Woops – I’ve been so focused on keeping up and catching up that I nearly forgot about Pt. II of the Rumble gear! Fixing that now :).
Maria Menounos went for full-on athleisure in this sporty jumpsuit. Zipped up and paired with sneakers, it could easily have felt underwhelming, but she intelligently spiced it up with a gold bodysuit below and unexpected metallic peeptoe booties. The shoes, in particular, shifted the vibe of this look toward Fiercness and I approve! Statement earrings cemented that direction.
I’m on board for the Gothic leanings of Nia’s gear: the shield-like red lace looks powerful and imposing set against the black leather, but still retains beauty, preventing the gear from looking too stark and brawn-heavy. She previously did iterations of this look where the upper edge of the colored front-piece was extended farther to each side, creating a visual empire waist. That look is excellent for Nia and I wish she would explore it further.  While the sections of black lace break up the leather nicely, they also reduce the cohesiveness of the piece. A simple sheer fabric could have a similar, but simpler, effect.  The concepts she has for her look are fantastic and super-fun; just a few small tweaks to the execution could really put them in a class by themselves.
The Bella’s triumphant reunion was more about the feels than the gear, but it delivered so well on the feels that I can overlook the absence of anything novel on the attire front.  Both ladies slayed in red. Nikki reprised her most recent era of sporty gear, with a short-sleeve cropped tee accented with lace-up detailing and paired with color block shorts.  Red knee socks and black+red sneakers rounded out the look. Brie went for red latex in a one-piece silhouette, embellished with slashes and a plaid waistband that recalled her grunge-tinged Brie-mode looks. The sisters rarely fail to deliver and these looks are both solid, competent and visually impactful – the work of women who know exactly what they’re about.
Carmella’s gear looks like gray marble print from a distance, but on closer inspection it is revealed to be a graffiti print. I’m totally in for either print; they both look fab! And I’m really impressed by the way that the look works so incredibly well from both vantage points. Many times, something can look amazing close-up but lose impact from further back, or vice versa, but this look covers it all! The orange piping was an awesome choice and works brilliantly, bringing the shot of color that makes this gear pop. Surprisingly, I can even get behind the faux high waistband created by her fishnet hosiery showing above her shorts. You gotta be fab to sell me on that kind of a look! :)

I was going through some of my archived folders and I discovered a bunch of images and collages from Melange that I re-fell in love with and wanted to share with you all :). Right now, Melange denotes special, capsule-type posts with a particular theme, but originally Melange was conceived as an online magazine, with three articles presented each month, as well as a cover. We started it with a Prom issue, about nine months after Diva-Fierce.com was born and it was so much fun! I have tons of great memories surrounding the brainstorming and collaborations that took place to bring it together each month. These colls are from a feature called Art Major which married several Divas' photoshoots with art, such as the one above of SoCalVal edited into my vision of a Helen Frankenthaller piece. We intended to present it in March of 2013, but it proved to be trickier to execute than we originally envisioned and it ended up not getting released until August. It still one of my favorite concepts that we did...although, that could be said about a lot of the content ;). I hope you enjoy!

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 :)

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!

Yes, I am reviewing October fashion. I know, I know.
It was only a matter of time until Barbie explored the latex trend! She dabbled in the fabric with this LBD from House of CB for an October event. The simplicity of this dress is a perfect choice – we don’t see the kind of envelope-pushing cuts Barbie often reaches for. Here, the sensuality all comes from the fabric and, with a daring material like this, it’s exactly the right way to go. Black ankle strap heels complete the look, along with an eye-catching make-up choice: a super-pale nude lip that nearly matches Barbie’s skin tone. While it makes me stop and take notice, I think I would have preferred something a touch warmer – a dusty cinnabar or quartz. Next up is a flowing romper from Planet Blue. The color pairing of camel and black and the looser cut of this piece combine to give it a much more chic and sophisticated feel than your standard version. Barbie adds a shot of fierce with her suede OTK boots and oversized sunnies and look comes together with the kind of unstudied, tantalizing style that is her trademark. From there, she swung into the relaxed modernity of a denim on denim pairing, utilizing J Brand denim. A House of CB bodysuit in olive provided the underlayer, while suede peeptoe OTKs from Pretty Little Thing gave the look some edge. I like the mix of soft neutrals in this outfit. I’d love an embellished bag here to tie everything together! While it’s not really an “outfit” per se, I couldn’t resist sharing this snap from Barbie which featured this show-stopping statement necklace from For The Stars Fashion House, a custom creator of one-of-a-kind designs. With layers of gold chains and crystals, this piece is ahhhhMAYzing! Barbie got the full effect out of it by pairing it with nude bikini bottoms – doesn’t she look like a divine siren, rising up out of the sea?! -, but I’d be interested to see it tried atop a minimalist LBD. She got her grunge on with this combo of a cropped boxy sweatshirt and white denim. I’m not generally a fan of shorts cut to reveal the pockets, as it tends to look messy, but here, it fits the bored-punk theme so well that I’m breaking my rule :). Barbie completed the look with a black and white plaid shirt knotted at her waist on true 90’s style. I love the way it pulls the whole look together!

