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

Here is Tribute 2 of the season, a brand new brand for us - Elie Saab! This is super exciting for me as the brand is known for such elegant, beautiful and detailed pieces, I really never thought it would be something we would have as a Tribute store, so I am over the moon about this addition! I won't say anymore, let's get on and see the release:

This collection is quite amazing, there are five floors - this many really reminds me of the early Tribute seasons when it was the norm to have this many floors and number of looks in a release, I'm so pleased about it. And at first glance this collection looks impressive too beyond the number of looks on offer. Starting with the accessories, of which of course there are a lot to choose from. Unlike with Zuhair Murad where the focus was on shoes, it's the opposite here which is a nice mix. There are 4 pairs of shoes in this release, but to be honest, none of them really stand out to me - the designs are fine and they are all unique to each other, but really they're nothing too new to the Plaza. I've also not seen many dolls styling these pairs. The store is also minimal on bags, there are just 2 to choose from, personally I really like the Pearl Clutch, it has an elegant feel to it and the small size is perfect. I really like the gold chain handle and the overall texture of the piece is quite unique, I think it will really stand out in an outfit^ Several of the clothing items come with attached belts, however there are 6 belts you can pick from which is quite the selection for one collection! Whilst 3 of the belts are black with gold details, there is a reasonable selection of styles you can choose from. The first one that caught my eye was the Wide Belt With Rope, for me it stood out from the other black pieces as having a decent versatility - the other ones are quite thick at the sides of the body, and this one is the opposite being thick in the middle, which is more my preference but I think they all look pretty classic and will be wearable. Next to mention is the Velour Belt, this is a burgundy velour with a big gold buckle and back piece, I think it looks quite fabulous! The last piece to mention is the Star Belt, I didn't really like this at first but it grew on me once I zoomed in and saw the star details around the buckle which looks great, and the colour of the belt is pretty nice too. And there are a number of jewellery pieces included too, what is great is that these are available in both beauty parlor and suite versions so you can choose what works best for you - I really love that! Of course the first piece to catch my eye were the Oversized Sunglasses, these look like such a fun pair of shades in their design, it's definitely unique and really stands out in my collection. I also love the neutral brown/beige colour they have, I think it really makes them versatile - can't wait to wear these! Also in a neutral colour are the Brown Bids Earrings, these really popped in the store, despite their smaller size, and I love how they look on the doll. They have a gold bar joining the two beads, I love what a delicate touch this adds. I've not seen anyone style these yet and would love to^ I am still a little tempted by the Black And Gold Earrings (styled already by Miloshki!) - these are a mis-matched dangly pair that really look super fun as there are so many elements to them. And lastly there are also some necklaces in the collection. I really like both the Tassel Necklace and the Chain Pendant, both are long pieces but definitely individual in design - for me the gold in the designs really stood out as something I would wear, and I really quite love the wrapping around the neck before going down into the long chain that the Tassel Necklace offers. I think this is a really solid offering of accessories!

Onto the clothing - I will again go through this section by floors, as there are five(!) and they are all pretty themed by floor, I'm all for this^ The first floor is all about gowns in green and blue tones, for me these designs are quite 'classic Elie Saab', meaning these styles are what I think of when I think of the brand - for the first floor I think they really sell it! Personally I've not bought any of these and I probably won't as they're a little too much gown for my style, but they're still super pretty pieces. The Turquoise Gown looks amazing, that colour is so eye catching and the design is a classic, I really like the gathering in the top. A similar gathered piece in the top is the Draped Gown Suit, I really love that there's a jumpsuit in there, even if it's not too wearable a piece. This really looks great on the doll, and the colour is just stunning - if I could have these trousers as a separate piece I would be happy^ The final piece to mention for the first floor is of course the Feather Dress, what's not to like about sequins and fun feathering?! This also looks great on the doll and is such a glamorous piece. The second floor is a bit of a mix and is more the fun colourful pieces that didn't fit elsewhere in the store. The first piece that stands out to me is the Blue Satin Dress, this seems another super classic Elie Saab to me and I think it's super cute - I love this colour a lot, but it's not a style I can see myself getting a lot of wear from. Similarly with the Velour Dress, I love the colour, and it pains me to pass up a burgundy piece, but it's not the sort of dress I could wear in a number of different ways - the design on this one is great though, I really do like the one shoulder draping, it's fantastic! But on this floor both the co-ord sets really did catch my eye, the Black Holo Top and Striped Holo Pants (though they look like a skirt) and the Printed Top and Maxi Printed Skirt. I love the contrasting fits to the pieces, the Holo items are tighter fitting with a more racy striped design while the Printed pieces have a more casual-Summer vibe with a loose fit and a fun print. I think these items will look good separate too and so I'm looking forward to testing that out. The third floor is all about black pieces with all of the items in different designs and styles, there's plenty to choose from! The sparkly pieces sure catch the eye first, those are the Transparent Dress and Turtleneck Dress which are both high neck, long sleeve and longer length pieces, which are all design features that I really like. The first is a more sheer piece however is covered with a fun striped pattern and does have an underpiece included - this piece also has some fabulous shoulders. The second has a velvet-style texture and does seem a little more minimal, but I think this will make a great party-season piece for styling and I think it will have a number of styling options. The dress that I really love on this floor is the Dress With Print, it really reminds me of some older style Miu Miu pieces that I loved at the time, so I knew I had to give this a try! I love the style of it, super minimal but it fits the doll well and the design is certainly unique and stand-out in the current Plaza. Also on this floor I thought the Crystal Top was a fun piece, I love a turtleneck and these multicoloured gems look fun to style. The one thing I will say is that this piece comes across as much more vibrant in store than in my suite, the blue really doesn't stand out at all which is a bit of a shame and the other colours are more muted. The fourth floor is perhaps my least favourite of the five, whilst I like the pink and muted tones, I don't so much like the pieces. The Embroidery Jacket is such a pretty and detailed piece, but for me the colour doesn't work well on my doll. The final floor however is much better, so ending on a high! This one is themed for bright colours with a focus on yellow and orange - of course I love it! The first piece that caught my attention was the Leather Mini Dress, the bold orange colour is fantastic and this short sleeved and mini length piece just looks fab, the floral details are a great touch. I know this piece won't work for everyone, but for me this is just something I can see that I want to style multiple times. The Glitter Mini Dress balances out the floor, the striped colour design is beautiful and the piece sparkles too^ This also fits the doll very nicely as well - I've not bought it yet, but I am very tempted. And the very final piece I want to mention is the Mustard Dress which is just all around stunning. The yellow colour is completely my thing and I love the more minimal design this piece has, the floral detail is just enough and I adore the pleating, but it's not too over the top. Now I just need to find multiple reasons to buy and style it =D

