Nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Los Gatos is a charming Californian town named after the wildcats that roam the surrounding slopes. Its pedestrian-oriented downtown boasts a vibrant mix of shops, salons, galleries, and restaurants–a perfect venue for the first Bay Area YLF gathering.

On an overcast, slightly muggy Saturday, I met Lori, Marianna, Srujana, Lisa (cyan45), and Lisa’s friend Cindy in front of Gap. The first thing I noticed, besides the group’s high style quotient, was the fab assortment of colorful handbags: pink, purple, gray, cordovan, yellow, and white.

We first stopped at Gap to check out the new line of 1969 denim. I raved about the 1969 skinnies I was wearing. Lori tried on some boyfriend jeans but was undecided on this trend. Next was Banana Republic, where Marianna picked up the best deal of the day: a beautiful cobalt sweater for $7.97, down from $58. The rest of us pawed through the sale rack but could not match that bargain.

As we strolled down the main avenue, a “50% discount storewide” sign at the Anjou boutique caught our attention. I tried on a fun bohemian dress, which was unfortunately too large. Srujana bought a gorgeous lariat necklace that featured two translucent agate leaves. The saleswoman told us about a going-out-of-business sale at a nearby “L.A. ghetto” shop. Intrigued, we went off in search.

Along the way, J. Crew distracted us. Lori was wearing the gray ruffled J. Crew tank that Angie blogged about, and I wanted to find one. The tank was sold out, but we had fun trying on other goodies. Lori supplemented her fall wardrobe with pieces including a black ruffled cardigan, ribbon-embellished t-shirt, and mustard-colored pants.

Lori had to leave but pointed us toward the L.A. ghetto store, which turned out to be Karma Boutique: “Bringing L.A. to the South Bay.” We exclaimed over the True Religion denim, sequined t-shirts, Ed Hardy tattoo wear, and leggings printed to resemble distressed, studded denim (Angie would have an apoplexy).

Having worked up an appetite, we were faced with the most difficult decision of the day: gelato or pastries? Lisa suggested the award-winning Fleur de Cocoa patisserie, which met with universal agreement. It was pleasant to sit and chat while savoring exquisite French pastries and sipping coffee and tea.

Marianna and I left soon afterward. On a whim, Cindy, Lisa, and Srujana visited White House | Black Market, where Srujana scored a silver-and-cream beaded camisole (the last one in stock, on sale) and a gray ruffled corduroy jacket with a mandarin collar. Cindy had been looking for a cardigan all day and found the perfect one on the sale rack–a black 3/4-sleeved ruffled bolero-style number.

I had a blast hanging with these fashion-savvy women. As we shopped, it was so helpful to have realistic style feedback. And I loved how our conversations leapt from fashion to work, movies, music, family, and food. I hope to meet more local style mavens at the next Bay Area YLF gathering!

Recently on a sunny but nippy Saturday morning, I donned my A.B.S. dress and jeans, added my cream bomber jacket and drove to Rotterdam for the first ever European YLF gathering. At the Central Station, fellow YLF member LegacyOfPearl (LOP) and her stylish friend Zeynep were already waiting for me. Unfortunately, Elika had to cancel last-minute and Angie, who had actually been considering flying out here for the event, couldn’t make it either due to other obligations.

A five minute walk brought us to the city centre with its numerous shops, and we decided to systematically work our way down to the Koopgoot (Dutch for “buying gutter”). Zeynep, who has a predilection for Italian clothing, immediately struck gold in a small independent boutique specializing in Italian brands. The earthy colour of the sleeveless dress with pleated skirt looked stunning on her, and it was 50% off!

Next stop was a funky shoe store were LOP fell in love with a suede sand-coloured pair of sandal booties that she ended up buying the next day in Amsterdam. We trotted from shop to shop all the while talking up a storm. Zeynep snapped up a cute gym bag with fluorescent animal print in a discount store and then we hit Mexx. On the sales rack my two lovely companions found me a fantastic dark brown sleeveless dress. The utilitarian vibe was right up my alley and it proved perfect to wear with leggings or jeans. While I was paying, LOP spotted a two-toned grey strappy dress. She’d been looking for a Summery frock for an upcoming wedding in Turkey. Something festive, elegant and mom-friendly that would still allow carefree playing with her son. And there it was.

