A Review of Narciso Rodriguez for DesigNation at Kohl's

In anticipation of buying the paisley pajama pants that I had glimpsed in previews of the Narciso Rodriguez for DesigNation at Kohl's, I sauntered into Kohl's on the debut day of the collection to browse the Instanbul-inspired apparel and try a few pieces on. In the front of the store I was met with a few undisturbed racks of bold, color blocked pieces, printed jersey tops that looked right at home on the racks of Kohl's, business-appropriate sheath dresses, and refined trousers with side stripe panels. A few shoppers browsed but didn't appear too interested. As I made my selections and marched towards the fitting room, I found the sizing to run big (sizes range from XS to XL), with generous cuts and roomy silhouettes in most of the tops and blouses. 



Below, some of the printed tops in stretchy fabrics and boxy shapes.



Bright color blocking on tops and dresses, as seen below.



As I tried on a few pieces, I appreciated the beautiful images on the hang tags.



My top pick from the entire collection is this pair of pajama trousers. They met my expectations in terms of comfort and exceeded my expectations in terms of fit. They have front pockets, a stretchy waistband, and the side stripe panel dresses them up just a bit. They also come in a red/multi colorway, which my store didn't stock.



As much as I wanted to like this medallion print charmeuse cowl neck top in a print that complements the trousers, I found the neckline draping to be awkward. 




This sequin sweater would be a great holiday season staple, although the sequins were slightly itchy, and the cotton/acrylic blend fabric was thinner that I desired. Perhaps it would work better with a cotton tee underneath.




My overall thoughts on the collection? I'm happy with the pajama trousers, as they fit both my casual style and my affinity for prints. (After the store's 30% "discount" and two coupons, I happily left the store with the trousers for about $20.) I appreciated the array of bright colors, although the dresses and blouses weren't a close match for my personal taste. I'm excited that Kohl's is jumping on the limited edition collaboration bandwagon, and I'm looking forward to the next one, which will be inspired by Rio at the hands of none other than Derek Lam.

**Update: for a look at how I styled the pajama pants for a casual daytime look, please have a peek at my personal style blog.

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