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Sunday 31 December 2017

2 0 1 7 S T Y L E R O U N D U P

I cannot believe we're here at the end of 2017! I feel like it was just January a few weeks ago and now we are 12 months later at the next January in just a few hours =) I've styled an un-countable number of looks this year between new releases and good ol' styling posts and the We Style It segment, I have so many looks to wear! One thing I have found it easy to do is sum up my year of styles in just a couple of words:

'S K I R T S' | 'S H O E S' | 'P O P  O F C O L O U R'

For me these styles have become so prominent in my stylings and in the way I've styled looks over the year and I think my style has developed so much over the year of 2017 and I'm so happy with the way that it has gone. I've gotten so much more into skirts and dresses this year, which makes me happy as I'm finally getting good wear out of some older pieces in my wardrobe. I've focused a lot on shoes this year, wearing different styles and colours and following shoe trends, boots have been so big this year and I've fully embraced it. And finally those pops of colour, it's mostly pink, but actually, looking at my 'favourite sets of the year' below, red and orange tones, along with a bit of blue also seem to have been big hits!
But I couldn't just have a couple of favourites to sum up a whole year of styling! Below are a small selection of 13 looks that I've picked out from my stylings posted here on The Stardoll Lookbook in 2017, and actually after picking them I found they fell into these two categories very nicely and I'm somewhat relieved and also pleased to see that I have worn a good range of pieces over the year. Maybe a little goal for 2018 will be to branch out with hairstyles next, I clearly have a couple of favourites judging from these looks^

How do you think you guys have done style-wise in 2017? Are you pleased with developments you've made or do you have great ideas in mind for where to take your style in 2018?
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Knitted sparkles

A little sparkle sparkle on this New Years Eve feature, brought to you by palagirli66 =D This sparkling camisole is a fantastic New Years piece, and it's fantastic paired with these high waisted jeans, but to make it more wintery-suitable there's layering and I love it! The sweater and polo combination is just the cutest on its own and it works so well with the cami, in fact the colours look great together, even though you may not expect them too^ Love the white frilled socks with the trainers, and also love the beauty look to complete the outfit =D 

2017 H O T B U Y R E V I E W

Happy New Years Eve! We did this last year, and decided to repeat it again this year, doing a round-up of our favourite Hotbuys of 2017, which was our second full year of the We Wear Hotbuys posts. We've each picked our 10 favourite HB's from this year of 120 to choose from and we've styled them up and presented them to you. This was a real mixed year of HB's with a huge range of styles and trends and colours, with a lot of individual pieces and some repeat offenders in there like straw bags and mom jeans! Hope you enjoy this post =D
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S P A R K L E W A N D 1 2
1 Twisted Hoops 2 Lace Detail Smart Pants 3 Patent Cream Court Heels 4 Patent Red Mules 5 Prada Inspired Faux Fur Bag 6 Vintage Stone Washed Denim 
7 High Neck Designer Shirt 8 Proenza Schouler Inspired Pants 9 Reds Puzzle Bag 10 Metallic Peach Pumps
2017 has had it's ups and downs with Hotbuys, but overall I think we've had a great year with HBs! I had high hopes entering the year and I think I've managed to get some fantastic pieces out of the Hotbuys on offer. While clothing takes up the majority of the HBs, for myself, I was super pleased with the accessories, which is quite the turn for me that makes me smile^ My top 10 choices include 6 accessories, so for me it's been a great HB year on that front - the shoes and bags have just been on great form, particularly towards the end of the year and the pinks and reds are completely spot on! Clothing has had some misses, but I'm quite pleased with several of the pieces and a lot are coming from great RL inspiration in terms of designs and trends, I can only hope everything continues and we get some more fantastic pieces in 2018 =D

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A U D R E Y H E P B U R N .
In this year’s HotBuys, it was all about accessories for me. When I was browsing all the items we’ve gotten this year, almost all of my picks were accessories at first! In the end I wanted also to style some clothing pieces too, so did another browse. When talking about clothes, the two midi skirts I've picked are most definitely my favourites - but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone! As you can see, there are no tops this time, only one jacket. I did try to look for a nice top too, but I just didn’t think any of them deserved to be in my top ten list! There a lot of red and pink shoes this year, and I loved them all, but included only my favourite pair here, the Patent Red Mules - I just love the pointed toe on them =) My looks this year are all pretty wintery, as you can see from the make up too and all these big coats, which are perfect for the season, it is so cold here where I live!