I love a lot about this look from Mickie! I love that it feels like her, channeling her glam side. I love that it reminds me of something LayCool would wear. I love the irony of Mickie rocking a LayCool look – she’s a long way from Piggy James, babes! The crystal belt gives this ensemble the Western vibe we often see Mickie dabble in, but the pinstriped vest throws in a slightly masculine and very polished curveball that give the pairing a kind of throwback cool. Her pin-straight hair was a perfect choice, bringing sleekness and modernity to the look. She completed it with OTKs in suede – hard to go wrong with that extra shot of fierce!
I’m also digging this look from Natalya. It’s the kind of classicism we’d expect from her in terms of this gorgeous LBD, but that sweetheart neckline? Bring me a fan -that’s hot! Her beauty look is perfection as well. Her shimmery eyes and mauve lip feel uncontrived and look stunning! Nattie’s big glam tv looks are amazing, but I also enjoy seeing her do softer stylings, like this one that seem like something she would wear when she’s not working, just being her gorgeous self. LBD’s were having a moment for her, as she wore another in a midi length during her tour of China. The minimalist aesthetic rules, as she accents it with black pointy pumps, a Louis Vuitton bag, oversize sunnies and nothing else. It’s edited, subtle and oh so chic! Although, I almost missed it because I was totally focusing on what has to e the cutest dragon I have ever seen. That yellow fuzzball is totes adorable and I want one! Yes, I realize it’s someone in a costume. I’m not interested in the someone, but the costume? I want to stick that in a corner of my room and hug it for about a hundred years.

So, the Big Dub is at it again. Their annual release of truly hideous Christmas sweaters has been foisted upon the world yet another year. These may be fun. They may be humorous. They may be appallingly ridiculous. They may be many great and good things. But they are not fashion. All apologies, but…no. So, every year, I break out my Positivity Detector and search for a silver lining among the horror. This year, we get …snowballs. It’s not much, but, hey..it’s something :). They assist the Lady Superstars in the best part of this ‘shoot: the poses! The gals really surpassed themselves this year in that department. Sasha gave us wonderful playfulness,  Renee gave us some thoroughly Austin-esque attitude, Alexa all but challenged us to a virtual snowball fight. Natalya also wins huuge props from me for her gorgeous hair and make-up. I love that she put so much sophistication into her look. It’s so chic that it very nearly redeems that green sweater, especially the way that she’s layered it over a classic LBD and rounded off the ensemble with leather boots. If  you *must* put one of these things on your person, this is the way to go. It shows you do actually have style; you just also don’t take yourself too seriously. Mickie and Becky also do an excellent job of making these sweaters something you can show your face to the world in. Both of their interpretations are more chill than Natties. Mickie adds distressed leggings in a funky plum tie-dye pattern. The choker necklace helps. Completing the look with heeled combat or hiking boots would strike just the right note – relaxed, but with clear attention to the style statement. Becky’s light gray moto leggings add a nice color counterpoint, as well as sleekness and attitude, which she reiterates with OTK boots – I love that she chose such fierce footwear, as well as pants with presence. Basic leggings these are not and that’s a good thing. As with Nattie’s look, showcasing her style chops with the rest of look elevates it and makes the sweater quirky commentary, rather than goofy. Brava, ladies: I can handle that kind of translation without twitching (much) :).

WWE periodically dredges through its archives and gives us some throwback galleries and their latest is a look at Mickie James’ career, all the way back to when she was blonde (!!!) and being mentored by Trish Stratus. There are a ton of great action shots and ring gear snaps, letting the gallery serve as a tribute to the consistency of her gear silhouette and the long run of gorgeous, bright colors and strong fabrics that is has gone through. There’s no denying that Mickie has always brought a ray of light to the ring, each time she steps into it! It’s also a 101 course in Mickie’s streetwear style, which has distinctively girl-next-door tendencies. We often see Mickie in denim with cute knits: a  tee or tank, styled with practical, yet flirty DIY knots,  lace or crochet. The second snap here, of her ivory tank and turquoise-accented belt from the time of her first album release is one of my favorite shots of Mickie – stunning, strong and a spot-on representation of her style.  Her favorite accessories include baseball caps, cowboy hats and embellished belts that reflect the American West. There’s an easy, rootsy sensibility to her looks  that’s sexy in the most unstudied, casual way. For all her country-chick-bada$$ery, though, Mickie has never been afraid to show off her feminine side with beautiful floral dresses or glamorous hairstyles. The simple photoshoot snap n her burgundy halter top is rendered unforgettable by her divine half up-do. The curls, the tendrils and the complexity all combine flawlessly with Mickie’s pensive expression for a jaw-droppingly gorgeous shot. While simplicity often paid off for her, so did taking risks, as she did with this pose and facial in the snap from the multi-diva photo gallery entitled Vroom Vroom, a Nascar-themed ‘shoot. With its muscle car and checkered flag references combining with the flirty femininity of her tulle underskirt, the shot captures the editorial version of the essential Mickie keister-kicking-coquette style personality. Check out the rest of the gallery for a crash course in her fashion or a quick lap around memory lane!

