L O E W E | Tribute Review

The final Tribute of the season, and yet again another brand new one to add to the collection, one I'm super excited about - Loewe! I'm a huge fan of the bag designs, and we've had a few of those in the Plaza before, so the next step of a store of the whole brand is great. The advertising brings bright and bold and I love the look of the special offer item. Let's get into the store:

The store ended up being released in 2 parts, which is why part 1 and 2 are listed on the different floors. Even though the advertising looked very bold and bright with colours and options, actually the store has a really good mix of that with more neutral and easy-to-wear styles, I'm really impressed with this and it reminds me of vibes from early Tribute releases. First up, into the accessories. Now the shoes, I'm not so much into in the release - there are 7 pairs to choose from and they do have a range of styles and colours, but I'm not feeling a draw to any pair in particular. I will point out the White Rose Sandals though because these are priced in SC's, and are a pretty fab style for the price - a classic Summer strapped sandal with a unique rose design on the heel. However the bags, I do love! There's only 3 to choose from but I think they all look great and bring different Loewe designs to the Plaza - remember we've had some styles before so I like that this isn't just a repeat of those ones. First is the Loewe Flower Bag, which has a classic light tan colour with a fun white orchid detail alongside classic Loewe chunky knotting. It has a great slouched shape, another Loewe signature, and is really something quite fresh in the Plaza. Some great news for you, the other 2 bags are both priced in SC's, so this store gives affordable options across several items and not just a single item. The Pixelated Handbag is in the infamous 'puzzle' design, but brings us a fresh blue, black and white design, again something that is more unique for the Plaza. These are colours that I love to wear, I'm a big fan of those blue tones, so for me it's an easy one to add to the shopping cart. Then there's the Blue Yellow Knot Bag which is just a fantastic mix of colours again with a slouched shape to it. This has a really nice size, and the knot detail is definitely a unique stand-out feature. There aren't many other accessories in this release, but there are three pairs of sunglasses - the LOEWE Flower Sunglasses come in white, green and black and have a very fun petal design around the lenses. They come in both suite and beauty parlor versions, and the black pair are priced in SC's which is great. I think these are fab sunglasses and really add a fun flair to any styling, they really fit well with the collection and I look forward to seeing them styled up for Spring.

Onto the clothing. The first floor combines reds and browns, both colours I'm definitely on board with! I really love the look of the Red Armless Sweater, this looks like a fantastic Spring piece. I love the large gold buttons and the split open hem, and I can really see some fun looks made with this, I'm excited to work with it. Also in the sweater/jacket category is the Brown Leather Structured Jacket, which I was initially a bit on the fence about, but it's definitely growing on me - the dark colour is fantastic, I think it will be perfect for Autumn and I have some ideas for styling already. The wide open hemline may be challenging to work with, but I think it's a challenge I'm looking forward to. I don't so much like the Structured Beige Skirt that it's paired with though, it reminds me of like 2010 styles and what we liked back in that era, so I'm struggling to see how it would be worn, but I'm happy to be proven wrong. In the same beige tone I am quite tempted by the Nude Hands Dress, the design is really nice and I love the fit of the piece on the doll. For me I think the nude shade is just right in that it's enough of a difference than my doll's skin tone. I've not seen anyone style this yet but would love to see some fun looks. With a more casual vibe there is the Olive Denim Jacket and Skirt set, now the skirt isn't so much my style with the denim and silk combined, but the jacket does look pretty fun and it brings a streetwear/RTW vibe to the floor where the rest of the pieces do have a more dressy feel to them. The colour is certainly standout for a denim jacket and I like the oversizing to it along with the closed front. Final piece to mention from this first floor are the Double Belt Denim jeans, these look fantastic, the style is right on with current trends in terms of the overall fit and I really like the dark wash. The unique feature is the waistline with a split above the standard waist, followed by a high-rise second waist and second belt. They really look fab! On the second floor it's definitely a more feminine style with more pinks and purples, I like it^ I love the Rhinestone Striped Shirt, the sparkly lilac with the coloured pinstripes really looks amazing, and the white collar gives me lots of styling ideas for it. Sticking with purple, the Purple Bow Dress really caught my attention - now I'm the first to admit I don't wear a lot of dressy-dresses or gowns, or pieces like this, but something about this specific style had me hooked and I couldn't stop thinking about it - so I've now bought it and look forward to styling it. I think it was the combination of the light purple against the black bow at the waist, along with the gathering details, it just looks fantastic. The Tied Grey Collared Tshirt is an option in SC's and I think it looks like a pretty versatile option, plus it's a very dressy poloshirt, the long tie at the front definitely dresses it up an I think it will make for interesting stylings. I really love the look of the White Feather Skirt, this is a beautiful piece and while it does first look quite formal, I think it will work for casual outfits too - I find white an easy colour to style, so it's perfect for me and I think it will be great for Spring/Summer looks with some super fun accessories. The Pink Window Dress isn't so much my thing because of the window, but I do love the colour and the rest of the dress overall, I think it makes a good pick from the store, but I haven't seen anyone style this yet. The final floor is a little more avant garde in the styles, overall the showy more arty pieces aren't my style, but there's some more minimal options in here too. I can see the White Structured Top will be a popular piece, it's arty but also has a wearability to it, it will be perfect for Summer stylings being a wrap style across the chest and shoulder. But it's both the Red and White Mini Skirts that are definitely the most wearable items from the floor. The styles are simple but classic and the colours are good choices, with the white being priced in SC's. These have a lovely flounce to them and a perfect mini length, very skater skirt from the early 2010's but it's something I quite like and am looking forward to styling^