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M I L O S H K I
As 2017 comes to a close, so does my second year as Guest Writer and how time has flown! When looking back over this year of Hotbuys, I can’t believe how many hits we had. There are so many that I actually had trouble narrowing it down to a collection of ten! Overall, we’ve had lots of red and blues as well as some hefty designer name drops. My absolute favourite pieces are the Loose Fit Denim Jacket from It Girls and High Neck Designer Shirt from Pretty ‘N Love. They are super versatile which always secures a high opinion from me, and I can see them cropping up in many stylings to come. I’ve also found myself very fond of shoes this year – I could easily have added another three or four pairs but the Patent Red Mules from Rio and Valentino Inspired Heels from It Girls are instant colour-pop classics. Expectations are high now, so let’s hope 2018 is just as promising!

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O V E R A L L T O P 5
 Prada Inspired Faux Fur Bag | Patent Red Mules | Proenza Schouler Inspired Pants | Loose Fit Denim Jacket | High Neck Designer Shirt

Saturday 30 December 2017

New year glam


x limited edition - oversized silver earrings
x evil panda - cropped turtleneck
x mr - rick owens insp shirt
x museum mile - wide fishnet tights
x versace tribute - embellished over the knee boots

hankipankidoni

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | D&G Inspired Box Bag

Here we are, the end of December 2017 and the end of the 2017 Hotbuys, what a ride! Tomorrow you can check out our 2017 Hotbuys Top Picks, featuring our top 10 HBs of the year, but for now enjoy this final HB! This is the D&G Inspired Box Bag from Fallen Angel costing 15SD's. It's a cute little bag that's in a seasonal deep red colour and has great golden accents. I love the strap over the bag with the padlock and flower keychain, they're great little details that really do stand out. Overall, it's a pretty good piece I'd say^
And as well as being cute and seasonal, I found this piece a really easy one to style^ Lots of other reds involved in all of our looks, but there's glimpses of some great versatility with this piece. I also think it's the perfect style for Spring, so I look forward to getting use from it in the next few months. And now for the final poll:

Winter florals

Winter florals at the ready today from SoMillie, in a look that still is making great use of this LE sheeny shiny overcoat =) This skirt has beautiful red and orange tones which are perfect with this coat! I like the layering of the tops, the burgundy is a nice pop and the polo is a perfect base. It matches the boots and bag well, and I adore these vintage earrings with the look and with the bag, they're the best with this outfit! Also loving the deep brown lip colour, it's just right in this styling^

Friday 29 December 2017

Gold Heel Mules # W E S T Y L E I T

Welcome to the final We Style It of 2017 - styling up the Gold Heel Mules from last spring's LE collection. We loved these for the festive season because they're gold and it's perfect for right now^ Despite their fitting with a style that is well loved, I'm surprised that these are a pair of shoes that we don't see styled all that often.
It was AudreyHepburn. and my turn to take on this styling and I think we've done well for these shoes! Lauri focuses on festive reds and burgundies with this layered look. The darker striping on the outerwear and the sweater work well with the ties on the shoes, and the gold definitely pops out as being individual in the outfit, and looks great with the earrings. Plus love the dark lips! For my look I stuck with traditional black and gold in my clothing to match the shoes - I loved these trousers for the shoes, the open fringing really lets the shoes pop out in the outfit. The minimal base and the plain black fur are made interesting by the addition of this gold speckled blouse, and I loved continuing the gold with these dangly earrings, I had completely forgotten them in my Beauty Parlor, but they are perfect for this styling =D

Sheen

What an amazing fringed party-look from ajehdn today! I love this 20's style fringe dress, and pairing it with a polo makes it a bit more wintery, while the accessories make it party-prepared! I love the sheeny bag, it definitely catches my eye and I love the rest of the accessories with it, the sparkly brooch and slightly shiny booties - which are fantastic, I've been holding onto my pair for when inspiration strikes, this look is just that^ 

