Brandi spent the end of summer showcasing a number of great looks on her blog, Being Brandi Rhodes. Among them was this spot on-trend off-the-shoulder LBD with split sleeves. I love how the split creates a modern take on the bell sleeve in this piece! I’m also a huge fan of the way Brandi added a spark to the look with a multi-colored statement necklace – it makes such a fab twist on black monochrome and enlivens the look. A black tote and peep-toe wedge mules round out the outfit. Next, we get to see her casual side as she pairs a knot-detailed knit tunic in a dusty terra-cotta shade with distressed gray denim. The detail on this tunic is super fun and gives the whole outfit a big punch. Brandi adds even more playfulness with her fur-pom-pom-topped sneakers! I love the additional texture, as well as the lighthearted vibe. She finishes the look with a pair of bangles and a printed bag from Louis Vuitton. I find this choice of bag so interesting because I wouldn’t generally think of pairing brown with gray and muted coral tones. If you look closely though, the bag has mixed tones in the leather: gold-beige and burgundy, in addition to the brand’s classic coffee brown. The redder tone ties the bag into the look nicely and I’m really intrigued by the way the color play works in a subtle and sophisticated way. Brandi’s next outfit is a red maxi dress, sprinkled with white stars. It’s a classic summer silhouette, with the spaghetti straps and v-neckline, done in an of-the-moment print. It feels quite fresh and carefree and I’m digging the Americana vibes. I also ADORE this bag she’s carrying. In my head, I call it her “birdcage bag” because it reminds me of a vintage birdcage, but it’s actually one of Cult Gaia’s Ark bags. Brandi’s been a huge fan of it all summer and I’m 100% on board. It’s functional, distinctive and versatile and the light, airy design is perfect for summertime!
Brie took NYC by storm in this gorgeous Self-Portrait dress – don’t you just love the frothy lace and flowing sleeves? All that sweetness is tempered by the black chevron stripes; the structured black solidity grounds the look flawlessly. Brie played that up by completing the outfit with black strappy platform sandals (these appear to be a variant of the Parrow x Jimmy Choo, but I can’t confirm that at this time). She chose another Self-Portrait dress for her next day in New York, this time one with a cold-shoulder detail and ruffles on the sleeves. The simpler material lends a more architectural vibe to this piece, as compared to the lace, but I love it’s dramatic, high-fashion aesthetic, which is enhanced by the ivory and black color scheme. Brie again finishes the look with strappy sandals – the Lang by Jimmy Choo. This time, she chose blush instead of black. I like the warmth of the dusty pink, but I also kind of miss the punchy exclamation point of the black.
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Carmella’s striking red outfit makes good use of her particular bland of urbanity and sporty sensibilities. Her red cuffed sweatpants, sports bra, cropped short-sleeved jacket, baseball cap and sneakers work divinely in the ring, walking the line between street-wear and ring gear flawlessly. But how to her athletic-meets-city aesthetic for non-WWE moments? Well, this is what track pants were made for, darlings. Grab your nearest handy pair. Polished sweats (they have a zipper or button front, maybe racing stripes, a fancy detail like a satin pocket. They do not have your favorite sports team’s name or logo. They do not say “PINK” anywhere ;)) will do in a pinch. Next, you need a top that’s a bridge between chilled out and totally cool. Consider a simple tee with an asymmetric hemline or other eye-catching detail (ok, this is where you go for the..well, maybe not a team logo, but a baseball-style tee or jersey with your fave’s number on the back). Update the classic downtown name necklace to a modern bar-style piece, throw on a pile of slim bangles and finish with heels (leather or suede for attitude. Kitten heels are purrfectly acceptable ;)). Alternatively, go for a classic polo. This is admittedly has more of a preppy vibe. Feel free to own that. Add a bit of quirk and fun with a newsboy cap –it’s the more sophisticated cousin of the baseball cap and helps elevate the track pants or sweats (It can be skipped, however, should hats not be your scene today (or any day)). Enhance the athleticism by finishing the look with sneakers. Add statement earrings for just the right dash of sass. The low pony was born to be used with looks such as this, so def give that a try, or any look that’s similarly sleek, yet carefree. One last note: if you just can’t red, consider other Carmell-ian options like leopard, camo, olive or beige.
