Looks Of The Year 2016

It's time to take a trip down memory lane, Fancies.  Ok, very recent memory lane :) We're taking a look back at the trends that dominated, that made 2016 what it was in fashion. The looks that made it fabulous, luxurious and chill. The looks that slayed you and made you crave trying them (or not ;)). And we're paying tribute to the ladies who brought them to life for us! So settle in with a nice caramel macchiatto and relive 2016 :)

Honorable Mentions: The Studded Dress (and Barely There Ankle Straps)
Apparently, 2016 was the year of the studded dress. You wouldn't know it from many places in fashion but the ladies of wrestling made a determined effort to bring studded sheaths back, as no less than four of the ladies wore a variation of the style. Barbie went top shelf with her piece, while Lana, Madison and Maryse opted for more economical versions. no matter: it looked hot as Hel-sinki in any iteration. While the full-on dress look is still sub-radar for the runways, studded accessories definitely made a string comeback. Furthermore, this styling is gorgeous and straight up: who better to wear an artisanal attitude-denoting piece than a KO or Diva? The ladies habitually kick derriere in the ring. It's no surprise their fashion does too ;) Barbie's styling also highlights one of the other crucial trends of the year: the minimalist ankle strap sandal! During the early part of the year, this silhouette was impossible to ignore, and easy to love.  It took off with the ubiquitous popularity of Weitzman's Nudist and roared over the world from there. The goes-with-everything simplicity is  both daring and chic, making it every fashionista's go-to for the warm months of 2016.

Lace-Up Anything
From this January to this December, it was all about the lace-up! Lace-up tops, lace-up dresses, lace-up shoes: they all dominated the fashion scene. . The criss-crossed style is associated with the bohemian vibes of the 70's, but this year's versions steered the vibe from free-spirited to sensual. Deep-v's, like Barbie's, were a favorite dress silhouette, but risqué side-lace-ups also made serious waves. On the shoe front, we saw lace-up heels paired with everything from distressed denim to metallic mini-dresses. We noted that Lana is a definite fan, and her style recs are well worth attending to! The seductive silhouette worked like a dream with nearly every pairing imaginable, adding some va-voom to formal pieces and elevating more casual looks.
 
Blush and Neutrals (and The Rockstud)
Maryse highlighted a match-up that ruled the spring and summer months: pairing the latest variation of pink to rule the world of fashion - blush - with neutrals. Always a classic shade, it's been awhile since pink was a breakout color for a year and 2016's tone was a tawny, romantic shade of pale pink that's been off the fashion radar for some time. This year's standout look was to mix it with other neutrals, mainly white, ivory and the sand/beige/camel family for a soft, feminine look that was chic, but light in execution, compared with the more expected combination of dark neutrals. Maryse chose the white-with-blush pairing for this shorts+cami look and topped it with an on-trend cropped jacket. She finished it with another highlight of the year: the Rockstud pump, the Valentino creation which is continuing its universe-dominating ways with ever more iterations of its sweet-meets-tough aesthetic.
 
The Cape (and OTKs + Dresses)
2016 was the year of the cape and capelet! This unusual design was all over runways, red carpets and wrestling rings, as demonstrated by Maryse, who wore this full-length version in black, paired with a knit sheath and gray suede OTKs. We also saw a gorgeous jacquard version memorably modeled by Renee. If you wanted to experiment or prove you were fashion's cutting edge, this is you did it this year. And it didn't matter whether you did the Maryse thing and matched  it with a dress or followed Renee's lead and set it atop leather leggings: it looked smashing and au courant either way! Maryse's combination of OTKs with her sheath nods back to the styling that took over fashion in 2010 and cemented the OTK among style's classics. It was so massive that year that fashion took a bit of a break form it, but the pairing is back and still retains that delicious, edgy feel of fierceness that made it the darling of so many fashionistas then and now.
 
Rompers and Chokers
This year was also the year of the romper and jumpsuit! The silhouette became the It piece in fashion in the spring and the trend stayed strong right through the year. And why not - al the ease of a dress with all the comfort of pants: it sounds like a match made in heaven - a very chic, stylish kind of heaven! A fierce battalion-worth of lady Superstars experimented with them during the year. We saw them in prints and solids, neutrals and colors. We saw them paired with minimalist sandals, pointy-toe pumps and, as Nikki's done here, with over-the-knee boots. This warm, pairing of dusty green with rich burgundy was not only perfect for wine country, but for autumn in general. With her low, block-heeled footwear, Nikki's choices exemplified this season's laidback luxe that melded comfort and sophistication. She finished her look with 2016's hottest necklace: the choker! It first made its appearance in the spring and became the essential, wear-with-everything accessory shortly thereafter - basically, the only way to complete an outfit from autumn on :)
 
Velvet and Slip-dresses
This magnificent look from Renee typified one of the strongest trends of the latter part of the year: velvet. The sumptuous fabric was on every stylish girl's Must Do list from the moment it hit the fall runways. Dresses, cami's, chokers, blazers, shoes - all of them went velvet, making the end of 2016 a very opulent time indeed! In keeping with the return-of-the-90's themes of velvet and chokers, the simple slip-dress made its triumphant return. Renee's velvet version is a variation on the silhouette, which is often executed in silk, satin or similar sheen-possessing fabrics. While we saw the style paired with sandals for summer months, fall's pairings toughened the look up with ankle booties for a distinctly grunge-y twist. Look for the slip-dress theme to remain strong in the new year, as it is showing no signs of slowing down!
 
Lace and Denim (and Pointy-Toe Pumps)
The McQueen-esque vision of savagery meeting beauty head-on was translated to the street by the pairing of complex, artisanal lace with skinny distressed or destroyed denim for a truly magnificent amalgamation of frothy femininity and tough-girl attitude. The trend took lace and ruffled blouses to the top of must-have lists everywhere. Like minimalist sandals, the intricate blouse is an iconic piece that will be chic for decades. I always have a special place in my fashionable heart for trends that have staying power beyond a few seasons, so this was one I could completely get behind. Summer nailed the vibe with this fashion-week pairing of a black Self-Portrait blouse with blue denim. She finished the look with the number one shoe of the year: the single-soled, pointy-toe pump, which we saw everywhere, on everyone, paired with everything. With her delicate fishtail braid pulling in one of the season's top hair trends, this look was on point from head to toe.