This weekend brought us a brand new release of LE, it's LE53 and comes 5 months after the last release - I honestly didn't think it had been that long! Anyway, the advertising came out on Thursday, with the offer of a free bag when you top up. I really like the look of this bag, love the cube design with the intricate gold handle detailing. It doesn't give too much away about the collection as a whole, but it definitely got me looking forward to it - let's get in and see what's in store:
The release has 3 floors and 15 looks - this is pretty standard size for limited releases these days. And that includes several pieces which come in both male and female doll formats. I think the collection actually pairs really nicely with LE52, I feel the same vibes from the both of them with glamour and a bit of eccentricity in the designs and choices, and actually LE51 was also quite similar. I'm definitely getting more into working with these more glitzy styles, but I am a little ready to have some more RTW collections or styled pieces in the LE releases. Anyway, starting up with the accessories, which feels like quite a small selection. There are 5 pairs of shoes to choose from, they're all quite unique in design to each other and actually I think they're all really strong options. For me I immediately was drawn to the Black And Gold Embroidered Slippers and the Maroon Miu Miu Heels - I love the pointed toe designs on both. Of course we all know I love a bit of gold, so these Slippers were perfect for me with that intricate gold design all over them. I already have quite a few ideas for them so I think I may do a whole post for them to shine! And of course, maroon is a colour of the moment, these shoes are just perfection, love the Miu Miu design as a whole so these are perfect to add to my collection. Then There are the Gold Loafer Heels which I also picked up, these Gucci shoes are beautiful - yellow and gold combined?! How could I resist! There have been a lot of Gucci pieces that I've regretted not buying in the past so I wasn't going to miss out on these, really love them for Autumnal stylings and looking forward to wearing them. I didn't pick up either the Gold or Black Butterfly Sandals - really lovely designed strappy sandal, but quite similar to a number of pieces we've had in the past and these are designs I know I don't wear so much. There are actually only 2 bags in the collection. The Maroon Quilted Purse (very reminiscent of a piece from LE28) is a lovely piece for the Autumn/Winter season, love both the fabric and colour and can see how this will easily fit into my collection. Then there is the Giant Gold Clutch which I like in theory, love the colour and the size is really nice, but it's an under-arm clutch so I can find the design quite restrictive for styling sometimes. There are a number of jewellery pieces available, which come in both Suite and Beauty Parlor options which is great because you can choose what works for you - I always opt for the Suite version. I'm a big fan of the gold pieces, especially the Melting Gold Earrings, these look fantastic on and will really stand out in an outfit, plus there's a matching Melting Gold And Pearl Choker which also looks stunning. The Gold Geometric Earrings also look good, a classic stand out chunky earring (also also comes in Silver!). The last piece to mention here is the Diamond Starry Necklace, this looks super cute and is a bit of a gold-silver mix with a sweet star design. I really like all the different layers to it and think it looks really nice on the doll - will make for some shiny Winter-party stylings^
Now onto the clothing. For me, the first floor wasn't a great opener - the pieces on the whole weren't so much my thing, although I do think the burgundy/maroon colours look fab. The Smoky Maroon Dress looks amazing, the silver and dark shades work beautifully together, and it looks great on the doll. And the Maroon Flower Cape also looks stunning, I can't see how I would wear it so much, but I'm looking forward to seeing others style it up! On the more simple side, this floor also had the Sequin Black Mini Skirt and Sequin Black Crop Top combination, these are cute pieces that will work in a number of different ways. The second floor is a fabulous mix of gold and burgundy, these pieces really look fantastic together. There are 3 burgundy choices. The Maroon Cut Out Gown is first, it has a beautiful colour and such power with those strong pointed shoulders, and fantastic detail with the intricate cut-outs - it's just a piece I know I wouldn't get much wear from. On the other end of the floor is the Maroon Jumpsuit, this is stunning and I had initially planned to get this, I love the design with all the sparkle and jewelled details, I just don't love the fit on the doll. For the price I'd prefer a slimmer fit in the leg with a bit of a shorter length - but I can't wait to see others wearing this one. The Maroon