Coral pink was the order of the day for early summer - both Brandi and Brooke used the shade in their looks. Brandi was spot on-trend with an off-the-shoulder, boxy cropped top, accented with floral embroidery. White denim kept the theme light and summer-y. Naturally, my favorite parts are her banana yellow tote (love that!) and her citrus-hued sandals! They carried the color throughout the outfit flawlessly and are a perfect example of mixing without matching. Brooke went with a boxy striped tank, which she paired with light wash blue denim. Like Brandi, she added interest to the look with her accessories: floral printed sandals (I just love the mix of florals with stripes!) and a fringed caramel messenger bag. The caramel is a wonderful way to pick up the warm tones of the coral (I often mix brown tones with orange and peach shades for the same reason) and I love the movement and boho vibe of the fringe. I would probably have gone with a similar shade for the wide choker, instead of the harsher black. Next from Brooke is a super simple pairing of a taupe tee and distressed white denim. It's as casual as it gets... until she added a shot of fierce via her coordinating suede lace-up sandals! Along with her simple gold bar necklace, they shift this look into "off-duty model" vibes. Also, I give her serious props for walking in those with her son on her hip - that is #BalanceGoals for sure. She switched the theme entirely for her next outing and goes Americana chic in this striped tee paired with wide-leg pants. I love this classic navy-and-white combo. There's always something ineffably sophisticated about a well-made wide-leg and they work perfectly here to elevate this simple tee. Brooke finished the look with coordinating caramel sandals and again reached for her fringed bag - here, the warm caramel acts as a contrast to the cool navy - to cement the classic vibe (and also offer a commodious carrier for all her baby necessities, I suspect ;) There's something to be said for pieces that fuse stylishness and practicality! Her sultry side shines through in her next look, which pairs a black off-the-shoulder tee with a sweetheart neckline and white cut-off denim. She makes this super-hot look much sweeter with her accessories, though: a floral choker and her floral printed sandals. The femininity plays fabulously against the sexier elements; it's an unusual contrast, but a successful and intriguing one!
Carmella's graphic tee paired with camo pants is yet another iteration of the look that has become her trademark. She has a wonderful sense of what clothing elements work for her style and character. And she always injects enough je ne se quoi into her styling to make it look more put together than random - casually put together, but put together nonetheless. The low waisted pant silhouette, with her leopard unmentionables showing, gives me throwback, Lita-esque vibes. However, paired with sneakers, the skinnies feel very right now, with that delightful urbanity I've always loved in Carmella's style. What really gives this look it's punch, though, is the mahogany smoky eye and nude lip combo. It's almost startling in the way that it draws attention to her pretty eyes and I'm ttly loving the effect!
Charlotte attended the International Licensing Expo in Las Vegas wearing this swingy mulberry mini dress. I'm wild over this gorgeous, unique color, as well as the way this silhouette works on Charlotte. A fairly straight dress like this, in a soft, flowy fabric obscures curves, but draws attention to the legs. That makes highlighting them with a pair of killer heels a flawless choice -which is exactly what Charlotte has done here with these strappy sandal-booties. I love how the wide, almost industrial, vibe of the straps contrast with the softness of her dress. This is a flawlessly styled, A+ look from Char! Next up is a black monochrome look with a front lace-up detail. The picture lightning and quality makes an exact id tough, but I'd bet on this being a burnout velvet piece. Add leggings or skinny jeans and pointy-toe ankle booties and unleash your inner Dark Queen! I love that this is such a different style from the dress, but that both looks feel completely at-home on Charlotte. She keeps the casual going by pairing a Ric Flair tee with skinny jeans and the same ankle booties. She completed the look with a cropped biker jacket and oversize aviators. The change in tops gives this a more laidback, urban vibe, but she rocks it just as hard! Cathy looked casually trendy as she combined this off-the-shoulder cutout top from Parker with medium wash denim skinny jeans from Madewell. So many of the current offerings of off-shoulder tops have ruffles and other frilly details that I'm loving this pared-down iteration that lets the silhouette do all the taking. I also love the hint of lightness gained by choosing blue denim over black. She finished the look with nude pumps, which works, although I'd have loved a simple black strappy sandal. She embraced the stripe trend with her next ensemble, which paired another off-the-shoulder top with dark jeans. It's hard to tell if these are black or blue, but considering her choice of a gold metallic pointy pump to finish the look, I'd have gone with blue. With shoe fiends everywhere doing almost nothing but nude lately, I'm enjoying her switch to a metallic, particularly since the polished gold contrasts with the breezy vibe of the stripes. There's always room around here for some gear-love and we're celebrating the MITB ring-ensemble stylishness with this FashionHap.
