WWE created one of their lately quite rare photoshoot opportunities for the Lady Superstars concurrent with the 1000th episode of Smackdown. The theme? Smackdown tees. Novel? Not so much. Slayable? Abso. The pull toward blandness is understandable, though: add a pair of pants and ta-da: you’re done. It’s so simple…maybe a little too simple for anyone who considers these activities not as art or expression but as a not especially interesting aspect of the game. Consequently, I can’t help but give a few more XO's to the ladies who put in extra effort to switch things up.
Billie Kay and Peyton each tossed a t-shirt over their ring gear, with Billie going for blue and Peyton for black. Their saving grace is their pose, one of their interesting and unique two-for stances. Billie also scores and extra point for her bright red lip that gives her look a bit of pop. I’m not sure how Charlotte managed to turn her tee into a cutout mockneck piece, but whatever forces she used, I’m down for them. She threw an on-trend sporty spin into her look by adding striped track pants. Her pose drips attitude and I’m here for that. Though not groundbreaking, the snap is 100% solid. Becky and Zelina chose the same leather leggings and were saved from the dread fashion sin of wearing the same look by Zelina opting to make her top a cropped silhouette. Her look works well and her pose is competent . I would have loved to see her chose a punchier lip shade to add a real exclamation point to the outfit. Beckys’s super simple tee needed the impact of the leather leggings to save it from yawnsville. Irl, the success of this look would come down to shoe choice. We don’t get the chance to see Becky’s choice, so I’m just going to imagine she went with some fab pair of boots or sneakers. I won’t dare go so far as wishing for blue suede pointy pumps ;). I’m wild over her hair and make-up here – these nude and peach shades are flawless for her and the soft volume in her hair is crave-worthy!
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Alexa got in on WWE’s SummerSlam gallery in which several Superstars took to the streets of New York city. As with Bayley and Sasha’s ‘shoot, I’m happy just to get anything in the photoshoot genre. Alexa wore her black and silver gear, the Wrestlemania Gear Count-up-Winning, be-crystalled rendition of a style that has long earned my praise. Her stunning cape is equally jaw-dropping; it says something very good that I’m still in awe over it all these months later. Beyond that, what we have here is a fairly basic gear ‘shoot, done in a city background. New York alone gives this set a big step up over the plain canvas we usually get for gear ‘shoots. However, Alexa win serious points from me for her effort to make this one stand out even more. Her poses are superb! She slays a squat, nails a couple of stances – including a fabulous one taken coming out of a subway station – and even throws in an adorably appealing one of her dangling on a police barrier. She takes what could be something fairly ordinary and gives it life and interest. This feels engaging, like editorial ‘shoot filtered through the life-lens of a WWE superstar, a couture magazine take but done for the ring. She’s selling me on this and I’m going for it. Excellent work, Blissy!
Addendum: I don't think anyone, anywhere in the universe can spy a crosswalk without recreating the classic Beatles' Abbey Road album cover. It's at that critical mass where it's way too done, but then again you can't possibly resist the opportunity. The WWE Superstars indulged and it has a bit of a thing, a slightly humorous, slightly nostalgic, slightly passé, slightly.."really?" thing. Included just because :). OMG WWE still does photoshoots…who knew? As someone who became a fan during the pre-revolution Diva era, this piece of what the ladies do has always been close to my heart because it gave me a chance to see the rest of their personalities, the non-ring side, the piece that loves fashion or clothes or playing dress-up or personal expression. It isn’t lost on me that most of what we’re seeing here (‘cuz #spoiler: there are a few more ‘shoot reviews in my drafts )are mostly wrestling-related – gear or sports-themed ‘shoots, but okay, it’s something.
