FashionHap: Catchups - Early Nov, Pt. 2

You know that weird, blank space between the end of the holiday season and spring, where everything is blah? Let’s see if we can fill it with fashion! ;) I have a lot…like A. LOT….of catching up to do. So, let’s see if I can get it all jammed in. Are ya with me?
Eva can really nail certain looks and this simple gray dress fits that category. The gray mélange fabric is sleek, yet not super-formal, due to the visual texture. She pairs the look with black pumps and finishes it with a stunning, formal up-do, which adds an extra bit of polish that make sit appropriate for a party or an evening dinner date.
I’m pretty sure you all know how I feel about yellow anything, even yellow used in combination. Alicia has used this incredible powder blue + banana yellow combo in her gear before, but I still have to take a moment to stop call it out now. I LOVE it! The yellow adds a fabulous spike of sunshine to the cool blue. I love the design of this gear anyway – the complex pairing of mesh and sheer and satin and sexy and modern: it’s just amazzzzzzing. But when Foxy does it with a pinch of yellow, well, I’m in seventh heaven. *happy, savoring sigh*
Speaking of fun gear, this set from Bayley reflects the metamorphosis she’s been in the process of lately. It’s an excellent direction to be going in, as it combines the lighthearted effervescence of her previous iterations with a touch of more mature restraint. The end result is pairings that reflect her goofy, joyous persona, while still being aesthetically pleasing. This particular combo spikes red and cobalt with black and silver. The look is clean and cool and the overall fish-scale patterning ties the whole thing together. Setting the stars above that pattern makes them pop out, putting special focus on them. This is such a great example of how well thought-out complex gear needs to be, in determining colors,
placements and harmonies. This one is a gem!
From gear, we make an about-face to this lovely, floaty gown from Maria, worn for he sister’s wedding. We don’t often see Maria in a piece as minimal as this – her intrinsic style sense is much more dramatic and glamorous, but she looks equally gorgeous in this simple silhouette. I’m also loving this soft blush color on her. The whole look is sweet and feminine, and I’m really loving how well it works on her!
Speaking of things we don’t often see, how about houndstooth pants from Maryse? I have to say, I wouldn’t have selected anything as bold as this and made the prediction that she would wear it. An attention-getting pattern like this can be tricky to style. Maryse (as I would definitely predict) hit on one of the ways that works: keep everything else simple and neutral and let the strong statement come solely form the pants. She does so by pairing them with a graphic sweatshirt and beanie, all in predominantly black, and rounding things off with black OTK boots. The whole combo works nicely. I enjoy a surprising fashion choice when it’s styled well. Props to Maryse for pulling this off! Her next look, for the STARS Gala at Universal Studios, is much more in keeping with what we know of her fashion: forward-looking and chic! This white satin tuxedo dress is by BCBG Max Azria. Her pointy toe suede pumps in nude are Louboutin. Versace designed her metallic clutch. This look is flawless! It hits all the right notes with its lightness, its formality and its subtle edginess. It’s noteworthy to me that Maryse mentions she styled it herself, something she does for many events. While some of the ladies have switched to employing a professional stylist for certain occasions, Maryse puts her own sensibilities out there, in much the same way as Blake lively. Both ladies get mad respect form me for that, even more so because their choices are so consistently excellent.

There are a couple of things I like about this gear from Becky. First, it’s use of velvety fabric is a nice nod to the current trend, which still fits her nostalgia-meets-modern persona. Second, the splotched metallic accents at the back and on the pockets looks super cool! It has a magical-graphic quality that’s quite interesting. I hope she keeps working with these two concepts as she develops her gear. I think with a little more detail, they could produce some amazing pieces. We also get a look at her fashion choices for her visit to Leicester City’s League Champ soccer team. She kept things casual and sporty. Her yellow camo pants are quite flamboyant, but I think you can get by with wilder prints and colors in athletic gear than you can in pretty much nay other style of clothing. We’ve also seen that daring pant choices can work nicely when paired with neutrals, which Becky does. Consequently, I’m a fan of the look. The only switch I might make is to go for solid black or solid yellow sneakers. I think these actually have yellow in them (under a mesh perhaps?), but at this camera distance, it all blends so they look orange, which appears a bit off-kilter, even though it really isn’t.
Barbie graced us with not one, but two, jumpsuits during November. Both are black with dramatic plunge-fronts, but there are some important stylistic differences as well, The first, from House of CB, is a softer silhouette that flows outward from the waist into wide-leg, 70’s-esque pants. Barbie appears to have paired the piece with sandals, which we don’t get a look at, although pointy toe pumps would have worked nicely here as well. The second piece is from Fashion Nova.  Worn for RI Comicon, it boasts a fiercer feel, adding sexy sheer insets at the side and tapering to a slim-leg silhouette. There’s still a 70’s vibe, but it comes from the cutout-halter styling. Barbie completed this look with deep berry lips for a au courant, gothic twist, while she finished the first outfit with a softer beige-pink that fits the softer feel of the piece. I love how these two ensembles are so similar and yet still distinctive form each other. Which styling do you prefer?