Bag It Up Challenge #122

Another challenge post for today, this time featuring the Hotbuys Two Tone Satchel from Pretty 'N Love, which we styled last summer, and I've pretty much not looked at since! I went a little controversial and picked navy and blue to go with the black and white bag but I really quite like all the blues combined with it^ Tried to go a little casual with the jeans but I'm not sure this particular pair is the best for the bag although they do work with the rest of the outfit^ I particularly like the coat shape and style with the bag, I think the pair work well together =D

Ruched and ruffled

Cool, quirky and artistic today in this styling from Bad.chanel02 =) It's a simple styling with what is a pretty old tunic style, and while these aren't hugely popular in current trends, I think this look is awesome with it! The belt is a great addition to successfully give the piece a shape, and it splits the abstract colouring from the plain bustier section. The white polo is a nice contrast but I adore the fluffled white sleeves added at the hems, they're sweet and complementary to the polo base and really add to the ruffling on the neckline of the tunic!

T H E J E T S E T | Release Review

Brand new The JetSet hit our Plaza on Friday, and I was a little surprised as I'd sort of forgotten about the store, oops^ But the pink and gold on the homepage was super eyecatching and totally made me perk up at the thought of what the collection could bring!

Highlights Not gonna lie, my first thought was 'OMG I love this, I need everything'! I'm so impressed with this release and the pieces chosen and their styles and the quality of the graphics - Stardoll, this is a winner! I would love more like this! I don't see so much of a theme but I see a lot of popular styles and I think this often goes down a lot better with a wider range of people than a themed store might. 

Accessories There are just a small number of accessories (and I mean really small) with this release with just shoes and a bag - I don't mind this so much as I feel like overall there is a good choice for making purchases. Love the style of the bag, the Denim Quilted Bag, it's a sweet piece with a great colour tone and a really good size, plus I like the chain as it's super delicate and I think will stand out nicely against clothing. The shoes are both in the same slip-on-mule style, but I'm not complaining, I love this and I'm excited to get these pairs for my doll! So there are the silver Metallic Block Heel Mules and then the blue Striped Silk Bow Heels. I think they compliment each other, and the store, really well and will suit a lot of different styles that people have. And that's it for the accessories - a little minimal, but I'm happy with what we did get =)

Clothing So a much larger focus on the clothing in this release, and I feel like Stardoll has really packed a lot in there in terms of styles and trends and colours and shapes - it's awesome! There are a couple of dresses and one-pieces included in the store but I don't feel like they hold the focus very well amongst all the styles on offer - I do really quite like the Striped Poplin Wrapped Dress, I think it's a great style for spring and summer and I'm particularly attached to the blue and white stripes^ So I find the separates really do grab your attention in the store more than anything else. There are two pairs of trousers, which I immediately added to my bag - both have a cropped style and a wider-leg shape to them, plus sit really nicely on the doll! The Stonewashed Bell Bottom Jeans seem hugely popular with the hem design, and I think these will be a good classic. I do also love the Cropped Wide Kahki Pants, the colour is nice for both spring and autumn and I think they will be a versatile piece to pair with other styles. Of the rest, there are 4 tops and 4 outerwear choices which give a good range to choose from and also come in a host of different colours. So with the tops it's split pretty evenly into two one-shoulder styles, which I really like trying out on my doll. There's the sweet Asymetrical One Shoulder Top in a pretty pastel pink, something I think which will go down well especially with the great draping, and the Bubbly Sky Blue Top which is a great complementary piece to the first and I think it looks really great on the doll! And the other tops are sweaters, matching pieces in different colours, the Navy and Deep V Choker Knit, a style I really like and am excited to wear. This time I'm sticking to the cream colour as I feel like I have one really similar in colour to the navy already (the Blue Wool Sweater from It Girls) , but the style is cool and I think it will be well received in the Plaza. And now the outerwear! Each piece is pretty different to the next, which is good for variety in the store. The piece that stands out most, mostly because it's the brightest, is the Miu Miu Inspired Embellished Vest, and although it's not a piece I'm going to choose, I think people with the right style will wear it really well. What also stands out well is the Frill Primrose Jacket for it's pastel yellow tone which I quite like and think it will make a good colour-addition for the spring season, and I also like the sleeve and body length as something a little different. Finally I also really really like the Blush Pink Velvet Biker Jacket, there's so much about it to enjoy! Colour is fab, style is great, fit is wonderful and the material and texture is super dreamy, I'm so excited to style this one into so many outfits =D

