Ding...Lightbulb moment!!!! - YouLookFab Forum

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Ding...Lightbulb moment!!!!

puffenstuff

(website)

Veteran

Now I dont have these very often but I just had a lightbulb moment. I was just reading this post on Kendi's blog and a comment of hers struck a chord with me "A scarf, a belt, a pair of shoes can change an outfit easily, quickly and cheaply". I've got scarves & belts sort of onboard but not shoes, here I am wearing the same shoes ALL the time and this has just made me realise that shoes can make an outfit seem so much more "finished". I totally get it now

Anyone else like to share thier own lightbulb moments?

Dressing

33 replies

Latest reply was from Kristine

Marley

Veteran

This is so funny because I had a "lightbulb" moment last week and it was reinforced yesterday when I posted some WIW pics on YLF. Its the belt as accessory - I've never really paid much attention to them - never invested much money in them - and usually don't wear one. However, last week I pulled out the few belts that I own and I put one with my outfit for the day - and, I couldn't believe the difference that it made! I mean it was a cheap Target belt that I'd bought at least 5 years ago - and people were complimenting me on it and asking me where I had bought it! I couldnt' believe it! Then yesterday after I posted my WIW pics here, the overwhelming favorite of the fellow YLFrs was the one with that belt! Duh! I get it now - belts can make a HUGE impact!

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I had a scarf epiphany a while back. I never thought of a scarf as an accessory for indoor wear, and once I realized that a soft, thin, drapey scarf can be worn that way, it was an "a-ha moment".

MsMary

Veteran

I've had a scarf and belt epiphany lately! I always loved shoes and had a big shoe collection (former fat girl here who hated shopping for clothes and bought shoes instead!), but scarves and belts are new territory for me! Who knew?

catgirl

Veteran

I was at Nordstrom tonight to buy a replacement bra and had a complete epiphany that I do NOT HAVE TO BUY THINGS just because I like them, even if they don't fit me or my wardrobe! I walked out with just the bra! That was a miracle for me.

AJ

Veteran

The latest episode of Project Runway made me realize something. Mondo was having trouble with the challenge because the fabrics available to him were not colorful and the look was for active wear. Well, he proceeded to come up with some great pieces that were simple in structure but oh so beautiful because of his details in the finishing.

So that got me to thinking that even the simplest of outfits can be made even better by the attention to the little details...hair, nails, belt, purse, etc. I don't always need to come up with an "exciting" outfit to look good. I can look good just by making sure I take a moment to swipe on some mascara, check my hair and take the shoe style up a notch. Just pick a couple of things that will "finish" your look for the day.

Sparky

Veteran

Ooh, ooh, I do, I do!

I was at Nordstrom last week and looking at scarves (still hunting for the right white or cream scarf, sigh) and trying some on. I thought, let's try the Angie knot, stood in front of a mirror and did it. WOW! Ding ding ding! First off, it's so easy to do (even for me, the klutz) but so different from the way I usually wear scarves. It looks so great and polished and ~ here's where the penny dropped ~ I could see how it gave me a nice long line and instantly changed up my outfit and how I looked.

THANK YOU, ANGIE!

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Oh drat. Now you are making me kick myself for not buying up some scarfs when we saw them!

Does this mean those new wedges you are thinking about will be featured on here, mighty soon?

[As an aside - WAAAAAAAHHHH, I want a lightbulb moment. I really feel like I am struggling, stylewise at the moment! Sorry, that was me throwing a bit of a frustrated tantrum. Right. Now shall pull myself together.]

Tara

(website)

Veteran

@Marley, MaryK, ChewySpaghetti: I totally get the scarf and belt thing. I have been into belts for awhile, but always thought of scarves as something that have to keep you warm. I was going through some of Angie's outfit posts with scarves and marvelled at how much they add to an outfit I have also started using scarves as an alternative to belts to add colour and a flexible/more comfortable way of adding waist definition in an outfit,

@ AJ: What a great revelation! I too feel so much more done with a swipe of mascara, neat hair, and a few pieces of "bling". Working on the shoes thing.

@ KatiePea - you wowed me on Sat with your gorgeous style! You looked soooo fab and stylish. And you're a riot - I can;t wait to hang out again!

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I love color, especially brights, but the last couple of seasons of neutrals have been teaching me that an outfit of neutrals, with differing textures and details, can be just as engaging as a colorful outfit.

