Brie describes this look as her "sophisticated side" and it clear why: there's always something chic about a pop of color set against neutrals. That goes double when that pop of color comes from a silk scarf ;). Note how Brie balances the levels of formality with her looks - a formal piece offsets one that is less so. Here, for example, she uses a simple tee to set off more formal wide-leg trousers. Compare that to her previous Inspiration Board look ("Easy Chic") where she paired a more formal blouse with denim. Imagine how much more refined and less carefree this look would be had she used the button-down here, instead of this tee. It's small choices like that which truly allow everyone's individual sense of style to shine, and Brie gravitates toward a more modern, at-ease vibe, even with her sophisticated looks..which is probably one of the reasons her style translates so well to so many situations and makes her one of my fashion favorites ;). Un-digressing back to this outfit: her basic formula is a slim tee with a dress pant. Alternatively, you could switch up and use her blouse with denim look as a basic canvas. All neutrals, pretty please, for this look, and leave the yoga pants in the drawer :). If you don't want to go as formal as suiting pants, chinos will work. You could even get cray trendy and do culottes ;). With this basic background in place, your imagination and creativity get to take flight. Grab a silk scarf - whatever colors or print float your boat at the moment and knot it around your neck. You can use an oblong/rectangle shape like Brie, or a large square. And, if knotting isn't your thing, wrap it around your neck once and let the two ends dangle, or just drape it around your neck in a "U" shape (this last style will work best with an oblong scarf). Next, add a pair of shoes that complements one of the scarf colors. They don't have to match precisely, but they should be in the same family. For example, if the scarf has a bright daisy yellow shade, you can use a soft yellow shoe. If the scarf has a lot of sky blue, you can use a cobalt shoe. I advocate the use of a bun or up-do, as it will highlight the scarf and keep the overall look more refined and not busy. I also love the idea of pulling out a few more scarf colors via a statement ring or a couple of bright bangles. Echoing pops of color via accessories from a print that collects all of them always looks - in Brie's words- sophisticated! I hope this inspires you to give it a try some time soon :) Happy fashioning, lovelies!
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The Bellas spent a good bit of May pounding the pavement in promotion of Total Bellas..and giving us some fabulous fashion in the process! Kicking off this FH is a modern professional look from Nikki, as she works from home. Her crop top would only be appropriate for a home office or a very narrow genre of workplace environments, but it's still classically chic and inspirational. This fiery red makes an iconic combo with navy, especially in this wide-leg silhouette. I love how modern, yet sophisticated this look is! You could easily give it a broader application by going with a longer top (perhaps a peplum silhouette), or buttoning a jacket or cardi over it. Note Nikki's striped white jacket in the background? Something along those lines would do perfectly, as would plain white linen, a navy pinstriped cotton, or (for a more dressed down look) a denim blazer. Nikki is back in blue as she picks this ruffled Alice and Olivia dress (also worn at the & O fashion show) for the Total Bellas promo tour. If you guessed I'd be wild over how she accessorized it with bright yellow sandals, you guessed right! Both the swirly, strappy details and the amazing neon lemon color immediately caught my eye. Beautiful sandals like this are a summer staple and can spike everything from pretty colored dresses to neutral shorts. Which reminds me..it's time to dig a few of mine out of the recesses of my (spidered, cobwebbed, gothic castle walled, definitely out of GPS-range ;) ) closet.OK, maybe not quite that bad....but I will def need a flashlight. Nikki pairs those same crave-worthy sandals with an oversized-floral printed maxi. The floral done on the whispy georgette is light and ripply and just flawlessly warm-weather beautiful. The deep-v also makes it super-sexy! A tiny pendant provides the simplest of accents. Meanwhile, Brie went for a modern look in all-neutrals, pairing this bodycon dress with sand platform sandals. I love the way the ruffled flounce at the bottom both gives the piece movement and adds a slightly mermaid-ish feel to the silhouette, giving it a vintage vibe. A choker necklace in black gives a 90's throwback spin to the look, which is bolstered by her platform heels. The clean-lined softness of this look works wonderfully; it's pretty and feminine...but with a tiny edge. If bright color is your thing, Nikki's fourth look is going to rock your world. This beaded dress is eye-catching and dramatic with it's tribal vibe. The sun-drenched colors are intriguing! Nikki gets huge props from me for not playing the look safe and finishing with a neutral or dark shoe. On the contrary, she's reinforced the color by going with lemon pointy-toe pumps, which look fantastic! And she doesn't stop there with the risk-taking: orange lips carry the color upward and reiterate the daring color statement. The way this look comes together is glorious! When risk-taking works, this is what it looks like!