Thursday 28 December 2017

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Miu Miu Inspired Platforms

Back to the HBs now, with our penultimate one for 2017! These are the Miu Miu Inspired Platforms from Velvet Orchid costing 14SD's. These are a great New Year celebration shoe, perfect for those party looks with their silver straps ad those cool studs on the platform. I'm not a typical platform fan, but these don't look too bad from the outset!
Black and silvery tones are winners in clothing pairings for these shoes, which I think is obvious given their design^ They were an easy shoe to style, even though I don't get on well with platforms, but I think I could give these a go again, I have plenty of silver clothes to pair them with! Anyway, please vote in the penultimate poll of 2017:

Suite Style

Another suite feature today, and something to work year round, coming to you from solyma77 - who I think is pretty famous for amazing suite rooms^ This one has a minimal base design, using a wooden floor with concrete walls, the windows of rainforest look great and do standout with the furniture pieces chosen. This yellow sofa is the perfect centre piece and looks great with the green, and I just love the glamour of the pieces chosen for the rest of the room, the seats and then the golden and marble table, it looks fab in the middle there. The artwork on the wall is great, it just seems the perfect combination to me =D

Wednesday 27 December 2017

L I M I T E D E D I T I O N | Release Review

Brand new LE! I don't know about you guys, but this release of LE last week came as a huge surprise to me, but it has been a while since our last collection. This is a winter themed release, I love the fresh and frozen homepage ad, I think it shows off the offers of the collection very well =)
Highlights The collection comes with 3 floors and 14 looks to choose from, all female with no male choices this time. There's a big designer-vibe to the collection, and a real mix of them and styles to choose from with the looks on offer. I quite like the range available, I think it works well for this release.
Accessories So a reasonable number of accessories for the release. There are two bags in the store, the LV Inspired Handbag and the Louis Vuitton Inspired Snake Bag - both stylish pieces which are modern in design. I'm not sure they're the most versatile bags, but they do look really good and will suit at least a few different styles^ In terms of shoes there are 5 pairs, 2 of them boots and the other 3 sandal heel style pairs. The boots are both pretty cool, I absolutely love the Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Metallic Boots, they stood out to me immediately - I love the style of them and the pretty colouring, they're a stand out piece that are perfect for this season. The Chanel Inspired Clear Boots look similar to a previous pair we've had in the Plaza, they look good though, but I think it will be tricky for them to work well with a lot of different people's styles. I have to say the rest of the shoes didn't really do anything for me, I don't really like the style of the ankle-boot-sandal that both the Balenciaga Inspired Heels and Thong Booties have. The Y Project Inspired Thigh Highs are pretty cool, I like the slight platform heel, and the shiny strapping around the leg, but I'm definitely not cool enough for them! There are only another couple of accessory pieces, the Balmain Inspired Choker was a hit and sold out in record time! Then there's the LE Fedora, which hasn't been so popular, but it doesn't look too much of a wearable piece to me, and lastly the Black Velvet Long Belt which is right on trend with out current favourite styles, and looks to be pretty versatile =)
Clothing There are a wide range of designers in this LE release, and I can't help but think they've put some of them in here instead of making them as Tribute releases this holiday season, like Celine for example, but you can also pick up some Balmain and Y Project amongst the designer names.
     Dresses This release does seem to have a big focus on dresses, there are so many to pick from! And I also love that they're pretty classic-styles to choose from, but there's no limit to the choices, nothing is identical and there are colours and lengths to pick between. Two Celine pieces stand out to me first, the Celine Inspired Midnight Gown and Celine Inspired Striped Dress, they have such a cool shape to them with a scarf-style top-half and a neat belting style. The skirts are wide and both are midi-length, I think these will be great dresses to wear in the springtime^ Also midi length is the Dolce & Gabbana Corset Dress, which has a mixed style with pretty floral designs around the corset and some very cool sleeves, then a meshed skirting - it's a cute piece, but it's one I know I wouldn't get the wear out of, so I'm passing on this one this time. The Alberta Feretti Inspired Lace Gown is the only maxi piece and true gown in the store. It has an ethereal green tone with beautiful lace design down the skirting and on the bustier, I love the little ruffle mid-way down the skirt too. The shape of the piece stands out to me as I think it looks like one that could be versatile and styled in different ways with resizing and reshaping, so I bought this one on a bit of a whim! And lastly the two shortest dresses, the Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Slit Dress is a cocktail style piece, very dressy, and I love it^ The slit in the dress looks great and is really flattering on the doll. And finally the Y Project Deconstructed Dress which is a bit of a fun piece with printing and colours and an interesting composition, it's a sweet and flirty piece =)
     Co-Ords + Sets Unlike a lot of more recent collections, there's just a couple of co-ord pieces and pieces of the same thing in a few colours - first up the Sheer and Sheer Black Tuille Bodies which are delicate pieces with artistic designs ontop of the sheer material, which adds a bit of difference to them. The long sleeve polo style is popular right now, so I think these are pretty spot on in the style department =) Then the co-ords, the Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Jacket and Shorts, which are very girl-boss-esque and I love the bright white of them, very smart and I think reasonable pieces to work with into a daily wardrobe. Then the second co-ord, Chanel Inspired Tube Top and White Mini, which are more fun casual pieces. They're pretty cute together, but quite spring/summer and not hugely my style, I wish they were as I do like them, but I know that for me, I wouldn't get the wear out of them - would love to see some of you guys wearing them!