Angie has said the same thing about all-black outfits, but that's not my neutral of choice; it wasn't until I bought a chiffon-layered top from AT in mushroom and started pairing with some other green-browns that the lightbulb went off for me.

Queen Mum

Veteran

Mine was with scarves. I remember looking for a scarf last year and seeing a beautiful one in LOFT, but it was almost $40. I couldn't quite bring myself to spend as much on a scarf as I would on a blouse. Scarves are supposed to be $10. I think I ended up finding one at Macy's for closer to $20. While I like that scarf well enough, it never looks quite as nice as some of the gorgeous scarves I see some ladies here modeling. Light bulb moment... there is a big difference between a $10 and $40 scarf. Buy the one that I love... so incidentally I bought 3 $40 scarves at LOFT yesterday. I will post them for you to help me decide which one to keep.

Oh, which brings me to another lightbulb moment... if I can't decide on a color in the store, buy them both (or all 3) and decide at home with my whole closet in front of me.

Barbara

Veteran

Scarves, definitely. I NEVER wore them until a year or so ago and have only recently mastered the messy scarf look and Angie Knot.

AJ, you are so perceptive about Mondo! I agree - detail is EVERYTHING. Any great look starts and ends with impeccable grooming.

I adore PR and get so much inspiration every time I watch it, especially from Mondo. He's fab. PS I thought Heidi was unneccessarily rude to him about his original designs, not vice versa!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Put me in the scarves as weather items only category. Never even wore them that way until a few years ago. I also realize that I never shop for an outfit. I often go looking for a piece or two that will save an item in my closet and make it into an outfit. But that's more like rescueing an orphan piece. And, yes, I rarely belt like Marley and have just a handful of cheapies over the years, but I'm trying to get used to them as outfit makers. Visually I can really see the difference in how polished and finished it makes an outfit look but I'm not at all used to them in my everyday thought process. So, no big aha moment but a lot of , ooohhhhh, okay, moments.

MNsara

Veteran

Ding, ding, ding during SYC for me: I just have too many items to choose from. If variety is the 'spice' of life, then I have been giving myself ulcers.

They are not all wonderful, but not all obviously unloved enough to be abandoned. So, I am moving LOTS of things out of my closet - way more aggressively than my usual purges - to see if I miss anything. I can shop my 'overflow' when seasonal boredom strikes, or shop the stores later. . .

Vix

Veteran

Love reading these!

I have so many to chose from over the last 5 years but I think my "favorite" is realizing how dramatically printed items can liven up an outfit -- especially one of MY outfits, which tend toward classic shapes and solid colors.

After sloooowly venturing into printed scarves (and seeing the sky didn't fall) I realized tops did an as good as/better job of connecting a 3rd layer (sweater/blazer) in Solid A and a bottom in Solid B. Who knew, ha?

Although I have to say it's been a PITA to find print tops that fit and are in the right shades for my coloring, shape etc AND that I like. I think I add about 3 per year....

Lisa

Veteran

Returning, I never used to return, now I purchase something and bring it home, if it doesn't work or pass YLF approval, back it goes. The generous return policies of most stores, doesn't scare me off with returning things that I liked at the moment but don't love.

AJ

Veteran

MNSarah - Great idea about moving your seldom used items to a temporary location to see if you miss it and then being able to shop the "overflow" later. Luv it!

Anonymous

The light bulb moments that have made the biggest difference were discovering PPL and discovering the value of structure, especially jackets vs cardigans. Both accounted for why many outfits just didn't look right. Thank you, Angie! Oh, and leaving off the earrings when wearing statement eyeglasses.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

The power of accessories. It's as simple as that!

tarzy

Veteran

I love reading all of these! I had a similar moment this summer when I started wearing blouses instead of knit tops. They seem to take every outfit up a notch, and make me feel so much more polished than the casual, sporty knits I'd been buying. Total revelation! (Angie pushed me, crying and screaming all the way - but she was totally right.)

Auburn

Veteran

I think my lightbulb moment has been a re-discovery of the power of basics and the ability to find them at very reasonable prices at places like ATL, AT, Gap, BR, etc. Though those stores had been my shopping staple in high school, college and law school, I sort of cast them off as too generic and/or of low quality in the past few years. Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water! Seeing items here and being lured back in to those stores with sales and coupons has totally changed my mind and I've picked up some much loved basics AND not-so-basics at price points that make my wallet very happy!

