With Halloween fast approaching, here's look back at a fun little feature we did four years ago: a somewhat tongue-in-cheek guide to becoming a Superstar or Knockout for Halloween.  I had a blast doing this piece...so much so that I'll be reprising it this year. Look for that to kick off in the next week :)

WWE recently released a photo gallery showcasing some of the most dominant duos in sports entertainment. Naturally, they included my favorite pair: LayCool, and coincidentally also one of my favorites snaps of the devious ladies (I had nothing to do with this, I swear!).  This fabulous wordy white tank paired with black shorts is from one of their series of Famous & Flawless ‘shoots. We just don’t get moments like this nowadays *nostalgic sigh*. I love what the ladies are doing now, but I miss the fashion-high of those days. Can’t lie. The ‘shoot was so well put together, with fantastic style (crystal-covered belts added a shot of glam to this chill look) and gorgeous, fierce poses. Even against the simple black backdrop, this set had such a powerful effect! Mickie is an established queen of the ring these days, but back when she debuted, she was  best known as Trish Stratus’ biggest fan, eventually earning her place as Trish’s tag partner.  With the significant skills of both ladies, they became a serious force in the Divas’ division in no time! Trish’s girl-next-door vibes perfectly matched Mickie’s Americana-hottie looks, making for sexy, effervescent photoshoots and in-ring moments.

Camo is such a complex print, between the multitude of colors and the organically-shaped splotches, that it’s super-easy to pair it with a neutral and call it a day. Black is go-to, beige is fab, olive is awesome. But Nikki was a bit more daring than that when she wore the pattern recently: she injected some fiery attitude by adding a stunning flame-red to her look via accessories and bright lip. I love how unusual this color story is; it’s unexpected and bold, but not outlandish, making it totally do-able and appropriate for a myriad of occasions and places. Start with your favorite/only/clean piece of camo, be that a blouse a la Nikki, a jacket, a skirt, a dress. Build the look depending on weather. Do it like Nikki with blue denim or keep things a bit darker with black jeans if it’s springtime-cool.  If it’s toasty warm where you are, add a neutral or denim pencil skirt to the blouse, a tank under the jacket. If it’s not-so-toasty, add neutral layers below each piece. Once you’ve got the camo+neutrals main elements together, bring the spark. Nikki’s choice of flame red will work just as well set against black denim and camo as it does with the blue. I also love the idea of a softer, sweeter color pop set against the tough vibe of the camo: try rose, blush or a combination thereof. If you just can’t red or pink with camo, consider adding cobalt blue or rich mustard yellow instead. Nikki elevated the hard-working camo print with her pointy heels, which works fantastically. Feel free to reprise that, or do it with sandals. Alternatively, keep the whole look more casual with bright sneakers – keep them on the simple side, though and avoid pairs with more than two colors so the look doesn’t get too overwhelming. Echo your shoe choice with your lip shade and/or jewelry -statement earrings, a pendant necklace, a bangle or two, a monochrome scarf in silk or cotton- to carry the accent color throughout the look. I hope this inspires you to add an unexpected color to your camo stylings! Happy fashioning, loves :)

Nikki slayed her trip to Cannes in the summer of 2016, wearing – among other fab pieces – this incredible lace dress (the Azalea) from Self-Portrait. For anyone who has been craving a stunning lace fit and flare piece ever since (*raises hand*), check out this awesome look-for-less from ASTR at Nordstrom. It includes the beautiful, feminine all-over lace styling, including the cutwork edges at the bodice, the (adjustable) spaghetti-strap design and the sweet shape, all in a nice range of colors. In addition to Nikki-esque white, there’s a deep blush, a rich eggplant, a warm spiced wine, summery mint and a dreamy periwinkle. And it’s fairly affordable; how’s that for a win? A lace dress is a classic piece that will hold its style value, making this quite a nice investment. Getting your Nikki vibes on is just a bonus ;). Wear now with a denim jacket, in the summer with simple ankle-strap sandals and in the winter with a faux fur jacket and ankle booties.