     Bottomhalves And now the bottoms of offer, there are just two of them, so I do think there is a lack in this department, but nevermind - these are the Y Project Inspired Cut Out Shorts, which are a loose knee-length pair of denim shorts, the fit is great on the doll, but it's the cut-out portion and length that put me off them. Then there is the Balmain Inspired Marin Skirt, which I think is super high fashion and looks great, I love the navy colouring and the frilling around it. I'm a little unsure of the mesh, it's not something I typically wear, but I think the skirt looks quite good, but still on the fence because of the meshing. This skirt hasn't been a hit, and there's a lot of it left, so there's still plenty of time to decide about it^
     Outerwear There are quite a few pieces in this category too, and I'm also including the sweater here - that is the LE Paris Sweatshirt, which matches the Balmain Inspired Marin Skirt really nicely. I love it in the navy, and the logo is pretty sweet, it's also a piece that will layer really well. I'm quite into denims right now, so this sweater will be great with them =) Then the coats, 3 in completely different styles - I'm sad the Balenciaga Inspired Sherling Jacket sold out quickly, because it's a fantastic piece which fits right in with popular trends of right now. I love the colour and oversized design and the sherling, the only doubt I would have is the text along the collar. Then there is also the Balenciaga Inspired Down Parka in an army green colouring - it's a standard pluffed up parka and it looks good. It has an interesting shape to make it stand out in the crowd, and I love the add-on that comes with this piece, it's a head scarf that I've seen looking fantastic! The final piece is my favourite coat (that I was able to purchase^), the Alberta Feretti Inspired Long Coat, a loosely fitted trench-style piece in a shiny texture and chocolate brown colour, it stands out from other pieces that we've had in the Plaza before. I love it, and it looks great on the doll and with the many styles I've seen it worn with so far =D
Prices This release ranges from 39 to 210SD's, which does seem quite high, and actually the upper end of the range is higher than the past handful of LE releases. Everything is SS only, which is the usual for LE, so isn't a surprise.
Styled Outfits For my looks now - I bought a selection of pieces, some of which were definitely a surprise for me as they're not all my usual thing, but I'm pretty pleased =D In the first look I've worn the Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Slit Dress, I think it's perfect as a skirt and looks smart with this shirt and leather jacket. I accessorised with silver to match the belting on the dress, but added a further belt along with silver shoes and bag - I really like this^ The second look uses the Alberta Feretti Inspired Long Coat, which I suppose is a piece that doesn't really look like one that I'd wear, but I like it and I like this look. The cream jeans have a great tone against the coat, and I kept the look very minimal with basic colours, and I think it really does work for the coat as it stands out! The final look uses the Alberta Feretti Inspired Lace Gown and Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Metallic Boots. I went for a warm look, the knitwear colour looks perfect with that of the dress and the fur is an even cosier addition - this is the sort of look I really wanted for the dress as it makes it so much more versatile than just as a gown, so I look forward to doing more like this!
Features I've seen quite a good range of the pieces styled, these features are all fabulous! First up France25 wearing the Black Velvet Long Belt which almost looks navy against these metallic blue trousers, but looks great with them. The silver brooch in the middle really gleams and draws your eye, and also matches with the glitter in the furry coat too, which I love in this look^
lacky_girl.. wears the  Tuille Black Sheer Body in this cool outfit with a meshed-based midi skirt, the two thin pieces are great together! I love the minimal focus on silver in the accessories with the platforms and the earrings. The belt bag and beret are nice additions bringing a modern touch to an almost classic style =)
Next a couple of looks with Alberta Feretti Inspired Long Coat. This first one is from AvrilkaTH13 who also pairs it with the Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Metallic Boots and Sheer Tuille Body, pairing them very well with this tuille nude skirt, fitting all of the pieces so well! I love the addition of the flowers on the coat lapel, matching the boots. The accessories are also pretty cool, they really modernise the look!
Also with the Alberta Feretti Inspired Long Coat, and adding the Alberta Feretti Inspired Lace Gown is leiona_-, a very similar colour theme as before, but the highlights of white throughout the look give a different vibe to the style. I like the smart shirt added, it looks great with the bag and heels. Also loving this belt, it's such a good fit and I can't wait to pair my coat and belt together too^
Marta-43 is making use of the Balenciaga Inspired Down Parka with it's headscarf, they're fab together! I think this coat stands out in the look based on the items that have been paired with it, like these fab fringed trousers (which are really a coat themselves^). These bags are such cool choices, they don't typically fit with the style of the coat, but I really like them being used =)
And the final feature, miss.privacy wearing the Celine Inspired Midnight Gown and Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Metallic Boots. The two have great textures together, and I love the use of the leather-based sleeves added to the dress, they suit the style of the other two pieces and also make the outfit winter-ready! Also loving the one earring adding, it stands out well, and the pink lip is perfect!

