Round 2 | W E A R D E M J E W E L S C H A L L E N G E # 25

Here is the final post of the second round of the Wear Dem Jewels Challenge! I'm quite surprised I made it to 25 pairs of earrings, I'm also surprised I had that many to style in so many different ways - so here is pair 25, the Pearl Earrings from Pearls, which is very fitting^ These are a double-pearl pair with a  tiny golden chain between the two pearls, I think they're really pretty and very elegant, I even changed up my hairstyle and I think this is such a pretty combination! These came out in Spring 2019 and you can still pick them up in the Plaza today, which is a bonus =) Anyway, I was trying to go super neutral with my beauty styling, although somehow purple ended up the focus - I layered a few lilac and grey shades together, although some of that is obscured by the black liner, I just loved how that looked in another beauty styling and had to repeat it! I think lilac is such an elegant colour too, it looks great with pearls for sure^ I'm also super happy with how the outfits turned out - I always try to have something with pearls on it in the look when I use pearl earrings and it was hard not to turn to the pearl-embellished jeans that I only recently styled again, but I think I did a good job veering away from them and instead choosing this fun Chanel dress. It's not a piece I wear often at all, but I think it looks fabulous and I'm so glad I tried it out =) I decided to layer it with a top so it's styled as a skirt and I really think that works as a great option for this piece. This black top is super stylish and the classy vibes are fitting well with the pearls. I stuck with pretty simple accessories and let the skirting do all the talking! I would have liked a sweet little pearl necklace but I don't have one, does one exist on Stardoll?! If not, I need one added to the Plaza ASAP! For the second look I had to indulge in the lilac, and made this dress Winter-suitable by layering with an overcoat, the white works great to really help pop the pearls in the styling. The rest of the look is simple, I love these white boots and I think this lilac bag is also great against the white of the coat - something super cute and so every-day wearable =D

3 BY 3 | Winter Jeans

I've not done many styling posts this year that haven't come from specific new Plaza releases but recently I've thought of starting some up again - refreshing some old post ideas and bringing in some new ones, and it's a new one I'm bring out today '3 BY 3' where I will style up 3 pieces from one theme/item type in 3 different ways to show the versatility of the pieces. I think it could be pretty fun and I already have quite a few themes picked out already, starting off today with Winter jeans, enjoy!

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Despite not wearing jeans a lot of the time, I have a bizarrely large collection of jeans from over the years - I used to be a firm 'skinny jeans only' person, but now for my doll I love a range of fits and find I have a lot more looser pairs than skinny in my collection. I have a total of 35 pairs in my wardrobe at the moment (that shocks me a little!) and today I will be styling the Hotbuys High Rise Jeans (Pretty 'N Love, 17SD's;  February 2019 HBs), the Pearl Beaded Loose Fit Denim (Subcouture, 25SD's) and the GOM Fade Out Black Denim (Special Offer, GOM Reward December 2016).

H O T B U Y S H I G H R I S E J E A N S

These have definitely been one of my favourite pairs of jeans recently, I love so many things about them from the waist-line design, the wash and the fit on the doll, they're really quite perfect^ I found these jeans very easy to style up, they work with a range of different colours in both light and dark tones - I think the beige and whites look fab with the jeans for a lighter style, I'm especially loving the combination of these beige boots and the Chloe Drew in the first styling^ But equally also adoring the navy polo in look two, there are so many navy options to choose from as well. And I already knew black pieces looked great with these jeans, they really pop in the third styling - I've paired the jeans with these boots before and just had to repeat the pairing, it's perfect for me =D 

P E A R L B E A D E D L O O S E F I T D E N I M

These are another pair that I love having in my wardrobe and love styling fairly regularly despite the fact that they're not really an every-day pair of jeans with their pearl embellishments. They're super fancy for jeans and I think that's maybe why I've been loving them so much! I found these super easy to style in 3 completely different looks, and several more wouldn't have been an issue. I've always loved pairing up these pink pearl-embellished heels with the jeans, it's such a cute pairing and I think it makes for a fun party-styling - and there are plenty of other pink pieces which work well with the jeans to include, I particularly love this pearlescent coat with the pairing. And the jeans look fab with both black and white, I really don't think I could pick a favourite between these two looks! I'm a big fan of black with blue denim like this, I think the jeans really pop in a styling like this, and also adoring these accessories, definitely my favourite pairing these boots, the bag and the earrings together^ The white is also great, and really makes the pearls be eye-catching in the styling. With a shorter jacket the cut of the jeans can really be shown off and it works equally well as styling them with an overcoat.

G O M F A D E O U T B L A C K D E N I M

This pair are somewhat of my 'wildcard' choice of the 3 pairs of jeans, I think I've maybe worn them once but they're not a pair I reach for if a look needs jeans and I really went into this with almost no ideas on how to style them - they're a real challenge for me! For me it's the different tones of washed denim that make it a challenge, I think these are maybe a little too casual for me to comfortably style. I do really like the checks with these jeans though, I think this first jacket looks really good with them but I definitely struggled a little with the rest of the look and choosing a direction - it's not too bad, but I think it could be better! The second look is my least favourite, I like the boots and bag with the jeans, but I'm not happy with the rest of the look. And I do really love the overcoat in the final look, however it does blend into the colour of the jeans quite a lot, they're quite hidden in this styling which I didn't mean to do! I think the silver in the accessories and the sweater look great with the wash on the jeans though, so I think this one isn't too bad either^ Room for improvement with these jeans for sure!