Prices The range of this release was 14 to 28SD and as it's an SS-only store, everything is limited to SS or Royalty members, which I think is fair. Prices are all really good and I managed to buy quite a lot of pieces without breaking the bank too much!

Styled Outfits I had so much fun styling these looks, but also a lot of challenges as I just found so many ways to style things - so here I've just styled the accessories and at the end of the week I'll share my clothing styles =) First up the Striped Silk Bow Heels and I stuck with a blue theme (I could have gone super overboard on the stripes, but I held back a little) and I really like the use of white with them. They were easy to style and a lot of pieces matched them so I think they will easily be a regular in looks this year. Secondly the Metallic Block Heel Mules and I definitely tried out something a little different, but not that much clearly because my favourite silver polo is still there, but I loved these shoes with this denim midi skirt and really quite liked the playful contrast that this coat offers. And lastly the Denim Quilted Bag in this Parisian style with stripes and a sweet necktie, it kinda just had to be done^ I like the bag with the shirt particularly well, and also the contrast between the blue of the denim and the black of the trousers.

Features Glad to see people enjoying this release as much as I do! First up Jesika_Stem going with the Deep V Choker Knit in this rather cool styling with a denim midi - I really love this combination! The colours are a nice match together and the look has been accessorised well with glitter and perspex^

Secondly kat (formerly pandaribbon) wearing the Blush Pink Velvet Biker Jacket and Metallic Block Heel Mules in this creative and amazing look! I would never have thought to pair any of these items together at all, but it works! I especially love the jacket with the knitted polo, that's an idea I might have  to wear at some point too^

And lastly ManiakPupili wearing the Stonewashed Bell Bottom Jeans in a classic street styling combining young current trends, velvet, leather and trainers - what a mix! I really like the belt-bag used along with the meshed socks, I think the pair look nice together with the jeans =D

Furry trimming

I think this look is just the sweetest for the coming spring from Nikkixx7! I love the old-time kimono-style dress with the pretty pastel floral design, and I really think it's been revitalised in this styling =D The furry trimming along the hem and at the side is cute and I think it looks almost like it was made to be there^ Plus it ties in very nicely with the furred heels, how adorable! I really like the accessories too, the bag definitely stands out as a good yet quirky choice =)

Bag It Up Challenge #121

A rather spring-styling with today's challenge post featuring rather a lot of green! I quite liked the idea of these two bags being styled together, the Pretty 'N Love Bring Me Flowers Tote and the Hot Buys See Through Purse, with their shared use of a transparent plastic being a common factor between them. I really quite like the outcome of the layering of the bags and I think the colour of the trousers works especially well with both pieces! A bright neon sweater on top? I'm not quite sure about if it works, but I quite like the idea of it, particularly paired with the trousers and the necklace and the perspex of the bags - let me know what you think!

Pink pieces

I love pink this month, it's come as a surprise as it's still winter, but this look from Heneda fell right into my 'LOVE' category of styling! It's just a whole lot of pink and it's worn well =D The printed dress is a great piece that you don't see styled a lot and I think this look is all in its' favour^ The bubblegum colour is nice against the pastel of the oversized shoulder shirt, they really complement each other well, and the deeper coloured clutch is a great contrast! Adore those silver strapped sandals too =D

Fresh Ink

Depending on your preference for tattoos, you may or may not have had much to say on the recent Ink'd release. 

I'm something of a fan of tattoos, although my doll has none - this is because I love wearing them like I've styled here - as prints!

I've showcased a bit of this before and if you can master the resize glitch, the world is really your oyster. They look great on their own or, the transparency means you can incorporate them into patterns that are already on your clothes or onto sheer fabric. This graphic flower is one of favourites and is certainly more co-operative than some of the more delicate designs. I've gone for something quite bold, but you could easily keep the design small for a breast pocket or a badge.