Suite Style

A perfect warm yet wintery suite to show you today from pradavsversace! The room is beautifully set up, it's not too over crowded with pieces yet has enough to make it look cosy and full^ I love the searing area with all of the textile pieces, these look fab and the glittery touches stand out really nicely. The tree is a perfect Christmas addition to the look of the suite, but it doesn't look out of place or too much for the room. The dining table is lovely, and looks great, it's not overcrowded and doesn't look like it's been squashed in, I love the candle decoration^

# S U I T E W I N D O W

Tuesday 26 December 2017

2 0 1 7 H O L I D A Y C A L E N D A R | Styled Outfits / / Styled By You

This year we got a regular Holiday Calendar, rather than a Hotbuys one, for the month of December - it's finally finished so I thought I'd give my overview of the offerings in the calendar and show the stylings of the pieces I bought from it!
We got 25 items, a mix of clothing, beauty and decor pieces in a range of prices in both SC's and SD's - the SD prices did get a little high, and I don't think that really was necessary from Stardoll, so that was a disappointment which I think other members felt as well. Other than that, I think we did get some good pieces in this calendar that have been popular over the month and I'm sure will continue to do well in stylings, like the 17th Ganni Inspired Pretty Knit, which is a little of a replica of the Runway red Ganni Inspired Loose Knit but in white, which is definitely an easy to wear colour! I've seen so many people wear this already, and here's just a couple of examples, beyzaasde going for a cool brighter styling pairing it with this mustard mini and some chic black accessories like these boots, the bag and the beret^ And then palagirli66 going for a touch more casual, pairing with faded jeans and sneakers but with some trendy additions in the huge hoop earrings and white beret - also can't miss that sparkle in the eye makeup, it's beautiful and eye catching =D
You can also see the 17th Ganni Inspired Pretty Knit in this next look from millaxx, but it was the 3rd Faux Fur Vest that really jumped out to me in this look =) The vest is a stunning piece, but definitely confused me at first as I had no idea how to wear it, this outfit works so well for it! Love the casual vibe with the jeans and sweater, but it's smartened up with all of the accessories, these boots, the bag and the earrings, they're fabulous!
So I've bought the majority of the clothing pieces that the Calendar offered us this month, and I'm pretty happy with what I've bought for my doll. In the first styling I've worn both the 22nd Off Shoulder Corset and the 9th Ombre Sequin Pants, which work nicely together to create a party look that suits my doll really well. This shirt is a great one, with a great price too, the design is current and flattering on the doll. I haven't seen anyone else wear these trousers, which I am a little surprised about because look how thin and elongated my dolls legs look! They're clearly made for the party, and I think they fulfil that very well, I find these two pieces work out well together and I added just some minimal silver themed accessories to finish the look =) In the second look I'm wearing the 17th Ganni Inspired Pretty Knit and the 12th Oh Kelly Bag which is a very glamorous and elegant piece. The bag is pretty work-wear in my mind so I did style directed towards a smarter style with pleated trousers and a blazer. The colour of the bag is very pretty, the raspberry is an easy colour to work with and I find I have a lot of items which work well with it. I paired the white sweater with the white boots and I like that overall effect on for the outfit. And the final look makes use of the 24th Elie Saab Velvet Dream Gown, which is such a beautiful piece but I definitely found it a little challenging to style in a way where it wasn't the only piece in the outfit. The deep emerald colour in velvet material is great and I love it for this season, but again, the colour is a tricky one. I went with a faux fur jacket and polo to make more use of the skirting of the dress. There's a lot of sheer going on, so I wore tights with boots and I think it works ok, but I definitely need to find more ways to wear it - I'm looking for you guys for some inspiration!

