Reading in Style

A. J. Morgan Eyewear is a fashion forward reader and sunglasses collection with over 1000 designs and colours in their range. Their eclectic designs immediately caught my eye, and my only disappointment was that some of the great looks weren’t also available as frames for regular glasses. As Leonard Derse from A.J. Morgan puts it:

“If you’re in the mood for adventure and want to express your unique personality, then A. J. Morgan Eyewear is the place for you. With over 1,000 designs and colors we know you’ll find the eclectic pair that fits your style.”

Comfort for the Well Endowed

We first got to know Carissa Brown from Bratique Helene when Nicole from the YLF forum reviewed her product back in January. Carissa is an expert on the busty figure and her clothing line, Bratique Helene, addresses the special needs of the curvy (but not plus sized) woman. Carissa is passionate about the benefits of her product:

“Just check out this before & after video for some excellent pointers on how to create a streamlined silhouette and make the most of your assets. Remember, being well endowed is a blessing and not a curse.”

Asian Fashion and Lifestyle

YesStyle.com is one of the first online retailers who cater specifically to those interested in Asian fashion and lifestyle products. They house over 300 brands from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Stefan Janssens of YesStyle wanted to point out that the online retailer now also has a brick and mortar store:

“This year, on top of celebrating our 3rd anniversary and due to immense demand, we also celebrated the grand opening of the first YesStyle Store, located in San Francisco, California.”

We’re excited that these sponsors have decided to use YLF to reach their target market, and we’d like to thank them for helping to support our investment in the wonderful YLF community.

You might have noticed that we created a YLF fan page on Facebook. With so many people using Facebook, we thought some of you might like to bring YLF into your Facebook world. A few people have already found the panel at the bottom of every YLF page and have signed up as fans. Thank you!

Note that your accounts on YLF and Facebook will still be completely independent. We think this is the way it should be, since a lot of people would like to do general social networking on Facebook, and use YLF as their “style social network”.

If you do become a fan, then your Facebook friends will see this in your Facebook profile. Your home page in Facebook will also show a little notification each time there is a post on YLF.

We would love to have you as a fan, but if you would like to keep your participation on YLF completely private from your friends on Facebook, then feel free not to do so. We won’t be offended! We know that some people may be worried about their Facebook and YLF worlds colliding.

Note that this is separate from site membership. You don’t have to join YLF in order to subscribe to our email list.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.

First, YLF was a Blog

In 2006 Greg introduced me to this blogging thing and showed me how I could use it to take my knowledge about fashion and style to a much wider audience than I could reach through one-on-one wardrobe and style consulting. Before long we had lots of readers and many of you were asking for advice on topics relating to YLF.

Then there was a Forum

The second stage began in January last year. We decided to introduce a forum that would make it much easier for people to communicate with each other. This took off faster than we expected and we watched in amazement as an intelligent, compassionate and supportive community emerged. The strength and power of the YLF forum continues to blow my mind.

Now, the beginnings of a Social Network

Now that we’ve seen the potential of this community, we’d like to take it further. Closer to a full social network where you can express your style and share it with others. So over the past few months we have been working on some big changes under the covers to make this possible.

Today we are super excited about enabling the first three new features:

• One YLF Identity: Previously you only logged into the forum. Today when you log into YLF, you are logging into the whole site. This means that when you comment on the blog, the site will recognize you and automatically add your name and details.
• Your Style Profile: You can now create a rich profile that describes you and your preferences in a lot of detail (or a little, if that’s what you would prefer). You can also add a profile picture that will be displayed alongside your forum posts AND blog comments. This could be a picture of you, your beloved pet, or something completely different.
• Private Messaging: You can send private messages to other members. This lets you chat privately with other members, without needing to divulge your email address. Of course, you can also use private messaging to exchange email addresses with other members that you trust.

Over the next few days we will post more details about using these features. The more adventurous can jump right in. The new tab at the top of the page will take you to the Profile.

How to get started

If you are a forum member today, then you’re already a full YLF member with a profile page and the ability to send private messages. The information you previously specified in your forum profile is already in place, but now you can add a profile picture and provide additional information about yourself and your style preferences.

If you are a regular reader on the YLF blog, but haven’t yet dipped your toes into the forum, consider signing up. Even if you don’t use the forum, posting your comments on the blog will be more convenient, and you will be able to get to know other YLF readers a little better through their profile pages.

We’d love your feedback

These are our first small steps, but we will be adding more features over time. Please let us know what you think of the new features and if you experience anything strange (there are bound to be a few teething problems), you can comment on this blog entry, or go to the forum and leave your feedback there.

We hope you enjoy the new features as much as we do!

