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

Time for Tribute number 3 of the season, this time it's VERSACE! We also had Versace last year, which was the first release in a while, and I think this seasons' release really works well as a follow on from that one. Without further comment, lets get into the store:

This release came out in two parts, on the 24th and 26th of July, giving a total of 4 floors and 17 looks along with 2 male looks, to choose from. Whilst overall a lot of the classic Versace designs and styles aren't so much my thing, I really quite like this collection from first glance and I think it gives a good amount of choice for most style preferences. I was really drawn in by the first floor of the store, I think it just looks fantastic and really makes me want several of the pieces! Starting with accessories and there are a lot of items to look at. There are 6 pairs of shoes to choose from in quite a range of styles - there's boots, heels and chunky. The pair that really caught my eye were the Butterflies Knee High Boots, I love the mix of western and chic vibes these have and I think they will be awesome in many outfit styles. I also very much like the Purple and Fuchsia Pin Point Sandals, these strappy heels look elegant and are in such fun colours. Onto bags and there are a whopping 15 to choose from, that's just crazy! There are a couple of different designs which are all available in a selection of colours. I like the design of both the Repeat Small Hobo Bag and Repeat Mini Hobo Bag, and found it hard to pick a favourite colour - the Small comes in 5 colours and I'm quite the fan of the Pink and Blue Metallic pieces, these are super fun, and of course the Orange caught my eye immediately too! The Mini comes in  3 colours, so far I've picked the simplest Black colour, but there are bright colours too. The Studded Bag design also caught my eye, I really like the small size and the handheld style, I opted for the Green in this one, but am very tempted to go back for the Pink as I think the design will work well in a lot of outfits. There are a number of other accessory pieces in the release - of course the Mask Sunglasses (both the black Medusa 95's and the Pink Medusa Biggies) were purchased immediately to add to my ridiculous sunglass collection. Jewellery-wise I adore the Crystal Butterflies Greca Choker, this is such a beautiful piece that you really need to zoom in on to see the details, it's really quite stunning.

And onto the clothing which I will go through by floor of the store. On the first floor I am so attracted to the luxurious purple tones - the Glitter Puffy Arms Dress and Shiny Maxi Dress are stunning and really gave me good vibes for this release! They are both super pretty and while I haven't seen anyone wear them yet, I'm excited to give them a try and I do think there will be some level of versatility to them. In the same colour is also the Quilted Coat which is an open piece with posed arms, so it's not so much my thing but it's a great piece nevertheless. The blue pieces on this floor did also take my fancy, the Blue Draped Top and Skirt, the bright tone is great and I love a draped piece^ These are pieces I've seen styled a few times already. The second floor is a little more muted and there wasn't so much for me here with the exception of the Medusa 95 Crop Top which is a super simple black long sleeve top with a belt at the waist, what a versatile piece! This is something I know I will be able to wear in many ways. The third floor also has some more versatile black piece, but some colour mixed in too. The black pieces on this floor are very nice too, I really like the Black Top which is a sleeveless draped piece, and I think will make for some fabulous outfits, and I also think the Black Mini Skirt is super cute, love the high-waist design and the frill of the skirting, it's just adorable and I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone style it yet. The Embroidered Butterflies Gown is a mix between the simple black styles and the coloured pieces, it brings a bit of everything and I think it's such a fun piece! The polka dots are a classic and the coloured butterflies give it a modern touch, and with the range of colours, mean so many options for accessories^ The last piece to mention on this floor which I am very tempted to buy is the Crystal Cutout Mini Dress which is in a stunning lilac colour - it just looks great! And now onto the final floor which has some bright tones. Now I'm not such a fan of the beachwear looks, but there are a couple of pieces here that I really like. First the Leather Cut Out Pants, I think these seem like a fun piece and I think they will work well in a number of ways. I think they're a very Autumnal piece, so I look forward to wearing them in the upcoming season. And then of course, how could I not mention the Snake Print Coat - what a piece! I thought this just looked fantastic and had to buy it! I love the style and the colours of it, and I can see it lasting a long time. Again it's another piece that I think will look great in Autumn.