F E A T U R E S

First up for features is harpie, styling up both the Loewe Flower Black Sunglasses and White Structured Top. I think the layering of the top with the sheer long sleeve is a fab idea, the pieces could easily be one and it makes the top very wearable for a more Spring-based styling. The black and white focus is very eyecatching and the gold touches of course draw my attention - this skirt is a super fun piece and the checkered pattern is perfect for the Loewe pieces to fit with^

Next up is Bianca.Vos wearing the Olive Denim Jacket and honestly this look is doing a great job at trying to convince me to buy this piece! What I loved was the pairing of the long draping of the jacket with the matching draping hem of the mini-skirt, this is such a fun idea to work with. And the look also highlights the versatility of the jacket, I was struggling thinking about colours working with the olive, but clearly black is a perfect choice, this look highlights a good versatility to the piece for sure!

Last but not least and bringing a bright look, it's BeatriceFashion with the Rhinestone Striped Shirt - this is the exact sort of look I was picturing for this fantastic piece, I love it =D The smart white trousers balance with the white collar detail, and keeping the rest of the look super bright and light lets the shiny purple really pop, the look is fantastic in this setting too. I love the little ruffle addition at the hem of the blouse, it really also ties in well with the intricate lace design on the overcoat. Really loving this one a lot =)

T H E R O W | Tribute Review

Next up in Tribute season and it's another brand new store for the Plaza, it's The Row! This was such a pleasant surprise of a release, for me it wasn't one I expected but I loved following the brand years ago back in it's earlier days. Honestly I haven't really checked it out recently, but I'm loving the brown tones in the advertising so I'm excited to get on into it:

I really like the overall vibes of the store, there's a lovely mix of colours and tones, and a good variety of styles - you can get both a fancy dress or something more street-style, which for me is perfect in a Tribute store. First up the accessories. There are 8 pairs of shoes, and 5 of those are available to fit both male and female dolls which is a great option. The Black Ballet Flats stand out to me as being very trendy right now, the look great on the doll and are a very versatile shoe - they're simple but it's been a while since we've had something similar released. The Black and Red Illusion Boots are fun styles, we've not had anything like this in the Plaza and I think they really do stand out in the store, especially the bold red. They have a short heel and a slight point to the toe - for my doll the skin section is quite similar to my tone, so I like the look, I've not seen anyone wear these to compare on other skin tones. In contrast there are only 2 bags in the release, but both are nice pieces. The Green Leather Bag has a beautiful forest green tone in a very classic city structured bag, while the Hat Basket Purse is a more fun style, the hat bag design is one we've had before, so this is a good opportunity to pick it up if you've missed it before. There are then a number of other accessories pieces, the Black Belt Bag and Red Purse Belt can technically be added to the bag category, these are cute pieces with very nice small sizes making them pretty wearable items. And I really quite like the look of the Red And White Scarf, the light fabric has a beautiful flowing design and I think it's something fresh for Spring in the Plaza.