Papa is the opposite of my Mum when it comes to style and fashion. He loathes shopping for clothes and shoes and considers it punishment when he has to update his wardrobe. (Being a little colour blind doesn’t help). But my Mum set a high style standard and would not tolerate sloppy dressing, so Papa relied heavily on her to ensure that he was well turned out at all times. When Mama was still alive, I remember Papa asking her the same question every morning as he stood in front of his closet: “Wat moet ik aantrekken?”, which translated from Dutch means “what should I wear?”.

These days Papa has to get it right on his own. With a little help from you know who, he’s managed extremely well over the last nine years and I’m proud that my Dad has not let himself go. As a tribute to his late wife and a sign of self respect, Papa is well groomed, well put together and stylish every day.

His day to day uniform consists of nice jeans, cords or wool pants with tucked-in button down shirt, cashmere pullover, belt and leather shoes. When it gets colder he adds a trench, leather jacket or wool coat with scarf, gloves, umbrella and tweed hat. When it’s hot, he substitutes the jeans for tailored bermuda shorts and slip-on mule sandals. Papa finishes off his look with great classic specs or hip sunglasses, along with his wedding ring and gold watch. He also keeps his hair and beard super short and his hands immaculately buffed. Brilliant.

Thank you Papa for paying attention to your wardrobe and daily dressing routine. You are proof that style is achievable at any age. Yvonne watches over you from her fluffy white cloud and totally approves of your dress sense. You look fab.

Over to you ladies. Let’s hear about your Dad’s style. Are you planning any style and fashion related gifts for Sunday?

(1) This picture was taken over three years ago when my best friend Lori and I went to visit my father in the Netherlands. He’s wearing his favourite suede jacket, navy scarf and gloves, giving us a heartfelt smile. (2) Papa with me and my brother Hugo in 1971. Nylon polo shirt, checked pants and of-that-fashion-moment specs. Fabulous. (3) My Mum used to say that it was Papa’s sports car that got her hooked. Here he is cruising along Hong Kong’s coastline after a hard day’s work in 1961. The top is down and the sassy sunglasses are out. Uber cool. Happy Father’s Day everyone!

Greg and I thoroughly enjoy YLF. I love writing my daily posts and helping out on the forum, while Greg gets a kick out of designing, marketing and maintaining the site. It’s a pursuit that’s close to our hearts and we love working on it together.

If you’re a long time YLF supporter, you know the drill. We like to celebrate the anniversary by reflecting on the activity of our readers and the things we enjoyed the most. Here are the 10 posts that received the most comments over the last year:

• Interviewing with NBC’s Today Show (87 comments)
• Olive oil: a safe solution for dry skin? (83)
• Bottom cleavage makes a comeback (83)
• The corduroy debate (69)
• Sex sells with American Apparel (68)
• Brainstorm: improving the world of retail fashion (67)
• Flip flops: yea or nay for everyday (64)
• Your pants to skirt & dress ratio (58)
• How many pairs of jeans do you own? (57)

I enjoy writing all of my posts, but over the last year I’ve particularly enjoyed writing about the following topics:

• Global style and fashion: We love to travel and share our style experiences with you.
• The psychological aspects of individual style: Looking good has an impact on how we feel and vice versa. In the name of fashion therapy I like to explore those feelings.
• A tried and tested item: I enjoy passing on information on a specific item that’s a winner for us all.
• Upcoming trends: Reporting in this way reminds me of my fashion buying and trend consulting days (I sometimes miss those).
• The best and worst of a season: Again, this reminds me of my buying days. It’s nice to add a retail perspective to the style equation.
• Accessories: This is the first year that we’ve added pictures of my outfits to the site in an effort to demonstrate the power of accessories. It’s such fun to work with my in-house photographer and see Rosie and Jasmine get in on the action.

Visually, we enjoyed the entries with beautiful photographs the most, such as the posts on YLF gatherings, clothing swaps and international experiences like Anne Fontaine, Shell pearls from Hong Kong and the Dr. Martens Revival. But my absolute favourite blog post of all time is this one. The furry little blog star decided all on her own to join the photo shoot. The picture makes my heart melt. I can barely stand it.

A big thank you to all our subscribers, forum members, daily readers and occasional visitors for making the YLF community what it is today. A special thank you to our guest bloggers for adding a classy and entertaining dimension to our site. Your valuable contribution is much appreciated and it would not be the same without you. Keep rocking your style and cheers to another fabulous year!

YLF covers a wide range of topics and after almost three years of activity there are a large set of archives to navigate. Here are some starting points to make that a little easier.

Categories

There are more than 50 categories of blog posts (see the sidebar on the right), but body type, instant style tips, individual style, color and closet organization are some of the more important ones.

