FashionHap: Catchups - End Oct'16 Pt. 2

 
It’s hard to resist the autumn vibe of Nikki’s outfit, put together for a visit with friends in CA’s Napa Valley, which also happened to be part of those same friends’ style blog (see the pics and write-up here). She paired this olive romper from Urban Outfitters with the Melaya boot from Vince Camuto in luscious burgundy suede. Her maple leather double-buckle belt cements the casual, modern-Americana vibe, while her wide burgundy choker ties the whole look together by carrying the red tone of her boots upwards. Nikki has a penchant for playing up the sexiness in a look and she does so here in a super fun way: by unbuttoning the romper to create a plunge-front style. This is basically a 101 course in casual chic. Take notes ;). And be sure to check out peacelovestyle.com! The blog has some great fashion ideas.
Alicia has long had a killer instinct for statement jackets and she exercised it again here with this dramatic white jacket, accented with metallic gold details and studs. Ogh – this piece is amazing! It’s fit for a rock star, a superstar, a glowing, high-flying celestial body of some kind, for sure! Foxy paired it destroyed denim, a fringed lace-up leather bustier and a statement ring or two. In many cases, the bustier would be a statement piece on its own and you might think that it would compete with the jacket…but it doesn’t – evidence again of Foxy’s brilliant ability to mix daring pieces with competence and aplomb. The simple color scheme  and the difference in style – though both pieces are bold, the jacket is bold via complexity and detail, while th bustier is bold via strong, clean lines and movement – allows her to air these with casual panache. All hail Foxy Fierce!
Lana’s Other Versions Of You project provided us with some very different takes on her style, which I really enjoyed.  Suddenly, there were printed tie blouses and polka dots – oh my!  She paired the former (and ps, I love that shade of yellow!) with a pencil skirt, ankle socks and the lace sneakers which made such a fun statement in this Inspiration Board look. I love the retro-smarty vibe of this pairing – it’s so unusual for Lana and gives me Red-era Taylor Swift feels (never a bad thing). She takes the same theme into hipster territory with her next offering, a polka dot blouse paired with pinstriped overalls. The polish of the pinstripes elevates the casual silhouette of the overalls, making this outfit stylish in an offbeat, quirky way. It’s an unexpected combo that totally works, which thrills me to the bone! Also, can’t you totally see Renee wearing a look like this? She then switches up to a black monochrome look that would be perfectly at home behind the scenes of pretty much any major fashion photoshoot: black jeans, black tee, black ski cap. It’s practically a BTS uniform – for the same reason that Lana went with it here: it’s practical, casual, comfortable and stylish. It’s only flaw is that it’s not especially interesting, something Lana worked at remedying with her wide, black choker. It definitely helps! She completed the look with black high top sneakers (read: practical, casual, comfortable, stylish).

Summer gave denim on denim a try in these Guess jeans, paired with nude Louboutin pumps. This look comes off monochromatic and almost suit-like due to the similarity in color and finish of her two denim pieces. Ordinarily, I would be wary of that, but these harmonize so well that I think the look works here, although I wouldn't have minded a belt to break things up a smidge. Her fantastic pose also gives this outfit a big boost - how killer is this shot?!
Nikki had a mini love affair with maxi skirts in October, giving us two of them with two very disparate vibes. The first was a casual affair - a navy knit with a thigh-high side slit, a paired with a matching wrap crop top. She enhanced the casual vibe by finishing the look with striped sneakers. I like the way she brought in the current athletic trend, although I would have been more likely to reach for ballet flats or flat ankle booties here. The way this outfit pops against the lemon yellow background is spectacular as well, and suggests a fab way to spark up a navy look: pair it with bright, clean, primary yellow! Her next variation was more formal, in a modern urbanity-meets-elegance sort of way. She combined a velvet cropped blouse with a pink maxi skirt from Cotton Candy LA, a brand which specializes in eclectic and glamorous designs that are right up Nikki's alley. She completed the look with Stuart Weitzman suede OTK boots. The pairing of black and blush is on-trend and darkly romantic, the crop top+maxi is sexy, yet chic and the play on textures - from smooth to plush - gives the look a luxe vibe. This pairing is so striking! She kept the romance going with a stunning an frothy lace mini dress (from For Love and Lemons), changing up the dark palette for crisp white. The oversized keyhole front created the sultry aura that's a Nikki trademark. She kept the look light by completing it with nude peeptoe pumps by Christian Louboutin and added a dash of sweetness and whimsy with a floral-embellished bag. I love the way her bag brings an added layer of interest to this feminine pairing!