Bayley and Sasha gave us a two-for ‘shoot back eons ago (ok it was like six weeks but whatever) when they were still besties. We’ve seen so many squad and bff ‘shoots over the years that it’s tough to break new ground, but the pair does so with their poses. They’re adorable, playful and lighthearted - all without being ridic or over-the-top. I adore this work! It’s fantastic and makes me smile just looking at it! Their chemistry is obvious and come roaring through the lens. I also give them huge props for design here: both gals are wearing coordinating but extremely colorful gear, a la Bayley’s chosen direction, and it could become overwhelming very easily. It doesn’t, though, thanks to the simple gray backdrop. Yes, the same gray backdrop that’s bored us all to pieces so often. This is the kind of ‘shoot it’s meant for. It lets all the colors on the madras-esque gear fabric pop. Both if these gears also succeed brilliantly in their styling: the hybrid of patterned fabric, black latex and shining turquoise makes these outfits dynamic and vibrant without looking like a visual mess. I critiques many of Bayley’s early looks for that and I’m so thrilled to see the way she has developed her look; this is exactly right! It retains all the bright, effervescent effect she gravitates to, while balancing the visual impression by interspersing solids that give the eyes a break and also serve to unite the look by highlighting one or two important colors in the pattern. Sasha’s look is equally successful for the same reasons. Brava, ladies: I’m loving this from top to bottom! Keeping up with Impact/GFW/Impact again has been a real challenge lately, as the company spent most of 2017 and early 2018 wrapped up in ownership changes that detrimentally affected personnel and content. During the summer, the Knockouts – hopefully with a steadier roster now! – began to release some photoshoots again. The first, themed “Back To Basics” seems to be a ground floor attempt to take the division back to its most recent high point, 2013 when Christy Hemme was directing the KOs marketing. The presentation includes adjectives with each photo highly reminiscent of the photoshoot that accompanied the opening of the now-defunct WestlingKnockouts.com website. I hope this does indeed herald a renewed beginning for these ladies! In keeping with the theme, the styling is stripped down and simple: denim shorts, tees, girl-next-door vibes. I’m having an inordinate amount of fun with these snaps, likely because we’ve been so starved for shoots on all fronts lately!
Katarina (the lady formerly known as Winter) kicks things off with a black tank and dark denim shorts. She throws some edge into the look by completing it with knee-high scrunch boots with a sexy lace-up back. Her rock-solid poses show her comfort and experience: they’re fierce and sensual at the same time. Allie takes the shoot to a lighter, brighter place: pairing a white tank with medium wash denim. Fringed beige ankle booties give an on-trend Western vibe to her look. She plays around on the bench prop flawlessly, conveying both sweetness and sexiness at once. Tessa chose a black cropped top paired with cut-off dark denim and rounded off the look with fierce pointy ankle booties. Despite the minimalist vibe of her clothing, she manages to channel femme fatale attitude with her unique poses and stunning facials. She gets props for working hard to push the envelope. Kim: It's finally here! After waiting was feels like far too long, we finally have a photoshoot from Zelina Vega to review. Now we've had the honour of reviewing shoots from Zelina in the older Diva Fierce days, during her time in TNA as Rosita. I believe she was even one of our FOTM (Fashionista of The Month) in 2014! Gear shoots are a great way for us to get a closer look at what these superstars wear while kicking butt in the ring. Zelina is totally slaying in this burgundy and gold combination. Like, I'm in l-o-v-e with this colour. The gold snake pattern trim is a detail you might not have been able to notice if it wasn't for these photos. We've seen Zelina incorporate snakes into her fashion with necklaces and such, so I love that this was added to her gear. The keyhole top is probably one of my favourite styles, and she took it up a notch with the side cut outs on her shorts. A little hardware details along the trim is and eye catching, finishing touch. Finally, we need to talk about that crown. With the design and dark gold metal, I'm getting some serious Queen of The Damned vibes, which Zelina is a big fan of. The bright red roses bring a pop of colour and stand out so vividly against her dark hair. Over the years, both Zelina and Diva Fierce have grown, changed, and evolved. Now we're reunited... and it feels so good!
Brie: I totally second Kim's comments! Zelina has hit on what just might be the most shade EVER for her - ithis deep wine shade is absolutely GORGE! The hint of sheen and gold accents give this gear a polished vibe, born of the confidence in her choices Zel has developed over time. Her keyhole top is a classic silhouette - which I can't help but associate with Maryse as she's the one who made it famous for me. Zel makes it her own, though, by echoing the upper negative space with a similar cutout on her shorts. I love the new twist that brings to her look. The crown is a fabulous touch and I'm totally here for the way it's gothic vibe is enhanced by her black nails and smoky eyes. We've been somewhat short of 'shoots lately and that, along with the killer effort by Zelina, is making me thoroughly enjoy this one! As Kim said, being reunited feels so good! 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.
So, about forty years after the Rumble, WWE managed to release photoshoot-style snaps of the ladies in their ring gear, under the guise of celebrating International Women’s Day. Ok, Big Dub, whatever. It’s a gear ‘shoot and I’m good with that. No need to try to convince me its anything else. So, now about forty years after they released it, I’m reviewing it…under the guise of rounding up the Royal Rumble :). I like that these snaps give you a close and clear look at each of the ladies’ in-ring looks and it allows me to comment on a few of the gals I couldn’t acquire good pics of the first time around.
Aaaaand Becky isn’t in her gear, but this actually looks like it could have been. Its a taste of her chill-gal-meets-medieval-punk stylings that we saw early in 2017. The hints of metal give this look a nice touch of flash and the rust and black tones work beautifully with her hair. While I would have found this a little lowkey for a major event like the Rumble, I could get behind her wearing this for a tv event. |
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
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