FashionHap: August, Etc - Part V

Maria’s experimentations with fashion continued throughout the month. Her barely-captured Smackdown outfit layered a graffiti-covered bomber jacket over what looks to be an assemblage-type mini dress with appliqué an sequins. Black ankle booties completed the risky look. I’ve learned to never be surprised at where Maria takes her fashion – she’s never afraid to “go there” and while this look is busy and messy, it makes an interesting direction for the love-filled, urban-warrior character she’s developing, so I give her points for the experimentation. I could have skipped the daring burgundy lip with all that was going on below it, but it toughen up the styling even more.  From there, she paired a ruffled mini skirt from Express with a sunglasses-wearing-skull-print tank from Zara and clear sandals from Aldo (all id’s by fashionofhedivas.tumblr.com). This look is just as risky as the first, but it very nearly works. There’s a long jump from skulls to ruffles and I wish she had tied the outfit together by going with combat boots instead of the clear sandals, which are super-modern. It’s fine, though – Maria keeps me intrigued and thinking about fashion, so I’m always up for seeing what she does next!
Maryse’s look was more edited, but I love the moto styling of this gray zip-front dress! It’s like a biker-jacket done as a little gray dress! It’s streamlined and packs an attitude, despite its classic silhouette. She finished it with simple pumps, but combat boots, or studded, heeled ankle booties would look fab with this also! Her SummerSlam-week vist to New York city found her pairing a lace bodysuit with latex pants in a look that melded various approaches to seduction  -from sweetness to S & M. She topped the outfit with a sleeveless trench. I love these pieces individually, but I find this look to be a bit scattered in effect, although the unifying effect of the black helps it tremendously. I have a similar feeling about her next offering, which pairs the floral Delaina top from Alice and Olivia with the glittering lace confection of the Almira skirt from the same brand. I love the gorgeous floral of the top and the skirt is crave-worthy! Even so, and despite the gold of the skirt being echoed in matte tones in the floral, the look feels a touch disjointed. Maryse added a wide black waist, which perfectly enhances her curves – and finished the look with simple black Nudist sandals from Stuart Weitzman. I’d have loved to see tie the outfit together with burgundy or blush heels instead.

We saw her re-use the same belt – along with the latex pants – on Raw, this time paired with a simple black cami and finished with her Louboutin Gypsandals. Now that is more like it! Those daring pants benefit from taking center stage and receiving the femme-tough statement of those fantastic sandals as an accompaniment! The same cami worked equally well in a different genre the following week when Maryse paired it with glittering wide-leg pants and black sandals. It toned down the fanciness of the bottoms, but still looked polished. A black choker provided the perfect jewelry statement – they always complement bare necklines!
Natalya attended a SummerSlam-week meet-and-greet at Toys R Us in Staten Island in a ruffle-shouldered white top paired with black track pants. She topped the looks with a zipper-embellished leather bomber and completed the ensemble with black pumps.  I totally adore this look! It blends trendy elements, but it still feels very chic and classy, i.e. totally like Natalya! I love that she can broaden her comfort zone, while still maintaining the strong stamp of her personal style. This is a perfect example of doing fashion and being fashionable without letting it become a “look”. Brava, Nattie for showing us how it’s done!

Karen Jarrett and McKenzie Mitchell were hanging together this summer and looking gorge while doing so! Karen wore a beige sheath in  classic v-neck silhouette that got spiced up with a glittering gold diamond pattern. Chic+glamorous is just what comes to mind when I think of Queen Karen and this look nails it! A cuff bracelet echoes the golden tones of the dress, while hoop earrings add an au courant touch. Perhaps my favorite part of the look is the kiss of blue in her eyeshadow and her peach lip shade – that color combination on Karen is absolutely stunning! She looks summer-tanned and radiant. All hail the Queen!
McKenzie went with a floral printed dress with a décolletage-baring plunge neckline. I love the open-ness of this print: it makes it feel sophisticated and accessible.  If I could wish for one thing, it would be that she had done a brighter lip – rose, cerise, blush. The burgundy feels a bit dark and heavy with this airy print. For her next look, McKenzie fully embraced darkness, pairing a black and gold graphic tee with shimmery black leggings. I can never see pants like these without immediately thinking of Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy in Grease :). McKenzie brings a similar sexy attitude to her rendition, but swaps Sandy’s red mules for of-the-moment black ankle-strap sandals. I definitely think sh should put this on her short list of potential Halloween costumes though! She’s one black off-the-shoulder top and some extra curls away from creating a spot-on homage! It’s back to femininity for her last look, this time via an ivory lace coord set. I love the way both pieces in this set have scalloped hemlines – so beautiful! This is the  kind of look Mckenzie habitually excels at and she slays again here!
If Michelle McCool’s skirt looks familiar to you, you’re in good company! It strongly reminds me of the Alice and Olivia Almira piece we saw Maryse wear earlier. Seeing the hemline would confirm it, but I strongly feel that they are the same piece, based on the waistband and pattern. Instead of Marye’s dark floral top, Michelle went with a super-casual white tank. I admire her attempt to dress the skirt down for this daytime SummerSlam event; these two pieces are pretty far apart , though and I think I would have preferred something a little closer in tone (a sleeveless peplum blouse perhaps or a silk cami) or, alternatively a jacket (a classic denim or leather moto come to mind) to help bridge the gap a little more. A low pony and a simple gold bar necklace completed Michelle’s look. Sadly, we didn’t get a glimpse of her shoes, which leaves me totally bummed because Michelle was always a shoe-goddess! (Remember those McQueen ankle booties or Vuitton OTK’s? *swoon*). Oh well. Maybe next SummerSlam? :)