Today we have uber stylish Mum, writer and forum member Laura reporting on how my original Mum-on-the-go outfits worked for her. Laura will do three posts on this topic and I’m excited to hear what she has to say.

As the working mother of two young sons, I have a true confession: As much as I love YLF, I was skeptical about Angie’s flop-proof outfits for “mom on the go.” (outfit 1, outfit 2, and outfit 3). The prospect of so much wardrobe change left me bewildered. Wear dresses during the day? Try skinny jeans and their warm-weather counterpart, clamdiggers? I hadn’t worn skinnies since the 80s! And casual skirts? Skirts were reserved for dressing up, in my world. My “mom” uniform consisted of boots, jeans (and yes, corduroys!) and sweaters. In warm weather, that was translated into sandals, lightweight cargo pants (often with pockets in the most unflattering locations) and t-shirts. No button-downs. No scarves. Other than wearing a cami under a sweater, I did no layering, period.

Since then, I’ve road tested a slew of Angie-recommended casual and smart casual outfits to see how they worked in real life. Moms are notoriously hard on their clothes (think toddlers smearing smashed banana on your premium denim) and notoriously discerning about their budgets. My sons’ need for new jeans usually trumps mine, since my jeans rarely get actual holes in the knees or become three inches too short overnight. As a writer, I work from home or from whatever cafe will have me (thank you, Starbucks!), so mom-on-the-go clothes are the bulk of my wardrobe. Sometimes I dress up to meet a client, but the majority of my clothes are smart-casual and casual. My clothes need to work hard, be comfortable, and fit into my family’s budget. The ensembles must be appropriate and stylish. A tall order!

Six months later, you can imagine that I am as surprised as anyone to admit that Angie’s flop-proof formulas covered my most demanding “momwear” requirements, and then some. Best of all, I feel better about myself in these ensembles than I did in my boots-jeans-sweater uniform. I’ve learned how to dress my outfits up or down a notch to fit whatever my day demands (one tip: if you want to make an outfit instantly more casual, add a pair of hoop earrings and/or a piece in denim, if you aren’t already wearing jeans). I am now a mom-on-the-go-flop-proof-outfit believer!

In the first of a three-part series, I’ll feature the best of the best. These are the outfits that have taken me from school parties, to coffee with friends, to working and running errands, and to the playground or play dates.

The most worn ensemble in my wardrobe for winter, hands down, has been this one: Tall boots + jeans (if jeans are skinnies, tucked into boots) + girly blouse or graphic t-shirt + cardigan or jacket + tote bag. Wearing boots over jeans is not for everyone and might not be for you, but it works well for me and was especially practical for our snowy Chicago winters.

This ensemble has taken me everywhere in my daily routine, with style, and feeling completely appropriate. And it’s an ideal transitional outfit, as boots are still practical here until at least mid-April, and I can easily pop a trenchcoat over the outfit, or leave off outerwear entirely, as we ease into the first days of spring.

Here’s how I’ll update the formula as Spring officially arrives and temperatures rise: Flats + jeans + girly blouse or graphic T-shirt or tank top + cardi + tote.

In summertime I’ll be swapping jeans for clamdiggers in dark or white denim, and trading my long-sleeved cardi for a short-sleeved, cropped version, or for a vest (check out this post from Angie on the graphic T + vest look).

Don’t worry if the colors in these ensembles aren’t your favorites, or the styles don’t suit you. Simply substitute items that fit your color preferences and body type. For more inspiration, check out some of the fashion-forward moms who post their outfits on the forum, like Patience, Dani, Shiny, and Nicole, or others who aren’t moms, but have the casual look nailed, like Tanya.

Let’s hear from all the stylish mamas out there. What are your favorite go-to ensembles? How can I improve my outfits?

There is a lot I’d like to see changed in the retail world of clothing, footwear and accessories. The area I feel most passionately about is footwear and in a blog entry last week I dreamed about an online shoe store that would achieve style AND comfort by providing shoes that were tailored specifically to my needs.

This generated a lot of great discussion, so I thought it would be interesting to brainstorm other ways that we could change retail. Here are some wild ideas to get us started:

• A chain store that specializes in tops to wear with skirts. That way we’d eliminate the “orphan skirt phenomenon”. I see closets full of beautiful orphan skirts and when I try to match them up with tops in store, it’s always hard to do. A destination “tops for skirts” shop would fly.
• A line of trendy and tasteful tops, bottoms and frocks designed to camouflage a thickening mid-section (muffin top). After fussy feet, getting items to drape stylishly over the mid-section is my next most common challenge with clients. We can’t layer and hide ourselves with tailored jackets all the time because it gets hot and uncomfortable. There has got to be a better design and fabric solution. Raising pant rises is a good, girdling start.
• The distribution of free fliers at cash registers explaining the concept of perfect pant lengths. It’s easily achievable and makes the world of difference to your look. I’d also have fewer apoplexies each day.

