Ask Angie: Blog subject request? - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Ask Angie: Blog subject request?

Aleta

Angie your outfit post of June 1st where you had remixed all older pieces from your wardrobe to make a new outfit got me thinking. I probably expect my clothes to stay in my closet for longer than some members of the forum, (if I love something I tend to be loyal !!) and mostly I put them together in the same favorite combinations. The trouble is I am never quite sure whether this shows the consistency of my style or if I could be in danger of becoming outdated.

So I was wondering looking at the outfits you have loved and posted over the years, which would you still wear today and feel current? What changes would you make to update some? Which would you consider out of fashion now?

I hope this is not too cheeky a request and am keeping my fingers crossed that some other ladies would find this as interesting as I would.

Dressing

14 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

deb

Veteran

This is a great idea!

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I think that is a great idea. It might be interesting to take a few WIW from the past (with the originators permission) and post it as a thread for input from everyone as well as having Angie do the analysis on her outfits. It could be an interesting exercise for everyone to take the opinions and apply them to her own wardrobe/outfits.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

Love this suggestion!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What a fab idea!

I can see this as more than one blog post, actually.

It's less specific and personal, but you can get some sense of how to stay current even using your older items from Angie's Ensembles posts.

If you look at the Pinterest page for all the ensembles, you can see them as a group, going back over some years. You'll notice that some of the basic themes are quite similar, year to year -- especially if you compare summer outfits to summer outfits, for example. You'll see that some pieces remain virtually identical over a period of a few years -- a pair of denim shorts, a tube skirt, a pair of skinny jeans, a pencil skirt. So if you think of your "essential" items -- a lot of them probably have a fair degree of longevity.

At the same time, it's also possible to see evolution in the trends. Last year's "casual summer dress with on trend footwear" would work perfectly well today -- if you kept the footwear on trend, LOL. But equally, it might be "updated" to this year's "handkerchief hem dress and sandals."

If you pay attention to the details of these ensembles, you'll see where the updating happens. Footwear is key. Ankle straps have been a recent hit. The shapes and drape of tops -- five or six years ago we were all wearing more tailored or body con fits; now a top with a similar cut could feel dated. Crop pants are a more recent development. And so on.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ooh, Cheryle, I love that idea, too! I would participate in a forum discussion of that kind. Sort of like -- here's my staple uniform. How can I update it so it's really current?

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Agree... great idea! Traditionally I've been very "loyal" to my clothes. Lately (as in the last couple of years) I've been on a major clothing bender... changed the colours I wear, become interested in clothes in a different way, and have done some "style evolving". But I can't keep this up, nor do I want to. So knowing how I can become "loyal" to my current things, without becoming dated, ie knowing what minor updates to concentrate on every season/year would be great!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Another fun idea -- how about if we each identify a bunch of our longest lived closet items that get regular wear? And try to update them. Might be a fun autumn or winter challenge for us.

Most of my wardrobe is new (ish) because I bought it all after weight loss and joining YLF. Yet I still have items that are 5 years old and wear them regularly. Meanwhile, there are other items that I passed on after one season only. It makes for some interesting thinking.

Staysfit

Veteran

I love this in theory, but I just updated the majority of my closet so my interest would be in learning how to keep current by adding select pieces and careful wardrobe editing, and still stay true to my style.

carter

Veteran

Brilliant! I am so in!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

(I'm off the forum today - but will chime in quickly).

Aleta, this is a very interesting idea. Do you mean my own outfits or outfits in general?

Furthermore, there is a difference between no longer wearing a look because it's dated (or doesn't feel adequately fashionable for you), AND no longer wearing a look because of personal style evolution (but the look itself is not dated).

For example. Take these three outfits below - there is nothing dated about them. But I do not want to wear them this year because:

hg#1 - I have moved on from this amount of Tomboy in my style. I LOVE my white BF jeans, but am wearing them with softer tops - not shirts.
#2 - Not into wearing my shirts with pencil skirts at the moment. Wearing my boyish shirts with skinny jeans instead. And my pencil skirts with soft pullovers.
#3 - Very over baggy blue BF jeans. Both my pairs have been orphaned all year. I would wear the rest of the outfit with skinnies instead.

I wore these outfits when I was an Urban Prince. This year, I changed my style moniker to Urban Pretty. My style adjectives are: Modern, Simple, Crisp, Dressy and Soft. (They used to be Modern, Simple, Crisp, Dressy & Bold). I am no longer as boyish in my outfit combinations.

Hope that provides some insight.

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Keix

Veteran

I personally would love to see some blog posts illustrating both style evolution and updating to stay 'current' using your own outfits, Angie.

Aleta

Thanks Angie for replying so promptly. I originally was thinking just of your outfits, reviewing them on the basis of current trends and changes in fashion over time. I understand that when your style evolves you will choose to not to wear certain outfits as they no longer feel they express your personal style, but I was looking at it from a purely "current" or "outdated" perspective.

I have a problem in that if I love an outfit, I am worried that I might not be aware that there may be elements of it that are making it look old fashioned.

Thanks ladies for your support on this thread. I think it is a great idea for anybody to participate, I didn't suggest it since I thought it was a bit of a nerve considering I don't post pics myself.

Aleta

Suz, thanks for your thoughts, your post really made some great observations. Some of my main pieces, by that I mean jackets, pants and skirts, are up to 12 years old! I still love them and they are still in good condition. I don't want to purge anything purely on the basis of age, so I was thinking some sort of outfit evaluation may help, or maybe I am just stuck in a time warp!!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Hmm. If you are not comfortable posting photos, it's going to be tough to judge. But if you TAKE photos of yourself just for your own benefit, you might learn almost as much.

Or if you photograph the items themselves and show us, we might be able to offer ideas. The thing is -- as Anna so often (and correctly) says -- "It's all in the styling." Sometimes it's not the item itself -- it's how you wear it, that makes all the difference. And with what.

You see, though, you have started something rolling here that I suspect we'll all benefit from. Thank you for starting the thread!