Velvet has been releasing a bunch of new pics to RatedV.net. It looks like some of these are sold out at the moment…but we’re going to review them anyway because FASHION :). Looking at these made me smile because they are trademark Velvet: gorgeous, sexy, fun. First up is a straightforward workout gear snap. I love how the pink piping ties these two seemingly disparate pieces together. Velvet completes the pink pop by adding a candy-hued lip. I also love the bright blue background – it sets off Velvet and her outfit perfectly. This is the kind of snap I’d pin up to remind myself to get my derriere to the gym! –it makes working out look so affirming and joyous! Next up is probably may favorite of all the new snaps. Velvet pairs a tied black “Queen” (but, of course, dahling!) tee with a denim mini skirt and rounds out the outfit with black OTK boots. This is one of those classic, spot-on pairings that just slays. It has that breezy girl-next-door grunge-fierce vibe that always gets me. Vel’s pink lip works flawlessly again here. She takes things in a more formal direction with her next snaps, a blue bodycon dress in a mesmerizing shade of bright blue. She added a bold silver choker and a cerise lip that pops beautifully against the blue. This looking-over-her-shoulder pose is stunning too! We don’t get to see her shoes, but I’m imagining silver heels. Finally, she leaves us in no doubt as to her mood with her next look, a pairing of a white tee labeled “savage” and one of her trademark ruffled mini skirts. I love how her sexy, radiant pose and expression contrasts with her shirt’s message; it conveys such a fun duality!
Angelina also took her turn with a workout snap, pairing a camo crop top with black low-waisted shorts. Angie looks amazing as usual – the warm strawberry tones in her hair are gorgeous! As I would expect of a TBP alumnus, she nails her pose as well. Now, if we could just get these ladies together in one snap, that would be some seeeeeerious gym motivation! :)
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The last time WWE did a photoshoot celebrating a milestone episode for Smackdown, it was the 500th back in 2009. I know I didn't review the 'shoot because diva-fierce.com didn't even exist yet - imagine that :) The Lady Superstars – Divas, as they were then known..and kind of remain as in Brie’s head :) – broke out a bevy of blue dresses to celebrate the occasion.
I get such Mother Hen feels looking at these snaps. It’s like “awww – my lil’ girls are all grown up” when I see how far these ladies have come! Natalya’s soft blue v-neck sheath looks lovely and she threw a fun vintage-esque touch into her look via her embellished almond-toe pumps. She struck a solid version of a classic pose. The whole look gives us an insight into the woman she would become – her sense of sophistication and shades of Pinup Strong are clear. This is only about two years after he main roster debut and her Divas’ championship, the Divas Of Doom and the Empress Queen of today were all in the future. I can’t help but imagine how she would slay this type of ‘shoot now, with so much more sass and confidence Maryse also chose a v-neck sheath, going with a saturated sky blue piece and pairing it with strappy nude heels. This sensual aspect of her style was pretty much the whole of what she showed us at that time. Who knew there was so much more to come! Today, she’d keep the sexy dress…and likely reach for yet more fabulous shoes ;). Maria has always let her creativity and flair come shining through in her photoshoots and being over-the-top is something she never worries about. That she pulls off so much drama time after time is one of the things I love about her! She added a wide black waist belt to her royal blue sequined sheath dress and echoed it via her black peep-toe pumps – I loved the strap detail then…and I still do! She lent extra punch to the look with a fierce hat and added lace fingerless gloves for good measure. I can easily envision her rocking very much this same look today. Brie hadn’t delved much into her bohemian tendencies at the time of this ‘shoot; her style was mostly casual and feminine. This beautiful square-neck dress with its slightly-puffed sleeves holds up incredibly well! She could easily pop this out of the closet and wear it today (ok, maybe next spring :)) She completed the look with brown leather peep-toe pumps. She nailed a tried-and-true pose – and she’s only gotten better at that over the years! Nikki chose a long-sleeved faux wrap dress which, like Brie’s selection, holds up very well. She was the only lady to add the spark of another color to her look, rounding it out with red peep-toe heels (bringing a touch of Raw into Smackdown, perhaps? :)) This look feels very true to the fashion sensibilities we see her express today – once a fashion queen, always a fashion queen! Her half up-do is gorge and her stance is fierce! (Naturally :)) In yet another wrestling-themed photoshoot, several Lady Superstars dressed up as their favorite ECW wrestlers. This kind of theme has been a favorite of WWE, going all the way back to 2013 when Natalya won our Silver Snaps Award with her portrayal of Sean Michaels. I loved this idea much better back then when it was rarer, but I’ll take it.
