It has been 2 years since I found YLF in May of 2010 - seems like ages ago! I was hooked immediately on Angie's down to earth posts on style and fashion and I think I read the majority of blog archives in a week. I still remember that sense of discovery that you can have fun with fashion at any age and size - that was a completely new idea for me but oh how compelling!
Then came more specific realizations:
- I can wear skinnies even though I am not a slim rectangle;
- I can wear hems a couple of inches above the knee and it still looks age appropriate - it was something I have not done since my early 20s
- I can surrender the waist and not look like a sack of potatoes if I get all details right
Every day I was discovering more and more treasures on the blog:
- brilliant MOTG formulas;
- recipes how to wear a particular style in a flattering and current way
- body type guidelines...
Boy, I never knew that it is possible to have fun with fashion for the first time in your life when you are of a mature age over 40s. It was so exciting!
And then I discovered the forum...
It was unbelievable...
I was an outsider still but I felt the attraction right away. Of course it was great to get feedback on the outfits. Of course it was great to get an advice on keep or return purchases...but most of all this form felt so warm, friendly and welcoming. Just reading through posts (I was still a lurker in the first couple of weeks) I could feel real friendship between some of the members - and they spanned the globe! This all was so cool and fascinating that I was able to overcome my shyness pretty quickly and began to participate. Right away I felt a warm welcome from Angie and forum members, it was very encouraging and led to posting my first WIW and K|R posts - and the rest is history.
So here I am 2 years later and this forum is still a pretty big part of my life. I have been to several gatherings and met quite a few forum members in Canada and US. That was really an ultimate YLF experience: meet people for the first time and feel like you know them for ages, feel completely comfortable in their company. It is amazing how one can open up with problems, thoughts, ideas and find support here - maybe more so that in our "real" life. This is a truly unique online community and it takes a warm heart and energy of Angie and technical brilliance and hard work from Greg to keep it growing and thriving. Thank you so much - you truly enriched my life for the past 2 years!
I am posting some pictures from my 2 year YLF archives: my WIW for each half a year on YLF. I am definitely more confident in how I dress and how I look and how I feel now and I have an immense fun with fashion! I have not realized myself this difference in my style until I looked at these pictures together...
I guess I am rambling here and maybe not making a lot of sense but I just wanted to celebrate my anniversary with my YLF friends.
Cheers!