We're kicking off this FH with a super hot look from Natalya - how much are you loving this mini dress+OTK's combo? If you're getting mave-vixen or LayCool era vibes, I'm with ya! Nattie has updated this look though, via the cutout shoulder detail (the use of negative space makes this dress look majorly modern with an architectural, minimalist vibe) and the mini-studs on her boots. Those are like the next generation of fierce, Garage-Glam 2.0. And I'm so on board!
From fierce, we switch right up to soft summer rompers - and a two-for at that! This piece is the Love Lace Romper (now sadly sold out at Megan Fabulous :'() and has a customizable design that allows it to be tied at the front, side or back. It has a sweet-chic vibe, a result of the lace-accented top and flowy shorts below, which appealed to both Brie and Renee. Brie went for the summery butter yellow shade, while Renee chose vibrant red. Which color rocks your world? Yeah, yeah...you already know I'm hands up for the yellow :). Both ladies finished their look with neutral pointy-toe pumps. Renee chose simple ivory heels, while Brie went for cream-and-coffee floral stilettos. I love how Brie also added a contrasting color with her massive turquoise ring. It adds to the summery vibe, but also adds an unexpected and interesting twist to the soft, warm tones that comprise the rest of the look. So, we ttly loved and adored WWE's recent bikini-laden gallery of hot bodies. Truly, we did. In addition to bikinis, though, warm days and sunshine get us thinking about muscles and fitness and sweating and all that sexy stuff ;). And we thought that maybe a more inspirational gallery was in order. We envisioned something that appealed not just to our aesthetic appreciation, but also to our sense of goal-setting and challenge, something that reminds us that a little hard work can bring us that keister-kicking attitude we've always craved and get high on when we hit the gym. To that end, we collected our own gallery, which focuses on the lady superstars in their down and dirty moments - the ones where they don't just *look* hot, but actually *get* hot. These selections are all about the sneakers and sports bras. ...Ok, I think one pair of stilettos snuck in (how did that happen? *innocent face*). If it involved sweat, boxing gloves, taping up, stretching out or pumping iron, we snagged it, including a couple of TapOut 'shoot shots from Charlotte and Alicia (and, um...are there any mooooore of those, Mr. Styles?). We even scrounged up a shot from the Silver Snap Award winning buddy 'shoot from Natalya and Beth Phoenix from a couple years ago. Remember that one? So much love for that simple, fab set!
WWE is whetting your appetite for summer with a gallery of the hottest superstar bodies on its roster. As it is has for the last few years, The Co., has used a collection of past photos (with a very, extra, super fine sprinkling of new ones :'(). The days of Summer Skin ( a multi-week release of 'shoot sets...literal *sets* from nearly every lady on the roster) seem to be a thing of the past. Oh, the nostalgia! All the feels, y'all. It was serious inspiration galore. I remember checking daily for releases, hanging on each new one. Le sigh. In a happier spin, however, we can re-live these scalding shots past in this gallery. There are reminders of favorite looks from Barbie/Kelly (that purple set is amazeballs), Maryse (don't you adore glittered bikinis?!), Michelle McCool (daw...she looks so fresh-faced and All-American girl!), Christy Hemme (just...HOT!) and Eve (I always loved her willingness to try unusual prints and colors with her swimwear), as well as some shots from the Bellas, Eva Marie and Charlotte (a scorching TapOut shot...stay tuned for something special from Diva-Fierce which is tangentially related to that shot). Also included are awesome TBT's with Lita (gorgeous+bada$$ - does it get any better?), Stacy Keibler (lllllleeeeeeggggs. The end.) and Trish Stratus (omg I LOVE that yellow bikini!). If this gallery doesn't get you ready for bikinis and beaches and humidity and icy drinks, you may want to check your blood pressure ;). Lastly, I never realized how great a penchant WWE has for beach/bikini pics in front of rocks...but clearly, the evidence is before us :). It's amazing what you can get out of these galleries! So, head over to the .com and enjoy this one.
