How do you do fashion? - YouLookFab Forum

Anonymous

Will need to ponder and get back to this thread I had a late night and my brain is fuddled. 'wool-gathering' love that!

11 years ago

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I'm more of the -go above and beyond the mainstream trends to really cutting edge/catwalk stuff...

I've grown to love fashion as a hobby. It's fun and I limit myself to thrift store shopping and discount retailers. To be honest I'm not a Macy/Nordstrom type of person. But that's ok I shop all over. In my short time as a member I find that I come here more often than not because of the people, conversation, and the wonderful in depth analysis of EVERYTHING.

This is really an empowering site and not just fashion wise.

Blessings & Style be unto you

11 years ago

Joyce B

Veteran

I try to look for trends that work for me and I take Angie's posts as an inspiration. I am trying to make outfits that I did not think about before and reading YLF and the forum gives me lots of ideas that I may not have considered on my own.
I try to wear my clothes and do not buy a new wardrobe every season. The summer stuff is actually quite stable, I just add a few things and I am fine, but our summers are quite short.
Of course with all the great ideas on the forum and all the wonderful WIWs that people share I end up buying more than I would otherwise.
Most of the time I do not go above mainstream unless I really love the stuff and then I do not care what people think. For example, I have been wearing my Birkenstocks most summers while not at work and it turns out that this year my summer workhorse is in style.
This is an on-going long-term project, I am still working on it.

11 years ago

kkards

Veteran

I try to stay current, not trendy. So I try to incorporate trends into my existing wardrobe. I may buy a couple of things a year that I don't expect to last more than a season, but otherwise, I think of my closet as an evolution.

Hmmm, maybe that's my fashion mantra, evolution not revolution.

11 years ago

dustt

Veteran

hummm - such an interesting question - I would say I pick the pearls that fit my personal comfort level and fit them into the piles that I continue to love - some seasons it's many things some season's it's only one or 2 small items because I'm still so happy with the items in my closet. Definitely not a cutting edge kind of woman. I'd have to say I pick one or two that seem to speak to me and might play nice with the rest of my wardrobe.

11 years ago

Anonymous

This is a wonderful question. I read YLF pretty much every day, but I am acutely aware of the fact that not all trends translate to my life or life style. I incorporate only those trends that will work for me.

I do refresh my wardrobe every season (that is twice a year for me). That usually means adding less than five new pieces each season. Five is the most I might add though. Each piece is well thought out and must meet a series of criteria before it is added to my wardrobe.

Because I update my style (not change it to suit whatever fad is out there), I wear a lot of my pieces year after year after year. I don't get bored. In fact, some pieces feel like "home" to me.

11 years ago

shedev

Veteran

I'd say that I end up with some version of the stuff on Angie's lists. I'm not rally trying to check off the items. The thing I really didn't think I'd go for this time around was a crop top. A clutch is still a no go, I'd leave it somewhere.

I bought a ton of stuff last year and most of it is still in play. This year my item budget is 2 per month. I'm a few items over that right now. It translates to 10% of the 240, item wardrobe I'm trying to shrink down to.

I think of myself as more alternative than mainstream or catwalk.

11 years ago

Niki Lea

Veteran

Hmmmmm. Generally I try to work with what's in my closet, but I might buy one or two pieces that pay homage to the trends. My budget for fashion is limited, so I probably spend more looking and reading about fashion than wearing or buying it. If I had a larger budget, I would definitely partake a lot more.

11 years ago

gardenchick

Veteran

Great question.

I am here to learn. What I've noticed (especially from my WIWs) is that I have not been paying enough attention to fit and styling. By using that visual sense more, and getting feedback from the group, I'm getting better--I hope!

It's not that important to me to be VERY "on trend." My goal is to look beautiful and confident in my clothes, with my body.

In terms of turning over clothes, my ultimate goal would be to feel excited about each piece of my clothing. That could be a slow process since I don't have the time or $$ to shop a lot. I also find certain items challenging to be happy with, especially tops, dresses, and shoes.

11 years ago

always trying

Veteran

I always check each seasons trends, mostly trying to get a heads up like in January start trying to find out what spring trends will be. Mostly I purge my closet when I get an idea of what will be out for the season, or what I am just tired of. As for buying new, I have learned from this forum that getting on the bandwagon for a new trend only after more thorough looking, like the Angie posts. I only adopt a trend if I really love it, and if it works for me-like the Birkies. Mostly I either love or hate things at first glance, like the harem pants-hate, Birks-love!

