Being the huge fan of designer collaborations, this weekend I couldn't help but take some time to check out the latest fashion marriage between Narciso Rodriguez and Kohl's.
The news of the collaboration never reached my ears until one day while nose deep in Pinterest I overheard what sounded like Santigold on what was obviously a commercial. While watching the graphic display of color blocking to the max (and waiting to see what Target collaboration this was), I almost looked away when I saw Kohl's flash across the screen.
Me and Kohl's are what you would call friendly exes. Back when I first started working in the laundry room at a nearby hotel I developed a Friday ritual of grabbing my check, heading straight to Stop & Shop to cash it and then off to Kohl's for some weekend shopping. At that time they unfortunately didn't have half of the selection they have now but it was perfect for me because I didn't have to be escorted by my parents who would then question me spending my check and I could have a cute outfit to wear out to the mall......where I would usually shop a bit more. But after I moved on to another job (and found myself closer to Marshall's and the mall) I kind of let the relationship unravel and before you knew it I forgot about its existence. That's probably the time we officially broke up and I call it a friendly breakup only because I've never really talked bad about Kohls or its selection. Over the past few years I have popped in to a few once in awhile but with so much access to variety these days I just never walk out with anything. So the chance to get reacquainted seemed nice.
I didn't have to walk far to find the Narciso collection seeing as it was front and center sandwiched between Vera Wang, Jennifer Lopez and Lauren Conrad. A bit messy I would say but you should always put your best in prime locations so I get it. I had my heart set on the lovely black and white printed pajama pants that Jessica Alba was spotted wearing but unfortunately my good old Kohl's didn't have them. In fact they didn't have a lot of what was featured in the commercial or seen on the many celebs endorsing the collection. No worries though, I thought, they still have quite a selection. And so hunt began.
In about an 30 minutes, give or take a few to answer a call, I found myself heading to the fitting rooms. Now on a side note I will say how envious I was of their digital price signs. I can't begin to tell you how long it takes to physically sign my store for our many many sales. I think in one instance I spent over an hour in one small department due to having to print each sign, grab them and then find the right sign holders. When I saw that they had taken a small step into the retail future I just couldn't understand why my job hadn't taken the same route. The envy quickly turned into anger when I walked into the fitting room. All wood with more than enough hooks inside the room, more than one mirror and a little shelf ( on top of the bench) for your phone or keys or whatever. But the icing on the cake were the adorable hooks marked Love It, Like It and Back On The Racks. I love little details and the idea that I was given more than enough tools to stay organized in the fitting room was an extreme delight.
But back to Narciso. Despite not being completely wowed by the selection at that particular location, I did pull a few things that really caught my eye. The graphic prints were lovely and I came across and amazing pair of skinny leg tuxedo pants in a delicious emerald green. Those were the first to try on and it was at that point the experience took a turn for the worst.
I began having a serious issue with the fit which I found really disappointing because the quality of the collection was really there for the price point. It shouldn't have surprised me though. I can't even begin to list the amount of times fit has kept me from splurging on many of these big box retailer collaborations. In fact it is because of fit that they normally leave a sour taste in my mouth. How am I not supposed to feel like Mr. Rodriguez didn't just sell his name and Kohl's slapped it to some modern take on clothing.
Keeping the pace going, I tried on a skirt and then immediately decided that bottoms in general weren't going to work. That got rid of two more pieces so I went on the dresses. The black and white blocked dress fit pretty well but good lord was it too long for me. After years of track my calves have decided to forgo the sleek, feminine look and with a knee skimming length all that ends up happening is a lot of inquiries about the sports I play. But I still loved the color blocking and if I hemmed it a bit the look could work. The other dress was a nightmare and the last things to try on were the tops which I knew would be a hell of a lot easier.
I loved all three, especially the sheer crop top and the metallic cream sweater. All three would would in my wardrobe now and I did find it a bit difficult to take off the sweater. But what, if any, would I spend my money on....why not let the hooks tell the story.
After walking around a bit more I put back my cream sweater and ended up leaving with a metallic mini dress from their Rock & Republic line. At the end of the day I could have snagged that sweater from H&M and added the metallic accents myself with a dry brush and some gold spray paint so it didn't really seem worth it. I did still love the pants, the dress and one of the pencil skirts but the idea of having to find a good tailor just to wear new clothing doesn't seem right. Clearly Ms. Palermo took her stunning deep magenta and black number to her tailor first.
Summing it all up, the collection was really nice and outside of a faux wool wrap coat that reminded me of craft felt, the pieces were well made and hit a great price point. If only the fit wasn't so off.
Outside of Christmas shopping with Mom (very early this year for me but it felt good), I spent the rest of my weekend enjoying the amazing weather we had and mentally preparing myself for the realization that in only one short week I will be walking into work around midnight for Black Friday. As crazy as it is, I always find it amusing to watch customers turn into wild animals for a $9.99 coffee maker. I hope your weekend was great and did any of you guys check out the Narciso Rodriguez Collection???
****U P D A T E****
Speaking of Christmas, with the count down officially having started who isn't looking to save a bit of dough on the last minute presents we all have to buy. Luckily for you (and me) I've got a 10% off coupon code for Kohls.com
TENBLOG (good till December 29th)
And unlike so many deceiving discounts out there today, the above coupon code not only works on everything but can be compounded with one other discount. Oh yes that's right...I did say compounded.
Still want to grab a piece of the collection for yourself and all caught up on holiday shopping?? You should still use the code...you've been good all year why not celebrate. Head on over to the Narciso Rodriguez Collection Page to refresh your memory and Happy Shopping!!!
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