The ladies of WWE brought their fashion game to the Superstars For Hope event, giving us some fabulous formal looks for this charity night, which benefits the boys and Girls Clubs of America this year.
Dana Warrior looks fantastic every time I see her and she rocked it again here, wearing a highlighter yellow gown done in notoriously challenging charmeuse satin. Naturally, I’m wild over the color of this dress :), but Im also super-impressed with the fit. Charmeuse can be unforgiving but we see no evidence of it here. It fits Dana flawlessly and we get to concentrate on the effect of the movement and the beautiful sheen. She added some warmth to the look by completing it with metallic gold sandals. Her long, loose hairstyle kept the ensemble from feeling excessively formal and her smoky eye and pale rose lip looked gorgeous!
Renee chose a scarlet mini dress covered in massive paillettes that reminds me of something Paco Rabanne would do (The piece is from House of Harlow 1960). I love how the black-on-red  represents a unique take on the classic sequin dress. This piece is so much fun! Renee completed it with block-heeled ankle strap pumps. Her red lip is the perfect way to carry the color upward. This whole look is fab, especially with her short, platinum hair – it really makes the red pop!
Carmella’s choice was equally stellar: a teal sequined gown by Stello that wrapped into a ruffle at her hip. This gown has me in ecstasies! The color is heavenly and the daring lines of that bold ruffle give the piece distinction and a futuristic quality that’s crave-worthy! Carmella added glittering, silvery statement earrings that accented the gown’s cool shimmer (I loved the snaps where she flipped all of her hair over one shoulder so we could really see them!) and completed the look with platform ankle strap sandals. This is a glorious choice of dress. It’s fabulous here, and could easily have worked for the Hall Of Fame as well.

Mid-February found Nikki in this stunning Ronnie Kobo dress, which is perfectly simple, except for its daring cutout back! I love the way the drama of this piece is concentrated around that single detail! Nikki enhanced the effect by wearing a station pendant necklace set to the back; it’s an incredible and perfect choice that looks fabulous and works flawlessly. It also reminds me of the way Coco Chanel wore her pearls dripping down her back in one of her most famous portraits, which does nothing to dissuade me from adoring Nikki’s styling. She added red statement earrings that bring out the colors in the necklace, as well as a black Louis Vuitton bag. We don’t get to see her shoes, but I’m guessing pointy pumps in black or red :). She’s repping Birdiebee in her next look, with the most vintage of snaps. Posed in front of a red theater curtain, she wears a white brassiere and high-waisted brief from the line, topped with a two-tone faux fur jacket. I love the backstage-chanteuse connotation and nostalgic vibe of this shot – it’s gorgeous!
If that snap from Nikki isn’t enough glamour to slay your life, how about this one from Noelle?  She’s enjoying a slice of pizza while looking thoroughly fabulous in a ballgown featuring an embellished bustier-type top and a black-and-white striped skirt. She’s topped the look with a cropped faux fur jacket in black and added a statement bracelet to complete the ensemble. Her messy bun is straight up gorge – she needs to wear her hair like this more often! I’m also totally here for her dark cranberry lip, which adds a very modern moodiness to this chic ensemble. I love this shot and I will be adding “eat pizza in a ballgown” to my Must Do In This Lifetime list because of it :).

OMG this blouse from Barbie! I’ve been crushing on floral appliqué pieces like this for about a year now and this one will fit right in to my fantasies! I love the color scheme, the gorgeous mix of sizes in the flowers and the off-shoulder silhouette. Barbie paired it with a black mini skirt that highlights the fact that she has legs for days…months actually. Her wide choker makes a strong, solid counterpoint ot the delicacy of her top and loosely echoes the fabric of her skirt, tying the look together perfectly. Barbie finished off the fabulosity with beautiful, delicate ankle-tie sandals that I would take home in a heartbeat. So basically, this is a total win.
Cathy attended New York Fashion Week, looking every bit like a fashion editor in this velvet tee and cropped dot-hem cropped pants. I love the play on textures here – it gives extra depth to this nearly monochrome look. She added a black and white chain-handled bag which echoed the polka dots on her pants and completed the outfit with strappy black sandals that had just the right balance of softness and structure. I’m not generally big on red eyeshadow – I feel like its really tough to pull off and can just make you look like you’ve been crying – but here, I’m enjoying the fashion-forward vibe it adds to this styling. Note: she also wore a red-rose-on-white printed mini dress from Chi Chi London, paired with red snake ankle booties and it looked amazing! Check out the snap here at fashionofthedivas.tumblr.com).
Charlotte shared this snap of her simple but impactful monochrome outfit on Instagram. As with Cathy’s look, a textural play gives interest and power to this all-black look. Instead of luxe velvet on top, it’s fierce and sexy latex on the bottom that serves as the contrast piece. Char paired the statement leggings with a shoulder-baring minimalist black halter top and added a shot of attitude with her studded Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots. This is simple done just right!
Wearing yellow is a great way to catch my eye and Liv sure did with this rendition of her gear. The highlighter shade gives a fun 80’s pop to her black and white graphic tee – which sports fierce slashed shoulders! –and star-lined leggings. The destroyed aspect just adds to the punk attitude. She completed the look with white sneakers that featured black laces and a streak of canary yellow to tie everything together. I love this from head to toe! And speaking of heads, how super cute is Liv’s hair here?! Love it!