The possibilities really are endless...

Ingredients / You Will Need

Geometric Flower Tattoo | Ink'd

Branded Tee | Original Future

Sequin Vest | Bunny Hop Gift-o-Meter

Buttoned White Maxi | Millionaire Mansion Fashion 

Jacket 2 | Bonjour Bizou

MDNA Earrings | Royalty

Black Silver Buckle Belt | Voile 

Transparent Shoulder Bag | Velvet Orchid

High Heeled Slim Boots | Nelly.com

We Wear Hotbuys F E B R U A R Y | Asymetrical Zip Skirt

It's our final February HB and hasn't this month gone quickly! This is the Asymetrical Zip Skirt from Fallen Angel and is priced at 19SD's which I think is pretty reasonable. I don't really wear leather-style skirts much, so I'm quite looking forward to giving this one a go, although I think it would also be pretty awesome in a few shades of pink too, that's something which I think would definitely stand out well =D

I ended up really enjoying styling this skirt and found it quite easy to style, especially considering the length is pretty short and won't work out for everyone - a pair of tights solved that for me! And vote in the poll too:

Stylin' Shoes

Double feature! I've featured these StarDesign shoes on the right before, made by ThePerpetua and styled here in this awesome look from federerexpress - I love them with the split skirt, it really draws your eye and highlights the shoe well and the ties on the shoe are continued in the bows on the blouse at the neck and sleeve. However there's a new pair on our pavements^ The pair on the left are a brand new design in this little collection, and aren't they fab?!?! Here they're worn by GossipGirlSBC and the cropped trouser gives the ankle just the right amount for those shoes to take centre stage - love it all, the point, the rings and the bow^ The black and white clothing complements the shoes and the red lip gives just a tad of a pop off the screen =D

Oversize For Spring

With Love 

GM

Focus on the Hot Pink

With Love

GM

Sea mesh

Love this sea-mist-blue styling with a great mesh of pieces from polinapolinka today! The black and white base gives a solid background for the outfit and both colours really let the blue-purple tones stand out positively. The mesh vest works really nicely merging with the top and trousers letting the base colours shine through but it's tied in really well with the silver belt. The lighter blue of the shoes and jacket looks nice and helps the purple tones of the shirt stand out. Not something I would have thought of, but it's a fab way to wear mesh stylings!

M I C H A E L K O R S I N S P I R E D P A T E N T S H O E S

Recently we got a release of Pretty 'n Love Decor, which I might still do a design post about because I'm excited about some of the pieces, however today I wanted to look at one of the wearable pieces from the release, the Michael Kors Inspired Patent Shoes, which are a pair of bow-tied flats in a sweet pink colour, and cost only 10SD's! I'm not always a lover of flat shoes, they can be tricky to style really well with the right clothing items and so that was my aim today! Slightly unintentionally I have styled all of my looks with pink, but I think it works out well with the store really having a focus on pink and more girly tones and themes =D I also tried to go for different pieces including dresses and trousers - because I had 3 pairs of pink trousers all lined up^ In the end I went with two dresses, covering both shorter and longer dresses. I was actually pretty surprised at how much I like the shoes with the draped length dress, as I wasn't sure this would work on in favour of my legs, but actually I really like it - I found it hard to style with outerwear and the right accessories, I think this glittered belt bag works pretty well, but I'd love to find something else that works too!

Heart-fur

A great chocolate-toned look in todays feature from krab_ololo with this sweet heart-shaped furry jacket! I featured another look with this skirt recently, and while that one was lighter, this shows how well the skirt looks in dark styles. My favourite part of the look in the use of the striped tights, they're eye-catching and definitely a hard piece to wear! The belts are pretty cool too, giving a great waist shape and they fit nicely with the top trim of the skirt. Also adore the hair and beauty choice, perfect look =D

Bag It Up Challenge #120

For today's Bag It Up challenge I thought I would style the Coco Mini Purse from Pretty 'n Love =) And it's still available for you in the Plaza. I like the colour, size and shape of this piece, including the gold chain detailing, but the one thing that has definitely made me not use it so much is the strap length - it comes up pretty long on the doll, which makes it a little different to style. And I did find it a little tricky to find pieces that worked well, but that's probably my own fault as I was determined to wear a dress! In the end I went for something slightly quirky that I'm still not sure how I feel about - pairing this ruffle-sleeved minty piece with jeans. The colours both work for the bag and they let it stand out ... but I think it needs some work still!