Street chic

A super cool street chic styling featured today from RiManiKordenty styling up the Wrap Jacket from the recent It Girls release which I shared my stylings for yesterday - this release was a complete winner^ I think the jacket looks super cool paired with this miniskirt, both the colours and the overall vibe of both pieces fit together really nicely, with the wrapping of the jacket hem filling the midriff space really well - totally making me want to reconsider it! I love the chunky boots for accessorising and pairing the dinky black bag in there, they're really stand out in the styling. As is the hair for that matter, it's such a cool style and suits this doll so well =D

I T G I R L S | Styled Outfits

This past week followed the previous week's StarPlaza Window theme, and released a look from a different Plaza store each day, which I'm a fan of. This time I absolutely adored the It Girls release on Thursday, just super stylish and current and fabulous, I'm a big fan^ The wrapped style of the hem in the Wrap Jacket isn't so much for me and I think might be trickier to fit with my preferred stylings, so I'm giving it a miss and have focussed my purchases on the accessories. Firstly the Snake Shoes which are a pretty cute sandal, they'll be good in the Spring/Summer season, but I think they have a great colour, the green does really well to stand out but is also a fairly good neutral option for stylings and will work with a range of colours and styles. I love the strap detail on them, it's delicate and stands out, so a cropped length to trousers is perfect to highlight that. I knew immediately I wanted to use these trousers as the colours are a perfect fit together. I kept the rest of the clothing very neutral to highlight the green, and also picked a nice fitting green bag. These are super fun earrings to include as well, I think they're a nice detail to add to the styling =) And then also the Snake Bag which really couldn't be resisted at all, I mean how good a Gucci dupe is that?! It's really looking stunning, I'm very impressed! I love the neutral tone to it, it works well with so many of my favourite pieces, so for a first style I had to choose the most over-worn pair of trousers in my wardrobe, but look how great these items are together!! Keeping it neutral but smart with a white blouse and heels, and adding a little fun with the earring - the bag has silver metal work on it, so I stuck with that theme for the earring choice, while I normally choose gold over silver I think this works perfectly here^

Round 2 | W E A R D E M J E W E L S C H A L L E N G E # 24

Time for the penultimate post in this challenge, the 24th pair of earrings - these are the Crystal Drop Earrings from Mawi, another pair which came out back in 2014 and I've never worn before! These are such a beautiful pair of earrings, the design is intricate and I love the colour combinations of the rose gold with the jewels. I didn't have a great emerald eyeshadow and tried out a look with other green shades but it was looking mediocre, so I splashed out and picked up a new eyeshadow from the Transform store in the Plaza and it was completely worth it - the Metallic Mystery Eyeshadow looks great layered up in a smokey look and I added a black liner with mascara to complete the look, I love it so much^ Of course a green based outfit was also required for the green-based beauty look, and I think both of these stylings check that box off. The wrap top in the first styling is a little brighter toned than I was wanting, but I loved the smart and sheeny look to the piece and think it works well with the earring style. Smart trousers and minimal accessories finish this look off well keeping the focus on the beauty and earring =) The second look is definitely my favourite of the two, love this trouser and bag combination a lot, and the black polo, jacket and boots make a good base for the green and also the gold of the bag to stand out. I'll definitely repeat this styling with these earrings again in the future, I think it's great =D

H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | November 2019

Here we are to the last HB revisited for the year - the November 2019 HB's were the last ones we got last year but also the last ones we got as how they were done in this way as it changed in the HBs we did get this year. These are a little of a mixed bag but there are some great pieces included and I'd say I was pretty happy with these pieces overall =) I bought half of the pieces from this collection, and whilst I wore a couple of them last Winter, I didn't really wear them after that, but I keep coming across the Furry Coat in my wardrobe, and it's totally reminding me to style it, so in this post I will be styling the Furry Coat alongside the Furry Bag and also the Cowboy Boots:

I really like this pairing of outfits, I think they really get me in the Winter-styling mood for sure! First up the coat and bag paired together, I think they're great together and it's definitely not too much furry fabric in one outfit - the purple on the buttons of the coat make me drawn to purple pieces for styling, thus these velvet trousers were a must, I think I'm going to be wearing them quite a bit this season. I chose a patterned top to make it a little less plain, and I think it works nicely. The white shoes look super cute peaking out from the trousers, they're a must with the rest of the dark coloured clothing and they pop with the coat and bag combination for sure. The rest of the accessories are simple but it works to highlight other components of the styling. For the second look I wanted to use a lot of white pieces to pair it nicely with the first look and I absolutely adore the outcome^ The skinny jeans tuck well with these boots and really highlight the whole design aspect of them, then the contrast of the oversized coat, I just love it! Grey and white is a classic combination and I think it's one I will wear a lot this Winter season. Keeping the look simple yet going for fun accessories like this furry scarf and this embellished bag really keep the accessories, including the boots, to the forefront of this styling - I think it will be hard for me to want to take off this look now because I just really love it so much =D