Track pants and an ECW tee: Tommy Dreamer’s trademark ring gear was made for Becky! She looks very much at home in this type of styling, and stays true to Dreamer’s choices, all the way up to his taped hands. She replicates his gritty stare perfectly and the background lighting helps to add interest to these snaps, which makes them particularly appealing. Lana replicated The Sandman’s signature look of a personalized tank and denim (sometimes track pants). Her choice to go with all-black plays well against the barbed wire and chain link background, as well as the red and blue lighting that somehow creates a grimy atmosphere. She utilizes his trademark prop – a kendo stick – in her poses to good effect. Her work here is stellar, as usual…though I admit to being quite distracted by her gorgeous messy braid! WWE created one of their lately quite rare photoshoot opportunities for the Lady Superstars concurrent with the 1000th episode of Smackdown. The theme? Smackdown tees. Novel? Not so much. Slayable? Abso. The pull toward blandness is understandable, though: add a pair of pants and ta-da: you’re done. It’s so simple…maybe a little too simple for anyone who considers these activities not as art or expression but as a not especially interesting aspect of the game. Consequently, I can’t help but give a few more XO's to the ladies who put in extra effort to switch things up.
Billie Kay and Peyton each tossed a t-shirt over their ring gear, with Billie going for blue and Peyton for black. Their saving grace is their pose, one of their interesting and unique two-for stances. Billie also scores and extra point for her bright red lip that gives her look a bit of pop. I’m not sure how Charlotte managed to turn her tee into a cutout mockneck piece, but whatever forces she used, I’m down for them. She threw an on-trend sporty spin into her look by adding striped track pants. Her pose drips attitude and I’m here for that. Though not groundbreaking, the snap is 100% solid. Becky and Zelina chose the same leather leggings and were saved from the dread fashion sin of wearing the same look by Zelina opting to make her top a cropped silhouette. Her look works well and her pose is competent . I would have loved to see her chose a punchier lip shade to add a real exclamation point to the outfit. Beckys’s super simple tee needed the impact of the leather leggings to save it from yawnsville. Irl, the success of this look would come down to shoe choice. We don’t get the chance to see Becky’s choice, so I’m just going to imagine she went with some fab pair of boots or sneakers. I won’t dare go so far as wishing for blue suede pointy pumps ;). I’m wild over her hair and make-up here – these nude and peach shades are flawless for her and the soft volume in her hair is crave-worthy! Alexa got in on WWE’s SummerSlam gallery in which several Superstars took to the streets of New York city. As with Bayley and Sasha’s ‘shoot, I’m happy just to get anything in the photoshoot genre. Alexa wore her black and silver gear, the Wrestlemania Gear Count-up-Winning, be-crystalled rendition of a style that has long earned my praise. Her stunning cape is equally jaw-dropping; it says something very good that I’m still in awe over it all these months later. Beyond that, what we have here is a fairly basic gear ‘shoot, done in a city background. New York alone gives this set a big step up over the plain canvas we usually get for gear ‘shoots. However, Alexa win serious points from me for her effort to make this one stand out even more. Her poses are superb! She slays a squat, nails a couple of stances – including a fabulous one taken coming out of a subway station – and even throws in an adorably appealing one of her dangling on a police barrier. She takes what could be something fairly ordinary and gives it life and interest. This feels engaging, like editorial ‘shoot filtered through the life-lens of a WWE superstar, a couture magazine take but done for the ring. She’s selling me on this and I’m going for it. Excellent work, Blissy!