Popular Posts

Judging by the comments they generated, here are some of the most popular blog posts:

• Olive oil: a safe solution for dry skin?
• The corduroy debate
• Sex sells with American Apparel
• Brainstorm: improving the world of retail fashion
• Flip flops: yea or nay for everyday
• Your pants to skirt & dress ratio
• How many pairs of jeans do you own?
• Classic Uggs: fashion or gear?
• Harem pants: the rise of the low crotch

Posts on flop proof outfits have also been particularly popular:

• The flop-proof outfit
• The flop-proof outfit for casual Fridays (and beyond)
• Mom on the go: flop-proof outfit #1
• Mom on the go: flop-proof outfit #2
• Mom on the go: flop-proof outfit #3
• Roadtesting Angie’s mom-on-the-go formulas

Join the community…

With gatherings, clothes swap events, and reviews, the YLF community is getting more and more involved over time. You too can join the community:

• Sign up for the forum
• Subscribe to daily updates

Look good, feel fabulous!

This site is for everyone because having a sense of style and looking good is within everyone’s grasp. Style is not an age, budget or dress size. It’s something that can be learnt once you understand what flatters your body and works for your lifestyle. My life is dedicated to helping people to increase their style quotient in effortless and practical ways because looking good makes you feel fabulous. Who doesn’t want to feel fabulous? And when you feel fabulous, you look even better.

I was excited and flattered when Kim Cornett, a producer on NBC’s Today Show, asked me to interview for a segment on their weekend edition. I accepted the invitation and before you know it, Greg and I were booked on a flight back to New York City. The prospect of being nervous and inarticulate on camera had not sunken in yet. I had a TV outfit to worry about! What was more important than that?

Kim advised against wearing black or white on camera. Uh oh. An edgy, black and white eye-catching outfit was precisely what I had in mind. Now what? Enter my media-savvy, documentary producer friend Laurel, who knows what works best on camera. Colours! Laurel came over and we finalized my outfit in twenty minutes. It was easy because there is no shortage of colour in my wardrobe, and because I had already decided on a pencil skirt and tailored jacket. I was at peace with leaving some of my edgier style off camera. It was important that my appearance appealed to a wide audience, and erring on the side of modern-classic for this occasion seemed like a good decision.

I opted for a super sleek charcoal grey pencil skirt, black ruffle collared shirt, retro emerald green trapeze jacket, micro fishnets,  zebra print skinny belt and off-white knee-high go-go boots (I guess I couldn’t resist a bit of edge). Adding my chunky pearl necklace from Hong Kong to complete the outfit was a no-brainer. I felt fabulous and true to my style and self.

I am tense on camera, so once the outfit was sorted it was on to a bit of media training. Greg was a wonderful coach and we role played the interview situation at home to calm my nerves. We had loads of fun and laughed up a storm during practice takes.

This process was extremely helpful. By the time interview day came I felt cool, calm and collected. After several cups of tea and an almond croissant that morning, Greg and I headed off to NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center. While waiting in the lobby we bumped into Jimmy Fallon who was working with Kim on a special to promote his new show (he has taken over Conan O’Brien’s slot as Conan takes over from Jay Leno). So fab.

Everyone at NBC was approachable, professional and organized. The whole experience was low key and ran like clockwork. It was amazing to see the inside of a recording studio. There are many, many, many wires! I took my place on a director’s chair and we started to set up, ensuring that the sound and visual quality was up to scratch.

Kim instantly had me feeling at ease and when one of the crew attached a microphone to my jacket, the experience suddenly felt real. It was just me under the spotlights, shot from the shoulders up, while Kim asked interview questions from behind the camera. I could actually see myself on camera while we were shooting, which was interesting. Greg stood in the recording studio with me, taking loads of pictures. I felt extra supported knowing that he was right there.

The interview took half an hour to shoot, but the actual segment is only a few minutes long. I enjoyed every second of the interview, yakking about a subject that I am passionate about. It was a brilliant experience and I can’t wait to see the edited version. The segment will air tomorrow, Saturday 7 March, on NBC’s Today Show between 8am and 9am.

Note that the weekend edition of the Today Show may be aired at a different time to the weekday edition in your area. In Seattle it starts just after 4am PST, which puts my segment some time after 5am (TiVo time!).

Update: the segment is now online at msnbc.com.

Thank you for having me Kim and NBC.

After many anxious hours, the issue was resolved and full functionality is restored with no data loss. There may still be hiccups, so if you do experience bad performance, please use the contact form to let us know.

We apologize for the outage. Our provider, Media Temple, is recognized as being one of the best in the industry, so this should be a rare occurrence. If the site is down in future you can use our gmail mailbox to get in touch with us. Our gmail username is “ylfsupport”. Just append “@gmail.com” to the end of that to get our email address.

Thanks for your patience and/or your passion for YLF.