Collared greens

And after featuring my stylings from the new DVF Archive release yesterday, here is a cool feature of Mikatsi styling up the Mint Round Sunglasses, which I'm honestly still umming and ahhing about! These are a super cool pair of sunglasses and totally stand out in the styling, they hold their own and I love that. The colour of the glasses isn't quite mint but a darker tone and I think looks beautiful against these green boots, a perfect pairing^ I love the darker green in the jacket sleeves and the scarf added, I think these really pop against this dress. The fuzzy trim to the jacket really stands out making this look great for the Winter season =D

DvF Holiday A R C H I V E | Styled Outfits

Last week brought us a second DvF Archive release, this time the Holiday collection from the Winter 2011 Tribute release. I remember back then just having a couple of 'must-haves' namely the Mint Miniskirt and the DvF Classic Black Overcoat, but otherwise the collection wasn't hugely my thing - I still have the coat from all those years ago but have sold on the skirt. Now you have a second chance at everything^ I definitely like a few more pieces now, but for me there are still some questionable styles. I've not gone for any of the accessories, but have picked up some new clothing pieces to try out in my wardrobe.

First up the White Keyhole Blouse which is something I really didn't remember from the release but think is pretty cute. The fit of this piece is great, it sits on the body well and is made for an easy tuck, whilst the sleeves have a blouson feel to them, the neckline detail is also stunning and standout. I think it looks super smart paired with a skirt, but really it will work with a number of bottomhalves of any style. I kept the bottom half of the look in the darker colours and this really lets the blouse pop out in brightness. The white accessories tie in with it nicely, and overall I really love this styling for this piece =) Secondly I picked up the Holiday Heart Cluster Dress which I think is such a cute piece, the pattern is adorable^ I resized it down a little so it had a bit of a more fitted fit on the doll. The V neckline is quite deep which is why for a more Winter based styling I've layered it with a black polo-neck, I think this works with the other added black pieces in the outfit. The simple styling really keeps the focus on the dress, but I did add more colour with the bag to fit the burgundy colour in the dress print - a really nice green piece would also work well here. I'm excited to style this piece up layered with boots and furry textures for a real deep-Winter look!

Then we have the Forest Green Crop Top which is in such a perfect shade of dark green that's been completely missing from my wardrobe, now I just need a pair of trousers to match! The colour is spot on with the green in the print of this blazer, so I couldn't resist wearing it again so soon. And it's also a great fit with the colour of this belt bag - not a conventional trio of pieces, but I think it's not too bad^ Especially with the polo layered underneath, I think the colour of the top really pops in the styling. This will also be a good piece for Spring/Summer stylings and the cropped length makes it perfect to be worn tucked into bottomhalf pieces. And lastly of course the DvF Classic Black Overcoat which I used to wear all the time but it's really fallen to the back of my wardrobe in the last 3 or 4 years. It's a simple piece with a stunning structure which really can be all the detail in an outfit - I stuck basic for this reason choosing a lot of black based pieces, but this silver leopard print top is a great standout print on the top half and helps accentuate the collar of the jacket. Classy heels ands a nice bag finished the styling fairly minimally to keep the coat as the focus - simple but effective =D

Stun in tan

After featuring my stylings of the recent Pretty 'N Love Plaza window yesterday, I also had to share this amazing look from Sieg including the Leather Biege Skirt - just so creative and super stylish! I loved the idea of layering the skirt with this slinky summer dress, the polka dot colouring is a great fit with the colour of the skirt and the two different textures work nicely with each other. The black coat is smart ontop and the white shoes are such a contrast, I think they look great! The delicate gold details are also a fantastic touch, the earrings and belt are perfect additions to the outfit, as is that hat; overall looking so amazing =D

P R E T T Y ' N L O V E | Styled Outfits

Last weeks window release from Monday-Thursday were a little different from the usual VINYL ones, we got one window from different stores in the Plaza across the week, which I'm a fan of! It brings a range of styles and vibes to the Plaza which I find more fresh than the repetitiveness that the VINYL releases had become. I didn't like everything, but I did absolutely fall in LOVE with the Pretty 'N Love window - I went a little bit crazy and bought 4 of the 5 pieces on offer and it was an absolute must to style them up to share! You will notice there are only 4 pieces in the window above, at some point the Fuzzy Chic Purse was taken off from the release, I'm so glad I bought it immediately, but I know it will be disappointing to some of you, so that's a real shame they removed it. I have included the link just in case it comes back! So I styled up the Fuzzy Chic Purse first, I think it's such a cute piece for the season and has such Chloe vibes as they have some furry pieces like this in their collection. I knew I wanted to pair it with this furry jacket with leather trimmings immediately, I think these pieces are made for each other and make for a cosy Winter styling. Stuck with the basics for the rest of the look with browns and beiges which really brings all the focus to the main pairing of the styling, I love it, it's so cute^ And then styling the Gold Earrings, which is the styling I did last and actually only went in this direction so it was fitting in with the ideas from the other 3 looks featured in this post - these are versatile earrings and will work in so many different outfits. I added in other gold pieces with the accessories and kept a neutral clothing look to the style, I think the white is perfect for gold to stand out against. I kept it a little warm with this cardi over the shoulders, it's definitely one of my favourite pieces to style and also looks great with gold =)