Faux fur

Super cute winter street style from Miver today - this look totally stands out with the bright furry scarf, and I love it! These bootleg-style jeans seem to be becoming a bit of a thing and they make a fantastic base for this outfit with their cream colour letting the other additions stand out. Love the oversized washed denim jacket, it pairs so well with the green bag and also this faux fur scarf from this years Holiday Calendar, plus love the addition of an extra scarf at the neck to give a little more warmth. Plus, look at how well that pink lip colour works, it's great^

Monday 25 December 2017

H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | December 2016

So unlike in 2015 we didn't have a Hotbuys Calendar in 2016, just the regular 10 Hotbuys! While these are alright pieces, at the time I do remember being a little disappointed that they weren't hugely related to winter or to the party season. As a whole, not great as a lot that isn't my style but there are some sweet additions - the bags are nice, and I've worn both the Pastel Box Bag and Bao Bao Clutch in the Bag It Up Challenge (#101 and 187 respectively) and enjoyed them. However while I still have the jewellery, the Lilac Tassel Bracelet and the One Of A Kind Earring, they're not pieces I've used at all since getting them. So today I've decided to style up the Chloe Inspired Velvet Platforms and the Denim Pencil Skirt for you guys:
I'm very pleased with these two looks from the selection of Hotbuys! Stuck with the navy's in my first styling which is perfect for these shoes. I like the cropped length of the trousers to allow some ankle highlighting the shoe area of the outfit. There's a lot of navy tones in the look, but I think the shoes definitely do pull through =) I've been meaning to style this skirt for quite some time, so this was a good opportunity to do so. I really wanted to get it in a winter styling with boots, it was a challenge to get boots that came up above the whole skirt slit, these ones just about do, and I love the lightness that the boots paired with the furry jacket add to the skirt. I kept it light with this cream sweater too, I like the chunky knit style with the fitted denim skirt!

Starry night

A pretty Christmas feature today - merry Christmas^ This outfit is from ajenkam and makes great use of this sheer star printed blouse paired with this shining leather blouson dress, I just love it! The two pieces pair nicely and the whole look is kept chic by using these white tights, again very wintery, and adding to the accessories with a whole load of shimmer! The silver shoes pair very well with the perspex Chanel bag with silver detailing, and the sparkling earrings. I'm also loving the slicked back hairstyle with this one =D

Sunday 24 December 2017

Bag It Up Challenge #230 / / T H E E N D !

It is here - the final Bag It Up challenge post! Number 230! It doesn't feel like that long ago that I started the challenge, and here it is at the end ... but more on that on my round-up post coming to you soon. For now the final bag, the Hotbuys Sparkly Fringes Bag from RIO, which was part of the February 2014 Hotbuys, I've had it that long and it's actually a piece I have worn a reasonable number of times compared to some others in my wardrobe! It's also a perfect party-piece for the winter party season and I'm quite happy that I left it for the final look =) For this one I dressed up a little and chose both pieces I'd normally wear and ones I wouldn't, overall I think the combination works out. I love the bag with all of these pieces individually. The base of the clothing has simple colouring, an I paired the boots with that while choosing the silver to stand out by adding this snazzy jacket to the bag and also this chunky belt. The long length of the bag works here and lets the body of the bag have the space to itself to shine =D