I do not care if something is not a really current trend, just as long as it is not dated, frumpy, or such, if I like it and it fits me and my lifestyle, it stays in the closet.

11 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I'm still building the wardrobe. It's slow -- and has involved some mistakes, missteps, rapid purchasing and then purging. Now things are more settled. But I'm not at the point where I refresh 5 or fewer pieces per season, and I'm not sure I will ever get there due to the kinds of wear that tops, for example, can see, in a smallish wardrobe. (Some of my knits and summer tops are done after a season of wear once a week or more and require replacement. Some of my footwear is also worn out after a single season.)

I think with a smaller wardrobe, there will inevitably be more turnover or more rapid turnover, but the CPW of items might be similar. Wearing a top or knit once or twice or even more often per week for 16 weeks makes a lot of wears.

But I expect to be in a place of refreshing around 10 items or fewer items per season pretty soon. Or maybe it would be something like 10 for summer, 10 for winter, and 3 for fall, 3 for spring? Something like that? I'm including shoes and bags and outerwear in that number as well.

I do like to try new trends. But don't need to try them all, and want to be fashionable for my actual life vs. catwalk.

11 years ago

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

I by no means follow all trends, but strive for a happy medium at 48 to have enough to be relevant... I don't want to be a slave to trends and have to refresh and entire wardrobe. I strive for pieces I love, that can have versatility and be worn several ways to allow for my mood dressing and artistic expression.

I have always loved fashion and think after losing my mother 5 years ago that I am using it for self care...My goal was to have a wardrobe that offered the ability to live life and go on a trip without having to go buy new things at the last minute and end up settling due to time constraints... That had been my world as a stay at home mother, taking care of others and not myself.. Every vacation, I would go buy clothes in a panic... not any more! An upcoming two week trip to Ireland in Octobedr and no panic, just a matter of narrowing what colors to work with and finding mix and match pieces.. A great place to be!!!! ..
I will continue adding new pieces in each season, but only ones I really like or filling in for a missing color. Can't have enough shoes in my book, so a good place to add a new trend and the most painless...

11 years ago

Gennifyr

Active Member

-Do you need to check off every trend Angie announces for the season? Or do you choose just a few to try each year?

I shop for what I like. Trends as a yearly status symbol and as a driving factor for purchases really weirds me out. I like the new and beautiful like everyone else but I don't buy or try just because something is "so 2014".

-Do you turnover or refresh more than half your seasonal wardrobe each year? Or just swap out five pieces or less? No, to me, that would be really wasteful. If I buy something, I hope to be wearing it for more than one season.

-Are you bored by most of last summer's things this year? Or do you have swathes of stuff you have worn for several summers already?

Nope. I still love everything.

-Do you go above and beyond the mainstream trends to really cutting edge/catwalk stuff... Or do you wait for mainstream adoption or retail trickledown?

Again, I buy what I like. Due to location, I'm generally limited to what's in popular retail anyway.

11 years ago

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Ooh, good questions! I have to admit that budget is a big factor in how much I acquire and how many trends I chase.
My turnover rate is higher than I had imagined. I don't buy more than half my wardrobe each season, but a lot of it isn't lingering more than 3 or 4 seasons. Tops, mostly, get high turnover. Shoes, pants and shorts, and jackets hang around for 5+ years no problem.
I do like to be current and nothing makes me smile inside more than a much loved item also being on trend.
As for last summer's stuff . . . I'm bored by some of it. This is more that I can't really dress how I want to with the life I've got. I have some fun stuff that just isn't as wearable day to day as I'd like. I've been working on this though - both the wearing of things anyway, even if it's not quite the environmental norm, and the paying closer attention to the real life needs when I'm buying new stuff.
To be totally honest, I'm more satisfied with my wardrobe than my current lifestyle! lol I'd rather be meeting girlfriends for lunch once a week and going bowling or playing croquet by the lake (Tahoe) in nice 70 - 80 degree summer temps. Sweltering already in early May is a bummer. I had to change birthday plans from going to the theme parks because being out in 90 all day just isn't fun.