I could go on and on listing missed retail opportunities for petites, talls and plus sizes. But the ideas above cover the majority of what I deal with daily so they get priority.

In the spirit of brainstorming, there are no bad ideas! If your fairy godmother could wave her magic wand and make your retail dreams come true, how would you change retail today?

My look always feels instantly refreshed with the addition of a new handbag, necklace or pair of shoes, which is why the accessory and footwear departments are the first area I visit as the new retail season unfolds. I seldom come home with new footwear because finding fab shoes is a tall order, but I usually do come home with other accessories.

I was particularly excited last week when I purchased two pieces that were out of my comfort zone and new for my style and wardrobe.

• Bracelet: I have never, ever worn a bracelet before last week. I like the look of statement bracelets, cuffs and bangles on others, but steered away from the look myself because I thought that the chunky styles I preferred would be too heavy and wouldn’t work on my dainty wrists. I also worried that they would get in the way when I worked. I was wrong. Now that I’ve found the perfect bracelet, I can’t stop wearing it. I was instantly attracted to this style because it reminded me of a necklace that I love. My new Chanel-esque bracelet is as light as a feather, fits well and adds textural interest to my outfits. Love it.
• Wristlet: This style of bag never appealed to me because I didn’t want to dangle something from my sensitive wrists or clutch it in my hand. But the colours of this wristlet launched me into orbit and forced me to give it a bash. To my surprise, it worked. It helps that it’s roomy and that I keep the contents of my handbag to a minimum. At first I thought I’d sport a wristlet at night only, but it’s coming out on work days and I’ve been comfortable wearing it. It’s not cumbersome and my wrists feel fine, even with the bracelet.

It’s the same story ladies. You’ll never know whether something will work until you actually try it . You change and items change. Wristlets and chunky bracelets are by no means new, but they are completely new for me. I’m excited to give my flat totes and necklaces a break for a while in favour of these items. They have successfully popped my existing clothes into the next season. I feel fashionably recharged.

My new bracelet was cheap as chips. I found it on sale at Macys for $20 whilst shopping with a client who bought one too. The green snakeskin wristlet was on sale at Club Monaco with an additional 30% off for the day. Wins for both my style and my pocket.

Today’s entry is written by fabulously funky Antje, a good friend and long time member of the YLF community.

As some of you have already experienced, clothes swapping can be frugal and fun. JuliJuli, Marianne and I put this to the test last Saturday when we hosted the first Seattle YLF clothing swap. JuliJuli opened her beautiful house to eleven YLF blog readers and forum members who arrived with armfuls of clothes and plenty of hugs and smiles to greet old friends and make new connections. And of course everyone was fabulously dressed!

After setting up and enjoying a mimosa or a cup of tea, we started to look through the colorful array of clothes, shoes and accessories. In no time, we were busily slipping into skirts, blouses, dresses and jackets, crowding the mirror, and modeling outfits for each other.

Angie generously provided expert feedback on what worked and what didn’t, and nudged us to try things that we might have overlooked because they were out of our comfort zone – like bright colors for Marianne, who now owns a green cardigan, the cutest kelly green flats and a fiery red blouse.

Jane left the swap meet in her new military jacket over an Ann Taylor animal print shell, layered over her own white button down shirt. Laurel found a black and white tie neck top from Anthropologie. Daphne delighted in the orange and red scarf Angie had bought in Amsterdam years ago. And Amanda rocked the teal Boden coat that Marianne contributed to the swap because the fit wasn’t perfect on her.

These are just a few of the many successful swaps that took place. We also admired Sinead in her new red and white wrap dress, Nafisa in a “perfect fit” hounds tooth pencil skirt, JuliJuli in melon and pink tops, and Cheryl in a black and white Express cardigan.

As for me, I was thrilled to pick up a fabulous wrap dress in a black and white graphic print, which I can wear with jeans or on its own; a black stretch pencil skirt; a cheetah print top (can’t have enough animal print, right?); and best of all, a bright yellow Nanette Lepore jacket with short sleeves and interesting tie detailing at the neck. I can’t wait to wear these wonderful “new” pieces, and I’m so grateful to those who contributed them!

