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) :).
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I’m so excited to finally post this for all of you! It’s been in process since literally August. I plead lack of time and scope of post: this season’s “blast” is more like a ka-boom - fashion is going in so many directions right now! There are a multitude of subtexts underlying a few dominant themes.
The ladies of WWE gave us a huuuuge range of fashion as they attended ComicCon this summer. Noelle kept things simple and straightforward by pairing a deep blush cropped halter top with a black pencil skirt. It’s nicely polished and put together for this kind of event and consequently gets a thumbs up from me. We don’t get to see her shoes, but blush sandals would seem to be the most intuitive choice. I can also see adding a touch of hardware with a chain-handled bag for a little extra va-voom. Renee styled leather overalls in a unique way, leaving one side un-buckled for a drapey, casual twist on the standard approach. She layered a bright graphic tee below. Since her styling made her overalls more casual, I think I would have preferred the contrast of a fancier top – a bright silk button-down, multi-color striped tee or band-collared blouse -, but this shade of intense aqua looks marvelous on Renee. I also give her massive props for the creative silhouette. She completed the look with peep-toe ankle boots for just the right dose of fierce. I was shocked to see Becky choose such a formal piece as this metallic jumpsuit; it’s a far cry from the casual attire she often reaches for. It’s not inappropriate, however, and I’m really excited to see her in something so daring. The one-shoulder detail gives it a nice touch of uniqueness and the space-age vibe is quite intriguing. The only thing on my wishlist is that she had finished the look with the grounded fierceness of black: an ankle strap pump, pointy ankle boots, strappy sandals. Charlotte was gorgeous in this cobalt blue mini dress with its fluttery front. I love how perfect this piece is for her body shape; she’s really solidified her game on that front over the last year or so. This type of dress, with its boxier silhouette, really looks best when it’s quite short. The piece accomplishes that while concurrently maintining its professionalism via the high-low hem. Charlotte’s Maddye boots ( x Steve Madden) complete this look in soft, summery style.
McKenzie tried out a denim-on-denim look, variously known as a Canadian tuxedo and Texas tuxedo (seems like a lot of places claim the pairing! ;)). She noted on her IG that the look was inspired by Guess and I can see it! It would totally work as one of their campaign snaps. She pairs high-waisted blue denim shorts with a coordinating tied-high button-down that lets just a hint of brassiere peek through. For a real life look, I’d probably swap the bra for a bandeau, cropped tank or bustier, but for a Guess ad, I’ll let it slide ;). It’s also worth noting that denim-on-denim is remaining an important trend this fall.
This look from Renee strikes me as a quintessential example of her style: it’s offbeat, laidback and unexpected. She pairs a half-tucked sleeveless graphic tee with high-waisted leather pleated shorts and rounds off the ensemble with suede peeptoe booties. The textural play here – leather, suede, knit – is fantastic and the whole styling has this enviable urban-chic vibe that I’m wild over. Her half-updo adds a softer touch which works nicely. Sasha explored a similar vibe at the BET Experience as she, too, chose leather shorts to pair with a hanf-tucked top. The Boss went with a drapey white cami (from Fashion Nova) instead of the sleeveless tee for a more polished, but still casual, effect. Strappy sandals brought just the right dose of fierce to the look, keeping it from being bland, while a minimalist choker tied everything together nicely. I also love Sasha’s incorporation of her trademark “Legit” and “Boss” statement rings: they