Malaise - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Malaise

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I could blame my fashion funk on things that have nothing to do with clothes, but I do think that clothes have something to do with it. I really liked what was in stores in 2014, and even into this spring. But recently not much is resonating. The trends aren't to my taste or don't work with my figure or lifestyle. I'm still buying classic and basic items but I feel like my outfits look either dated or just boring as a result. Anyone else feeling the same? Or maybe someone can convince me of what I'm missing in current trends.

Dressing

24 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

MsMaven

Veteran

I've got the same malaise, Laura. I have little desire to go shopping because there hasn't been much that grabs my attention out there. I have bought some basics this fall and that is about it. I have hopes for spring. Also, the clothing market has changed a lot. Old favorite stores have decided to go after a different customer and favorite boutiques closed during the recession.

The fact that I shopped so much this summer also has something to do with it.

So I don't think it is you. I look forward to seeing what there will be for spring. In the meantime I'll watch this thread and see if others have found some treasures to consider.

Isabel

Veteran

I am not going to try and convince you for one reason : this season is everything that I LOVE. Everything. So if this is so personal to me and my liking it cannot be the same for everyone else. : )

Sal

Veteran

I have patches like that. Some years are so much easier then others to buy. I am finding it easier now because footwear is to my liking and there are a range of lengths for pants and dresses.

I would focus on footwear accessories and grooming and just wear the clothes you have. Fashionable shoes and a great scarf or bag lift whatever you wear.

I would think you could wear boot cuts and flares well Laura. Have you tried them?

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

MsMaven, glad I'm not alone. But Isabel, glad someone is enjoying what's out there.

Sally, I did buy a pair of flare jeans at NAS this year, but it was so warm here until a week or two ago that I really haven't been able to wear them much yet, since they really need boots to work. I must say that around here, I'm not seeing anyone who's fashion forward wearing bootcuts or flares - everyone who is has still got the versions from a decade ago that they're still wearing, which makes me a little hesitant, honestly.

I really disliked the results of my last haircut, so that's not helping - I'm impatiently counting down the weeks until it's grown out again that I can try a new hairstylist. Hopefully before Christmas.

Anonymous

Now you just snap out of that mood right now, missy. Go get a nice manicure and march yourself off to the nearest boutique and get yourself something pretty. We can't be having any fashion funks up in here. But seriously, this, too, will pass.

kellygirl

Veteran

I can totally relate although I think my fashion malaise is work related. I love a lot of what is in stores but not for work. What you said about flares and boot made me laugh. I've been wearing bootcuts almost every day and while they felt kind of fresh at first--now I feel like I'm wearing a uniform. Getting dressed is pretty easy though so I guess there is that.

Anonymous

Hi Laura. I am sorry you are feeling this way. Seasons when nothing appeals to you do happen, we all have those seasons. I am feeling very similar to you right now because everywhere I turn I see cropped or ankle pants or wool sweaters. A person can start to feel "left" out.

The bad thing is when you feel dated or boring because of it. Those feelings are like kryptonite to me. I don't have any advice for you though. I am just waiting this season out to see what next season brings.

I will say that this fashion cycle moved far afield for me. I am tired of oversized everything. This is making me embrace classics right now. They somehow feel "right" and comforting. I don't feel dated or boring though, I feel I am voting with my wallet.

Gigi

Veteran

Sometimes I find that when I have a shopping malaise, it turns around with a vengeance when a new season hits. Why, I don't know. It's like you have to sit a season out or something. But lately I have been doing a lot more shopping because I've been seeing a lot more things that appeal to me. When I have to sit a season out, I spend my time doing things like experimenting with makeup and hair, or painting my nails.

Runcarla

Veteran

I'm feeling a little off balance, myself. I want to be a gamine/pixie, but don't know if I can carry it off at 5 ft 7in and an athletic 145 lbs! My last attempt at a pixie cut came off looking a little masculine, which made me sad.

Peri

Veteran

I'm having this to a small degree, because I liked last winters offerings better than this year. I'm really not seeing a whole lot new that I want. The thing that is saving me is that it is finally cooling off and I still like what I bought last year very much. To me, those things are still new...I've never been trendy or super current with fashion and being happy about wearing "so last year" is major progress over "so 5 years ago".

I agree with other posters to see if there is something else you can focus on. Some new accessory look or a classic jewelry splurge?

deb

Veteran

Laura, I am right there with you. I went to the mall today with plans on purchasing something new for my closet. The only thing I came home with were stocking stuffers. There was nothing out there that peaked my interest.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Well, I'm not shopping much lately, but I did need a new pair of jeans and I'm having big fat issues with the current trends in pants rise. The lowest you can get is a mid-rise. This is fine for all those who look great with high-rise pants, but I'm not one of them. Boo.

dakotacheryl

Veteran

Laura...stay true to yourself, and the fashion tend will probably move back toward your preferences.
Usually there is a "brand" that keeps more constant on styling.