Then for the clothing, first up the Twist Sweater which I think is such a fun piece for the Autumn season, it's different to other sweaters we've had and I think the colour is perfect for the current trends. I really liked how this looked paired with a skirt on the mannequin so I selected a similar skirt but in a light colour to style it with, but really the colour is so versatile it will work with many different options. I adore it with these brown boot though, such a fun pairing and one I will be repeating! Kept the accessories minimal, I didn't have too many bag options that were a perfect colour fit for this piece, but this artsy bag is a good fit and adds a little more detail to the styling. And lastly wearing the Leather Biege Skirt which I think is such a beautifully designed piece, I'm so excited to style this up through the Winter months =) Playing off of the other look I paired it with a beige top, the fun sleeves on this one add an interesting detail. I think gold is such a complementary colour to that of the skirt so it was a must for the accessories, this little bag is just the cutest piece contrasting against the leather of the skirt^

Round 2 | W E A R D E M J E W E L S C H A L L E N G E # 23

The next pair of earrings for the Wear Dem Jewels Challenge were stuck waaay at the end of my beauty parlor, and I'm a little surprised because I think these are super cute and definitely the sort of thing I could wear more often! These are the Flower Gemstone Earrings With Teardrops from Mawi (September 2014 release), I've never styled these before on the blog, and actually I haven't reported on the Mawi releases very well - however there are quite a few floors of it still available in the Plaza^ I love the green colour to these alongside the gold detailing, they're such a beautiful and elegant pair of earrings. I was very inspired from the earrings for the makeup look, with layered greens along with a little grey, lilac and blue - I think it's really something perfect for the earrings =) I had a few looks put together in mint and I really liked them, but in the end these two won out - but there are plenty of styling options for these earrings which is great. The colour of this suit is complementary to the hanging jewel in the earrings, it really makes it stand out in the outfit. I kept the shirt and rest of the accessories light for a brighter look and to not add further colour to detract from the main focus. I really like this one, I'd love a shirt to pair with this suit and make a cute trio set. With the second look I adore how this feather-trimmed top looked with the earrings, the blue colour isn't too bold so it really fits well with the colour of the earrings. I did struggle a little choosing bottoms to go with it, I think these light trousers are fine, but I think there's something better that could make this look perfect^

M S W | Styled Outfits

I share my dislike/non-enjoyment of MSW every year, so I won't go on about it too much - normally there are a few store floors of clothing released with dressy pieces so you can style up for the competition, but this year we had a couple of weeks of windows with different styles and vibes for MSW. Most of them were not to my taste, but towards the end I found a couple of accessories released that I quite liked - today I'm styling them up each in two ways:

So first up the Pink Handbag with has Bvlgari vibes with the snake head detailing on the clasp. I was drawn to that and also the colour of the bag, I think it might come in handy for those pink and purple based stylings where I've been missing a bag in the past for. As soon as I picked out some pink/purple pieces I was so loving the combinations! This bag looks great with both these patterned trousers and also the pink jeans. I was aiming to go for one smarter and one more casual look, but the jeans style has still worked out pretty formal too, and I think the colour of the bag is really stand out even against these close colour tones. The beige in the rest of the looks may be seen as a little boring but I think it works well and lets the bag really pop and be highlighted in the styles. I'd for sure wear either one of these looks again =)

And then I also picked up the Turquoise Heels because this blue is super pretty! I think these will be great for Spring stylings as well. I was also tempted by the bag in this release, the Blue Handbag, but I'm still thinking on it. As soon as I picked out a couple of pieces that might work with these shoes I got so carried away and before I knew it I had almost 10 options to whittle down to 2 - but I'm glad I have a lot of options as it means these shoes won't be easily forgotten in my wardrobe. First up with this silk skirt which we got from VINYL earlier this year, the colour match of these pieces is perfect! I seem to have stuck with a beige theme throughout, but I loved the vibes of the long length of the coat with this midi-skirt, it looks pretty elegant. I did struggle to pick a top, nothing was quite fitting as perfectly as I would have liked and I think it's due to the V waistline of the skirt but overall I'm really pleased with this styling =) And second, again choosing beige and blue but switched up with the beige on the bottomhalf, I adore this outfit so much! This top is another great colour match for the shoes and it brings so much detail to the look with the great sleeves and the overall sit of the piece. I kept the accessories minimal and fitting with the beige and overall I think it's a great outfit^

I really love this set of 4 looks, I'm so pleased with the outcomes for both pieces and I'm overall really pleased with the pieces in the end - while I'm not MSW's biggest fan, these two pieces have been a great outcome from this years series =D

H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | November 2014

Stepping back six years to the November 2014 Hotbuys today - who remembers these ones? I do, but mostly because of the Hedi Black Vest which I really wore obsessively for several years! I've moved on from that piece now as I think you'll have seen^ I really like the colour and style contrast between the two looks of the collection, they really give me such fresh vibes about the HBs which are often lacking. They give a little something for a wider range of styles and preferences. I'm kind of wishing for the whole light look, I think it's pretty cute even now =) Anyway, I do still have one piece from the collection that I think I've maybe styled only once or twice, the Glitter Bag:

