Champagne + Sneakers: Monday's Must Haves: Printed Denim

Fashion these days just keeps getting bolder and bolder...I just love it. Bright colors are being mixed, prints are being combined, and patterns and textures are all thrown together. Designers just keep coming up with more fun ways to embrace this trend and I'm sort of digging it. I love a bold, statement-making print in an outfit. It always makes me a feel a little more free, flirty and outgoing. Don't ask why, it's just some weird mental correlation I've made. My latest obsession is the whirlwind of brightly colored, wildly printed denim that's come onto the fashion scene as of late. Yes, I said denim. As in jeans. Fun, right? If you're looking for that wow factor in your outfit, printed denim is surely your answer. Now, don't get me wrong, printed pants have been on shelves for decades and have gone through phases of acceptance and phases of ohmygoshthere'sabsolutelynowayI'dwearthat. In fact, I myself decided that I'd rock a certain pair of cream and red floral cropped pants to my 8th grade Valentine's Day dance years ago. Looking back at pictures, maybe I should have gone with the sparkly cocktail dance-appropriate dresses that all of the other girls were wearing instead of the mom pants and denim jacket, but hey, hindsight is always 20/20, right? That was not a proud fashion moment of mine. There was also a summer when I watched Lindsay Lohan (bless her heart) in some Disney Channel movie and was convinced that my wardrobe for school the following year was only going to consist of crazy printed pants and fur vests like she wore. Rest assured guys, I came to my senses and decided against following in Lohan's wardrobe footsteps. And any of her other footsteps, thank God. Anyway, printed denim is everywhere right now and there's so many ways to wear the trend! If you're feeling brave you can always contrast the print with another print on top, or you can go simple with a white tee and statement necklace up against the crazy denim. Whichever way you choose, printed denim is definitely a must-have this season and it's a risk worth taking. It might involve getting a little out of your comfort zone, but I promise, you can't go wrong! Unless you were me at the Valentine's Day dance circa 2002. That was so wrong. Girls, some of you may still be trying to hop on board the colored denim bandwagon so you can't even fathom the thought of colored AND printed denim. Heaven forbid! But seriously, just hear me out. Give it a shot. Try something new. I try my best not to steer you guys wrong and as far as I know, I'm not crazy just yet. So embrace printed denim. It'll be your new best friend for dinners with your man or nights out on the town with the girls! I have a great pair of grey leopard printed jeans that I got for $6 on the clearance rack at Target weeks ago. SIX. bucks. I know, steal of the century. Made me so happy. It really is the simple things in life. In honor of this post, I'll show you guys how I style my fab printed denim jeans later on this week. As for now, here are some great finds: