June V I N Y L | Styled By Me / / Styled By You

Wow, so it's the end of June already - and we're 12 weeks into VINYL releases as Plaza windows. I kept up with posting weekly for these releases until week 7 and then it just got very uninspiring for me - however 5 weeks later I think I've purchased enough pieces to style up for a post! And I also found some features for the releases too, there are definitely pieces which have been more popular than others in the last 5 weeks =)

First up with the features, two looks with the I See Turtleneck and this one is coming from MeLolitka - I love the all-white vibes to the styling, it's so fresh and crisp and I think these shorts are adorable plus perfect for summer styling. The white really brings out the sheen and shimmer in the top, it's super highlighted in the look^ And the accessories are fab, I love the pearls and the iridescent sheen on the shoes =D

Secondly, also wearing the I See Turtleneck is ajenkam, this time infusing colour and the top still looks awesome - it's a very versatile piece for sure! I think it looks great layered with a thicker jacket, and the jacket doesn't cover it up too much either, you can still see that sheen^ The striped trousers look super cool and stand out in the styling, and the red works surprisingly well with the teal tone, love it =)

Thirdly we have millaxx who is wearing the Animal Print Pants which I was quite unsure about at first, however this look may have totally converted me in their favour! The pale colours make these a perfect summer trouser and the blue tones are highlighted with this blazer included in the styling. I love the white accessories keeping it light and super trendy with the style of all the pieces^

Next we have Miss.Privacy who styles the Orange Waist Belt, showing even the accessories can stand out on their own^ I was put off but the chunky style of the belt, but I think layered up under this blazer is a perfect way to combat this. I love the clothing colours for the belt, they're complementary but totally let the orange stand out, especially the white. Also loving that earring, a perfect accessory combination =D

And lastly we have GirlEwelina wearing the Folder Handbag which does well to stand out against a mostly dark styling. I was a little confused with the style of this bag, then I saw the RL version and got it, haha! I think it looks great here, especially paired with the cool layering of pieces on the top half, the printed body looks awesome with the belting design on top and I think it's an excellent style to pair the bag with. Also loving the pink hair, it's such a fun addition!

And now for my own stylings! I'm accumulated quite a few pieces from the past 5 weeks and styled them up into four looks today. First up the Baby Handbag and Baby Blue Heels in such a sweet and light Summer outfit, I love it! I love white with baby blue tones and this outfit came together so quickly, love the slight crop to the trousers so the shoe details could still be shown off, and the blue cardi is a sweet and feminine addition with the over the shoulder style. I'd totally wear an outfit like this in RL^ And then we have the Pattern Denim Pants with the Black Wood Boots in this very un-Summer styling, it will be perfect come Autumn^ The design of these trousers just really caught my eye as something totally different, and among some not-so-great Plaza releases, they really stood out as something special. The fit is pretty nice on the doll, I did a little size adjusting so the length was better for me, and they work well like that, and the dye colour is super pretty - I focused on that for my paired pieces, and this top and bag combination is spot on for that! I will say it was tricky to pick something else, or anything else that wasn't black to work with these trousers. The boots are pretty nice too, and with this length of the trouser the square toe and heel design of these really gets some spotlight too =D

For the third look I'm wearing the Seventeen Sunglasses and the White Flarred Skirt, again in a Summery and beige style, typical me for sure =) It's a little basic, but I think it works out - I tried so many different shirt combinations with this skirt and found it hard to get something I really liked a lot, so I think there's some more playing around with this piece to do. I like highlighting the frill-style to the waist of the skirt, and I think this belt bag is a good way to do that. The sunglasses are super versatile, they'll work pretty well in a wide range of looks! And lastly styling the I See Turtleneck which I was so unsure about at first, but I took a chance and love the outcome! For me the layering with a top underneath is a perfect way to style this piece, I tried a few options but just adore this pink one^ The rest of the outfit came together very naturally and the balance between whites and pinks is good to allow the shimmer of the shirt to really take focus in the styling. I love this as a little something different for me, and I already have another idea for styling this shirt!

Round 2 | W E A R D E M J E W E L S C H A L L E N G E # 13

Next up in the Wear Dem Jewels Challenge are the Art Deco Earrings from Epiphany which were released as an MSW collection way back in 2015. I styled them up in 2 looks back then with a focus on purple based stylings through my makeup and looks - but this time looking at them I immediately see blue in them, which is what I chose for my stylings. I have quite a range of blue eyeshadows to work with, I focussed on the paler tones with a darker shade close to the eye. I think it really pops! With the looks I didn't mean to put together two super similar ones, but it just happened, I love both this dress and the blazer with the earrings^ The first styling is super simple, the dress has a fair amount of detail to add with the earrings and the styles are complementary to each other. The accessories to finish off have a nice silver sheen which is perfect for the earrings. For the second look white is a perfect pairing to go with the blazer - this smart shirt with fun cuffs is a great idea to pair, and the trousers are a nice summer piece keeping the fabrics light. I added more fun in the accessories, these blue shoes are a bright touch, and I think they look good with the other blue tones, the bag is this sweet beaded piece, this texture is great in so many stylings =D The earrings are another pair that look great with this darker hairstyle too!