I initially struggled with styling a look for this bag, but once I really dug around in my wardrobe and got one idea, it became really easy - in the end there were 4 looks which I then picked my favourite two from and it's a bit of a pink+burgundy party^ The colour of the bag is pretty unique, it's more of a raspberry tone which is a colour I'm lacking in my wardrobe for sure, but it looks great with a range of pink tones and also burgundy. The glitter to it really makes it a party piece, so it doesn't quite work with some more casual clothing, but I think I've come out with two great looks for it! This shimmering skirt in the first look is a great option and also has a fun party vibe to it, and I loved how these boots turned out, I originally wanted a more delicate heel, but I think these look just as good and also provide a good balance with the burgundy vest. A simple necklace fills the V neckline, I tried on so many earrings too but nothing worked out with the colours. For the second look the colours are reversed with burgundy trousers - these are the most versatile trousers I have, they're so perfect with so many different styles and pieces, including this one! Then I used pinks on the top half and with the heels, with the Winter coming super quickly, I'm loving fitting this pink furry coat into my stylings now =D

V E L V E T P A I S L E Y J A C K E T | Styled By You / / Styled By Me

It's been a while since a classic Style By You / / Styled By Me post, but when I saw this outfit from Sieg styling the It Girls Velvet Paisley Jacket, I knew I had to style it up too because it's just a perfect piece this season of the year! I was sure I'd styled the jacket in a post like this previously, but I didn't find anything, so obviously it's time to rectify that. In Sieg's styling I loved the cool-girl vibes with the wide leg trousers and the chunky boots, they make such a good pairing for the blazer, an unexpected one, but a good one^ I love the white shirt underneath, it really makes the silver details on the blazer pop out, as does the solid black at the bottom of the look. I adored the accessories in this styling, the simple gold chain is perfection and the earrings look great too. Also loving this dinky structured bag, it's a great complementary piece for this look =) I love nothing more than pairing this jacket with the matching trousers, but I resisted this time as I think that's a really easy way to wear this piece. I wanted to try out some green trousers to highlight that tone in the pattern of the jacket, but I don't have anything in the perfect matching shade, so I resorted to red, and these cords make for a great Autumn/Winter pairing. I also decided to use a white shirt under the blazer, it really keeps the look a lot lighter - now a burgundy collared shirt like this would be perfect in this styling too. I chose silver heels to pop with the blazer design and I love that combination so much =D

Round 2 | W E A R D E M J E W E L S C H A L L E N G E # 22

We're getting pretty close to the end of earrings in this Wear Dem Jewels Challenge with item number 22 today - when I found these earrings in my beauty parlor I had no recollection of buying them, or even seeing them at all! I also learnt that I could layer a pair of earrings so that one is behind and one is in front of this hairstyle - definitely having a bit of a stupid moment not knowing that before. These are the Statement Earrings from Epiphany which came out back in 2015. Unfortunately these aren't in the Plaza anymore, nor can I sell them, but maybe this is just a little glitch as I can sell other pieces from the same release - so unfortunately you can't purchase these at the moment. I thought they had real vintage glamour vibes to them, I liked the metal having much less of a sheen to it, they're really something quite different. With the more grey to the metal than silver, I chose grey for my makeup with a base of white to help brighten the eyes. There are also some subtle burgundies in the jewels of the earrings, so I couldn't resist adding a little of that around the eye too along with a thick mascara- I'm really happy with this outcome for the makeup look! I knew I wanted at least one look to focus on the grey, which is the first of my pair, and I'm super happy with this as a Winter look, combining this awesome oversized coat with my favourite trousers, it's very convenient that the colour is a good fit with the earring colour^ The rest of the look is minimal with a black polo and boots, then in keeping with the burgundy in the bag. I think it's a great styling^ For the second look I struggled a little as I had quite a few pieces that I liked with the earrings on their own, but couldn't get a whole look for, in the end I'm also quite pleased with this rather glamorous vibe for the second style. I liked the little patch of glitter on this jacket to fit with the earrings, and the solid black of the body of the blazer also helps the earrings to pop. I liked the white trousers for something smart and again stuck more on the minimal side for accessories, but choosing a slightly shimmery bag to tie in with the blazer. I'm very pleased with this combination using some pieces I don't wear so often =)

G L I T T E R P U M P K I N S T I L E T T O

I'm not at all into the Halloween season, it's just not for me, so I'm never a huge fan of the related releases we have in the Plaza - however one piece from last weeks Kitsch release caught my eye, the Glitter Pumpkin Stiletto! I love a good heel and I also love collecting orange pieces, it's a little of an obsession, but actually I wear orange (especially accessories) quite a lot, so I knew these would have a good place in my wardrobe^

These heels work great with both light and dark looks, but clearly pairing them with other orange pieces is my favourite thing^ I also found that a lot of brown-toned pieces looked great with them too, I have a few more ideas for styling them that way too. The glitter also makes them a good piece for the upcoming Winter season as we all love a bit of a glamorous party styling! I used brown in the first look, I think this polo is a great Autumnal piece to pair with the shoes. The white pieces make the look light, and these trousers have a nice leg length so that the shoes are still standing out. I absolutely love this bag in the look, the colour is perfect with the shoes and it really adds detail to an otherwise more minimal styling, I'll definitely be using this pairing again =) For the second styling I've gone a little darker but also dressier, this tulle skirt is such a good piece for that, and it layers so nicely with many other skirts like the brown one I've chosen. The black pieces on top work well with the brown and orange tones, and this jacket is such a smart and stylish piece to finish the styling. And the final look which is perhaps my favourite, but I just can't resist these trousers, I'm so glad they look good with the shoes! I kept the rest of the look light which I'm pleased with, and that also lets this bag really pop in the styling, I know for a fact I've styled it with these trousers before, but it's such a good combination and with the shoes ... just perfect^ It's a simple styling but with snazzy accessories, it's definitely one that will manage to stand out itself =D