But I took as much pleasure in seeing how some of the clothes I added to the swap came to life on others. Amanda rocked two of the skirts I brought as well as a blue summer dress; her body shape was just different enough from mine that the items fit her perfectly. Jennifer looked super in a Banana Republic denim skirt that always looked too short on me, and Anya left with yet another skirt of mine that looked fun and edgy on her and perfectly complemented the rest of the outfit she came in. It’s a really good feeling to see iffy pieces from your wardrobe work well on other people: It validates your vague sense of “this just isn’t flattering on me” and you rejoice in others breathing new life into the items.

The swap was so successful that we’re already talking about an encore, maybe six months from now at the beginning of the fall season. Stay tuned, and tuck away things that don’t work for you. One woman’s discards may become another one’s treasures!

Angie was photographer for the day, but came out from behind the camera long enough for us to get these photos.

What a night for the motion picture “Slumdog Millionaire”. They cleaned up! Of all the fashions last night, I enjoyed seeing the ensembles of the Indian male talent of this movie crew the most. Their ethnic Nehru suits rocked. Uber stylish.

I was generally disappointed with the selection of frocks and tuxes last night. Oscar night is as glamorous and stylish as it gets and I’m usually jumping up and down with excitement, cheering and waiting for the next celebrity to look even better than the one before. Somehow, my expectations for an abundance of breathtaking and flawless looks was not met. I wasn’t a fan of the asymmetrical necklines, oversized bows, messy hairdo’s and nude lipstick. Here’s my rundown of the evening:

The best dressed lasses:

• Angelina Jolie comes is first which surprised me. She made my worst dressed list at the Golden Globes but this time her black gown was killer. It was superbly cut and draped impeccably well. Matching it with bold green jewelry gave the seemingly classic frock a different spin. It was hands down my favourite look of the night.
• Evan Rachel Ward was my best at the Golden Globes but comes in second this time round. Nude is difficult to wear, but when you have perfect white milky skin and red hair, it works. I loved the way this dress draped too.
• Taraji P. Henson looked modern yet romantic in her ingenious ruffled gown. I loved everything about this dress. Her modern bob and dramatic, antique-looking necklace sealed the deal. Fabulous.
• Natalie Portman was pretty and perfectly petite in her beautiful Grecian frock. The colour stood out and I liked that.
• Meryl Streep looked alluring yet age-appropriate in her gorgeous grey gown. Her hair looked great up and she was elegant from top to toe.

Actresses like Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet looked lovely, but didn’t blow me away. Frieda Pinto and Marisa Tomei are so pretty, but their frocks left me cold.

The best dressed blokes:

• Hugh Jackman was flawless in all his outfits.
• Eddie Murphy rocked an all black shirt and tux with bling.
• Daniel Craig looked as good as James Bond.

The best hair:

• Marion Cotillard sported a French roll like a true French gal.
• Taraji P. Henson’s modern bob was textured sleek perfection.

The worst dressed stars:

• Phillip Seymour Hoffman looked ridiculous with a beanie.
• Mickey Rourke was scary.
• Heidi Klum looked like Grace Jones gone wrong. I did not like this ultra-modern dress at all.
• Jessica Beale’s oversized front dress folds were unflattering and did nothing for her figure.
• Amanda Seyfried looked like a Christmas present. The bow was too much.

I’m excited to compare Oscar fashion notes so over to you. Who made your best and worst list?

My favourites. Click the thumbnails to see the full pictures on Yahoo’s coverage of the Academy Awards.

There is a lot I’d like to see changed in the world of fashion retail, but if I had to pick one area to focus on it would be footwear. It’s simply not up to scratch. I and most of my clients have some sort of foot and shoe challenge that’s only getting worse as we get older. It’s completely unacceptable that it’s SO HARD to find a good looking AND comfortable pair of shoes.

Yes, there are comfort footwear lines, but I haven’t found one that delivers. Many of them have shoes that are indeed comfortable, but just plain ugly. Others, like the exorbitant Taryn Rose, are beautiful, but hit and miss on the comfort dimension. And I’m not just talking about my fussy feet – this is based on my experience with many clients. There is no single range that is universally comfortable. The shoes that combine style and comfort are isolated surprises from the ranges of many different brands.

This challenge requires thinking outside the box. I don’t think the aesthetics of the shoe are the crux of the problem. That’s pretty well covered. Also, preferences are very subjective and there should always be a range of brands and styles to choose from. Comfort is where we should focus our attention. The thing I do notice is that there seems to be a set of characteristics that are common to the shoes that I find comfortable. Perhaps the answer is a range of shoes that are tailored to my specific needs.

