched outfit.

I decided to style an outfit for a weekend of errands, cleaning house, late lunch, and room to shop. I relish in weekends. My husband works crazy long hours and I never shut off, so weekends are for us – they’re sacred. Even errands become an adventure for us, and we take our missions seriously – thus the need for flats.

I paired my new most favorite floral skinnies ever with leopard smoking flats (a.k.a., loafers) – nod to menswear, love it and rocked seriously bold gold snakeskin baubles. The floral skinnies are buttery smooth, and the dark floral pattern on the pants actually slims fairly well, the length also hits right at the ankle, which I love. The draped cardigan has great attention to detail and will likely become an every day favorite. All of the shoes by Candie’s were on-trend and a lot had great animal prints, but I’ve been dying for a pair of leopard loafers and these sweet shoes fit the bill! And lastly – the jewelry – to me, jewelry makes an outfit. I’m a huge fan of yellow gold and these Apt. 9 pieces were totally my style.

The beauty of this outfit is that deconstructed, I can wear each and every piece on its own and in so many different ways. Kohl’s really had in incredible selection of clothing, shoes, and accessories, and trust me, if I ever need a LBD in a pinch, I’ll know just where to go!

Note: Pardon my baby, Belly, she decided to ham it up for the camera!

Disclosure: Bloggers received a gift card on behalf of Kohl’s via Glam Media to complete the trend look. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kohl’s. All trademarks and service marks are owned or licensed by Kohl’s Illinois, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc.

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