DvF A R C H I V E | Styled Outfits

I was super excited to see the very first DVF collection re-released into Archive a couple of weeks back - it came out way back in the first Tribute season in 2010 and it's just one of those collections that I always remember about. I revisited the collection for a post a couple of years back which is maybe why it's still relatively fresh in my mind. So I already had some pieces from this collection, either from buying them waaaay back in the day, picking them up later in the Bazaar or getting them in Callie's Picks releases, but I'm really pleased to be able to add some more pieces from this release into my collection! First up a focus on clothing, I already had the Multi Print Dress in my collection, and it's one that I've always been happy to have because I really don't see others wearing it, perhaps that will change now but I've yet to see anyone styling up the pieces from this collection, so maybe not^ This dress has a very dark base, which works well for styling more Autumnal/Winter looks - the black base to the printing means black pieces work well with it, which is what I've chosen for the polo and jacket. These green shimmery boots are a fabulous colour-fit with the print colours on the dress, I really love that pairing and will be repeating it! I picked up the Floral Print Dress in this release, I've been wanting it for a while, but have a reasonable alternative similar piece so I was never really on a huge search for it, but I'm glad to have it now =) It's definitely more of a Spring/Summer dress with the lighter fabric and colour, so this is a look that I'll be saving for a few months down the line. I really like using a white here, it's easy to work with but also really lets the print and the blue colour pop in the styling. I think this bag is such an adorable and perfect piece for this look, the floral design makes it a great fit with the dress and the colour also is spot on!

Looking at some of the accessories I picked up in this release, firstly the Printed Bucket Bag which I styled up with the Puff Sleeve Blouse in this ultimate pink Spring styling, I've never wished it to be Spring more so that I can wear this all the time! This bag was the first piece I knew I wanted to buy when I saw it was a DVF release. The bucket style has been coming back more recently for starters, and I also like the velvet texture it has. Plus it's super unique, since this one we've really not had something similar, but also that colour is just stunning! I didn't realise how well the colour went with pale pink until I tried it out and I was so excited at how well the pieces paired, there are so many options there! The blouse adds a fun touch to the look with those sleeves, as does the furry coat. And then lastly the Starburst Woven Purse which I think is such a fun piece, and also a challenging one due to all those colours, but that makes it fun to work with^ Of all of the looks I styled from this release, this one was the most challenging and took this longest, and actually this is look 3 for the bag, the first two weren't quite there, but there are some other pieces that look awesome with this bag too! I ended up choosing this blue coat, the colour matches the blue of the bag pretty well and the lilac, red and orange tones really pop nicely to draw attention to the bag with the use of a solid black base to the look. The bag does have black straps, so I don't think black is too out of place. I did try a few other coloured items, and they have potential, so I'm saving them for another try at a later date - but I'd love to see some of you guys trying out this, and some of the other unique bags in this collection, let me know if you've styled them in the comments below =D

O T H E R T O P P I C K S

Printed Drop Waist Dress | Pearl Stud Purse | Sheer Gathered Dress

October V I N Y L | Styled Outfits

October has been another up and down month of VINYL releases for me, I found them mostly uninspiring, and actually this month was a bit short on VINYL as there were a selection os MSW windows released for the ongoing competition - so there was less to choose from anyway. The choices I've featured above are quite bright but unfortunately I've picked all black pieces to purchase! And all accessories, I just found these really as winning pieces amongst the picks, however I do have my eye on the Pink Coat, I just need to see a few people styling it to have me convinced^ So first up styling the shoes that I bought, the Black Pumps are such an elegant looking heel, and so sleek. I love their sheen, pointed toe and delicate ankle straps. I knew these had to be worn with either a skirt or something with a cropped length to really show off the design, so this midi piece was a perfect choice. The look is pretty simple in black but it's effective to highlight these shoes^ Gold accessories work in most scenarios and fit in well here - I think these heels will be easy to style up in the future! Next are the Black Boots, which I just think are super cool and trendy - I love the chunky heel and the cuffed design to them, I think they tick the boxes to be a key boot this Autumn/Winter! I really loved styling these, so I know I will wear them this season for sure. I chose a more cropped length of trouser to show the cuffs of the boots and this orange tone is beautiful for this season. The black in the rest of the look pairs with the boots but of course I had to choose an orange bag, and actually I'm not sure I've worn this Fendi one before, I think it's a great fit for this styling =)

Then for the bags, first the D Star Handbag which is a wannabe Dior saddle bag, and I'm not one to pass up that style! It's a classic type piece and will last in my wardrobe for a long time! I was hesitant about the hard-wear being silver as I'm more into gold, but I think I can overlook that for the overall great style of the piece. This look came together super quickly, I'm really not sure what made me choose this skirt, but I love wearing it with it's matching top and I think the bag stands out well against the white base of the skirt. The look is otherwise very simple, black boots are a solid base, and this jacket has very cool-girl vibes being in leather so I think it's a great pairing with the bag style! And lastly the V Handbag which I've already been styling up and am really loving so far! It's got a great design, the size is perfect and the solid black with the detailed gold V is perfect for my style preferences^ This outfit is me a few years back, this combination of the trousers and blouse was one I wore all the time, it's my go-to gold styling and it's perfect with this bag =D I couldn't resist, haha! I added the hanging jacket and pointed heels and accessorised with an earring as I for sure couldn't wear my favourite sunglasses for a third styling in this post!