In a perfect world where budget is no object, I see an online foot store that gives me the option to specify everything about the shoe that would make it perfect for my foot. At the touch of a button I would select my preferred style and colour, and then perfect the fit and performance of the shoe by specifying inner width and length, heel height, overall dimensions, arch support, inner cushioning details and fabrication. The shoes would magically appear on my doorstep in a couple of days.

How would you go about improving the state of retail footwear?

Friday fun: these fashion professionals have their own footwear challenges (no runway models were hurt in the filming of this video).

It’s true. The Fall 2009 collections on the runway at Fashion Week are full of outfits showcasing shoulder pads. This brings back all sorts of memories for those of us who wore them in the 80’s.

But the shoulder-pad trend that’s on the runways at the moment is different to the looks we coveted back in the days of Dynasty. The aesthetic is more sculptured and streamlined. It’s as if the modern shoulder pad is molded into the design and fabric of the garment. Sort of space-age looking. Back in 1983, you shoved huge spongy triangular shoulder pads under the shoulder seams of an oversized top and you could often see the actual outline of the pads. I remember thinking that I looked and felt slimmer in the waist and hips when my shoulders were all padded up, which is why I wore multiple shoulder pads under one garment.

I’m pretty sure that shoulder pads will find their way back into clothing. In fact, I saw a longer length 80’s style blazer with one-inch shoulder pads at Club Monaco yesterday. The effect was subtle but definitely there. Whether shoulder pads make it back into mainstream fashion remains to be seen. But the next question is whether you’ll wear the look if it does make a comeback. Before you answer, think back to how you vowed you would NEVER wear skinny jeans again. I was one of those people. Now I wear skinny jeans all the time. So maybe shoulder pads are in my future after all. Time will tell.

Every season has wonderful trends that we can adapt to suit our lifestyle, body type and fashion persona. It’s a matter of sifting through the styles on offer to add the right amount of “right now” to our existing wardrobe. In the process we leave behind things that don’t work for us, or that we simply don’t like. This is more difficult when the trends are hard to wear, choice is limited to a few fashionable design details, or items aren’t styled for the average woman. Here are my complaints about Autumn and Winter 2008:

• Soaring heel heights: Finding fabulous boots is hard, but when most of the heeled styles are in excess of three inches it’s that much harder. I don’t know who purchases them because I seldom see super high heels on the street (and that’s all over the world). There must be a lot of people sitting in high, high heels because they’re certainly not for walking.
• Too many mini skirts and dresses: It’s amazing how many times I took petite clients into the regular clothing area to gain a few inches of length on a skirt. I found myself passing up on plenty of skirt and dress styles because the hems were short and I’m only 5ft 6. Raised hemlines are fine, but when that’s the only option in stores it’s a problem.
• Poorly styled sweater dresses: Don’t get me wrong, I adore these and bought another one this season. But finding the perfect sweater dress is a tall order. Retailers (ultimately the fashion buyers) did not put enough thought into how these styles could be most flattering on a typical, curvy female form and there were loads of sweater dresses on early markdown as a result of poor styling.
• Pleated pants: We have not seen the last of this generally unflattering trend. It’s all over the show for Spring.
• Too many puffed sleeves: I personally enjoy puffed sleeves, but there are many women who either don’t like them or can’t wear them. Once again, there was far too much of this design feature in stores. I was often passing up on items for my clients because of the abundance of puffed sleeves.
• Too many empire baby-doll cuts: This silhouette can look killer on some and it’s great for camouflaging muffin top or balancing out curvy hips. But once again, the sheer overdose of the look is a weakness of the season. Busty gals can seldom wear empire cuts and the style can make you look pregnant (which is only a bad thing if you DON’T want to look pregnant).
• Boyfriend jeans: Don’t like the trend on adults.
• Fringe fashion that made me laugh: Latex leggings, harem pants and jumpsuits.
• Uggs: Enough said.

There were also a few missed retail opportunities:

• I sound like a broken record, but a deeper assortment of fab looking shoes and boots with one to two inch heels always goes down well. I cannot understand why this super-popular heel height is constantly overlooked in the US. It’s so much easier to find in Europe and Asia.
• Winter dresses in heavier fabric weights with longer sleeves would have been fab. They are easier to wear than sweater dresses and look fab with a great pair of boots, hose and coat. What’s not to love about a super easy slip-on-and-go frock?
• A wider range of casual pants that aren’t jeans or cords. If you lead a casual lifestyle and don’t like to wear skirts, you can get really sick of wearing jeans.