Successful shopping makes me hungry, so we headed over to “De Bijenkorf”, a huge luxurious department store, for a spot of lunch. At their Restaurant La Ruche we were spoilt for choice: fresh fruit juices, sandwiches that resembled works of art, sushi, wok dishes, colourful salads and delectable pastries. We toasted to Angie and all the YLF forum members over strawberry tartlets and yummy chocolate gateau!

On our way out the three of us drooled over the Karen Millen collection and a gorgeous navy & white Armani frock with amazing detailing. At H&M, LOP and Zeynep bought black leggings, and convinced me to go for grey leggings with a bit of sheen to them (jazzercise anyone?).

Vila, a budget-friendly Danish brand with a somewhat minimalistic feel comes highly recommended. Zeynep went home with a fab white button-down tunic and a dressy sleeveless top in a gorgeous purplish blue. We also witnessed an on the spot style transformation: in the dressing room LOP unbuttoned her beautiful white & yellow ruffled cardi, revealing her blue cami, popped on the just bought leggings under her denim pencil skirt and topped it all off with a skinny belt. “Now I feel like myself again”, she sighed relieved. Fun!

Suddenly a slight panic broke out because we thought the shops were open until 7 pm, when in fact, they close at 5 pm. We hurried over to another H&M and then sprinted to Zara. Good thing we persevered, since LOP walked away with a patterned black scarf and the cutest pair of green pumps.

Catching our breath we plopped down on a terrace to enjoy a well-deserved drink and admire our purchases. Drinks turned into dinner, during which we chatted happily about language learning, eating Nutella straight from the jar, how to start your own book club (wine is the secret ingredient apparently), Indonesian and Turkish cuisine, luxury brand shopping in Istanbul, American menswear, children’s clothing, dressing for a corporate environment…

It truly was a marvelous day, and we were especially pleased to discover that as three solo shoppers at heart, we hit it off so well and actually made the perfect shopping team. Thank you Angie for creating the opportunity to make this happen! And thank you LegacyOfPearl and Zeynep, you are two super sweet lasses and a dream to shop with!

It is 11:30 at night and I am sitting in the back seat of Ana’s bright yellow car listening to Ana and Sarah talk about everything from movies, body types, and what it means to have a fulfilling career to sour cream desserts, family relationships, and the YLF forum that made our friendship possible. Tonight, I am exhausted but content because we are returning from a marathon day of shopping at the Dallas Galleria, a three hour road trip from Austin.

I first met Ana in person last summer after arranging a lunch date through Angie and the forum. Sarah joined our new YLF shopping group as soon as we realized she was a fellow Austinite. We’ve been getting together at least monthly since then. Mostly for fashion related excursions like shopping at the Domain in Austin, closet clean outs and a clothing swap, but also to celebrate birthdays, see movies and have dinner. I feel so fortunate that we have become such good friends, and our interests go beyond shopping and fashion. I know that an afternoon, an evening or a day spent with Ana and Sarah will be uninterrupted fun.

On one of these outings we planned the trip to Dallas.

The highlight of the trip was visiting stores that we had heard about on the forum. For the first time ever, we shopped at Club Monaco, Zara, and Kate Spade. All three of us found several fashion treats to bring home, but the score of the day was Ana’s red Stuart Weitzman pumps. Sarah found a killer chestnut waist belt at Nordstrom, and Ana forced me to try on a Zara snake print pencil skirt because they didn’t have her size. Surprisingly, the skirt turned out to be my favorite purchase!

Driving home, we talk about how well our styles and personalities compliment each other. Often, we are successfully able to choose things for each other that we would never have dreamed of trying. It’s almost as if our group is able to conjure the spirit of Angie’s fashion stylist expertise.

Thank you, Angie and Greg, for creating YLF and being the catalyst to our great friendship!

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.