Addendum: I don't think anyone, anywhere in the universe can spy a crosswalk without recreating the classic Beatles' Abbey Road album cover. It's at that critical mass where it's way too done, but then again you can't possibly resist the opportunity. The WWE Superstars indulged and it has a bit of a thing, a slightly humorous, slightly nostalgic, slightly passé, slightly.."really?" thing. Included just because :). OMG WWE still does photoshoots…who knew? As someone who became a fan during the pre-revolution Diva era, this piece of what the ladies do has always been close to my heart because it gave me a chance to see the rest of their personalities, the non-ring side, the piece that loves fashion or clothes or playing dress-up or personal expression. It isn’t lost on me that most of what we’re seeing here (‘cuz #spoiler: there are a few more ‘shoot reviews in my drafts )are mostly wrestling-related – gear or sports-themed ‘shoots, but okay, it’s something.
Bayley and Sasha gave us a two-for ‘shoot back eons ago (ok it was like six weeks but whatever) when they were still besties. We’ve seen so many squad and bff ‘shoots over the years that it’s tough to break new ground, but the pair does so with their poses. They’re adorable, playful and lighthearted - all without being ridic or over-the-top. I adore this work! It’s fantastic and makes me smile just looking at it! Their chemistry is obvious and come roaring through the lens. I also give them huge props for design here: both gals are wearing coordinating but extremely colorful gear, a la Bayley’s chosen direction, and it could become overwhelming very easily. It doesn’t, though, thanks to the simple gray backdrop. Yes, the same gray backdrop that’s bored us all to pieces so often. This is the kind of ‘shoot it’s meant for. It lets all the colors on the madras-esque gear fabric pop. Both if these gears also succeed brilliantly in their styling: the hybrid of patterned fabric, black latex and shining turquoise makes these outfits dynamic and vibrant without looking like a visual mess. I critiques many of Bayley’s early looks for that and I’m so thrilled to see the way she has developed her look; this is exactly right! It retains all the bright, effervescent effect she gravitates to, while balancing the visual impression by interspersing solids that give the eyes a break and also serve to unite the look by highlighting one or two important colors in the pattern. Sasha’s look is equally successful for the same reasons. Brava, ladies: I’m loving this from top to bottom! Keeping up with Impact/GFW/Impact again has been a real challenge lately, as the company spent most of 2017 and early 2018 wrapped up in ownership changes that detrimentally affected personnel and content. During the summer, the Knockouts – hopefully with a steadier roster now! – began to release some photoshoots again. The first, themed “Back To Basics” seems to be a ground floor attempt to take the division back to its most recent high point, 2013 when Christy Hemme was directing the KOs marketing. The presentation includes adjectives with each photo highly reminiscent of the photoshoot that accompanied the opening of the now-defunct WestlingKnockouts.com website. I hope this does indeed herald a renewed beginning for these ladies! In keeping with the theme, the styling is stripped down and simple: denim shorts, tees, girl-next-door vibes. I’m having an inordinate amount of fun with these snaps, likely because we’ve been so starved for shoots on all fronts lately!
Katarina (the lady formerly known as Winter) kicks things off with a black tank and dark denim shorts. She throws some edge into the look by completing it with knee-high scrunch boots with a sexy lace-up back. Her rock-solid poses show her comfort and experience: they’re fierce and sensual at the same time. Allie takes the shoot to a lighter, brighter place: pairing a white tank with medium wash denim. Fringed beige ankle booties give an on-trend Western vibe to her look. She plays around on the bench prop flawlessly, conveying both sweetness and sexiness at once. Tessa chose a black cropped top paired with cut-off dark denim and rounded off the look with fierce pointy ankle booties. Despite the minimalist vibe of her clothing, she manages to channel femme fatale attitude with her unique poses and stunning facials. She gets props for working hard to push the envelope. |
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AuthorBrie: shoe-lover :) fashion-lover and generally glamorous semi-dork Archives
July 2019
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Photos used for criticism and comment under US Copyright Act Section 107.
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