Personally, there were a handful of items on my shopping list that I could not find: the perfect pair of slouchy chestnut boots, a long cream puffer coat with fake fur trim, a red tartan pencil skirt and flat cream knee-high boots. I suppose there’s always next season! Your turn ladies. Bring on your rants for Autumn and Winter 2008 before we close the door and concentrate on Spring 2009.

Many of us have a good few months of cold weather to endure before the weather warms up, but we’ve seen the last of Autumn and Winter in retail stores (blame the retail cycle). Cold weather merchandise is on heavy markdown so if you’re still in the market for that, shop online for the best deals in town.

Spring collections are unfolding and as always I’m champing at the bit to talk about them. But you know the drill. I like to end off a retail season by sharing our final thoughts on the last six months of fashion:

Here are my raves (hold off on the rants because we’ll do those tomorrow):

• Biker jackets: I absolutely love this look because I’ve always been “a biker girl”. The trend is going through to Spring and Autumn so don’t give up on the look if you want to incorporate it into your style. And if you’re like me, it will ALWAYS be part of your style.
• Boots, boots and more boots: A cold weather season without boots is like putting on an outfit without a bra. The two go hand in hand. There was an excellent assortment of flat boots this season and I particularly enjoyed the resurgence of Dr. Martens and slouchy styles. Tucking jeans into boots is practical, sleek and flop proof for wet, snowy weather and it happens to be one of my very favourite Winter looks. The look is here to stay so if you missed it this season, they’re always next time.
• Pencil skirts: You’ve got to love a gal in a pencil skirt. It’s a killer look and my best skirt silhouette.
• Boyfriend cardigans: I committed to one of these when they first surfaced and have thoroughly enjoyed wearing it belted. It made for a nice change alongside its forever fashionable cropped counterpart.
• Skinny belts: Love them and didn’t wear a skirt ensemble without them. They added the perfect dose of polish each time.
• Waistcoats: I like adding menswear inspired pieces to my wardrobe and the waistcoat is a superb way of doing just that.
• Ruffle and zipper detailing: I like ruffles on anything and zippers add a certain edge. It’s right up my alley to combine both looks into one outfit.
• Tailored jackets: It’s wonderful to see the tailored jacket in stores again. For a while, trapeze styles flooded the market and they are much harder to wear. Long live the flop proof tailored jacket!
• Higher rises: I love their “girdling effect”.
• Bright colours: There’s nothing like a pop of saturated colour to get you through a cold Winter’s day. I especially enjoyed red, fuschia, yellow, and turquoise because they are my colours. But jewel tones reigned supreme with several of my clients and I’m glad that they were available this season.
• Textured hose: Self-coloured patterned black hose makes me smile. They completed my skirt ensembles by adding fun and texture to the look. I wore everything from micro-fishnets and geometric patterns to animal prints and polka dots. There was an excellent assortment this season and I’m thinking of stocking up.
• 80’s influences: We’re entering our third year of 80’s fashion inspiration and it’s loads of fun re-living and actually re-wearing the looks.

Another fabulous fashion season. I say that every time because there’s always something to like if you’re open to trying something new. Your turn ladies. What were your favourite trends this season?

Using a graphic, printed T-shirt as a layering item under a structured blazer or jacket makes for a superb little look. Match it up with jeans, casual pants or slacks and Bob’s your uncle, you’re casual AND put together all at once. Add dressy shoes and accessories for a smarter appearance, or Converse for a casual vibe. The combination of the arty T with a structured top layer has loads of possibilities.

I also like the effect of a playful graphic T worn under a serious suit. It adds an easy-going twist. Substituting pants for skirts is also a fab idea. Opting for a tailored waistcoat instead of a structured jacket is yet another. But take the structured top layer away and you’re left wearing a T-shirt with a bottom, which is not a good look on anyone older than a typical college student. So if you thought I was condoning “the T-shirt look”, no such luck! It’s all about adding a somewhat sophisticated top layer for it to pass the stylish test.

This outfit combo can be worn by all ages if the components are right. You guessed it, I’ve got clients in their late 60’s rocking the look. They err on the smarter side of casual, but it’s still pretty casual, which goes down well in a number of settings.

You’ll find a great selection of inexpensive graphic T’s at places like Urban Outfitters and H&M. If you’re already sporting the look, help me to inspire others. If you’re not, give it a go.

Forum members Ana, Antje, Eva, Julia, Nicole and Lee have been experimenting with the concept (click the thumbnails to see larger images). Maya bought the look during the YLF shopping day in Manhattan. They’ve all got it down.