On RAW'S 25th Anniversary, we fans had the fortunate experience of seeing some of our favourite women from the past, some we haven't seen for years, grace our screens once again.....and now, we get to review their fashion :), which is a massive thrill!
Lilian Garcia: The sultry songstress’ look was trademark Lilian, pairing a glittering printed dress with suede OTK boots. This is a combo Lil has plenty of experience with and it shows, as she smartly plays on texture by combining suede with shine. Her long and loose hairstyle adds her customary sense of ease and un-fussiness (did I just make up a word again?) to what could be a fairly fancy look, making it feel accessible, but also formal enough to be respectful to the occasion. Plus, it makes it feel like a party! Shine will do that ;)
Nikki & Brie Bella: It's been so long since we've seen both Bella Twins on screen together in a WWE setting, so RAW 25 was definitely a special moment for the Bella Army. Though we all know Nikki can 100% slay in a designer dress and heels, she brought her ring gear out for this night. Rocking her signature snapback, red jersey top and shorts, knee high socks, and sneakers.. this is THE Nikki Bella look we all know and love. Brie Bella walked onto the ramp in style, wearing black high waisted leggings, ankle boots, and a tied up Brie Mode t-shirt. Her accessory of choice? A red flannel tied around her waist... which of course, is classic Brie Bella.
Barbie/Kelly Kelly: As per her usual gift for dressing just right for the occasion, Barbie (aka Kelly Kelly) looked every inch the former diva – in fact, she looked like she could step right back into Diva-hood tomorrow without missing a beat. She paired a zippered sequin crop top with cut-off blue denim shorts. She topped the look with a sleek and thoroughly fierce leather motorcycle jacket, tempering the glam with a dose of punk attitude that’s echoed by the wide belt at her waist. She earn props from me for not going over the top with a sequin or crystal belt; this unembellished one makes just the right statement.  Barbie finished the look with my favorite piece in the ensemble: sequin pointy ankle booties. I’m heaven! Right there is where she goes from typically fab to street style Queen. They make this outfit!

I’ve never kept my love for shoes anything close to a secret. Whenever the Superstars (*whispers Diiiiivvvaaaaassss*) wear some incredible pairs, I go wild – especially if they’re designer because, face it, a little vicarious expensive-stiletto enjoyment never hurt anyone. We tend to see a lot of Louboutins from our fellow Superstar shoe-lovers. We see a good bit of Giuseppe Zanotti, too.  And Louis Vuitton.  And Stuart Weitzman. And I rave over all of them because…shoes! Then again, there are tonssss of amazing designers outside of the above Quad Squad that I totally wouldn’t mind seeing the ladies get their heels in. For instance? Oh, I was so hoping you’d ask! Come share my little fashion fantasy :)

Natalya looked amazingly chic as she participated in King 5 News’ New Day Northwest Hot Topics show. She paired a stunning LBD with leather OTK boots for a simple, but impactful ensemble. It’s the detaisl that give this look presence: the notch collar, the cap sleeves, the lace edging – these all combine to make this classic LBD interesting and unique. I love her choice to go with the textural contrast of leather for her boots instead of the more expected suede. The smooth leather plays beautifully against the knit fabric of the dress. The whole look is trademark Natalya and I adore it! She noted on her Instagram that she got to meet shoe designer Steve Madden that same day. How awesome is that? I hope she got a sneak peak at his new spring offerings! :) Next, she paired the Delaina top from Alice and Oivia (which we previously saw Maryse wear) with a black maxi skirt. Although it’s a more expected look, I’m enjoying the subtlety of Natalya’s pairing; it lets the beautiful floral print have the bulk of the attention. Her leather OTKs again completed the look.
I can’t resist reviewing a couple of Nikki’s promo looks for her DWTS appearance. I mean, it’s not every day we get to look at a Gothic Romance style gown from a fashion perspective!  It would take a very fancy occasion or a who-cares-its-awesome-I’m-wearing-it attitude to do a piece like this for real life, but just look at it! The crystal-emblazoned bodice, the glamorously gathered and ruched skirt, the rich cabernet color – this is one gorgeous piece of fashion! Who could resist the opportunity to feel like the heroine of a vintage novel, should the opportunity arise –even if it’s just for day? Hmm….Halloween, anyone? ;) Nikki naturally brought the full quotient of glamour to it by adding matching satin gloves and a statement crystal choker. My only wish is that she had gone with a more formal hairstyle – perhaps a messy up-do – to suit the fancy vibes of the fashion. Also, I need to point out the coolness of the sword as an accessory. How often to consider whether your weaponry matches your outfit? So much glam, so much opulence, so much fun! In a very different, but equally enjoyable genre is her Parisian look, a teaser for the Argentine Tango. I’m in heaven with the classic vibes of this look. The red and navy combo is an unbeatably chic pairing, especially with the hallmark French vibe of her striped top. Nikki played up the Parisian feel by knotting her red silk scarf at her neck and adding a beret. Red ankle strap flats (omg! Nikki in flats?! Has gravity stopped working?) complete the look. Despite being a promo concept, this outfit would translate easily and wonderfully to a street look.

