Vanessa Lynn Miller | Fashion | La Dolce Vita

OCTOBER 26TH 2017

LA DOLCE VITA

RoseGal Collaboration

FASHION

Corbeil ON, CANADA.

This week it's all about accessories! and I've teamed up with RoseGal to show you how picking the right pieces can take an outfit from "meh" to "yeah!"

The idea for this #look came about after browsing RoseGal's extensive collection of accessories. After seeing a stunning set of cross earrings the idea suddenly came to me to create a Dolce & Gabbana-inspired outfit. I have been a long time fan-girl of D&G which, if you don't know is an Italian designer brand that boasts, (in my humble opinion), THE most amazing accessories in the world of fashion. If you don't know what I'm talking about you've got to head to Pinterest ASAP...

Embellished heels, intricate embroidery, bejeweled handbags, and headbands that are nothing short of works of art, are all staples that convey an image of femininity and vintage Italian appeal. FYI the cross earrings are their brain child as well.

The D&G woman is classy but passionate, sweet but daring; feminine and confident. While she is a modern woman she also embraces the traditions of the past... I could go on and on but essentially what I'm trying to convey is that sometimes fashion speaks louder than words and this is perhaps one of the many reasons why the brand has grown in popularity with every passing year. All of these facets lend themselves to a theme of La Dolce Vita - the sweet life.

All that being said, let's get back to the theme of accessorizing and how I went about creating this look.

After placing the cross earrings in my shopping cart I began looking for other pieces to achieve that classic Dolce & Gabbana look. For this I knew I would also need some kind of headpiece so I searched for "rose headbands." RoseGal had exactly what I was looking for with a black lace and velvet rose headband. Another accessory that I was in dire need of was a corset belt for the dress I was planning to wear as the basis of the outfit. The waist of the dress was far too wide for me so I needed a belt to cinch my waist and create that famous "La Dolce Vita" silhouette.

Check! RoseGal had a large selection of corset belts to suit my needs as well. For the final ultimate D&G accessory I needed some bling, specifically to adorn a handbag. Again RoseGal came up big with some beautiful brooches to help me with my DIY handbag project.

At this point I had almost everything that I needed to complete my outfit except for footwear. D&G is famous for their embellished heels so I went out and thrifted a pair of Franco Sarto, very traditional-looking black shoes.

Now all that was left to do was assemble.

With some seriously strong glue I began making modifications, adding gems and pieces of old jewelry to the heels of the shoes I bought. Then I glued the brooches onto a vintage velvet clutch I had, added a lock clasp, and fashioned a handle out of some intricate gold ceiling hooks and a door-hinge pin. Yes, I can be pretty resourceful when I need to be...

My final task was to embellish the RoseGal headband to match the rest of my blinged-out accessories. Again I glued some old jewelry pieces onto the band for a heightened textural quality and then layered it with a second headband of gold leaves to make it look like more of a head-piece than just a head-band.

For the finishing touches a bold red lip, red manicure, some stockings and voila!

The simple polka dot dress that didn't flatter suddenly had va-va-voom vintage appeal.

AND THAT, my friends is how you take an eight dollar dress and turn it into an OUTFIT that looks as though it came straight from a D&G designer rack.

What would otherwise have been a "blah" dress on it's own became an interesting, beautiful, colourful expression of La Dolce Vita!

Today's fashion lesson: Never underestimate the power of accessories!

#accessorizealways

Also be sure to check out RoseGal for an extensive catalog of beautiful accessories and clothing. I've linked each item that I used in my post at the bottom of the page if you'd like to purchase them for yourself and maybe try to re-create your own D&G-inspired look?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this outfit! Would you ever create and wear your own "designer dupes?" Comment below or message me on any of my social media accounts!