Charlotte kicked things off with an amethyst version of her Wrestlemania look. I love this color combination just as much! It's luxe and oh so beautiful, visually cohesive and artistically stunning. Char has a talent for choosing colors that work brilliantly, both on her and within the backdrop and it's in evidence again here. And this gorgeous design is just as compelling as in its previous variation. Lana wore a magnificent blue and silver attire that she gave us a chance to break down in-depth in her Slayed By The Blue photoshoot here. When her in-ring skills catch up to her fashion skills, she is going to be a devastating competitor :) I can't wait! Carmella literally floored me with this look! I was wondering what she was going to do to turn her Staten Island Priciness look into something special for MITB and did she ever deliver! The metallic mint and ice green was a surprising and aesthetically appealing choice that I instantly loved -even before I realized the pattern was made from money. Omg -so brilliant! It has that designer vibe that has been so prevalent lately of making a beautiful-looking print out of a whimsical pattern. In addition, it's utterly befitting of her character. The black printed waistband was another designer nod that felt appropriately street-worthy, as did the sports-bralette styling of her top. She completed the look with white sneakers that were a perfect finish. Magnificent job! Becky has the right idea with the medieval-warrior direction her look is taking. It just seems to be taking a bit to come to full fruition. From Chandra Nalaar to Ygritte-meets-Angel Dust with a dash of Merida, she seems like a concoction of lovable fighter characters that just needs that one ingredient, that unifying conceptual direction to crystallize into the one true Becky. This wide-belted leather trench is a flawless example of the good. It's medieval, yet modern, tough but with a swirling yin power that makes her look like a warrior queen. First, I apologize for the extreme tardiness of this review...and I take back every griping thing I ever said about Joey Styles. Then again, he gets paid to get the pics up and I don't earn zip from this labor of love I fit in around life, animals and a real job. So, actually, I don't take back anything I said about him after all :). Second, I'm laughing at myself as I'm posting this review. You would never believe how many times I've re-done the collages because my placements keep changing as I analyze and weight the looks. This is HARD, babes! Every year, so many ladies come out here and slay and somehow I have to distill it all into some kind of order. It's cray! And it's also fun. And I'm usually hella proud of the list when I finally get done, probably because I fight so hard to make it accurate and justify each placing. As always, I feel the need to mention that I madly adore each of these divas and root for all of them to rock the ravishing red lane of fame. I love it every time they do! That being said...
More catch-ups, more stellar Brandi style, babes!
We're starting with two looks I totally adore! The first one I can 100% see myself wearing to work. Brandi throws a twist into the classic black and white pairing by going with steel gray pants. These look to be a textured fabric, like a corduroy, but it would work just as well with gray denim, or gray ponte. Brandi layers a black turtleneck on top and then tops it with a boxy ivory blazer, which she leaves open for an easy, unstudied vibe. The strong blazer nods at the 80's-tinged suiting trend, while the laidback polish of the combo feels very 'right now'. Tall black boots complete this casually fabulous ensemble. From grayscale to full color: Brandi's next look is a head-to-toe ice pink ensemble that gives me modern-day Audrey feels. She buttons up a pink cardi over her pencil skirt and then adds massive textural contrast with a faux fur jacket tossed over her shoulders. She adds additional texture and grounds the sweetness with soft tan suede ankle boots. I love the choice of a boot here, as it tempers the girly vibe. A coordinating classic tote rounds the look off. I love everything about this. And PS for those of you who absolutely refuse to do pink under any circumstances: any pastel can swapped in here: sky blue, mint, lilac, butter yellow. No matching fur jacket? Go with a soft neutral: ivory, beige, khaki, nude, soft tan. The next snap is from a photoshoot on which Brandi comments that she's had a concept for an editorial snap like this for a long while. It's a super-fun one, too! (And it makes me wonder: what if Impact gave Brandi the visual image/art direction position that Christy Hemme used to have? Hmmm :)) She ties a white blouse over high-waisted nude/blush shorts. Of course, you know my favorite part of this snap: those aaaaaaaaahmazing yellow pointy pumps! :) The kitchen-y background with it's dusty colors and curlers in her hair give this something of a modern-housewife vibe, which is quirky and cool. I mean, who wouldn't love finding Brandi in their kitchen?! Minus the curlers, this look makes a great casually refined summer look, with the pointy pumps elevating the laidback clothing. Brandi also resolved the mystery of the snake on her gears and, as it's something that's been on my need-to-know list, I'm sharing! The snake was a Garden-of-Eden/temptation reference to her WWE ring name, Eden. Once she explains it, it seems so simple right? Brandi has gone on the make the snake her own - as she says "improved [the gear] over time". I admit, I had trouble, at first, connecting Brandi to the image of the snake, but the tempting aspect definitely fits. When I researched the symbolism, though, I found the Chinese interpretations and it all came together. The Chinese zodiac views the snake personality as intelligent, fond of the finer things, savvy, confident, hard-working and possessing an intense heart under a collected exterior. Yep, that sounds a lot like the Brandi we love :) |
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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