Round 2 | W E A R D E M J E W E L S C H A L L E N G E # 21

I mentioned in post #20 of the Wear Dem Jewels Challenge about looking again at the jewellery from the MS.TQ store and so today I'm styling up my newest purchase from there (although it's not new to the Plaza by any means), the Rose Kate Earring - these are very classic earrings, they have such an old-time glamorous look to them and really are just stunning! For the makeup I of course chose burgundy and brown shades which are fitting with the colour of the earrings, but instead of a shadow focus I switched it up to a liner focus having a bit of a flick there with the different eyeliner colours. I think it's pretty attractive and stands out^ With the style of the earrings I knew I had to go all out for the looks, this isn't a jewellery piece for a casual styling, it needs pizazz! Ok, so I don't think I was 100% successful in putting together the looks I had in mind, but I'm heading in the right direction - I need some help from pizazz-styling-queens for sure =D The first look I think is my most successful and my favourite of the two, I really love it so much! This dress is such a glamorous piece with the shaping and the draping, and it's a piece I really never see worn, including on myself. It's in my favourite Autumnal colour and actually it's a great fit for colour and vibe with the earrings. I kept on the same colour scheme for the shoes and bag, it was super tricky finding pieces to fit the colour, I spent at least 30 minutes choosing between pieces but I'm so pleased with the final choices^ The neckline of this dress makes adding a necklace difficult, but I felt like it needed something 'more' so I reshaped this gold jewelled choker into a brooch style piece to add onto the dress and I love it - that's about as creative as I get, but I think it works out really well for the styling! The second look I really wanted to work out, but it's not quite there - I love this dress with the earring, it has so many elements and different colours to it that all look good with the earring colour, but I found accessorising the pair of them quite a challenge. In the end I added a black base to tie in with the bow and line details on the dress, which I do think makes it a good look for Winter but it maybe too dark for the earring. The burgundy bag and the sunglasses are super cute though and I love them with both the dress and earring, but again I think the black maybe overwhelms them. I need tips - what would you guys do differently with this second look?! Let me know in the comments!

September V I N Y L | Styled Outfits

A little delayed, but better late than never, and all of these September VINYL pieces are still for sale in the Plaza if you want to purchase them^ I would love a proper floor in the store with the window mannequins so we can see if everything displayed from all of the releases since April, that would be quite useful. Anyway, again this month was a mixed bag of releases for me - some things were really far from my style, and others are totally up my street! And whilst I haven't yet bought the Dress Beige (above bottom right) I am so close to purchasing as I've seen a couple of very nice stylings including it. I have bought 4 pieces so far from the September VINYL releases and I'm quite excited to have and style these pieces, even if they're on the more simple side of what was released!

Firstly the accessories - I think the White X Heels are a great Spring/Summer sandal, I'm a little late for Summer stylings now, but I'm making them work! The white with burgundy is a really popping combination, and the cropped length of the trousers works well to highlight the strap design of the shoes. I really love this structured oversized blazer in the styling, it works well with both the trousers and the shoes, I'll definitely repeat these pairings again for sure^ I jazzed this look up a little with these awesome sunglasses from Gucci, they're perfect for Autumn/Winter stylings with their great colour. And then I also bought the Jade Handbag, this style of woven leather bag is very popular this year with many designer and high street stores releasing their own version. I think this will be easy to wear through the Winter in a lot of stylings. The slight shine to the leather really makes it pop against other black colours, these matte clothing pieces make a great base for it and the design on the bag really does stand out. I kept this look firmly in the Winter category with this furry coat, I like adding the brown shades to the black look, it's definitely not a conventional colour pairing, but I think it looks pretty nice^ I think we're missing some jewellery here for sure, but I couldn't decide on the perfect earring choice!

Clothing-wise, first up the One Button Top which is an adorable white cardigan. I love the fuzzy texture it has which will definitely bring something extra to stylings, I'd love some more pieces like this for sure! I found myself naturally gravitating towards other white pieces to pair with it, I think this bright sort of style can really stand out and still work in this season. The open neckline of the cardi is something to work around, I have a couple of different bralette pieces, but the white worked the best on my dolls skin tone. I used black in the accessories to tie in with the buttons of the cardi and I think that was a success =) I also tried a couple of skirts with this piece and they looked pretty good too, so it does have some versatility to it. And then I also picked up the Blue Blouse, I was unsure of this at first with the cutout sections, but I think the colour and overall shape/design are pretty good so I'll make the cutouts work for me - and actually once styled I didn't really notice or mind having them there at all. I like the smart vibes this piece has so tried to use that in my look with these trousers and the blazer, I think it works out quite nicely, although perhaps is a little more Spring than I was aiming for. The blue heels are an adorable pairing with the shirt, I was super inspired by *this* feature this week and so had to include them^ Now I still need to find a bag in that shade to match perfectly =D

Folk A R C H I V E | Styled Outfits

Following on the theme from Wednesday of 'better late than never' in the Folk Archive release last month I did actually pick up a couple of pieces to style - I really quite liked the vibes of both the Marie Curie Black and White Blouses, while the styles were typical for their time, they're really having a bit of a come back in current trends so I thought I would give them a go!