Onto the clothing! The first floor is a perfect balance of light beige and black, I love the colour combination and this floor really pairs accessories perfectly with clothing, super complementary to each other. For sure the Voluminous Trench Coat catches my eye immediately being front and centre. It's simple yet detailed and really makes for a good clothing base to add accessories onto. I'm not so sure on the other beige pieces in the floor, I like the idea of the Lace Doily Dress, the details are intricate and the design pops, but there's something about it which isn't quite right to me and I can't put my finger on it. The black lace Flower Cutout Dress however is a stunning piece using lace - on the all-black mannequin in the store I think you lose some details, it looks stunning when trying it on and I really think it's a triumph of a piece^ Fantastic detail and I love both the long length and the scooping of the square neckline. Balancing the floor out is the Black Tied Sleeve Dress which is a super sleek and styling strapless number, again I love the neckline on this one, it's very flattering on the doll. The sleeve detail isn't super obvious and because of that I think it's a pretty versatile piece that will layer nicely. The second floor is very much mixed in colours, your eyes are pulled everywhere. The outfit that immediately caught my attention is the Cream Top and Red Blue Checkered Skirt pairing, this is very 'me' and I love the light yellow with the bold print, perfect primary tone combination - but both pieces will work very well separately. I love the loose fit of the top as well as the slouched open collar, and the skirt has a nice gathered detail at the waist. Also popping in this floor is the Oversized Pink Shirt, this is such a fun item, love the bold pink but also the wrapped design around the waist, it makes it very unique. This piece does look great with the Maroon Slacks and Tied Maroon Blazer, but I don't love the overall fit of the trousers, just a little too low slung for me, so I'll happily pair my pink with other maroon and burgundy trouser options. The Big Pocket Blue Skirt is also a lovely piece, I'm still a little on the fence about it and how I would style it, but I think the colour is beautiful and the midi-length is a nice one that I do like styling - I think perhaps it's the pockets themselves that are putting me off, I'd probably adore the skirt without them! And onto the third and final floor which brings us to all those beautiful brown tones. I was really drawn to the Black And White Jacket (which really looks brown to me and not black, what does everyone else see?), the block contrasting colours are fab and the fit on the doll is really perfect, it's got a slight fit while being a little oversized, for me it's just perfect. I immediately could see what accessories I would pair with it, so it was love at first sight with this one. For a more oversized style the Tweed Blazer and Trousers pairing is the perfect option, for me the tweed isn't quite how I'd like it to be but the fit of the pieces is great and again, they're great together but will also work individually. The Black Voluminous Top is fantastic, and actually I kinda skimmed over this piece on my first look through the store, but it really gives me luxury vibes and seems like something you'd easily find in an LE collection. The oversizing is nice but it's cinched well at the waist and the boatneck neckline looks great on the doll against those sleeves - I'm really quite excited to style this one =)

F E A T U R E

Although I was away when the release came out I did manage to snap boa styling up the Patchwork Silk Top recently and thought this was just a stunning outfit, I couldn't miss featuring it! When I first saw the look I really thought it was an LE piece, so elegant and honestly perfection with the other pieces in this outfit, especially the puffball mini-skirt, it brings me back to many years ago of popular styles but is modernised with the accessory use - love the sheeny tights with the slouched socks and oh-so-stylish brown pointy slingbacks, really a perfect combination alone let alone with the rest of the outfit! Hair and beauty look on point to complete the overall styling^

A N N D E M E U L E M E E S T E R | Tribute Review

Next up in the Tribute Season, and it's a brand new store/designer for us, Ann Demeulemeester! This is a Belgian designer with brand of the same name - whilst it's not something I'm familiar with, I love having new stores featured in the Tribute Season so I'm looking forward to checking it out. From the advertising, I think it looks pretty good with more minimal designs and colour use, so let's check out the full collection:

The store has the traditional 3 floors and a total of 15 looks, 13 for female dolls and 2 for males, with several pieces available in both male and female versions. I was excited to see the release from the advertising, but I'll be honest, the collection didn't feel as inspiring to me as it first seemed. While I love the neutral and simple use of colours, there's just something about the designs that doesn't leave me feeling inspired. I did pick up a few bits and I think they will make great looks - but a memorable collection? I'm not sure yet. 

There aren't many shoe and bag options, but there are some other accessories to choose from - I quite like the Black Leather Belts set, it's very DKNY-esque and I think is a good staple belt to have in a collection. Jewellery-wise the Chain Mirror Earrings are a nice piece, I like the longer length of these and despite being quite thin I do think they stand out really nicely on the doll.

Onto the clothing. The first floor is mostly black pieces, of course the one I like most is the White Puffy Sleeves Blouse, it has a very nice oversizing, a cool open collar and extra long sleeves - it's a modern fresh take on the classic white blouse. I would have liked if the Black Belted Loose Pants had also come for female dolls. The second floor adds a little more colour with the reds, I love the shades of both the Blood Silk Dress and One Shoulder Draped Dress, but they're designs/styles that I know I very rarely wear, so aren't worth it for me. On this floor however I do like the Black Cropped Jumper, I think it looks very current and I can see it will be a fun piece to style. I also like the style of the Dark Grey Pants, these have a really nice waistline design and I like the loose fit with a pleat design, I just would prefer if they were a higher waist style. The final floor brings the lightest designs and I think these are the most appealing to me. The White Sheer Lace Top and Skirt set is super cute, although is very much a Spring/Summer design rather than Autumn/Winter. The floral on the lace is super cute and I think the pieces are a great base for super fun coloured accessories. The Stained White Jersey Dress also looks like a great piece, I like the green hue it has along with the fitted sleeveless maxi style, it's giving 90's/00's and I really like that as an addition to the Plaza.

I was on a trip when this release came out, so I didn't manage to snap any features to share, but I will share my own styled outfits at some point =)