Whatever I get about fashion, I think I arrive at mostly by absorbing it rather than actively trying to learn it. I like to think I'm learning by following You Look Fab, but I'm not literally taking notes, studying, applying the concepts, as I would in a school subject. I'm absorbing what I can and hoping that this abstract learning will manifest itself in my own outfit creation.
Lately I have taken to using Angie's ensembles as guides for some of my outfits. This kind of application is more like following a recipe, loosely. She says to put together A, B, and C, and I say, Oh, I have something kind of like those pieces; let's try them together. I don't always get what makes A, B, and C work together, so I may miss a crucial link, and my outfit may not even capture the gist of the ensemble idea. But it gives me a new outfit to wear--score!
Often I can see that my outfits don't look the way I'd like for them to look, but I don't exactly know why. And other times, I recognize that I just don't have the right pieces--I'm lacking the most current shapes to create the silhouettes I'm seeing here, especially on the blog, where Angie is posting the latest trends. So I'm not going to look like I stepped off the pages of a fashion mag, and that's okay, because none of my friends would recognize me if I did! But if I can get a similar feel in some way, then I think I'm going to stay more current-looking than I might otherwise, which is also a good thing in my book.
And fashion is a hobby for me, rather than a subject I feel compelled to study. I do put considerable thought into what to wear, for just about any occasion. But it's kind of fun, and when it's not, there are the FFBOs.