The YLF gathering in New York City was absolutely incredible! The meeting felt intimate since there were only five of us: Angie, Maya, Laura, me and my wonderful, long-time friend who lives in Manhattan (she chose to stay out of the photos but participated in all of the activities). Maya was the coordinator and she chose a great restaurant in Soho called Balthazar. Laura, my friend and I all met up with Angie at her hotel and caught a cab to the restaurant where Maya was meeting us. Unfortunately she was delayed because of the bad weather but managed to catch up with us fairly quickly.

The weather was freezing and required proper winter clothing. Despite that, the style quotient was amazing! Compliments were flying over our table. We all wore jeans and boots, some skinnies tucked into tall boots and some bootcut jeans worn over shorter boots. Angie wore an amazing black turtleneck and even prettier biker jacket. Laura was sizzling in a sparkly sweater and gorgeous necklace. Maya looked lovely in a beautiful fitted black jacket over a funky tee. I wore my favorite grey boyfriend cardigan over a ruffled black blouse. We braved the weather and took turns quickly dashing out outside sans outerwear to have our photos taken by Greg, who joined us towards the end of the brunch to capture our ensembles for the blog.

The food was wonderful. We all chose either waffles or egg dishes. The conversation was very easy, as if we had known each other forever. Strangely enough, we didn’t talk much about clothes and fashion. Instead, we mainly discussed our lives, careers and plans for the future. We touched on the difficult subject of dressing for women in science and my friend was very interested in a detailed description of what Angie does as a fashion stylist.

Around noon we got to call forum member Inge in Belgium to wish her a happy birthday and “meet” her over the phone, which made an already great event even better. The activities continued with a big swap fest and even bigger shopping expedition till the early evening, but you will have to stay tuned to hear about that later in the week.

It was such a delight to meet Maya and Laura, spend some time with my old friend, and see Angie and Greg for the second time. I feel truly blessed to be a part of the YLF community which allows me to meet such amazing and inspiring women from all over the world. If there is a YLF meeting in your vicinity, don’t miss it. This was my second one and I am now addicted. I will definitely try to attend other gatherings that are reasonably close to my home in Boston.

Finally, I would like to thank Angie and Greg for creating a warm and inviting place online, and all the YLF members for making it what it is. I hope to meet more of you at future gatherings!

The YLF Boston Tea Party was a huge success!  Tanya was gracious enough to be the coordinator for this event.  She chose a wonderful restaurant, called “Stephanies” on Newbury Street in the heart of Boston’s shopping district.   We met on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, and greeted each other with hugs and kisses.  Strangers would never have guessed most of us were meeting for the first time.

Shiny, CarmenOhio, GreenGlove, Kellee, Tanya, Nicole and Shiny’s friend (click images to zoom in)

Dressing for the weather on a blustery November day in Boston can be tricky, but the Boston Tea Party Attendees rose to the occasion.  It was brought to our attention immediately that all eight of us were wearing boots.   The cold weather had us donning our warm jackets, a few hats and gloves and lots of colorful scarves.  The style quotient on Newbury Street runs from sub-casual to smart casual—and needless to say, we all fell into the smart casual realm.

Boots and bags (click images to zoom in)

Compliments of purses, coats, scarves and boots were shared, and I do believe we were drawing quite a bit of attention with how FABULOUS we all looked!  Once our table was ready, we wove our way through the crowded restaurant and the kibitzing began.  Surprisingly enough, our conversations were not centered around fashion.  We talked about our pets, our jobs, our families, where we lived in relation to downtown Boston, how much YLF has inspired us and how grateful we are that the members of our forum are so kind, nurturing and supportive.  There were no lulls in the conversation, no awkward silences—our topics of discussion were as varied and plentiful as the forthcoming food and drink!

We placed our brunch orders, which started with a fruit salad plate, ordered teas and coffees (and I think I saw a mimosa at the end of the table) and took lots of photos.  Angie has this adorable habit of declaring every photo she shoots as “BEAUTIFUL”.  I wonder if that is how models feel when their photographers are cheering them on.