Gail rocked this black monochrome look during mid-October, pairing a black cropped top with black shorts and a fringed leather belt. Using such a dramatic accessory really amped up this simple color story! I love the way it instantly gives the outfit weight and presence. She gave the combo a big dose of glam by adding a crystal statement necklace. I also wouldn’t have minded statement earrings here, as an alternate option. We don’t get to see her shoes, but black leather or suede sandal booties (like these, from her Silver Snap winning May The Forces Be With You photoshoot) would have been an excellent choice.
Lana experimented with gradient color, combining multiple shades of taupe in this look from her trip to Quebec. Her olive-taupe Want My Look bodycon dress got a modern twist from being topped with a gray-taupe long cardigan from Fashion Nova. Her caramel bag served as a bridge color to connect the two differing shades. Coordinating strappy pumps from Lola Shoetique elevated the look, while a golden choker from Windsor Store and hoops earrings brought in a hint of shine. The sophisticated use of color makes this ensemble very chic! A polished bun enhances that vibe. Lana is a queen of switching genres, so it’s no surprise that her next look was a nearly complete about-face: a casually sexy pairing of destroyed denim and a plunge-front ivory cami, taken galactic with of-the-moment metallic ankle booties and a matching bag. I adore the combination of ivory and silver, and I love the unexpected 80’s glam-rock vibe of her boots, as well as the fact that she doubled down on that statement with her bag, so this look is a winner for me. The boots, especially, make the outfit memorable. The one change I might have made is to swap to a silver coin pendant, instead of mixing metals. Her gorgeous half up-do is just icing on the cake! Next up is the blonde beauty in full-on Chic Mode: a one-shoulder crop top paired with high-waisted wide-leg pants (from TopShop), featuring the most fabulous side-tie detail at the ankle.  A gold choker, white ankle strap sandals and a black tote round out the look. The unique detail, the interesting way the side-tie and ankle-strap combine and the graphic power of black+white unite flawlessly to make this outfit seriously stunning!

I can’t help but miss the days when we got a fair number of actual character-enhancing, style-inspiring photoshoots, instead of galleries and recreations.  I mean, these things are fun and I appreciate so much how hard the ladies work at telling the stories in these ‘shoots. That said, the role play concept is a little bland on the fashion front. And never more so than here, where we have the ladies dressing up as guys who don’t dress all that well (who thought this was a good idea? Show of hands, please). I loooove when gals borrow from the guys, but I’m hoping for something exciting: double breasted pinstripe suits, fedoras, sharp tailoring, a tie or two, a pocket square. I’ll settle for cuff links if I have to. For this concept, though, the girls are bound by what the men of the Attitude era wore, in order to recreate the look.  Lana pushed the boundaries farthest by having to come up with a solution to the Rock’s open-shirted style. Her choice of a lace bodysuit was a smart and suitable choice that both maintained the Rock-like vibe and injected a dose of feminine sensuality, that enlivened the look and threw a new angle into it. That is how your borrow – you don’t just copy, you make it your own. Her selection of a loud, abrasive button-down was perfect and she nailed the massive watch, chains and sunglasses, making herself into quite a creditable Rock. Those bright red lips made for one more parting shot of ladylike attitude, one that would make The Smirk (with raised eyebrow, of course) all that much more attention-getting. Take that, Dwayne.  Carmella’s take on Chris Jericho was equally well-chosen – her mirror-like metallic zip-front piece is throwing enough light to tan by, an immediate reminder that I always felt the need to reach for SPF 75 when Jericho walked in. He’d approve of her rocker-esque lace-up leggings as well (which I’m pretty sure are the same ones we saw Becky wearing on her trip to Boca Juniors Stadium. I love her high half-ponytail , which also happens to be an authentic Jericho detail, though one he  might perhaps like to forget ;). She channels his attitude to perfection. The most disappointing look in this gallery comes from Natalya and Charlotte, but its lack of appeal has nothing to do with them or their efforts.  They’re spot on in their interpretation of Edge and Christian, right down to the skull cap, bright wristbands and sunglasses! It’s entirely authentic and it’s obvious they had fun with it. Their enthusiasm can’t help but make me smile and I salute them for that! The sad corollary, however, is  that spandex paired with muscle tanks just really doesn't have much fashion zing. I’m not even sure how you would style that pairing to give it fashion zing. Or even fashion zan. Oh well. Nat and Char did an excellent job with a fashion hand that was the equivalent of being dealt a joker.  I guess this is price you pay for getting Balmain for the Total Divas ‘shoot :). Dear WWE: more Balmain for your Superstar ladies, less spandex!