Back when the Big Dub took their Summer Skin seriously and didn't just dash off a crumb to the anniversary with a mere four photoshoots *ahem*, they gave just about every diva on the roster their own day of swim snaps. I remember how freakin' amazing that summer was, waiting to see who was going to be next and what they had chosen for swimwear and the locations and just...ogh...so much fantasticness! That - and I can hardly believe this because it seems like this blog's been my baby forevs - was back in the days before I was a fashion writer. So, although I got to savor and be inspired by each 'shoot, I didn't get to review them. Remedying that as we speak :)...or rather as we share thoughts electronically via various networks.  It's so funny to think back to those moments - I had a different car, different laptop to race to wwe.com on, different  hair color, same love of wrestling in general and divas in particular (thank Maria and Michelle for that; they hooked me).  The continual and unprecedented 'shoot releases kept the whole summer lit...not that lit was in common usage then :). It made a huge impression on me because it coincided with the first summer I was a huge diva fan.  I don't remember what order the snaps came out in, but I do remember raving over Maria's, Maryse's (some things never change ;)) ...

Maria's set was as diverse as her fashion is, ranging through some girl-next-door blue denim-esque and skull-accented, rocker chick piece before getting to the heart and soul of her fashion: glam. This mint-and-gold set had me drooling with it's shining beauty. Maria went heavy with gold statement jewelry, adding plenty of va-voom to an already attention-getting look. She pushed her poses to the dramatic limits - sometimes blowing right over them, but whatever :) - now that's how you work some bamboo! And thennnnn, she busted out the bikini I can't forget. Well, ok, maybe I can forget those metallic boy shorts, but that triangle top covered in massive silver paillettes? Never. Oh, and there was a star charm dangling off the center. I still want that piece.  Her roll-front side-pony was about as glam as glamour gets. And there were also stud bracelets.  Not sure my heart ever left that shoot. So maje.
Then again, Maryse didn't go easy on the heartstrings with her looks. She included sequined sets in magenta and red, a pure white bikini shot in the spray, a glittering blue bikini and then these two: a black triangle set covered with crystals and the curveball of the line-up: a floral-printed french top paired with white bottoms which boasted super-long side ties. It was basically a "You'll need oxygen for this" set of snaps from stem to stern, but these two stood out particularly for the backgrounds and poses. The black bikini was shot with Maryse perched on an outcropping of rocks. It looked challenging, but that brought out the best in her, as she draped herself over the rocks for a stunning series of shots. The floral bikini was shot primarily on the beach, with Maryse half-in/half-out of the water. Her poses, all the way from laying in the sand to kneeling in the foam evoke quintessential summer.

We got a very mixed bag of snaps from Axxess Day 3 - everything from full body shots to partial torsos. The latter naturally make it somewhat difficult to review per se, but being the fashion lover I am, I try to at least make a comment or two :).
Charlotte went for a classic combination of red and black, pairing a halter cropped top with stunning red wide-leg pants. She gets huge props for trying out the wide leg style and I really love how she makes it work. The key to the trend is defining the waist one way or another (which allows the pants to work their long, leggy magic). Charlotte's choice of the crop top accomplishes this perfectly. This shade of red is glorious - intense and attention getting. By doing it as the larger, bolder piece in her look , Charlotte gave it extra significance and made the whole outfit stand out.
Leave it to Alicia to slay the life out of an Axxess outift! I LOVE this look - her burgundy suede overall dress (yes - a dress with an overall top. This one is the Jameson Leather Overall Dress x For Love & Lemons via Mulaner. A few also available in black at lexandlynne.com) is super fun in and of itself, but with studs? Fierce, baby! So fierce! But Her Foxiness doesn't stop there. She adds trendiness to uniqueness and fierceness by layering an off-shoulder tank underneath it for a completely incredible casual look. This is how you make laidback be totally NOT boring! A short collar pendant necklace and a low bun complete this amazing look.
Nia went for a black monochrome outfit, which is solid throughout. She does an excellent job mixing textures for visual interest by topping a knit tee and black leggings with a leather-panelled knit waterfall jacket.  I haven't seen enough of her fashion choices to know if all black is something she gravitates to often. If that's her preference and what she enjoys, that rocks! But I do get sad when I think that a number of curvier ladies stay with black because they've been told 18 million times over that it's slimming. The way an outfit looks on the body is much more about cut, fabric and visual geometry than color. So, curvy chicks, if you love color , this is my personal plea to you: don't shy away from it! Have some fun with your palette :)
Summer kept things light with a blush tank (or tank dress) with tonal striping. A pretty ivory lace choker accented the look. One thing that I love very much about this piece is that it definitely seems to not be a coord set :). Also, the softness of the combination is gorgeous for hot weather -light neutrals always have a dewy fresh quality.