Brand new LE! I don't know about you guys, but this release of LE last week came as a huge surprise to me, but it has been a while since our last collection. This is a winter themed release, I love the fresh and frozen homepage ad, I think it shows off the offers of the collection very well =)
Highlights The collection comes with 3 floors and 14 looks to choose from, all female with no male choices this time. There's a big designer-vibe to the collection, and a real mix of them and styles to choose from with the looks on offer. I quite like the range available, I think it works well for this release.
Accessories So a reasonable number of accessories for the release. There are two bags in the store, the
LV Inspired Handbag and the
Louis Vuitton Inspired Snake Bag - both stylish pieces which are modern in design. I'm not sure they're the most versatile bags, but they do look really good and
will suit at least a few different styles^ In terms of shoes there are 5 pairs, 2 of them boots and the other 3 sandal heel style pairs. The boots are both pretty cool, I absolutely love the
Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Metallic Boots, they stood out to me immediately - I love the style of them and the pretty colouring, they're a stand out piece that are perfect for this season. The
Chanel Inspired Clear Boots look similar to a previous pair we've had in the Plaza, they look good though, but I think it will be tricky for them to work well with a lot of different people's styles. I have to say the rest of the shoes didn't really do anything for me, I don't really like the style of the ankle-boot-sandal that both the
Balenciaga Inspired Heels and
Thong Booties have. The
Y Project Inspired Thigh Highs are pretty cool, I like the slight platform heel, and the shiny strapping around the leg, but I'm definitely not cool enough for them! There are only another couple of accessory pieces, the
Balmain Inspired Choker was a hit and sold out in record time! Then there's the
LE Fedora, which hasn't been so popular, but it doesn't look too much of a wearable piece to me, and lastly the
Black Velvet Long Belt which is right on trend with out current favourite styles, and looks to be pretty versatile =)
Clothing There are a wide range of designers in this LE release, and I can't help but think they've put some of them in here instead of making them as Tribute releases this holiday season, like Celine for example, but you can also pick up some Balmain and Y Project amongst the designer names.
Dresses This release does seem to have a big focus on dresses, there are so many to pick from! And I also love that they're pretty classic-styles to choose from, but there's no limit to the choices, nothing is identical and there are colours and lengths to pick between. Two Celine pieces stand out to me first, the
Celine Inspired Midnight Gown and
Celine Inspired Striped Dress, they have such a cool shape to them with a scarf-style top-half and a neat belting style. The skirts are wide and both are midi-length, I think these will be great dresses to wear in the springtime^ Also midi length is the
Dolce & Gabbana Corset Dress, which has a mixed style with pretty floral designs around the corset and some very cool sleeves, then a meshed skirting - it's a cute piece, but it's one I know I wouldn't get the wear out of, so I'm passing on this one this time. The
Alberta Feretti Inspired Lace Gown is the only maxi piece and true gown in the store. It has an ethereal green tone with beautiful lace design down the skirting and on the bustier, I love the little ruffle mid-way down the skirt too. The shape of the piece stands out to me as I think it looks like one that could be versatile and styled in different ways with resizing and reshaping, so I bought this one on a bit of a whim! And lastly the two shortest dresses, the
Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Slit Dress is a cocktail style piece, very dressy, and I love it^ The slit in the dress looks great and is really flattering on the doll. And finally the
Y Project Deconstructed Dress which is a bit of a fun piece with printing and colours and an interesting composition, it's a sweet and flirty piece =)
Co-Ords + Sets Unlike a lot of more recent collections, there's just a couple of co-ord pieces and pieces of the same thing in a few colours - first up the
Sheer and
Sheer Black Tuille Bodies which are delicate pieces with artistic designs ontop of the sheer material, which adds a bit of difference to them. The long sleeve polo style is popular right now, so I think these are pretty spot on in the style department =) Then the co-ords, the
Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Jacket and
Shorts, which are very girl-boss-esque and I love the bright white of them, very smart and I think reasonable pieces to work with into a daily wardrobe. Then the second co-ord,
Chanel Inspired Tube Top and
White Mini, which are more fun casual pieces. They're pretty cute together, but quite spring/summer and not hugely my style, I wish they were as I do like them, but I know that for me, I wouldn't get the wear out of them - would love to see some of you guys wearing them!