After our brunch, we walked as a group to Angie’s hotel.  She took a few “must have” photos, and we all waited in the lobby while she returned her large camera to her room.  At this point, Anne and Shiny’s VFBF, Jane had to depart so we bid them farewell.  The remaining group bee-lined our way to H&M.  Greenglove bought a beautiful teal wool coat and a gold scarf that got high ratings from Angie.  Kellee bought a very pretty scarf, that the group confirmed was a good color for her.  Shiny and I tried on some hats, and Tanya and Angie browsed and offered valued opinions on color, style and quality.  We then made our way further down Newbury Street and hit a funky second hand store.  Tanya admitted to never having bought anything second hand, she was eyeing a pair of animal print wedges, but alas, they were too small.  Shiny tried on a fur hat—but decided it was too big for her small frame.

Unfortunately, at this point, my husband and kids arrived to whisk me away from all the fun and excitement.  Angie and Tanya were able to meet my family briefly.  My son was “hiding” but my daughter was chuffed to meet my online friends.  She asked me all kinds of questions about my “fashion friends” on the drive home.  Since my husband was double parked, I didn’t get a chance to say good bye to Shiny, Greenglove and Kellee, who had gone to the second floor of the consignment shop to look at designer dresses.

On a personal note, I’d like to thank Shiny for opening her home to me, and Tanya for making the plans and reservations.  I’d like to apologize to Kellee, Jean and Shiny for not saying goodbye.  Finally, I’d like to thank you, Angie.  Your ability to engage people has set a chain reaction in people’s lives.  The confidence you help people find in themselves creates friendships and interactions that may never have occurred.  You are a beautiful person (inside and out) and I am blessed to be part of your life.  I’d also like to thank Greg for making the forum possible, but also for sharing you with us today.

If anyone ever has the chance to meet up with YLF members, I highly recommend it.  As a matter of fact, I think it should be on everyone’s “bucket” list.  We hear all kinds of horror stories about online meetings, but we don’t hear enough about the positive encounters—which far outnumber the negative ones.  I know we have to be careful in this day and age, but we have to be careful with everyone we meet—not just internet friends.  So, to everyone who puts themselves out there, opens their hearts and minds, offers help and guidance and is willing to make this world a more fabulous place—I thank you!

Luck shined on us for the second YLF get-together. The sun filtered through the beautiful autumn leaves and into the windows of Café Flora, a lovely vegetarian restaurant in Seattle’s Madison Valley. About six of us gathered around the table, looking just as sunny as the day, sporting splashes of yellow and green.

Wild mushroom omelets, pumpkin pancakes, and sticky buns arrived at the table as we chatted about fashion, sipped our tea, and devoured our brunch. One question for Angie was, “How does one wear a brooch?” Angie said that wearing them on mufflers is a perfect way to combine the casual with the glitzy. Pinning them onto jackets is fine, but shoot for more monochromatic looks. Brooches that contrast too much with a garment can tend to look a bit garish and kitschy.

Another question was, “How do you know when your closet is full?” Angie told us about her system for knowing when she has enough clothes. Her closet has shelves with notches, and she hangs one hanger in each notch. When all the notches are full, she has a completely full wardrobe. Nothing new comes in, unless something else goes out.

Angie also shared a story about how the chemistry in her last hair dye had gone a bit wonky. I learned that your dye might change color over time. Although she left the salon blond, in a few days time her hair had turned a nice yellow. “I looked like Big Bird,” Angie said. But fortunately, better living can be achieved through chemistry. She returned to the salon, and they applied some sort of magical solution that returned her hair to the nice color we all know and love.

After eating our yummy food, sharing giggles, and catching up on families and travel (and yes, the elections too), we gathered outside to pose for the camera. Some of us have very few inhibitions when it comes to vamping for the lens. We had good, silly fun posing with our shoes, bags, and outfits in the sunny garden outside the café.