bring panache and Banks-ian attitude to the ensemble. Sasha slays a more formal look for her appearance at the BET Awards in an emerald lace dress by Willfredo Gerardo. The super-size lace pattern set on a mesh background has a wonderful contemporary quality, while still retaining its beauty. It’s sexy, but not crassly so. An added bonus is how stunning the color is with her plum hair shade! She brings in hints of metallic glam via her gold sandals. Nude or beige would have been more expected, but I like that she chose to do something different. Renee rocked her look and our world with this studded leather overall dress (the Overall Of It from Nasty Gal). Doesn't it remind you of the Jameson Leather piece Foxy wore for WM Axxess this year?) She contrasted the smooth sheen of the leather with a striped tee layered underneath. The stripes add a chic vibe to the fierceness of the dress that I'm all in for! Renee echoed the silver flash of the studs with a metal choker for a bit more attitude. We don't get to see here shoes, but this outfit is just made for a pair of peeptoe booties in my book :). She went for a more laidback rendition of the overall look with this denim variation, which she layered over a black top. This is the kind of look that could easily look bland, so I was thrilled to see the bright pink lip she styled it with! Along with her fringe bangs, they bring the right shot of attitude and intention to this casual look. Next up was a super-fun exploration of power stripes. The width of this pattern and the color scheme gives this blazer a forceful presence. Renee played up the toughness by pairing it with leather skinny pants, but threw in her usual dose of casual cool by adding a simple cami below. As with the previous outfit, her hair style adds volumes to this look: her high donut bun adds polish, while her wispy bangs add a hint of playfullness. She was back to the one-pieces with this sleeveless jumpsuit. The cutout detail is interesting and modern, but the standout feature is the glorious shade of iris blue-purple - so stunning! Her center-parted bangs give this look a slight 60's kick, which is fun. Add a nude heel or a cute pair of sneakers for a sporty vibe to this and you're good to go :). Her last look continued the vintage theme, but with more of a boho kick: she paired flared jeans with a sleeveless emoticon tee. It's a simple enough look, but her statement messenger bag and oversized heart-shaped sunnies give it the perfect amount of consequence to exude casual cool.
I went head over heels for this dress of Renee's when she wore it to the Wrestlemania Hall Of Fame ceremony. I would 100% wear this dress with a denim vest or jacket and sneakers for date night, a picnic, a girl squad meeting. But if you're not quite ready to jump that far off the night-for-day diving board, it's easy to be inspired by Renee's look in a subtler way. Her printed floral gown was to the informal side for a black tie event, so she elevated the styling by pairing it with black satin sandals. So, how about reversing that formula? Go floral on the finish. Instead of reaching for an all-over printed outfit, do a black monochrome look. Pair a simple tee with tie-waist satin shorts, or a pretty blouse with cutoff denim. The key is to mix something more formal with something more laidback, a la Renee. Complete the pairing with floral footwear. I love the pop and summery vibe of ankle strap sandals, but pointy toe flats or floral sneakers will work nicely as well. The florals really take on a big presence when set against a black outfit - not only does the color stand out, but the softness of a floral creates a more startling contrast against a dark, solid canvas. It's like a textural contrast without the texture. Conversely, the chic, moody power of black undercuts the garden-y sweetness of the print. It's a perfect example of the dramatic tension of opposites. Consider adding a floral statement ring or necklace to reinforce the beauty and colors in your shoes.