I found both of these blouses super easy to style, and they definitely don't keep their older style origins when styled with more modern and different pieces - which was something I'd definitely worried about. The details at the collar aren't as clear on the Black as the White Blouse, and with the cool puff-shoulder design I really felt I couldn't add any jackets or layers because these need to be shown off! For the first look I decided to add a polo layer beneath, which I think brings another element to the piece, then I kept the rest of the look in black to really give a sleek look, this totally makes the attention at the sleeves. I added a belt to cover the detail there on the piece (I don't like it so much), and used gold in the rest of the accessories for a classic style combination. In the second styling it's super light, and I think that helps with clarity in the details of the piece. I kept a similar smart vibe to the look with these trousers, I really like their colour paired with white, it's a fresh tone for the Autumn for sure^ I kept the rest of the accessories in white, and with this there are so many options to choose from. I added a necklace too, the dainty design of this piece looks good with the collar design, I think it's a super cute pairing =D

Layers in beige

I think we all know I'm a fan of beige, so this look from yelich is totally something I would also wear, but would never think of^ I love a lot of these pieces individually, yet have never worn them together. I think these trousers are a great staple and a pair that I think I'll wear for Autumn, and I also have a lot of love for this more yellow-toned blazer, I wear it a lot and I think it's fun to see these two pieces together. The layering of the perspex PVC and brown leather jacket on top is super cool, it totally adds an edge to the styling and I think it works well to still show off the blazer. The accessories are great, love the LV logo bag and the perspex heels tie in well to the outfit - I love it =D

Pearl blues

I thought this styling from marina495 was just so classy and beautiful - I adore the baby blue pieces and the pearl jewellery^ I also love this skirt, I've really not seen many people wearing it at all, the tweed won't be for everyone, and from experience I know it's not the easiest to style, but this outfit with it ticks all the boxes! The white shirt is smart, and the blazer further adds to the smart-ness. The blue works great with the tweed and really brings out the blue tones that are there. The shoes and the bag are the perfect matching accessories for the colours, and the pearl jewellery pieces are a beautiful finishing touch^

H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | October 2019

I can't believe these October HBs are already a year old, time has passed so quickly! These pieces really weren't my style at the time, and that hasn't changed at all, I'm not the October 2019 HB's biggest fan. However, there are a couple of pieces I picked up and have kept, mainly from the accessories - no, not those boots which I think I could never wear, but the bags are both pretty decent pieces on their own. I will start by saying the Cat Eye Sunglasses have been one of my all-time favourite pieces to wear this past year, I've included them in stylings too many times to count, they have been so great in my collection^ Today I'm styling the Belt Bag and the Silver String Bag:

The colour of green of the bag isn't my favourite, but I don't find it too tricky to style - I quite like the mismatch between it and the colour of the trousers, they definitely add a smart vibe to the look. I added black to keep it more Autumnal, but also the black ties in with the base of the bag, so I think it works quite nicely. I think it's a solid Autumn look, I think the green adds a twist as it's definitely not the most popular Autumnal colour. For the second bag I love highlighting the silver in it, however I'm definitely limited on how many silver pieces I have to pair with it. I really wanted this to work, but I don't think it's quite right! I really like this pair of velvet trousers with the bag, the colours are very nice together and I think the purple leopard sparkly shoes are a good fit too. The top half of the outfit has lost its way, the black is a little overwhelming to the purple tones - but oh well, you win some you lose some!

Round 2 | W E A R D E M J E W E L S C H A L L E N G E # 20

I've fairly gotten through a lot of my Beauty Parlor jewellery pieces with this Wear Dem Jewels Challenge - here is the 20th pair of earrings, although not technically a pair, this is the Chain And Cuff Earring from MS.TQ, which I think I've never worn before and really it's not a store I've focussed on before, however I've now just found a very nice earring in the store currently, so styling that will be coming your way soon for sure! Anyway, back to this piece - I like the gold, it's my favourite metal to wear so it's a shame I've neglected this. I'm not the biggest fan of cuff-style pieces, but I do think this on looks nice on my doll. For the makeup I've stayed firmly in Autumn with deep browns and burgundy, I love it! It's easy to go with light tones for light jewellery like this, but the dark eye look really draws you to the face and thus the jewellery of the styling. For the looks I focused on the browns and burgundies too, with a look of each, which I think works out ok. I really like this big leather trench coat from the first look, I think it's perfect for the current season and trends and works nicely with the whole beauty look. I tried out with this midi checked skirt, I think I quite like it but I'm not sure if it's perfect yet. The chunky gold layered necklace looks good though, I think it really stands well in the look. The second styling is much brighter with all the burgundy and it's looking super formal especially with the black blazer on top, but I really like that, it feels super edgy for me. This golden body jewellery is great to fill the deep V neckline, I love that styling a lot. Kept the rest of the accessories simple, the black bag and shoes are fitting with the formal style and balance the black of the blazer.

I really like the vibe that just wearing this earring gives to my looks so I really must remember to style it again =D