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

Time for Tribute number 2 of this season - Inspired By Balenciaga! Balenciaga has become a well-loved brand to have in the Tribute releases and it's always one I pick up a few great pieces from, so I'm pleased to have this again this season. I've not really kept up with the various collections from any brand this past year, so I have no expectations at all, lets see what Balenciaga has in store for us:

The release is a pretty typical size for Tributes these days, there are 2 floors with a total of 10 looks - 2 of which are for male dolls, and a couple of the pieces comes as both male and female versions which I love the option of. As usual starting out with the accessories there are 4 pairs of shoes on offer. I've just picked up one pair, the Balenciaga Inspired Black Boots as I think these look amazing, love the buckle around the ankle and I also love the matte black colour they have, it's something a bit different to my other boots. There are also the Balenciaga Inspired Trouser Boots which I can see being hugely popular, this is a style that's easy to wear and one that a lot of people like already - it's not so much my thing, but I do see the appeal, and I like both the leather-look to them plus the pointed toe. The Balenciaga Inspired Gold Pumps also stand out well in the store, however for me I have a lot of gold shoes already and these don't quite match up to some of the pairs that I have. There is just one bag in the store, which is a little disappointing as I like choice there, but I do really like the Balenciaga Inspired Blue Bag, the old blue is fabulous and I like the design in a silver/grey tone, it's a combination we've not had before so it stands out. I didn't realise the design details were a shoe until I looked at the real version of this piece, it's quite quirky really! More disappointingly there are no jewellery pieces in this release, the last item in this category are the Balenciaga Inspired Blue Sunglasses. These do stand out in the store, the colour definitely catches your eye, I'm not such a fan of the style, it's just not so much my thing, but I have seen a couple of dolls wearing these very nicely.

Now the clothing, which initially I thought was quite abundant in this release, but actually there aren't that many pieces due to repeats across the floors and the trouser-boots being used as well. I do think the pieces all fit together quite well as a collection though, which is sometimes missing in releases, so I do like that about it. To me the main focus is on outerwear pieces, with 4 items to choose from. First up I have to mention the Balenciaga Inspired Trench which comes made for both male and female dolls which is perfect, we can all enjoy this beautiful piece! I know I'm lacking a good trench coat in my wardrobe, so this is perfect for me - I love the neutral classic colour to this piece, and also the traditional design but with a twist with the off-the-shoulder element, it's fun and will let you show off a pretty top beneath it. There is also the Balenciaga Inspired Oversized Blazer which I think is the most popular of the outerwear pieces, I've seen soooo many dolls wearing this. I really love that it's in navy, and the oversized design is done in a way that's new to us, we don't have anything too similar to this at all. I'm also quite a fan of the Balenciaga Inspired Suede Coat, it doesn't seem as popular but I think it's stunning, adore the suede fabric, the colour is gorgeous and the design is a winner - it will look great on anyone^ What I also really liked in the clothing was the Balenciaga Inspired Shirt Skirt, I quite like the pinstripe design on a bright blue, I think it will be very nice for Spring/Summer stylings and I think it will be quite fun. And the final piece to mention are the Balenciaga Inspired Jeans, and I know I don't wear jeans often or like styling them all that much, this is a pair I can work with! The fit of them is great on the doll, it's really perfect for my preference, the length is great and they sit very nicely on the waist. I love the printing of the font all over, and the overall wash of the jeans is great, a real classic. I can see myself styling them up already!

T S L T O P T H R E E

Balenciaga Inspired Trench W | Balenciaga Inspired Black Boots | Balenciaga Inspired Jeans

I found it tricky narrowing this release down to just 3 pieces, I could have easily gone with 5! I picked the pieces which caught my eye first in the release and that I found easy to style, I think these are the pieces which will last best in my wardrobe =)

F E A T U R E S

First up for the features is Andre1396 styling up the Balenciaga Inspired Oversized Blazer which is by far the most popular piece of the release - I thought this was a fab way to wear it where it wasn't styled just like on the store mannequin as I've seen a lot of that. The colour is almost a perfect match for these trousers, and the style of the two pieces is a great fit, totally love them together! I also love that the blue is continued in the shoes, the little pop of patent bold blue is great there, and then the orange as an accent colour is such a fun idea. The headscarf and bag make for great finishing touched to the styling^

Our second feature is from Fergaysson who styles up the Balenciaga Inspired Blue Bag in such a cool Winter styling, I love the vibrancy and colour mix of this styling! The bag really pops nicely against the green, I think the two colours work perfectly together to draw attention, and the blue being otherwise minimal in the styling makes the bag and it's design really stand out. The shoes add a little touch of blue nicely, as do the earrings, while the green makes a good base - these trousers are super cool and I think the print works well with the piece. I really love it =)

Now we have harpie who has opted for the Balenciaga Inspired Suede Coat and I love it so much! It's such a creative way to wear a long coat, the piece for sure is great on it's own, but this idea takes it to the next level^ The suede really stands out as a texture in the look, and the self-made skirt from some tops is great, the colours are beautiful paired with the brown of the coat, so much love for this pairing. The accessories are simple but fitting, love the classic black heels and belt, and the yellow heel of the shoe looks great with the bag and also the hints of yellow in the floral pattern. Such a beautiful styling =D

Next up is Tangera wearing the Balenciaga Inspired Trench W in a chic neutral outfit^ This looks so cosy, I'd love to wear this myself for sure! The white colours make a great base for the trench to stand out against, and I love the use of the scarf layered on top, the tied design is perfect for the off the shoulder design to stand out. I also love the boots matching to the trench colour, makes for perfect balance. The handbag is such a classic piece, it's really perfect in both colour and design for this outfit, so great!

And the final feature is from ayselevi, styling a number of pieces, the Balenciaga Inspired Turtleneck Sweater, Balenciaga Inspired Trench W, Balenciaga Inspired Jeans and the Balenciaga Inspired Trouser Boots - so many pieces but all working together so nicely for this casual street styling. The trench has been creatively shrunk to make it into a shorter jacket and that works very well, it leaves plenty of space for the jean design to be shown off. The polo and boots make for a solid black base which is nicely paired with the leather jacket - the trench in there adds a great lighter colour to the styling to break it up, I really like that. And the jewellery is a nice addition, the big earrings work particularly well^

S T Y L I N G S

And finally for my own stylings - I bought quite a few pieces from this release so haven't styled them all here, there will be another post on the way soon styling up the rest of my purchases! First up are the Balenciaga Inspired Black Boots which I really loved styling. I knew I wanted to go for a length above the buckle so that detail could still be shown, and I think I found a perfect solution - for sure there will be many! I love this combination of colours for a chic Winter styling, and the gold buckles on the boots were perfect to add in gold details in all the accessories, I really love this styling a lot =D Next are the Balenciaga Inspired Shirt Skirt and the Balenciaga Inspired Blue Bag which I think make a pretty cute pairing. This is for sure more a Spring/Summer look, I struggled a bit to get the skirt in a more Winter styling, so I think I will revisit in a couple of months^ I really loved styling the bag though, that was a lot of fun and I adore it with these silver shoes, the two accessories are perfectly complementary of each other. And the final styling, wearing the Balenciaga Inspired Jeans, this is another look which came together very quickly, and going with all white for the rest of the pieces really makes the denim pop! The pale colour for the printing really works well with the white I think. Accessorising was very easy with this one, and this is a look I would repeat again in an instant =)