11 years ago

ManidipaM

Veteran

wow what great and thoughtful responses right away!

Diane, I know yours will be woeth the wait too!

Ladywone, totally with you about how wonderfully empowering this site and its community is. Blessed be yourself!

Joyce, high five on finding our practical Birkies in style this year. am enjoying the trend too though mine always got a good deal of wear (they were a literal YLF gift too from the lovely Sona!).

kkards, I love your mantra! want to reach that point myself though right now I need the revolution ro sweep away some deadwood.

dustt, I am envious of how sorted your wardrobe sounds! having to add just one or two items a year sounds so freeing and empowered.

sterling, what a lovely and memorable expression! For those of us with more minimalist leanings, maybe we should anticipate that deeling and go about shopping like we would buy a house... with a view to comfort and lifestyle foremost. I know Angie would support this.

Shedev, I like your alternative style goals! and would like to steal your 240 item goal as well!

Niki Lea, I know that feeling. funnily after a few years on ylf I find an increased budget has meant better quality or more thoughtful buying rather than more buying for me! I actually buy fewer things now so opportunities to add more trends for example gets reduced! surprised me some but this feels right for me.

gardenchick, I share your goal of wanting to be really happy with more of my wardrobe as I upgrade or replace. let's cheer each other on one item at a time when it's slow going. careful choices can't be a bad thing! my own bugbears are dresses, shoes... and pants!

always trying, me too! why reinvent the wheel when it is rolling along just fine and doing its job? the strategy of studying trends ahead of time with Angie's help has been a sound one for me as well... gives me time to figure out what to focus on with limited time and cash.

Suz, you know I am with you on the tops and shoes that won't last too long with the best quality and care. and hiw I have enjoyed watching you carefully replenish your wardrobes and organise for the seasonal marshalling!

Tracey, re slavery to fashion which used to be my fear too, interesting thing is I am discovering, contrary to what I feared, going trendier is actually making items date LESS because they are IN for longer (trendy today and mainstream tomorrow)... I don't think this was true earlier and while I am not too trendy generally and a late adopter, I am getting trendier these last few years! also: seriously love Ireland. Am jealous. go have a great time for me!

11 years ago

ManidipaM

Veteran

gennifyr, how do you choose what is beautiful just now? or do you choose similar silhouettes or colours year to year?

Mo, wow, well done for honesty and self-awareness. I am fast coming round to the idea that my birthday outfit needs to be a new swimsuit or cover-up given the 100 degrees or more it always is by April. NOT what I fantasize about buying or wearing of course.

11 years ago

deb

Veteran

I love looking at the new trends coming out and like seeing how everyone is wearing them. Some I embrace some I do not. I will usually try on those that I think I might like then go from there. My closet basically stays the same with the new styles added one piece at a time. /if I find I am wearing the new style a lot then I will add more. If I find that I am not wearing an older style or Piece and it is purged, I do not replace it with the same style or maybe the same style but a different color if it was a color issue.

11 years ago

E

Veteran

I think I'm on YLF because I care about style more than fashion; I'm interested in refining my own style as well as watching others express/explore theirs! Particularly since I shop secondhand, I'm not as interested in/influenced by trends, at least not when they're new.

I definitely don't get bored with my clothes after a year; I've had most of my summer wardrobe for 1-4 years and still love them. That being said, I started a bit of a style makeover/rebuilding my wardrobe about 4 years ago, and it's been a gradual process of refinement, so I'm in the habit of thrifting new-to-me pieces regularly. Now I have a quite full closet, I need to reframe that habit so that thrifting becomes a PPP search for those few remaining HEWIs rather than the regular acquisition of things I like, which I'm finding tricky. But I'm getting better at acquiring less, even if I still slip up on occasion.

11 years ago

Anonymous

These questions always make me realize I'm kind of all over the place!

I definitely keep a lot of things from year to year, or longer. But I'm also buying new things too. I'm more likely to slowly phase things out than to do a systematic refresh. I have a big wardrobe and don't mind having some clothes hanging around that only come out when I'm low on laundry or have some specific need, although I could probably stand to be a little better about purging so I have a better idea of what's actually lacking. And because I don't have that much storage space.