Fabulous fringed

Woowoo, isn't this look rather slinky?! It's a styling from Marta-43 and I love the swishy vibe you feel from the dress alone - even though it's a style I could never pull off, I love it! It looks so amazing here =D The accessories definitely caught my eye and make this look jump to another level. Love the oversized pendant, there's just a little shimmer there that catches your eye but the colours work nicely with the dress, as does the maroon surprisingly! The shoes, bag and chocker are kinda fab with this dress colour, it's unusual but it stands out and makes a great style statement =D

Greyscale

It looked like Spring might have sprung a few days ago, but alas, in the UK we're back to grey. Clearly I was channelling that when I picked this dress out of the bazaar a few days ago. 

There's not a lot of commentary for this look other than to note that my inability to style anything without a turtleneck has become so severe that it extends to gowns...

Ingredients / You Will Need

Floral Printed Off Shoulder Dress | Decades

Roll Neck Jumper | Fallen Angel

Wide Patent Belt | Subcouture

Hotbuys No 5 Purse | Bonjour Bizou

Hotbuys Bao Bao Clutch | Original Future

Vionnet Inspired Earrings | The Jetset

Leather Sock Ankle Boots | It Girls

We Wear Hotbuys F E B R U A R Y | Retro Round Sunglasses

I can't believe this is our penultimate HB! These are the Retro Round Sunglasses from It Girls costing 13SD's. I really like this pair of sunglasses, especially the printing around the frames and the colour of the lenses, aren't they sweet^ I've been totally getting into summer stylings right now, so these sunglasses fit nicely into what I'm feeling so I'm excited to style these =D

I love our looks a lot, and I'm feeling all of these colour vibes and I can't wait to try them out with other shades, especially that army green tone^ And as usual you can vote in the poll for your favourite!

Gucci-girl

Cute and bright and sporty-stylishly different with this feature from pinklovelemons ... doesn't it stand out so well! I loved the use of the Gucci-printed midi skirt, I think it's super effective in the style and it's amazing how well it works with these sporty trainers. The Gucci bag is also a lovely addition for the look, I think it's a great match for the skirt style and colourings =) The belted straps around the top of the body are very on trend and add a nice shape to the look overall!

Retro n' Chic

With love

GM

A N T I D O T E | Release Review

This weekend brought our latest Antidote release, and as Stardoll advertise it, it's a capsule collection, an idea which I really love for this store! And they're keeping with the theme of using dolls in the adverts, it's not gotten old at all and I still love seeing people there^ Not so sure on the green and red to sell the collection, but the word 'capsule' already has me so I can overlook colour choices^

Highlights As a capsule collection, this is therefore a small intimate collection of Antidote that we have, but I think it's ultimately a good one with a versatile range. The background of concrete and metal is popular on the site but I think it works well to show the collection.

Accessories There is a pretty minimal offering on the accessories front, but this is to be expected from a small release. The pieces are all quite different, and I'll admit they're not so much my style. There are two pairs of shoes, the Velvet Ombre Braided Heels which have this pretty peach colouring and then the Laceup Suede Platform Boots which are pretty much like platform trainers and I don't want to go into how much I don't like this style! There are two jewellery pieces which are definitely linked by their use of red chiffon, the Acrylic Oversized Red Chain Choker and Studded Organza Bracelet. The bag is definitely the best offering, and probably the most popular - the Single Star Nano Backpack which sits really nicely over the shoulder on the doll.