Laurel and McKenzie were looking casually chic as they hung out together earlier this winter. Both ladies sported graphic tees (shoutout to McKenzie for her good taste in selecting the AC/DC! :)), paired with blue distressed denim. This pairing is one I always enjoy, especially when those punk leanings are spiked with glamour – in this case via faux fur coats! I’m equally wild over Laurel’s short jacket and McKenzie’s car coat and the way they inject fabulosity into this attitude-heavy look. The one piece of these ensembles I can’t get behind is the fur slides. Fur on shoes = yes, slides = yes, together = no. They look like furry slippers – which is probably the point :). I completely understand how awesomely comfortable they must be but still a no over here.  Slippers and slipper-approximations are not for strolling the streets in. Ankle booties would have been my go-to. That said, from the ankles up, I adore both these looks!
Michelle posted this #tbt shot on her Instagram and the feels ran rampant for me. This photoshoot was the last fashion ‘shoot she ever did and the only one I got to review in real time rather than as a throwback. I remember calling it “Haute et Basse (High & Low)  and raving over the new ground Michelle broke in some of her poses – her off-camera pensive stare is an unforgettable gem and this stance was another of my faves. Equally memorable was the horrid photo quality of the original release, for which I doubt any Michelle fans have ever forgiven the Big Dub, although I believe HQ versions of some of the snaps did eventually make their way into the cloud. The body-con dress and OTKs was a combo we saw a lot from Michelle; it was one of her signature LayCool looks, usually punctuated by crave-worthy statement jewels. It’s fun to come back to it now…and it still looks flawless :).
If you’re going to do out-of-this-world-glittery boots, this is a fantastic way to style them! Naomi let her sparkling footwear have center stage as she set them against a simple black backdrop of a cami and leggings, topped with a black blazer. I love the unique tie-front detail on this piece, as well as the fact that she chose something of this level of formality (note the satin lapels) as a topper. It elevates the look significantly and bridges the gap between the high impact of her boots and the low-key vibe of her under-layers in just the right way. Stellar styling!
I was immediately attracted to the gorgeous melon shade of Nikki’s dress in this snap from Total Divas! It’s warm, radiant, a complete jaw-dropper. The rest of the dress is simple, and that’s perfect: the color is all you need to make this piece stand out. Nikki added a massive statement necklace in a gold tone that echoes the sunlit quality of the dress, giving the look the sophisticated touch that pulls it together. She completed the outfit with nude heels, which work beautifully. (Gold metallic would be a second fab option). Natalya’s look is much more laidback, but equally solid: she paired a lace-up bodysuit with blue denim and topped it with a minimalist leather jacket. I love how clean and cool this ensemble is! Her shoe choice would tell all about this look: sneakers would give it an on-trend athleisure vibe, ankle booties would take into off-duty rocker territory, classic pointy pumps would elevate it to casual chic.

We got a taste of Mckenzie’s real-world style as she attended a December college graduation. She wore a plaid top, paired with flared jeans and topped with a leather jacket. A silver statement pendant provided the exclamation point for this casual but put-together look. I also love her mid-pony with the soft poof at the front – so pretty! The casual continues for this holiday-time look in which she paired a white turtleneck and blue denim with a burgundy velvet shawl from Earthbound Trading. The spike of warm color and luxe texture gives this laidback ensemble panache. A gold statement necklace elevates the look and gives it the signature of intentioned style. That’s cemented by her super-cool caramel-toned fedora, which is a beautiful neutral to pair with the burgundy hue, instead of the more expected black.
This gorgeous azalea jumpsuit is a stunning example of Nikki’s sexy-meets-chic style. The piece features an off-the-shoulder silhouette, flared sleeves and flawless tailoring in a magnificent shade of warm, bright pink.  Those details serve as the focal point of the look as Nikki wisely edited everything else except slim, statement earrings that add subtle shine. The color and silhouette create an engaging and dramatic look that’s rendered incredibly sophisticated by the restraint shown in the styling. Her bright pink lip echoes the azalea shade without appearing matchy and carries the color upward. I love everything about this look! It’s drama on overdrive in her next outfit, a choker-neck romper with a jaw-dropping, décolleté-baring plunge-front. Holy shiz! :)

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! :)