Periodically, a dress comes along that captures my imagination and just will not leave my head. Kate Hudson's yellow dress in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days was like that. So was this chartreuse confection of Barbie's from her recent photoshoot. The fashion world trended toward highlighter yellow over the last year or two, but now we're starting to see some of the lime shades (with a touch more green in them) come back. I've scoured my favorite places to online shop and found a few beauties that seem to fit the vibe. You can check out direct links at our polyvore page, or just scroll through the maxis on the listed sites. *The dress listed at bloomingdales.com is also available at lordandtaylor.com, in fewer sizes, but at a much better price, so you might want to check there first. :) Then again, maybe lime, chartreuse, kiwi and their ilk aren't your thing, but the idea of a bright maxi appeals to you. I can totally get on board with that! Gorgeous dresses in sumptuous colors are just like...everything, right? Wear them as is right now, wear them with a jacket or pullover in the fall. Hello, versatility! :) If you need some alternately-colored inspiration, here are some other possibilities to get your creative/purchasing/gift-to-yourself juices flowing. Happy bright-maxi-dress hunting!
The clean lines of this recent outfit from Brie create an immediate impact. She describes it as one of her favorite looks and it's obvi why: so simple, but so pulled together! The formula is fashion 101: simple top (Brie describes it as a "tee" and we'll talk about that :)), great jeans and a statement accessory ...or two. As always with simple looks, it's about the choice of piece and the balance - their relationship to each other. A minimalistic canvas has to have a pop somewhere or it can look dull ..or the dreaded "whatever" (read: rolled out of bed, fumbled blindly in closet, could be wearing a skirt on my torso and a crop top as shorts for all I know). A collared shirt like Brie's carries a shade of extra formality that lifts it above the realm of the classic tee. A clean, pared-down look like this is one of many places where the buttondown shines. The material is important: finely woven cotton or textural linen is light and comfortable for summer. I'm a fan of linen because the texture tends to keep it modest and non-see-through, even in light shades. I've envisioned Brie's look done with a neutral flax piece, but I'd personally be happy experimenting with the beautiful lilac or rich emerald option as well. If you're looking for the sweet spot of softness and ventilation, consider cotton voile (pron: "vwall"). It's generally translucent, so will require a cami underlayer (or bandeau, depending on the occasion), but it feels wonderful against the skin on a hot day. Quick note on buttondowns for curvy-on-top gals: size up to prevent gaping at the chest. The waist can be fitted to you by a tailor, belted, or pinned at the back (like, go glam and use a glittery brooch!). The buttondown is polished enough to not need much for accessories, but you can do this look with a less dressy top, like the tee brie spoke of. Just keep in mind that if you do use an actual tee, it'll need a little extra spice ;) (think statement jewelry, scarf, funky belt, fierce shoes). Brie's shown the look with skinny ankle jeans, which is just right for right now and perfect for summer. But this look has such enduring trend appeal that you can use it far into the future and just swing with the denim styles as they change. This combo will work with bootcut denim, straight jeans or cropped wide leg silhouettes just as well. (Stick with heeled shoes for that last one). And speaking of shoes, consider doing a pointy toe pump, as Brie has, for powerful chic, or switch it up: a minimalist ankle strap sandal, or a cute, summery wedge will do fabulously. Just make sure there's something notable about your choice: a mixy-not-matchy shade, a fun material (denim, satin, woven fabric or leather) or embellishments. Ditto if you choose to do this look with flats. Leave the plain Jane ballets and simple black pumps in the closet on this one. Consider a shoe you might ordinarily think of as too formal. Those lime satin strappy sandals you only ever wore to your cousin's to wedding? Your all-over sequin prom heels? The flaming red patent leather pumps you adored, but scare the _____(insert item of choice) out of you because they're so dang bright? Now's the time to dig 'em out, lovelies! Round out the look with a touch more color - a bright lip shade a la Brie - and/or a piece of statement jewelry. One last note on what makes this look so subtly complex: there are actually three different colors at play here, beyond the neutral base pieces - the magenta lip shade, the sky-blue-denim of Brie's heels and the bright turquoise of her statement ring. If you stay neutral with your top, consider trying pops of three different colors like this. It's seriously fun and a non-flashy way to play with bunches of tantalizing shades. What about a yellow ring, amethyst shoes and a pink lip? Bright coral heels with a lime green ring and an orange lip? Yum, right? Emerald, mint and lilac, lemon, cobalt and red, ice blue, rose and burgundy...the possibilities are endless! So get crazy...with subtlety ;) Isn't fashion full of the best contradictions?! Happy styling, darlings!
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Welcome to the place where wrestling & fashion join hands. Inspiration. Reviews. Musings. Retros. FASHION. Covering and craving gear to gowns since 2011. May the Fierce be with you! ;) Peace & Glitter!
AuthorBrie: shoe-lover :) fashion-lover and generally glamorous semi-dork Archives
July 2019
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