What to wear when it's hot, but you don't want to look like a hot mess.

How's that for a verbose title? Anyway, this week's edition of "What to wear when it's hot, but you don't want to look like a hot mess" features two tips: not-your-standard cuts and unexpected prints. Could I have worn a white shirt with regular pink shorts? Absolutely. However, I like to add a bit of visual interest when I can. (I'm a big believer in "wear at least one statement piece a day so that it revs up the entire outfit's awesomeness.") I love these shorts from LOFT that I bought last year; my favorite feature is that they're not your typical stripes. They've got a bit of a tribal feel to them, no? Plus, the color combination (white, navy, orange, and pink) makes them so much more versatile than you'd give them credit for in the store.

I wanted to pair the shorts with something a bit unexpected (i.e. not my usual white tee from Target), so I opted for this white peplum with a fun zipper detail. When I unpacked more of my shoes from last year (I wasn't sure if the weather would actually let me have spring/summer, so I hadn't switched my shoes over completely), I found these orange sandals that I forgot existed. How insane of me, right?

Yesterday, I paired yellow with this same shade of pink. Today, I opted for orange thanks to the color combination of the shorts. Look, Mom, I can get dressed without Pinterest! Actually, I haven't really been on Pinterest for maybe two months? (Just the periodic "I'm bored while blow drying my hair" moments.) I can actually dress myself now. Can you believe it? I never thought the day would come that I wouldn't rely on Pinterest at least twice a week to dress myself.

P.S. Can the World Cup please end? I want to watch my Game of Thrones finale, but EVERYTHING I want to watch takes the backseat to a bunch of dudes skittering around a plot of grass. However, a few notes: one, futbol players are so much hotter than football players (I could stare at the Italians forever); two, it's only every four years; three, my husband does not watch football, so I can be sort of okay with soccer; five, I actually understand soccer for the most part. I feel like football stops so many times for random things (and stops for what feels like forever), and I never understand why it's stopped. If I have to struggle THAT hard to understand something someone else is doing, I can't scrounge up a shred of care. Soccer, on the other hand, is just two 45 minute halves with some injury time tacked on the end. When someone fouls someone else, they get to kick toward the goal or throw the ball in from the sideline. No crazy plays (except for some awesome head butting and scissor kicking of the ball) and no never-ending time outs. I guess it's not that bad, but shhh, don't tell my husband.

The look: Top: New York & Co. Shorts: LOFT Shoes: Franco Sarto (LOVE HIS SHOES) via Marshall's Necklace: Old Navy