F E A T U R E S

First up is Bianquette who has styled the Black Top and looks so stunning! This is such a perfect showcase for the top and I think sells it really well - I think I might need to buy it now^ I really like the cutout in the top with the dipped waistband of the trousers, the two look great together. And the accessories really glam the look up, the gloves give a luxurious touch and everything is super sleek, it's great^

And then we have baksik7899 who has styled the Knotted Flared Pants. I will say that these weren't really a piece I'd looked at in the store because they're just not my style, but they look great here and I think the outfit is perfect for them! The colour is a perfect match for this bralette and the gloves and I think the white pieces added to the look make for a perfect balance in colour. I also love the gold detail on the bag and with the belt, a super cute touch =)

S T Y L I N G S

I bought quite a number of pieces from this release, so no doubt there will be another styling post to come. But first up are the Butterflies Knee High Boots which I had an idea for immediately - I had to take this opportunity to wear this fantastic butterfly dress! I think the two pieces are cute together, but I didn't have much else in 'butterfly' to add in terms of accessories so I had to make do - but I think it works. These boots were super easy to style so I know I will get plenty of wear from them. Next are the Medusa 95 Mask Sunglasses and Medusa 95 Crop Top in such a simple look, but an effective one. This shows off the pieces perfectly. I just added black and gold, so the combinations are almost endless, but the pieces look so sleek and will be east to wear again. And finally for this post, the Snake Print Coat which was such a fun piece to style! This outfit took ages as I had quite a few options and combinations of accessories to try - I'm very pleased with the outcome of my first look. The grey and orange balance nicely and I kept it a little 'different' for me by choosing a purple rather than orange bag, but I really like it and I think that works for this outfit. I think I actually liked working with this piece best just because it's so different with unique colours^

N E L L Y | Styled Outfits

It feels like it's been a while since I posted about a NELLY release - I used to really love this store, but the last several releases have been less to my liking. This one I did however find a couple of pieces to try. The first one is the Striped Shirt and I really liked the pink and yellow/orange colour combination and found many other pieces that worked well with it. This time I chose pink for the trousers and yellow for the accessories - I'm especially loving these shoes which also combine the two colours. Then I also really liked the Statement Blouse which is in such a pretty minty green satin, both the fabric and colour are great and I really like how it looks on the doll. I loved styling this a lot and the outfit came to me very quickly. The green and white are complementary and I think this bag is the perfect fit for the look^

F E V E R | Styled Outfits

I've often really liked our Summer Fever releases - this year it's not so much my style. I like the vibrant colour choices and some of the pieces are very nice in design, but overall there's not a lot for me here - however I did pick up a couple of pieces that I was quite keen to try out and I'm actually super pleased with them =) First up is the Pink Mini Skirt which I think is the cutest piece of the release, love the floral hem detail so much and the pink colour is great. I found this super easy to style, knowing I wanted to make use of silver and I went all out with these thigh-high boots, but they're perfect with the skirt^ Otherwise I picked simple additions to the look with this white shirt and a pink bag - I think it's a cute look overall. Then I also went for the Ruched Drawstring Dress, which is in a more simple style but I really wanted to make sure all the features of it stood out in this first wear. The colours are super fun, and I did struggle to pick out which to use for accessories as a lot would work. I ended up choosing orange and I think these pieces work very nicely.

R O Y A L T Y | Styled By You / / Styled By Me

Our latest ROYALTY drop had a selection of looks from this years coronation of King Charles III in the UK - whilst I didn't pay a huge amount of attention to the styles at the time of the event, I do think these make for some very nice and fitting additions to this store in the Plaza. The shoes give some great basics options to add to your wardrobe and there are plenty of headpieces for those who like them. First up is a feature from DIORian who styles the Pink Pencil Skirt in such a fabulous way, I adore this outfit so much - it's just screaming Taylor Swift and Barbie and I can't get enough of it! The sparkling corset piece looks like it was made to be worn with this skirt, the two are perfect colours and styles together, and I love the smart vibes added in this shirt. Those oversized sleeves are fabulous^ All of the accessories are the perfect finishing touches to the outfit - I particularly love the earrings and all those necklaces.