Patent plastic

A beautiful winter styling today from xIn.Lov.met.u. today - I love all of this red! This Fallen Angel Lace Tuille Floral Dress is such a cute piece, it's got great features, including this tuille sheer hemming and fabulous skirting^ But it is one that's not quite fitting the doll correctly, however this look completely fixes this with a seasonally appropriate sheer long sleeved polo which really highlights the top details of the dress. The red flowers stand out nicely with the style-contrasting patent red boots and the shoulder bag - plus the outfit is very cool with the sunglasses =D

Belted


x subcouture - mens t-shirt
x insp by marc jacobs - leather mini skirt
x saint laurent tribute - camel jacket sleeves
x archive - lace up boots
x voile - s-s top
x decades - 60s hat

x stardesign belt - avrilkath13
x stardesign earrings - carlyndiamond

hankipankidoni

Saturday 23 December 2017

I N S P I R E D B Y V E R S A C E | Tribute Review

Here is our second Tribute of the season - Versace! It's one we've had in the past, although not since 2014 and I think this offering is a huge improvement on our previous Versace release^ I will comment that we have also had some Versace through Young Versace and Versus Versace as well. The homepage ad is fun and shows off a lot of the different aspects that this collection has to offer =)
Highlights The store has two floors and 9 different looks to chose from. And it's a huge step up from our last Versace Tribute store^ Nothing for the guys this time though. There's quite a mix of styles for you to work with and types of pieces - overall not a bad Tribute release I'd say!
Accessories There's a real range of accessories with this release. There are 3 pairs of shoes, 2 of which are boots and one which are a classic sandal heel, the Sky High Medusa Sandals which are fairly minimal, with black colouring and gold details that should work with a lot of styles and outfits. The two boots are both well embellished, the Versace Embellished Over Knee Boots have coloured jewels and a classic currently-popular style of boot, and then the Versace Inspired Ankle Boots which come up just above the ankle, are also black, but have just gold chain embellishments. I love both pairs of boots and can't wait to style them, I think this will be the same for a lot of others too^ Then there is a small selection of other accessory pieces. One bag, the Versace Inspired Two Tone Bag which is in the box structured style mostly in white with a black flap over the top. The details on the bag are very pretty and so incredibly thought out, you should all zoom in and take a look at them! The Versace Inspired Necklace is the only jewellery, it's gold and delicate and in the choker style, I think it looks really good on the doll as well. The Versace Inspired Cowboy Hat fits well with the collection in the Plaza and is a memorable piece from the original collection. The Western Gold Buckle Belt is one of my favourite pieces from the whole release, it's minimal but has nice detailing that makes it stand out. It's something I can see pairing with so many different items from my wardrobe!
Clothing I think the release really covers the original collection well in terms of the styles of clothes on offer and I think there should be something that works for everyone there. There are numerous dresses and skirts to choose in every style available in the store, first up the more minimal black-based pieces which will be easiest for most people to style, the Ravon Corset Dress is the most minimal of the selection, it's a maxi design with a split in one leg. It also has an interesting neckline design, which I think makes it stand out in a crowd! In a midi length is the Lilac Silk Dress, which is eye catching in the collection as it's quite different and much lighter in colour and material to the rest of the pieces. The material is soft and flowing, and I like the colour, it's very pretty. This dress also has a leg slit in the design, and I like the straps at the top of it. And getting shorter, an A-line mini dress with the Marked Shoulder LBD, which comes with a gold-detail belt attached and some golden embellishments in the design along the hem. This dress has a really nice shape and a great fit on the doll - it would also appeal to me if it didn't have the belt attached, or was just the skirt, I think that would make it a little more wearable. And the final dress is even shorter, if you can even call it a dress - the Versace Inspired Blazer Dress which I completely bought as a blazer and not a dress! It's minimal in black with just gold buttons, which makes it appeal to my style. I also like the very wide neckline. In the store it's paired with the Embellished Tube Top, but I think you could very well go without anything underneath as it's not cut too low on the chest. This blazer-dress style is a popular one right now so I can see this piece being a good choice from the store! The two skirts in the store are much more colourful and print-focussed than the dresses. There's the Layered Versace Inspired Skirt which is a maxi length piece with layering of detailed lace with a pleated skirting ontop covered in a black and gold baroque-style print - it's definitely quite something, it doesn't really fit with my style, but I'm sure it will with someone =D And the second skirt is the Silk Pleated Shell Skirt, which seems very summer-appropriate to me, but the shell print is very pretty and I love the light blue colouring. While we're on this print, there's a whole look you can buy with it, the Silk Shell Bustier which has super pretty lace detailing on the hem and on the straps, the Silk Shell Coat, and the Silk Shell Stockings.