The Divas were on full slayage mode, as usual, for the promo photoshoot for the newest season of Total Divas! This year’s theme was a modern mix of black and white, with touches of silver. Alexa kicked things off in a sporty coord set that paired a zip-front vest with slashed high waist leggings (from Ultracor, id by fashionofthedivas.tumblr.com). The look got kicked into high gear with the addition of peeptoe ankle booties (though I confess I wouldn’t have minded seeing a really hot pair of sneakers here, either [ok, who are you, Writer Person and what have you done with Brie?]).Touches of gold via a wide bangle and hoop earrings serve to further elevate the styling.  In addition to the streamlined, sexy athleticism it projects, this look is especially fun because it’s outside the chill, punk-leaning aesthetic  we tend to see Blissy reach for. I love seeing experimentation and she totally rocks this look! Don’t you just adore her confident smirk? :)

A little more Brandi love kicks off this FashionHap, starting with this incredible velvet off-the-shoulder dress. The color is similar to the lace coord set I was raving over last time, with similar stunning-ness (did Brie just make up a word again? Most likely.) This silhouette is incredibly elegant and, despite being totally ‘right now’, it also has a timeless quality – in ten years, it will be just as appropriate. Brandi completed the look with nude pumps for a more formal interpretation, but you could just as easily style this piece with black booties and a leather jacket draped over your shoulders for a casual look. Her next outfit showcases a lovely mix of elements. It starts with an apparently simple navy dress – until you get down to the cool architectural detail of the asymmetric hemline. Pointy-toe ankle booties in black suede add a shot of fierceness. Top this with a black trench and you have power dressing at its finest. Instead, Brandi threw a curve ball and added a classic tote  - in neon candy pink! This effervescent, joyous color lightens the mood of the look dramatically. Instead of power and seriousness, it becomes about sophistication and FASHION. I love how this one choice makes such a tremendous impact on the statement the look makes! From there, she gives us a chic, casual look that channels a bit fo the 70’s, spun up with a bit of now. She pairs a floral bell-sleeved crop top with a denim mini skirt and completes the look with beige suede OTK’s.  While her top feels feminine and nostalgic, the other two pieces modernize the look and give it and edge. To keep the 70’s vibe, this could be styled with a midi A-line denim piece.
Brooke unleashed her rock-star side with this night-out ensemble. A graphic tee with an eye-catching cut-out underlies a classic denim jacket and pocket-revealing cut-off jean shorts. And there’s no slowing down – she kept the fierce raging by finishing the look with suede OTKs. Everything about this combination is grunge-punk attitude! Her statement earrings (and I love that she did her hair in a ponytail so we really get to see them!) and cuff bracelets add a touch of shine and glam. It’s so much fun seeing Brooke go hard on a look like this -she does it so well!
Carmella instagrammed this super cool pairing of a star printed romper from Love Culture with mid-calf booties. Mid-calf can be a tricky height to utilize, but they work really well here because there’s plenty of space between the top of the bot and the hem of the romper. I love the way they bring attitude and a street vibe to the fashion vibes of this star print. I can be in or out on these kinds of patterns, but this is a particularly pretty rendition! The wide choker is the perfect complement to complete the look.