F E A T U R E S

First up for the features is Bianca.Vos styling the Transparent Dress really looking fabulous! This dress design looks great with the cropped blazer layered ontop, it really looks great. The simple black accessories are perfect to make sure the dress is the focus of the outfit, the heels are elegant and I love these studded earrings a lot. The short hairstyle is perfect to highlight the power of the blazer shoulders and let the earrings pop^

Next up in something a little brighter is harpie wearing the Printed Top which is such a fresh piece and looks great in this outfit. The yellow of the shoes balances the yellow in the print very well, and the black tulle maxi skirt also plays well with the black leaf of the print. But it's the blue that really stands out, this skirt and belting layered over the black tulle is a fab idea, it looks great! And the accessories are fitting too, this perspex clutch fits the style nicely and those gold earrings add a touch of glam =)

An even brighter styling next from our very own Miloshki in the Leather Mini Dress - this is a fab mix of colours and addition of print to the piece. The blue floral dress is a fun idea to layer beneath the orange, the florals match to those on the focal piece and I think the colours are a good contrast. The orange gloves added are a great touch to balance the blue and orange. The blue is continued in the bag, which I think is a perfect choice for the look^ And white boots - I'm always a fan so of course these get a thumbs up from me!

And the final feature comes from Sarah_1980 styling a number of pieces, the Straw Platforms, Pearl Clutch, Rope Earrings and the Wide Belt With Rope - what a number of pieces, but they all look great together in this outfit! Whilst the clothing is not from the store I really have to commend this combination of dresses, I love these pieces together a lot, they both really look fabulous here. The belt is a great fit for the flounce of the skirt, and the bag is fab against the jewel-style bodice of the top dress. The neutral shoes and earrings pair well and also work nicely with the muted tone of the dresses - such a beautiful styling =D

S T Y L I N G S

Now for my stylings - I bought many items from this store, so these are just the first three stylings and you can look out for more soon^ First up is the Maxi Printed Skirt, a perfect piece for Summer. I tried out a number of blue and yellow accessory pieces with this one and I'm pretty happy with my choices, I'm glad I had a lot of options so I can style it up differently again soon. With blue and yellow in the accessories I added more white in the top half, this top is a great Summer staple and the earrings with glasses make a nice final touch. I think with the right accessories this skirt will also look fab in Autumnal outfit. Next is the pairing of the Dress With Print and Wide Belt With Rope which were paired together in the store. I spent a lot of time deciding if I wanted to style them together or not, in the end I opted for together as I do think this dress needs a belt if there's no other clothing pieces being added. I knew I wanted white shoes, I love how these boots look and the more muted white colour I think works well with the white printing on the dress. With the black belt I knew I wanted to add more black in the accessories, which was pretty easy for me - I think these are fitting pieces and there are plenty of other options out there for future outfits. And finally are the Brown Bids Earrings and Oversized Sunglasses, which I really like together but just not with the sunglasses worn on the face as they really command a lot of attention, so them hanging on the bag is a good fit for the pairing. I kept it super simple so the accessories could stand out and I really love the outcome. This beige coat is great for letting the brown of the earrings pop and also fitting with the colours of the sunglasses. Building the outfit around it was easy, white adds the light touch for Summer and the brown accessories were easy to pick - I really quite love the sunglasses paired with this little Louis Vuitton bag, I think I will be using the pairing again for sure^