And then for my stylings, first up are the Diamond Earrings and White Clutch - I've really gotten into buying earrings as I now like having a wide choice to choose from and these ones are very nice, they're simple but elegant so will work in many stylings. With the gold heel/soles of the shoes to match the bag I opted to focus on gold in the outfit and I'm super pleased with this combination, the gold midi with the sweater is a nice glammed up casual look. Then secondly I also picked up the Pink Pencil Skirt because it was love at first sight with this piece! I had quite a few jackets and coats that looked good with the skirt, but ultimately chose the almost-matching shoulder slung piece, it's an amazing combination that I will repeat for sure! I also knew that I wanted to use this matching bag with the skirt, so otherwise I kept the look lighter with a white shirt and some accessories - and I'm so pleased with the outcome. I really love this outfit overall =)

I N S P I R E D B Y M I U M I U | Tribute Review

Our second release of the Tribute Season is here - and it's Miu Miu! This is our first 'stand alone' Miu Miu release in the Tribute family, we got a little taste of it two years ago in Museum Mile, which actually you can still get in the Plaza, and I guess it was popular enough to have a full release - and it sure is a big one, lets get on into it:

This store came out in 2 drops of 2 floors each, so overall is 4 floors with a total of 18 looks, that's a lot to choose from! The pieces in this release come from several Miu Miu collections and I think it's a pretty good mix of styles. First up the accessories which really caught my eye immediately in the release because I love the bags^ So starting with them, there are 9 to choose from and similar to the Blumarine release, there are a couple of designs available in different colours. I was drawn into the classic Miu Miu design of the Wander Matelasse Shoulder Bag which comes in Black, Red, Purple and Brown and all of them look amazing, I love the colours so much and I think they're all perfect for the design - I went a little overboard and bought all of them! I'm also a big fan of the delicate Leather Mini Bag which comes in either Pink or Black. The small size is lovely and I like the slim gold chain plus they have the classic quilted design that I love. My SS also renewed the week of this release, so I also got the 'reward gift' of the Platinum colour of this bag and I'm so pleased about that. There are also a lot of pairs of shoes in this release, 15 to be precise, and again some of the same designs but in a selection of colours. I'm not as much of a fan of the shoes as I was of the bags, but I think the Patent Heels available in Black, Red and Purple are very stylish and classy shoes, and the pair of shoes that I really love from the release are the Black and Gold Loafers, these are right up my street with the pointed toe and gold colouring, I'm very excited to style these. And of course there are a few more accessory pieces too. I'm a big fan of the Black Shades, these are a classic pair of sunglasses and look very versatile. I'm also quite a fan of the earring options - the Gold Earrings, Drop Earring and Crystal Earrings all look great and seem to be solid versatile designs that will work in many ways. 

Onto the clothing! The floors aren't quite so themed with this release so I will go through the pieces in the different categories. There are 5 dresses in the collection and all completely different styles. So far I've bought 2, the See Through Dress which is in navy and has a lovely modest design, and also the Dotted Transparent Dress which is a cute halter-neck piece in a lovely green colour. I didn't so much like how the real version of the polka dot dress looked, but I think it's been translated well into Stardoll and I really like it on the doll. I'm also quite tempted by the Brown Leather Dress which is a t-shirt style minidress and I think it's pretty cute and could make for some lovely Autumnal outfits with the colour. The bottom-half pieces aren't so impressive to me, I'm just not a fan of the pleated tiny skirts that Miu Miu do or the loose style of trousers. I think the idea of the Bejeweled Shorts is fun, but they're not something I would wear. I'm a little tempted by the Leopard Mini Skirt but for me the orange in the base colour is quite bright so I need to think on this one for a little bit. There are a range of tops available but a couple that I really like and they stood out to me immediately. First is the Sand Turtleneck which is just a dreamy neutral sweater that I can see being a key piece in my wardrobe for Autumn and Winter, the colour is beautiful, the fabric looks so soft, and the fit on the doll is great. Then is the White Shirt, and we all know I can't resist a white shirt, this one was added to the cart super quickly! I really like the slightly bulkier and oversized fit to this, I'm excited to see its versatility. The final category to discuss is outerwear and there are quite a few great choices here. So far I've only bought one piece but I'm really thinking about getting a few others too. The Black Sleek Coat is just amazing, I loved it as soon as I saw it as it has a great classic timeless style. I can see the Teddy Coat being a popular choice, I'm a little tempted for Autumnal stylings but I'm still on the fence about it and I'm feeling the same about the Leather Vest which I think will make for some really cool outfits but I'm not sure I'm cool enough for it!