Sihaya layered multiple pieces to create a fantastic tailored look with depth and texture. Marianna sported preppy sophistication in skinny jeans, a button-down shirt and belted boyfriend cardigan. Julie was radiant in an earthy animal print cardigan and skinnies. Laurel looked lovely in a voluminous green print dress, leggings and fabulous coordinating green handbag. Angie was stunning in her retro Winter floral dress with chartreuse cardigan and chunky new pearls—all recent Hong Kong acquisitions. I wore a bohemian sweater over a tulip denim skirt and my favourite wedged knee-high boots

In the spirit of Autumn, boots and closed toe pumps were the order of the day: from Julie’s fab mock-croc grey snip-toed kitten heels and Marianne’s pretty chestnut mary-janes, to Sihaya’s riding boots and Angie’s pointy patent peds.

Oversized totes and structured satchels in brights or cream reigned supreme.

We are all looking forward to the next YLF get together. Hope to see you there!

Thanks to Sihaya’s initiative, the first YLF gathering in Seattle took place on Saturday at the Queen Mary, a quaint tea shop near the U-Village. What a delightful afternoon we had! Any initial shyness was overcome within minutes as we plunged into lively conversations ranging from how we each discovered YLF to style icons we admire (including Audrey Hepburn, Helen Mirren and Cate Blanchett, with Tina Turner getting special mention for pulling off a mini skirt).

The style quotient in the room was sizzling. There were definitely some themes (four yellow handbags!), but there was also an abundance of individual style, unique combinations, fab accessories and statement pieces. We all stared in disbelief at Marianne, who told us she just had her second child seven months ago – she looked so trim and smashing in her Matchsticks. Sihaya stylishly paired the Franco Sarto booties from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale with ultra skinnies. Naf looked radiant in red, black and white and wore an amazing necklace. NuanceDream dazzled in a black and white day dress.

Sihaya, Naf, and NuanceDream

I myself went with an edgy look of shorter skirt over leggings and premiered my new grey patent leather pumps. JuliJuli looked killer in the black and white jacket she wore when she ran into Angie at Nordstrom a few weeks ago. Angie, of course, was in a league of her own. She wore her cream Anne Fontaine blouse; it is absolutely stunning with its cutout cotton organza fabric and funky sleeve detail. She paired this statement piece with black skinny jeans, a smart military charcoal jacket, patent leather pumps in a rich golden yellow, and a gorgeous cobalt blue Charles David purse from her extensive bag collection.

We took plenty of pictures and, in honor of one of the forum’s most active contributors, some of us decided to strike the famous “shiny pose”. Are we pulling it off?

Antje, JuliJuli and Angie

We all agreed that the best thing about YLF is that it really is a style community for “real women”. The outfit photos other members post are so tremendously helpful (a big THANK YOU to everyone on the forum who posts pictures!) and have inspired all of us in different ways, motivating us to try a new style or color, or just to experiment more with existing items in our wardrobes.

The gathering also presented a great opportunity to ask some questions that are a little more personal and quirky than the ones we typically see on the forum. My favorite questions to Angie were “What do you wear to walk your dogs?” and “Do you have a designated parking space downtown?” We learned that for short walks through the neighborhood, Angie just dons her Converse sneakers and takes off her necklace, but otherwise stays in smart casual garb. She wears fab and colorful athletic gear – always layered – for longer “power walks” with her four legged sweeties. And while there is no parking space with Angie’s name on it (yet), she does have a great relationship with the “lovely lads” from Nordstrom’s valet parking service, who always try to squeeze in her red VW for her (almost daily) trips to Nordies with clients.

Fantastic shoe choices!

Yellow was the order of the day for bags. Angie and I sported our favorite accessory: statement specs.

It was such a treat getting this group of women together and finding that our virtual connection on YLF translated well into the real world. We had plenty to chat about, started sharing a little bit about ourselves, cracked each other up with stories (including Nuance Dream’s report of pajama bottom sightings at her workplace, which happens to be the state capitol), and bonded to the point where we were all reluctant to part ways and decided to meet again later this fall. Hopefully other Seattle YLF fans will join us!

This entry wouldn’t be complete without a shout out to the pioneers of the YLF meetup. Ana and Patience from Austin, Texas, posted their story about a month ago, complete with photos and video.