There are two bodies in the store two, providing a minimal option with the Versace Inspired Black Body which is very much as the name says but it has a cute neckline like the Ravon Corset Dress, and then something more decorated with the Feather Printed Swimsuit which has a more classic shape but a beautiful printed design on it. There is then just one top left, the Versace Inspired Western Denim Shirt, a cropped rolled sleeved piece which has light stitching and gold detailing, both of which make it stand out really nicely. And lastly the bottomhalves, two pairs of trousers which both come with their own belts and added accessories. The Versace Inspired Denims match the Denim Shirt and are in a nice darker denim colouring, and I really like the slim fit they have on the legs. Then there are the Leather Pants With Cuts, which have a slashed cutout pattern down both of the legs, which for me is a little off-putting, I would have loved these without the cuts because the leather looks good, the have a nice general fit and the length of the legs is perfect.
Prices This release ranges in price from 16 to 38SD's. Nothing is limited to SS or Royalty only, so everyone has the chance to buy everything. The range fits well with the previous Tributes that we've had, so no complaints with this one.
Styled Outfits I didn't find myself splurging too much on this one and just bought a few pieces. First up the Versace Inspired Blazer Dress which I wore very much as a blazer, it really is very short so trousers, or at least maybe tights, are kinda necessary for my style - I chose these gold printed trousers to match with the gold buttons. I contemplated a polo under the Blazer Dress, however decided to leave it clear and add a faux fur ontop to give some texture. Secondly the Versace Embellished Over Knee Boots which are such a fun piece, that I added further fun to with this fluffy coat. With accessories for this one I think there are so many options based on the jewels on the boots, I've gone with red, but I think an emerald green or a pretty deep blue would also make good options^ And finally the Versace Inspired Western Denim Shirt and the Western Gold Buckle Belt paired together. I found it a little tricky to find a pair of jeans that I already owned to match this shirt, I think this pair works ok, but it's not the best - maybe I will have to buy the Versace Inspired Denims afterall ... Anyway, I think the denim works ok with this overcoat and I kept with the gold theme for my shoes and bag, which I think helps to highlight the detailing on the shirt =)
Features And now maybe for the best bit, the features! Firstly polinapolinka, wearing the Lilac Silk Dress in this cute and quite feminine way. I like it layered with this white blouse, it highlights the straps on the dress, and also fits well with the white mesh socks paired with the funky platform heels. I like the gold jewellery added which works with the studs on the straps. And I also like the splash of red of the bag with the light lilac of the dress =)
This look is from dm2udm2u and uses the Versace Embellished Over Knee Boots - wearing a mini-dress with the boots is great to really show their design off! The tights and sheer polo are great to make this look into a more winter one. And I love this teal bag paired with the boots, plus those earrings, they're fabulous paired with the boots^
This look is more minimal, from the_chuba wearing the Versace Inspired Two Tone Bag - it really stands out against these minimal clothing, the tan of the skirt works perfectly to highlight the embellishments on the bag. The black fluffy sweater and boots then bring out the black colouring on the bag. A perfect look for a detailed piece =)
All about the denim in this look from _miskis, who is styling the Versace Inspired Western Denim Shirt and Versace Inspired Denims which just highlights to me how much I should pair the Shirt with the Jeans^ I love this furry coat ontop of them, it really helps the look be not too denim, and the colouring works nicely with the denim tone. The black boots look amazing and I like the use of the brown beret and red lip!
 The final feature makes use of the Versace Inspired Blazer Dress and is from beringelalara =) This is going down the 'dress' route for this piece, and it does work out for this doll where I don't think it would work for my styling. I love it with these slouched shiny boots, and the Gucci bag is a good fit for the overall look, as is the choker necklace and the beret. Love the smokey red eye look and the use of the tied scarf as a bracelet =)