F E A T U R E S

First up in the features is mery.- who styles the Buckle Tiny Top - simple but classic! For me this is a great way to wear this piece, it doesn't suit being on it's own for my taste but this is an elegant way of showing off the style nonetheless. The contrast of the white with the olive green of the trousers is lovely, despite a linen look these are very stylish. I love the simplistic accessories, those silver touches are perfect little bits of glam^

Next is sarah_1980 who wears a fabulous combination of the Gold Earrings, White Shirt, Snake Skirt, Purple Wander Matelasse Shoulder Bag and the Black and Gold Heels. It's a lot but I don't think it's overwhelming and each piece does well standing out on its own. I think the combination of the purple accessories with the skirt is great, they really bring out purple tones in the print. I also think these frill socks are adorable, a perfect balance for the white shirt and the gold jewellery makes for a good balance with the shoes too =)

Here is MissDark1990 styling the Drop Earrings, Snake Skirt and the Brown Wander Matelasse Shoulder Bag - all these looks with this skirt are really trying to convince me to buy it! The skirt definitely seems a bit darker when paired with black, but both combinations completely work for it. I really adore the socks and shoes combination together and with the rest of the pieces in this look, I think the contrasting prints are fun together and they really look good with the snake print!

Something a little more dressy next, this time from harpie who is wearing the Dotted Transparent Dress in a fabulous way and making it seem very wearable - so much love for this outfit from me! The transparency has been handled by including a green bralette piece, the colour is a perfect match for the dress, and on the bottom it's layering with trousers and another dress - the combination of all items there really is perfect and I love the sheen that the dress ontop adds to the look. The chunky choker necklace is fabulous and I love the splash of yellow in the bag =D

And for the final feature, tate styles up the Brown Wander Matelasse Shoulder Bag in a super classy Summer-chic way, I love it and this is totally how I'd go for these bag styles too^ When I tried on this bag, I was also thinking of these trousers for a pairing, it's a winning combination for sure! The contrast with the fun white top is great and really makes the look eye-catching. Overall the accessories are beautiful in the styling, I particularly love the bracelets used, these look amazing with the clothing choices^

S T Y L I N G S

Now for my stylings - I bought so much from this release that I'm sure there will be another separate styling post to come as well. First are the Dotted Transparent Dress and Platinum Leather Mini Bag - I thought the colours of these were super cute together, but my look cannot get close to the perfect that is the feature above! I layered a green bra and nude skirt below the dress and while it does work to manage the transparency, it's not perfect, so a work in progress for me here! I do love these shoes and earrings with the bag though. Next are the Crystal Earrings and See Through Dress, and I don't think I've seen anyone else styling these pieces. For this dress I layered with a black mini and I think this works quite nicely as the floral print on the dress can still be seen in places - but would love to see some others try this out! With the use of the silver earrings I carried that through the look and I love the combination of the silvers with the navy. And the final look features the Drop Earrings, Sand Turtleneck and the Brown Wander Matelasse Shoulder Bag - it's super simple but I think it's a nice smart-casual styling for all of these pieces. The brown of the bag stands out well against the lighter colours of the look and I think this darker brown hairstyle works perfect as a backdrop for the light earrings. This sweater was very easy to style and I can see this being a staple of my wardrobe for the upcoming Autumn/Winter season!

OOTM July | Styled Outfits

Time for July's Outfit of the Month which again brought 2 new windows to the Plaza. Again this month, I'm not really loving these picks and they are very far from the ideas that I have for Summer styling, these are more Autumn and Spring. I've not seen many dolls wearing these pieces so maybe the items aren't as popular as hoped? Or maybe I just missed the window of time where these were being styled? Anyway, I really like the colours in the Flowers Printed Body Long Sleeve Dress but it's something I know I won't wear often. I was tempted to buy the Blumarine Eco Fur Bag however the Blumarine release had a similar one that I preferred, so I purchased that instead. I do quite like the other bag here though, so I bought that - the 1DR Fold Handbag:

I found this bag very easy to style and I really like the overall design of it, it's a versatile piece - having tried it out myself I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen others give it a go. My initial idea was to do a midi skirt with the bag and go for some nice neutral tones but I didn't have a skirt to go with my vision, so that resulted in the first look. I really like this pleated skirt and I think it looks good with the bag, but overall I think the look is perhaps a little dark, it's very formal which wasn't what I was aiming for at all! I do love the second styling though, for the next look I knew I wanted some contrast and black and white worked perfectly for that. This black body has white details so I thought it would make a good base and I'm so so pleased with the final look. The white trousers and blazer are super crisp against the black and I love these boots with the outfit a lot. Overall I think this is a fabulous outfit to show off this bag^