And Lace Coat is quite a show-stopper in the middle of the floor, it really looks like a great Autumn piece, and it also comes with matching Maroon And Lace Slacks, but the fit on these is quite disappointing so I know I wouldn't wear them. The outfit is also paired with the Black Untied Blouse, a super minimal piece that I think is a great classic to include in the store, it fits the doll well and I really like the ties on the front. The gold pieces on the floor are certainly more dramatic but the piece that really stood out to me was the Structured White Coat, it's certainly more minimal on the gold but I think that makes it a bit more versatile, and I certainly can see many gold accessories working well with this. On to the final floor, the style is a bit mixed on this one with a bit of everything to choose from. There's a lot of sparkle - I really like the navy and sparkle pairing of the Encrusted Outline Crop Top and Encrusted Outline Skirt set, but I'm just not sure I'd wear these pieces much. The sparkly piece that caught my eye and I couldn't resist however was the Hooded Sparkle Blazer - the style of this is very unlike me, but I just really loved the look of this with the navy base colour and the white and pink toned pearl sparkles, and I had a few ideas immediately, so I've given it a go! Speaking of pearls I also love the look of the Pearl Bow Top, super classy off the shoulder piece that really stands out in the collection for looking quite wearable and versatile. And the last pieces to mention are bottomhalves, I really loved the look of the Patent Leather Maroon Skirt and Golden Slacks on this floor, these look like fantastic items for the Autumn season and I can't wait to wear them. Both have fantastic colour and texture and are in very current fits. These will be really fun to style^
F E A T U R E S
First up is France25 styling the Golden Arrow Handbag which was the top-up gift for the weekend, it's a great piece. A stunning Autumnal look here, I love the combination of the browns and blacks in the clothes, the pieces just work together perfectly and the styles are very complementary to each other. Accessories are great, the delicate golds of the jewellery are perfection with the bag - I love it =D
Next up is harpie who wears both the Patent Leather Maroon Skirt and Maroon Miu Miu Heels - made to be worn together for sure^ The maroon looks amazing with the deep green of this coat, and the patent textures of the skirt and coat are fab together. The accessories here have been picked perfectly, love the slim necklaces, the gold and whites really stand out. And that bag - I haven't seen that styled for ages but it's really a fantastic choice for this look!
Next up is Mery.- who is also styling the Patent Leather Maroon Skirt, showing off it's versatility. The deep red looks great against both the purple tones in the jacket and the dark brown in the boots, I think it's a fun combination that just makes me think of Autumn. I also love the use of this purple bag in the look, it pops but at the same time doesn't pull too much focus, really love that addition^
The penultimate feature is from leiona_- wearing the Maroon And Lace Coat Female - I knew it would look awesome =) I really was picturing this coat in a little more of a casual manner, but this very dressy look is perfection for the piece. The white skirting and jewelled top are great together and add a light and sparkling touch to the outfit to really pull you in to then look at the voluminous coat. Plus love those silver jewellery pieces, looking great!
S T Y L I N G S
Now onto my stylings - I bought quite a number of pieces so I think I will follow up with another styling post or two, but here's 3 looks to start with. First up I styled the Pearl Bow Top which was super fun to style. I opted for this fun velvet skirt and I think the two pieces really complement each other on their dressy style. I stuck with pearls for my accessories with these shoes and earrings, then some simple black pieces to round it out, really love it =) Next are the Golden Slacks and Black And Gold Embroidered Slippers, these are great together but will also work well individually. I did struggle a little on what to pair with them, but I think this off shoulder top is a really fun option with the voluminous sleeves against the volume of the trousers. Simple accessories in black and gold were good final touches - I was just missing the perfect necklace for this outfit! And the final look uses both the Hooded Sparkle Blazer and Maroon Quilted Purse together, I think they're a cute pairing^ With the pink in the sparkle of the blazer I wanted to try that out for my first styling with it, and I really like it - I'm sure it won't be for everyone, but I think it works nicely. I kept the overall accessories additions pretty simple and I think that was perfect so that the blazer stands out. I'm looking forward to wearing this again already!