Clothing For the most part, the clothing is based on more minimal colours and styles, with quite a uniformity across the store - I really like this and the styles they've gone for with this release. I feel like it makes the collection so much more wearable for me! I think I'll quickly start with the more stand-out pieces, i.e anything that's not black and just pops off the page^ I love that pink gets a little shoutout with both the High Neck Pink Dress and Gingham Check Pink Lace Dress which are in different shades for your different tastes but I definitely think these are great additions to the collection and I love the versatility in style that they offer. Also on the lighter brighter side is the Antidote Layered T-Shirt Dress, which I think is very pretty, and also quite girly compared to the rest of the release. And lastly in this category, something also casual, the Patch High Waist Vintage Denims, which I think look pretty great and will style well, I particularly like the leg length and fit, it's pretty much just right^ And now the main focus, black minimal pieces of clothing! Actually most of the pieces have quite a casual touch about them but I think it would be easy to dress them up too. The items which first catch my eye have to be the Tres Belle Sleeve Antidote Top and matching Wide Leg Sporty Pants, with that yellow just getting me right away! I think they're a fab set and I really look forward to styling them. Also in a set are the Lace Detail Sweatshirt and Sweatpants, and while they're not hugely my style, I'm very intrigued to see how people work these items into looks with an interest in the sheer lace detailing^ There are quite a few top pieces available from the rest of the bunch - the Silk Molded On Metallic Body, Asymetrical Ruffled Mesh Oversshirt, Cutout Bell Sleeve Top, Deep V Silk Camisole and Asymetrical Mesh Tshirt. Asymmetry, sheer panelling and interesting shapes are definitely style vibes from this bunch! I particularly like the look of the Asymetrical Ruffled Mesh Oversshirt, I think it could really work nicely as an outerwear piece in the spring and summer, and the Deep V Silk Camisole looks to be one of the most versatile pieces of the collection!

Prices This capsule collection prices ranged from 36 to 92SD's and I actually thought everything was pretty appropriately priced and I was happy with everything. The range fits well to previous collections as well.

Styled Outfits I'm really happy with the pieces I bought, I think I made good choices overall and I had a lot of fun trying out these pieces with bright styling - I'm feeling colour these days and these looks pop off the screen so much! First up the Mesh Trench Fitted Coat which was my last purchase and the one I was a little umm-ing over, but I'm happy I bought it! Initially I wanted to pair a black polo beneath, but it wasn't looking good so I went with a simple black cami which fits nicely. I picked orange for my colour and love the use of this striped and furry bag and I think the orange and black strapped heels are a good fit for the coat (although it's much more like a dress) and bag =) Next up are the Wide Leg Sporty Pants and I kept the summer colours with this wow-factor yellow ruffled top and then mixed it a little with these orange clutches, in fact I think the hair was a great choice to fit with this overall style. And lastly I've styled the High Neck Pink Dress, and although I do love it as a dress, this time I really was intrigued by it with these red and lilac floral trousers underneath, it's different but I really like this on me! And kept the clash on with this red shoulder bag and pink patent heels^

Features Some awesome stylings with this collection and I really found it easy to get looks from a lot of different pieces, which is great! First up is AngelinaVer choosing the Asymetrical Ruffled Mesh Oversshirt and Deep V Silk Camisole in a classic black minimal styling. The pieces look great in this all-black styling but they stand out and it's easy to see them in the styling. Love the lace trim skirt chosen, it fits the items seamlessly^

Next up is dorota100 going with the Tres Belle Sleeve Antidote Top in this bright look featuring a fab yellow/lime colour in the skirt. I love the shape of the sleeves, they compliment the skirt well and I love the street-style added with the boots and the glamour from the glitzy clutch =)

And something a little brighter in this look from Funopler featuring the High Neck Pink Dress with some matching pink hair - I love it! The versatility of the dress means it works well with this shimmering skirt and pink fur. The accessories are very complimentary, I especially love the use of silver in the heels!