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

And finishing up the week of Hotbuys Revisited with the June 2019 Hotbuys from last year - didn't love the dark vibes for the Summer months, but the pieces on their own really weren't as bad as I was expecting them to be. I focussed on the accessories and I bought them all apart from the Cat Sunglasses, these just aren't so much my thing while the shoes and bags have a lot more versatility about them. The one piece I've used the most are the Strap Heels in the green, they have just been so great for outfits, and I think that was down to the colour as we don't really have anything else similar. Love them so much! So today focusing on the other pieces, I'm styling the Bamboo Tote and the Monochrome Shoes:

The looks are very much the opposite of each other, I didn't mean to make them totally void of colour! I definitely know why I've never worn this bag, it's all about the colour - it's not quite a tan, and there's not many accessories or pieces to match it perfectly. I think the sandals I chose are a good fit, but they're mostly hidden under these wide-leg trousers, haha. But I think the neutral style works well for a neutral bag like this, and I do think it manages to stand out in the styling. I have to say I really struggled with the shoes, nothing was looking right, so I settled - I think I will take a fresh look at these on another day with a new perspective. I styled them with these trousers the first time round and I picked them because I knew they looked good. This sleeveless polo gives for a sleek, almost retro vibe which I quite like, then I added some fun accessories - I did try silver but it was a little overwhelming for the shoes in the styling. I will try harder with these next time!

H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | June 2015

Continuing a week of Hotbuys Revisited, stepping back 5 years to the Hotbuys of 2015 which at the time I didn't love all the vibes to, but now I think it's pretty cool! No I don't want every piece, but I'd love those star booties to play with, and I think the blue starry top and skirt set is pretty cute, that might also make some fun looks! The only piece I bought was the Hotbuys Star Purse from PnL which cost 11SD's - I have styled included it in stylings a couple of times, but it's always been an addition at the end of the styling, I don't think I've ever purposefully styled it:

So I don't think either of these looks work well to really show off the bag to it's best, but they do both work really nicely with the bag =) First up all white and pink, I do find it hard for other colours to work really great with this bag, so sticking to tried and tested for this one. The pink of the bag is quite dusty, so doesn't work well with all pinks, but I like it with both of these pieces, the croc-texture looks great with the suede-style of the boots I think. The white pieces add good balance, and I think there's a perfect ratio of the two in the look. All I'm missing is the perfect earrings! Nothing stood out to me as 'just right' so I didn't include any, but I'm on the hunt for some =D And then the second look, a little more daring with colour with this two-tone skirt, and actually I think I've paired these two pieces together before - I really like the balance of the pinks on either side of the yellow half of the skirt^ I did try out a couple of different pairs of shoes and tops, but in the end my neutral-love won and I wore a classic beige combination. It works though! I did also add some earrings, I think these are super cute with the styling, I really love this look =)

H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | June 2009

Taking a huge step back in time to the June 2009 Hotbuys this week - I really remember these quite clearly, definitely not 11 years ago though! I loved the pink and purple vibes to the collection but also the dark florals in that skirt - always really wanted it, then got it and could never work it into a styling, isn't that typical?!?! I did also have the little bikini-top necklace but sold it some time ago. The one piece I have always clung onto though is the Hot Buys Bag from RIO, a very creative name I know, but way back then this only cost me 6SD's - which doesn't get you far these days! So two stylings with this fun piece:

I adore the colour of this bag, it's super stand out and bold - but the shape is a tricky one and the reason I really haven't worked with this bag before. I tried to embrace it this time, but I still wish it had a better position sitting on the doll! For the first look I went minimal in all pink, but the pastel tone really lets the bag stand out, I think it's a pretty cute pairing^ I actually had quite a few options for pink shoes, my aim was for something darker to pop out with the bag, and these striped ones were a surprise hit! I love them a lot as it is, but they're super tricky to style, but the mix of shades of pink was perfect for this look =) In the second styling I went a little crazy for me - I wouldn't normally go for a bold print, let alone a bold print with a bold accessory, but the pink tone in some of the floral print was just a great fit with the bag, and I don't think it looks too bad! Some people will probably disagree, but this is a step of trying new things for me^ I stick simple with some white accessories too though, the shoes, sunglasses and earrings work very nicely with the dress and the white flowers on there. I'm pretty happy with these looks, I think this bag has so much potential and I definitely need to wear it more!

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

This weekend we got a little something special in a release of Limited Edition! It's been quite a few months since our last release (February - and quite a few pieces are still available in the Plaza if you want them!) so this has been long awaited. There was a top up offer of 50% more SD's, and luckily the spoilers came out on Thursday, so you could plan accordingly =)

Highlights This release is a mix of recolours and new pieces - I really won't mention the recolours much, the pieces really aren't so much my style, and while some of the colour combinations work nicely, I think others are a little questionable. I'd have also rathered more pieces recoloured, with just a couple of colour  options rather than a few pieces with lots of colours. The new pieces however are better, and there's a mix of clothing, accessories and styles.