Isabel

Veteran

I had one recently when I heard or read a designer say that you should really spend your money on the things that will really affect cost per wear. He pointed out that a white t-shirt, no matter what the price point, will still get yellow and stained, etc. Also, if you spend alot of money on a coat and wear it once, that's not a good cost per wear either. That put in my head the term "useful". I should spend my money on things that are "useful" as well as beautiful. I had once read to only keep what is "beautiful, useful and loved". But it just struck me how to apply it to clothes....

puffenstuff

(website)

Veteran

KP - yep the shoes are still on my mind, in fact I've saved a picture of them until I can get my hands on the right size. I thought you looked perfectly polished and put together at our meet-up no need to worry about the lightbulb going on

I am loving reading everyone's lightbulb moments, it's inspiring me to think about things that I havent before.

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yublocka

(website)

Veteran

MMMM Karen I still love those shoes. Where do you plan on hunting them down from?

And Katiepea I don't know what you are talking about - struggling??? You looked amazing on Sat - and you came striaght from work right??? Those sandals were amazing and I LOVED the purple top too!!!

My 2 major lightbulb moments (thanks to ylf) were
1) plain tshirts both being boring, unflattering and not suitable to wear 90% of the time
2) birkenstocks not being the only comfortable sandals in the world & it being ok to branch out from them!!

Sharon

Veteran

I'v erecently had two light-bulb moments, one courtesy of YLF and the other from the Valentino retrospective:

1. It is not compulsory to wear jeans. I just feel more "me" in smart casual clothes. I'm never going to feel completely fabulous in casual wear. And that's OK.

2.Texture is king. Even the simplest style can look spectacular with texture.

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

My two aha moments involved scarves and pearls. When Angie described pearls as a "neutral finishing touch," the penny dropped for me. They seemed perfect with my style in the right modern incarnation, but somehow I'd never given them a try. Now my chunky pearls come out at least three times a week. Ditto for the messy scarf look. That blog post sent me directly out to a store to find another scarf in a pretty colour, and now I wear this look quite frequently (probably today, in fact).
Pewter footwear was another game-changer. I want a fall pair of pewter shoes now!

puffenstuff

(website)

Veteran

Tam I've discovered I can buy them online - just trying to save up some pennies first before I make the plunge to get them! I've been thinking about your comment regarding T-shirts too, it's making me think twice now about wearing T's and investing in woven tops instead as they really do amp up the style factor of an outfit.

Ditto Sharon about the texture, it can really make a difference!

Michelle I've just recently been thinking about getting pearls too, they're on the list!

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

LOVED reading this girls!! Your lightbulb moments have been fabulous.

My first moment early in my YLF days was that accessories are king.

But courtesy of SYC, and just becoming more discerning, the two next big moments are:

* I can easily dress clothes up, but find dressing my fancier stuff down is much more difficult - particularly given my very casual lifestyle. So, instead of buying fancier clothes for special events, I'm better keeping my wardrobe relatively casual, but utilising accessories to dress things up.

* I have virtually ZERO tops that are even remotely stylish! So whilst I do prefer dresses, I also want to be able to make use of my shorts/skirts more, so am going to focus on tops - probably woven's.

I know I wont ever look back now where my wardrobe is concerned!

Donna

Two things come to mind for me.

Shopping for your dominant season and learning how versatile straight leg jeans and trousers are for shoe choices.

puffenstuff

(website)

Veteran

Theresa you made my lightbulb go off again! I've realised that alot of my tops, apart from being too large now for me, are knits and then I could never figure out why I always felt like I was just dressing in jeans/skirts & T - because that's what they essentially are is glorified T's. Woven fabric always looks smarter and makes me feel more polished even though the top may be casually worn, so now the woven tops are at the top of my list.

I had another moment on the weekend when I was looking at buying a pair of red wedges on the weekend from E-Bay. In the past I would have just gone "Oh I need a pair of red wedges because I need shoes in different colors to add some excitement" and instead I sat down and asked myself "what can I wear these with and will I get enough wear out of them to justify spending the money on them". I then thought of a few outfits that I would wear including the red shoes and then did a quick color check about what other colors I could wear with red and decided that they would be useful enough for me. Sadly I didnt win the auction but I brought that mantra in as a rule for me, rather than just looking at something and cooing over it because I love it is not reason enough for me to buy it.

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