More on the casual side with this style from Isabella8103 wearing the Asymetrical Mesh Tshirt. I love the use of the corset and lacy bralette underneath. The jeans are a perfect casual touch and really contrast from the black of the clothing and accessories - those shoes are a great pairing with the bralette and tshirt with their mesh and strapping =) 

And a styling with the other pink item of the collection, the Gingham Check Pink Lace Dress, from leothellama. It's perfect with the black polo underneath, which is definitely complementary to the black panels on the dress itself. The long belt is also fitting with the straps on the dress and really highlights the style^

And last but not least, MeLolitka wearing the Mesh Trench Fitted Coat in this minimal yet glamorous styling. There's enough going on with the trench to make it work as a piece completely on its own with just some accessories to carry the look. The gold is a great choice, and the choker definitely works well for the neckline, really highlighting the V cut^

Doll skirts

What a lovely doll-styled look in this feature from AvrilkaTH13 in a DIY dress^ What a great dress this is, made from several ruffled miniskirts bundled together, they sit perfectly I think, it's such a sweet piece! I love the beige neutral tone of the pieces, they work very well with the ruffled glittered halter and the addition of these spotted chiffon sleeves is great. They make the dress look awesome and they are super stylish in their own right^ Accessories are cool too, love those shoes, and very fitting with the belting on the skirts =)

We Wear Hotbuys F E B R U A R Y | Givenchy Inspired Booties

Our next HB accessory is out today, and it's the Givenchy Inspired Booties in the RIO store costing 17SD's. I quite liked these in the advertisement and in the spoilers but felt a little less enthusiastic about them in the Plaza and on my doll - they seem like shoes that takes a particular style and it's not one that I have^ I like the colour, and the overall boot height in terms of heel and the height at the ankle, but I think it's the open-toe style that I don't blend with well - I'm sure some of you love it though =D

Despite that I'm not sure how I feel about these Booties, I really like our looks for them! I think we've shown a good range of versatility. And I'm just a little jealous of that telephone sweater that Miloshki has on, isn't it fab?!?! But vote in the poll too:

Blue ties

A sweet fresh spring styling today from DoraKralj^ I love the combination of shapes and styles in this look and the use of blue and denim stood out so nicely to me! Love the use of the differently draped shirts, I think it looks nice and the longer length is something which stands out positively to me in this style paired with the open denim skirt. Love the little blue bows (in velvet, naturally) added to the sleeves, they add such a sweet style. Earrings, bag and shoes also perfectly chosen - definitely a doll to watch out for =D

Y O U N G H O L L Y W O O D | Feature Set

Stardoll released a little window of Young Hollywood last week with two new outfits to wear straight off the red carpet! None of the pieces particularly captured my interest, and they're all quite stand-out pieces, not so everyday or versatile really, but I did find a couple of dolls who really rocked the pieces that were released! Firstly millaxx has gone for the Rihanna Inspired Mille Feuille Skirt which is pretty full of glamour with all those layers. It's been styled well with other black pieces, and I think the sheer top, paired with this leather bustier is pretty great and they really add further texturing to the style. Also loving those earrings, the accessorising may be simple but it works perfectly =D

And secondly is ajenkam who has styled the Rihanna Inspired Orange Glitter Top, which is a little too much like a bra for me to call a 'top'! But I think it looks good in this outfit, the white definitely pops the colour out, and I love the use of the furry jacket, the style is sporty-cool and a little Rihanna-esque itself, so it's pretty fitting =)

Bag It Up Challenge #119

It's been so long since the last challenge post! Today I ended up renewing my membership and there was a bag with the free gifts, so definitely fitting to include it - however there's also a StarPoint gift piece which looks very similar, so I'm styling them paired today =D So first up is the Buy&Get piece, the Fashion Week Shoulder Bag which has a golden chain and an amazing dalmatian style print - I did try out matching prints, but it wasn't working quite right so instead I styled off of the gold chain of the bag and I think it looks pretty nice, sticking with minimal pieces but adding in little things like darker shoes to pair with the print and the necklace to fill up the open shirt a little, I like it^ Then secondly the Sleek Designer Bag from StarPoint Rewards and I'm really loving this look. Initially I was gonna stick super neutral, then this shiny super coat appeared and ... well that was that and here is this outfit which I am in love with! The colour of the bag makes it very versatile, so it will definitely work in a lot of other ways and styles too =D