Accessories The new accessories really drew me in to the release! There are a few pairs of new shoes in a mix of styles, I do quite like the style of the Max Flats, the colour is a perfect neutral for summer and the square toe is great, but I'm not such a wearer of flat shoes so I'm passing on these for the moment. Also quite loving the LE Round Heels, which are the blue ankle booties with the cool sphere on the heel - these have such a great metallic vibe! I'm also very much a fan of the bags, both the LE Small Shoulder Bag and the Max White Handbag are really my thing being super minimal on the design front. I did think they were quite expensive for what they are, which was really off-putting, for a style like this I'm expecting around the 40SD mark, while these were 60-70SD. The one benefit to being minimal is that they'll work well with a lot of different styles though, so definitely won't sit unused!

Clothing So the recolours are so not my thing, but the new pieces are closer to my preferred style - they just don't look like LE clothing, does anyone else think the same? The design is all fairly minimal, which I really like, but the execution isn't up to scratch for me. The Blacknwhite Flower Jumpsuit is pretty cute, I like the loose fit on the doll but the fabric is half-sheer which I don't like the look of on my doll - I'd take the floral print on another item for sure though! The Tulip Denim Jacket and Pants are a cute pairing, I like the bright denim colour and the ripped applique additions are unique, which do make them stand out. I don't like the fit of the pieces for my doll, but they've both sold old, so I look forward to seeing stylings on you guys^ And lastly to talk about the all-beige styling, which by nature I should love as I love beige clothing, but these pieces, the Max Dress and Jacket are just a step too far into simple. It's really the design and details that let them down for me. The Dress is a little too shapeless on the doll, and if you're paying almost 100SD's then it really needs to be a good dress. The Jacket is a little better, however it's a style I know I shy away from as I've had similar styles before and not gotten wear from them.

Prices This release ranged from 25 to 135SD's, and as always, this was SS/Royalty-limited. However starting on Friday when the collection was released, everyone was given a free week of SS, so technically, this is available to everyone! I think the recolours were fairly well priced, however the new pieces were priced as a typical LE collection but design-wise did not match up to typical collections.

Styled Outfits I just picked up one piece, the LE Small Shoulder Bag and I'm super happy with it! I really had to pair it with other blue tones, and I love how it's worked out - I'm sure I'll try and work it with some other colours next time, but blue and white are classic^ For the first look I picked out a blue pair of trousers, I tried quite a few pairs under the criteria of being darker than the bag and this royal blue pair worked out best. I kept a smart shirt as the trouser waistline really works well with that, but did play with light blue shoes - these aren't a perfect fit to the bag colour, I didn't have anything that was a perfect match, but I think the darker tone between the pieces balances them and it's not too noticeable. I love this for a smart look that doesn't involve black! For the second look something lighter with white trousers - this bag looks pretty good with any white clothing, so it's easy to find things that work^ I decided to go with a blue top, this one has such a great light shade, I love it with the bag so much, and the details on it really add to the look - the black around the neckline was a perfect opportunity to choose a black belt and I also went with black sandals and sunglasses, which I just think is a great pairing against the paler tones. I'm super pleased with this outfit, it's really one of my favourites of the moment =D 

Features And for the features - these are mixed with new pieces and recolours, but the recolours have sold out much quicker than the new pieces. First up FunOpler styling the Blacknwhite Hat which is quite a fun and trendy piece, while it's not my style, I can imagine a lot of cool looks with this, like this one! The layering of the white skirt with awesome sleeves and the black furry top really works well to highlight the design of the hat, such a great pairing idea. The smart shorts keep a summer stylish vibe and I love the use of the fishnet socks, a fab balancing piece to work with the hat design^

MeLolitka styles up the Tulip Denim Pants in this cool blue and white based styling I really love the use of accessories in this styling, I think they're all great pairings with the jeans. The white piped details really pops out with the other pieces added, the belt, shoes and furry stole are perfect pieces here^ And I'm also loving this bag in the styling, the blue colour is perfect with the tone of the denim =D

Next up is the_chuba wearing the LE Balenciaga Inspired Sherling Jacket Black which is one of the recoloured pieces - this is definitely the most classic colour pairing for the piece, and it's perfect in this look^ The chunky black polo looks great under the jacket, the big collar is perfect to fill the wider neckline that the jacket brings. The boots are a perfect vibe with the pieces, while the light wash denim brightens the styling =)

And finally is yelich styling the Brown Handbag (which really looks black to me!) in this brown-focused look. I really love the pairing of these to brown/beige pieces, I love the combination of the chunky knit with the miniskirt, it's super cute and I think it's a style that works very nicely with the bag^ The lighter accessories in the look really help to make the dark colour of the bag really stand out in the styling!