I definitely don't check off every trend. A lot of them just don't speak to me or feel like they'd be a huge effort to find in a flattering form for me. I sometimes choose particular trends to look for (especially in shoes, for some reason), but more often I just keep them in mind as a filter for when I'm looking around.

One of the things I like about YLF is that it helps me adjust my eye faster than it would otherwise. I always want to look current, but, when I'm left to my own devices, it's hard for me to distinguish between actually current and "sort of tired, but not so outdated that it's completely gone from stores and people's wardrobes." It gives me the push I need so I don't keep wearing and buying the exact same things, then wonder why I'm so bored with my clothes.

Edit: Just wanted to add that I really like this point: "going trendier is actually making items date LESS because they are IN for longer." I'm starting to realize how true that is!

11 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

E, I really like that distinction. I think I'm here for the same reasons. An interest in personal style vs. fashion, per se. Although fashion is fun, too.

11 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

What a great topic for discussion!

I lost a bunch of weight a few years ago and had to replace everything from the undies out and the shoes up, so nothing in my closet is more than about three years old. I bought a lot of new things and made a lot of mistakes along the way, and I feel like it's only now that my wardrobe is stabilizing to the point where I am refreshing rather than building.

-Do you need to check off every trend Angie announces for the season? Or do you choose just a few to try each year? I check out, if not check off, every trend. I buy the ones that I like and fit with my style. And some of them are lovely surprises, like this year's white loafers and silver Birkenstocks.

-Do you turnover or refresh more than half your seasonal wardrobe each year? Or just swap out five pieces or less? I'd say somewhere in the middle. I have been keeping track of my purchases and cost-per-wear this year and so far I'm at about 30 new acquisitions so far this year, including shoes and not including a few gifted items. Gah. That seems like a lot! But I have a big wardrobe and I like it that way. And my shoe wardrobe was showing wear and I replaced a lot of my round-toe pumps with pointy-toe pumps and that was a good update.

-Are you bored by most of last summer's things this year? Or do you have
swathes of stuff you have worn for several summers already? As I said, nothing in my closet is more than three years old, so everything is relatively new. Summer hasn't arrived full force here yet so it's hard to say where I'm going with my summer wardrobe, but I think I still love much of what's in my closet.

-Do you go above and beyond the mainstream trends to really cutting
edge/catwalk stuff... Or do you wait for mainstream adoption or retail
trickledown? Again, I'd say I'm in the middle. Not super cutting-edge, but I like to jump on the trends I love relatively early (e.g. the silver Birks).

ETA: My short answer to "how do you do fashion" is "I'm a gigantic copycat!" I love to copy Angie's looks, and I am a Pinterest addict and love to copy looks I find there! In fact, I have a whole board of outfits I have copied!

11 years ago

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for hosting the party!

I really love Angie's fashion guidance and while I don't jump on every seasonal trend, I do incorporate a few of my favorite pieces to keep me feeling and looking current.

While my goal is to pare down and cultivate my wardrobe with fewer, more luxe pieces, I'm one who loves variety and I'll add high-low items when appropriate.

One example is that I live a very casual lifestyle and so I tend to buy more tops. However, I'm a bit like Sterling in that I have some pieces that I've worn for several years or more and they fill my comfort zone and are still going strong. I think my slow evolution toward quality items comes from seeing out some of my less-expensive tops became misshapen after several washings and simply didn't hold up.

11 years ago

MRL

Veteran

I have loved clothes/fashion for as long as I can remember. Have always noticed what others wore and always wanted to be well dressed. I'm in my 50's and this is still an ongoing path. Along the years I have been sidetracked by being too fad oriented, not enough time, not enough money, etc. I now have the time and a little more in the budget but look to YLF as a guide to what is trending, what to look for and what is right for me. I appreciate Angie's and others here who have a great eye for fashion and a sense for what next.

11 years ago

Anonymous

I've always liked clothes but never have really "followed" fashion. I still don't follow fashion. Reading about designers bores me to tears. I'm an emotional dresser. I see something that speaks to me and that's what I buy/wear.

11 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Fun thread! I hope to come back later and read all the responses.

-Do you need to check off every trend Angie announces for the season? Or do you choose just a few to try each year?
I don't do all the trends that Angie mentions. If I feel attracted to a trend (either one that Angie mentioned or that I've seen on my own via browsing stores), I will try maybe one or two pieces in that trend. But in general I'm not very trendy.