Bottomhalves And now the bottoms of offer, there are just two of them, so I do think there is a lack in this department, but nevermind - these are the
Y Project Inspired Cut Out Shorts, which are a loose knee-length pair of denim shorts, the fit is great on the doll, but it's the cut-out portion and length that put me off them. Then there is the
Balmain Inspired Marin Skirt, which I think is super high fashion and looks great, I love the navy colouring and the frilling around it. I'm a little unsure of the mesh, it's not something I typically wear, but I think the skirt looks quite good, but still on the fence because of the meshing. This skirt hasn't been a hit, and there's a lot of it left, so there's still plenty of time to decide about it^
Outerwear There are quite a few pieces in this category too, and I'm also including the sweater here - that is the
LE Paris Sweatshirt, which matches the
Balmain Inspired Marin Skirt really nicely. I love it in the navy, and the logo is pretty sweet, it's also a piece that will layer really well. I'm quite into denims right now, so this sweater will be great with them =) Then the coats, 3 in completely different styles - I'm sad the
Balenciaga Inspired Sherling Jacket sold out quickly, because it's a fantastic piece which fits right in with popular trends of right now. I love the colour and oversized design and the sherling, the only doubt I would have is the text along the collar. Then there is also the
Balenciaga Inspired Down Parka in an army green colouring - it's a standard pluffed up parka and it looks good. It has an interesting shape to make it stand out in the crowd, and I love the add-on that comes with this piece, it's a head scarf that I've seen looking fantastic! The final piece is my favourite coat (that I was able to purchase^), the
Alberta Feretti Inspired Long Coat, a loosely fitted trench-style piece in a shiny texture and chocolate brown colour, it stands out from other pieces that we've had in the Plaza before. I love it, and it looks great on the doll and with the many styles I've seen it worn with so far =D
Prices This release ranges from 39 to 210SD's, which does seem quite high, and actually the upper end of the range is higher than the past handful of LE releases. Everything is SS only, which is the usual for LE, so isn't a surprise.
Styled Outfits For my looks now - I bought a selection of pieces, some of which were definitely a surprise for me as they're not all my usual thing, but I'm pretty pleased =D In the first look I've worn the
Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Slit Dress, I think it's perfect as a skirt and looks smart with this shirt and leather jacket. I accessorised with silver to match the belting on the dress, but added a further belt along with silver shoes and bag - I really like this^ The second look uses the
Alberta Feretti Inspired Long Coat, which I suppose is a piece that doesn't really look like one that I'd wear, but I like it and I like this look. The cream jeans have a great tone against the coat, and I kept the look very minimal with basic colours, and I think it really does work for the coat as it stands out! The final look uses the
Alberta Feretti Inspired Lace Gown and
Alexandre Vauthier Inspired Metallic Boots. I went for a warm look, the knitwear colour looks perfect with that of the dress and the fur is an even cosier addition - this is the sort of look I really wanted for the dress as it makes it so much more versatile than just as a gown, so I look forward to doing more like this!
Features I've seen quite a good range of the pieces styled, these features are all fabulous! First up
France25 wearing the
Black Velvet Long Belt which almost looks navy against these metallic blue trousers, but looks great with them. The silver brooch in the middle really gleams and draws your eye, and also matches with the glitter in the furry coat too, which I love in this look^
lacky_girl.. wears the
Tuille Black Sheer Body in this cool outfit with a meshed-based midi skirt, the two thin pieces are great together! I love the minimal focus on silver in the accessories with the platforms and the earrings. The belt bag and beret are nice additions bringing a modern touch to an almost classic style =)
Also with the
Alberta Feretti Inspired Long Coat, and adding the
Alberta Feretti Inspired Lace Gown is
leiona_-, a very similar colour theme as before, but the highlights of white throughout the look give a different vibe to the style. I like the smart shirt added, it looks great with the bag and heels. Also loving this belt, it's such a good fit and I can't wait to pair my coat and belt together too^
Marta-43 is making use of the
Balenciaga Inspired Down Parka with it's headscarf, they're fab together! I think this coat stands out in the look based on the items that have been paired with it, like these fab fringed trousers (which are really a coat themselves^). These bags are such cool choices, they don't typically fit with the style of the coat, but I really like them being used =)
