I was excited to see Catherine Malandrino’s collection at Kohls which came out last Friday, Sept. 27th – see full collection here. I’ve long been inspired by French motifs and when I saw the ads for her collection, I couldn’t wait to see it in person. I rarely shop at Kohls but occasionally, I will drop by to see what’s new from designers like Vera Wang, Lauren Conrad, or Rock & Republic – all of whom are mainstays of the store. OK..so, how should I put this…I was underwhelmed by the CM collection – I was most excited to see the sweaters and tees that had French inspired prints on the front. The sweaters had ribbing from the elbow to the cuff and at 3/4 length, it was a bit uncomfortable. I don’t like anything that feels restrictive on my arms especially when it’s on a dolman sleeve – the contrast of the loose fabric around the shoulder/armpit area with the tight sleeves on the forearm was annoying. I’m sure it’s supposed to be some French aesthetic but it’s not for me. I do still love the prints – the quintessential Eiffel tower and the words Paris and J’Taime imprinted…lovely! But not lovely enough at $58 (less 25% discount currently in store) for me to purchase. I sort’a liked the burgundy oversized tee but didn’t dig the contrasting black trim ribbing on the neckline and arm holes. The material seemed cheap and the cut too oversized for my frame 😦 If you do decide to pick up something, size down – they do tend to run big and long (for reference, I’m 5’4″ and 120 lbs) and click here to use the additional 15% off coupon that you can print from the Kohls website.
I know this is probably no consolation but I did find the store displays and the clothing tags very appealing. It almost seems like they put more thought into that than the clothes. There were other pieces like elastic waist knit skirts that I believe are meant to be paired with the sweaters…they seemed well made but the style is not for me.
All in all, not a great collection for me…maybe my expectations were set too high. But all is not lost – I managed to actually pick up a pair of khaki skinny pants from the Lauren Conrad line at 50% off (orig $54) that fit really well. My problem with skinny jeans is that I have big calves so if the leg area is not stretchy enough, it will bunch up around my knees. These were not that way – and I love the military fatigue shade of green. I’m also enamored with the jewelry line from Lauren Conrad…I like dainty earrings and her collection has no shortage of them.
Overall, the trip was not a total bust..but I’m still bummed about the lacklustre CM collection. I hope this won’t be the last time she creates a collection, although the display did say “limited edition. limited time”…not sure what that means. Lastly, I wanted to share this random tidbit about the jeans I was wearing in the pics below — it’s from Forever 21 and can I just say, they are my favorite jeans (see here)..perfect stretch and length (I’m 5’4″) that hits right above my ankles..I love that Audrey Hepburn-ish pixie pants length (I get mine ankle length available in store). The best part? They are $7.80..regular price. Crazy! Well, that’s it for now!
PS – click on the pics below to see the items on the store website.
Eiffel Tower Sweater $58 (currently addl 25% off)
Close up of forearm ribbing
Paris Sweater $58 (currently addl 25% off)
Close up of forearm ribbing
Paris J’Taime Tee $36 (currently addl 25% off)
Knit Skirt pictured here
Lauren Conrad Khaki Twill Pants $54 (currently 50% off in store)
Lauren Conrad Earrings $12 (currently 30% off in store)
One last thing – I tried on these two items from the Dana Buchman and Apt 9 lines – the knit jacket is really comfy, I tried it in a size 2 and it fit perfectly. The bulldog sweater is adorable, also fits very nice in XS….love the bling on the dog’s collar. I didn’t pick these up only because I don’t need another jacket and another sweater but they were tempting 😉
Dana Buchman Jacket $80 (currently on sale $56 in store)
Apt 9 Bulldog Sweater $50 (currently on sale for $30 in store)
Dear Boo and Lulu 
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