-Do you turnover or refresh more than half your seasonal wardrobe each year? Or just swap out five pieces or less?
Well, I'm still building my wardrobe (started basically from scratch about a year ago), so it's kind of fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants now. My plans, once my wardrobe is better forms, are to try to swap out just a few pieces. Turning over more than half of my wardrobe each year feels emotionally unsettling to me!

-Are you bored by most of last summer's things this year? Or do you have swathes of stuff you have worn for several summers already?
I actually don't have too large of a summer wardrobe. It's really nice and warm only about three months out of the year here. Since most of my clothes are new, having been purchased in the last year, I'm not bored by it yet.

-Do you go above and beyond the mainstream trends to really cutting edge/catwalk stuff... Or do you wait for mainstream adoption or retail trickledown?
I am not a cutting-edge dresser, period. No catwalk stuff here! It's just not my style.

11 years ago

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

On the fashion addiction spectrum, I am fairly high. Meaning, self-avowed fashionista. I get into trends as early as I can afford to. Some of the fringe-est trends are out of my price range. I am a firm believer that early adoption and paying full price gives you years not just seasons of wear. My Sessun cocoon/round shoulder coat from 2011, my pointy toe booties by Edmundo Castillo from 2011, my R13 cross-overs from 2012, my silky Zara top from 2012, are all examples. Sometimes trends like this come quickly (Birks, pajama jeans), sometimes they take longer to sink in (R13 cross overs).

I do turn over a lot of my wardrobe, I don't know if it's 50%, I'd have to analyze. I do tire of things after one season, but usually it's 2 or 3 before I'm ready to let go. As to the comment that this is a "wasteful" approach, my things have a second life. Much of them I re-sell on eBay. The quicker I sell them, the more I get for them. I sold my pajama jeans at a very good price. I just wasn't reaching for them. I was happy to have introduced this popular item to the forum, but ultimately didn't keep them. If I had hung on to them for a year, I certainly wouldn't have commanded the same price. Other things need to be donated to our local thrift/charity shop. And a few items get cut up and used as rags for our restaurant, to clean up oil and grunge.

As for whether I follow fashion for status, I never do to give the impression of wealth. However I will admit to wanting some credibility in the fashionista realm. However I think if anyone is truly honest, we all have ways we telegraph our position in society. Everything from the way we speak, to the people we associate with, to what we eat, to the car we drive -- we are all sending messages to each other and sometimes the anti-status approach is also a way of establishing your status/position.

11 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

I just like to think about it and look at pictures.

11 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I love Denise's answer. Great thought-provoking questions, Mani!

-Do you need to check off every trend Angie announces for the season? Or do you choose just a few to try each year?

I just choose a few, usually the ones that appeal to me most. As a trend gains traction, sometimes I'll reevaluate it even if my initial impression of it was "hell no."

-Do you turnover or refresh more than half your seasonal wardrobe each year? Or just swap out five pieces or less?

I'm probably somewhere in the middle. I've been doing a lot of experimenting in the three years I've been on YLF, so I've bought a lot and done a lot of trial and error. I would like to get to a point where my buying eases up a bit -- I feel like my winter wardrobe is more there than summer.

-Are you bored by most of last summer's things this year? Or do you have swathes of stuff you have worn for several summers already?

Kind of both. I went through my summer dresses the other day and purged a few that I'd had for anywhere between 2-6 years. And I bought a couple of inexpensive tops last year that were experiments that I'm already over, and they went into the Goodwill bag. So I have some things from seasons past that I'm looking forward to wearing, but some things -- mainly more casual, t-shirt type pieces -- that I'm feeling very "meh" about.

-Do you go above and beyond the mainstream trends to really cutting edge/catwalk stuff... Or do you wait for mainstream adoption or retail trickledown?

I'm not cutting edge, as fun as that would be. I think I'm moderately trendy. Some trends I jump on quickly -- the ones I love and that I find flattering. Others I'll wait for more mainstream adoption and possibly be dragged kicking and screaming into.

11 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

CocoLion, thanks for your input! I hadn't ever thought of following trends that way before: the whole cycle of buy early, sell early, hang on to the item for only a couple of years, etc. Very interesting! I'm a slow adopter and a slow purger...it's nice to understand the other side.

11 years ago

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