Alternatively, be a little more direct: keep the fancy-shoes-to-elevate-the-look concept, but dial the whole clothing situation back. The theory still holds. Renee's sandals add polish and formality to her gown because of the material they're done in - the sheen of satin always gives it a dressier vibe. So grab your nearest pair of satin shoes and design your look around it, from the bottom up :) Almost any satin pair will work: sandals, pumps, flats. Because your shoes are so formal, the rest of the look should stay refined, but chill. Pair a simple tee with a ruffled wrap skirt or a denim pencil piece, staying within a monochrome neutral color family. If you're craving texture, add it with one lace, crochet, eyelet or sheer-accented piece, but keep item #2 basic. Or, do an A-line (pencil will work nicely too!) floral skirt (or trousers) that includes the color of your shoes within the print. Either way, lean toward a minimalist silhouette and matte materials to help create the laidback vibe that will contrast with the formal sheen of your shoes. Stay with the edited aesthetic for your baubletry - simple stud earrings, a pearl collar. Note: Annabelle @ Viva Luxury has a great example here of pulling this styling off using pants. Her graphic tee is super chill, her cotton cargo pants are a shade more polished. Her leather jacket ups the pants a notch, but the whole look is solidly under the heading of "Casual"...until she gets to her blush satin heels with their crystal accents - they make it fierce! To highlight the difference for yourself, block out just her shoes in a full-outfit pic and imagine the look with sneakers or ankle boots. I hope this inspires you to play with some floral/monochrome and laidback/satin pairings sometime soon :) Happy styling, loves! This look from Renee reminds me of my pretty much perpetual fashion in high school, minus the awesome hair. In those days, I was still in the "fighting with my tresses" phase. Have I ever mentioned how much I love buns and ponytails? Their respective inventors should be kissed. Also given plaques. It's a total tribute to Renee that she's making the shacket work here. Unless you are a magical fashion goddess (and sometimes even then...), it's waaay too easy to fall into the "I'm so busy adulting/almost-adulting that I don't even care how I look" look. The tricky part here is the whole shacket concept and we're gonna talk about that because you can make this über-cool, casual look function for you, even on days when you're not feeling like the magical fashion goddess you are. First, the easy part: slim or skinny bottoms. The simplest way to make oversized or flowy on top work is with form-fitting on the bottom. It's a proportion-play that's 101 go-to. Do leggings, do vegan leather, do track-striped polished knits, do denim - it's all good, as long as it's leg-hugging. Ditto your underlayer. Body-skimming, body-kissing, body-con: it and your body are ca-lose. Like, bff close. Ok, to the trickier aspects we go! Renee's look works here for a couple of reasons. First, she's wearing an actual shacket, with has a jacket-type styling and a little more heft/stiffness to the fabric than a shirt. Also, it has a straight hem, instead of a shirt-tail hem (rounded at the bottom, curving upward toward the hips, making a u-shape when viewed from the front or back). If you have a shacket, feel free to employ it here. [Note: Renee's does have a bit of drop-tail hem (longer in back than in front), but that doesn't have a relevant effect on this styling]. A straight-hemmed shirt creates a more polished, jacket-like connotation, which is something to keep in mind if you're doing this look with a shirt. The challenging part about that option is that a button-up shirt doesn't have the same polish as a jacket and leaving a basic, shirt-tail hemmed shirt open over a tank top is a really quick route to Soccer Mom territory. (No offense to Soccer Moms; I get it - life's busy, practicality rules.). You can segue around that avenue in a couple of ways. Go for a button-up tunic (duster and other unexpectedly long lengths encouraged) , instead of a shirt, especially one in a more sophisticated fabric (i.e. silk or voile). Avoid stiff woven cottons. To up the chic factor, keep the color story minimal and bold: black and white, red and navy, beige and graphite. Don't worry about the formality of a fabric like silk. It won't feel fancy when you complete the look with sneakers or flat espadrilles; it will be just enough to elevate the outfit. Ditto with voile. Note: with drapey fabrics and this longer length, you can also button or partially button said tunic if you so desire. If you're sticking with the standard-length button-up, def skip the leaving-entirely-open part. There are easier ways to do casual ;). Try knotting the shirt in front as low as possible to create a slouchy feel (don't button the rest of it up - the deep 'v' that's created will elongate the line of your body). Or tuck it in and button only the bottom button for another variation on the same theme. Alternatively, use an oversize shirt and create your own asymmetrical hem by doing up two or three central buttons using a button-hole that's one or two holes below the one straight across from the button. The fun thing about these knotted and partial-button options is that you don't need a super-drapey fabric, which opens up linen for consideration and all the amazing summer shades it's available in: aqua, lilac, tiger-lily, lemon. Yum, right? :) Finish with block-heeled sandals or wedge espy's in a coordinating color or light neutral. Lastly, amp up the stylish intent on all these variants with a polished hair style: a sleek pony, a refined bun, pretty braids. Happy casually cool styling!
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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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