In the meanwhile, how about a fabulous cashmere scarf, or some other accessory to perk you up?

kkards

Veteran

for me, a big part of my current fashion/style malaise is the weird weather.. after a spring that no sun and a summer that had no heat, we are now having a fall that's giving us both….it's just so hard to know what to wear.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Sterling, I think you and I feel the same about cropped pants. I actually don't mind them for the warmer months for other people, but who wears them in winter? Yet that's most of what I'm seeing in stores. Az, I feel ya about the rises - I have a relatively short rise for my height but so far I've been able to get by with the mid rises. High rise is right out, though; I don't want anything that comes up over my ribcage!

Thank you, everyone, for the commiseration and thoughts. I think part of my dissatisfaction is that I'm nearing a significant birthday, and I'm starting to feel like I can't get away with some of the more boring outfits I used to wear. As I get older they look more frumpy to me than when I was younger. But I'm just not the type of person who is done all the time, and really composed outfits with makeup and hair and jewelry and nice shoes, etc., feel really over-the-top and out of my environmental norm. I honestly don't know what the solution is, or if there is one.

kkards

Veteran

laura, i can related to the feeling that as i aged some of my simple/boring outfits were starting to look frumpy…it's part of what lead me here….for me, what helped wasn't changing my style or getting more composed outfits (as you called it), but paying more attention to the details….for example rolling vs cuffing, length of shirts, and fit, fit, fit….i found it was the little things that could change a simple business casual outfit from ok, to "feels like now"…and jeans and a tee shirt from jeans and tee shirt, to "i look current".

Sal

Veteran

I agree with kkards whole heartedly. I used to feel okay in shorts and a tee with Birkenstocks. Now I feel a need for shaped tees and better quality shorts etd which is a battle with my lazy self.

I do think she's or boots that are quite a statement are a great addition.

Sorry you are feeling a bit blah.

Aubergine

Veteran

Laura, I'm kind of with you too. Which probably ties into why I just haven't been posting, and I haven't really been buying much besides a bunch of basic tops that I keep hoping will be The One I Can Throw On Effortlessly With Jeans, but that never are.

For me, I think a lot of the issue is that everything lately seems so ... pants-focused. And it's all impractical and/or in really tricky proportions, especially for someone like me who hardly has the kind of body that can afford to play with proportions and still look non-freakish.

Like the cropped pants you mention. And the fact that we can't even wear skinny jeans with booties anymore without rolling them up just so and basically making them cropped pants. Because who doesn't want breezy ankles in the middle of winter?

And I'm with you too on the age stuff, especially when you don't particularly have the capacity to become exquisitely "done" and polished once that's an age-appropriate thing to be.

Ginkgo

Veteran

I'm with you on this one also, Laura. I walk through the stores or look online and just feel blah. The oversized, baggy, nightgown look of tops just turns me off completely, all this excess yardage around my hips is not a good idea. A more tailored fit is much better for me, and after all, if that works for Emmanuelle Alt too then it can't be a bad thing.

Have also bought a couple pairs of cropped pants but then couldn't bring myself to actually wear them.

Meanwhile, I did change hair salons and got a more stylish cut which has perked me up, and some new lipstick and blush helped.

Anonymous

I can relate, Laura (especially as you used one of my favourite words--malaise--which sums up the feeling perfectly). I can only speak from my own experience, but I hope it helps: I love all things drape and drama, but several years ago when I hit the half century mark, I felt the styles I was wearing beginning to look too bag lady or frumpy on me. I went on a bit of a fashion flail, spending way too much money on stuff the real me didn't really love (most of it is now in consignment). Recently I have switched to a neater "Queen Mum" look for work; the items look smart, but they do feel a bit too staid for me. My current MO is to find accessories and small wardrobe elements that add a slight edge to this more fitted profile: scarves and edgier shoes being two such items. That way I could present more neatly but still feel like "me" if that makes sense.

Also, the fast fashion trend lifecycle has my elderly head spinning so I refuse to step on that merry-go-round.

The advice here is sensational, and I agree with others about experimenting with small items and your own pieces. I found this time of wardrobe contemplation very helpful.

Aquamarine

Veteran

I hear you. Other than all the burgundy out there, I'm not especially excited about anything. I suspect other things are adding to my funk though: slight weight gain so everything is uncomfortable, feeling off-kilter as my house empties with kids leaving the nest (and then returning), and a general unease with all the stuff going on in the world. Could something similar be going on with you? External factors robbing the joy out of fashion?

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I've been extra picky the past few months focusing on things I've been wanting for some time and that has kept me pretty happy so I'm just looking past some of the trends and trying to keep an eye out for what I know will work for me longer term. Nothing too trendy I guess - I've ordered one tee, a few tunics, a new pair of dark skinny jeans and a new handbag for this season. Oh and I did get a nice deep green toned flannel tunic length shirt to wear for casual festivities. I prefer the new longer length to the red plaid one I got last year.

Maybe you can just focus on getting very specific things you need or want for the time being and enjoy the freedom not to feel tempted?

catgirl

Veteran

You could think of this kind of malaise as a version of seeking PPP. I'm returning an Eileen Fisher tunic that I got, because the color is more berry than the deep eggplant it looked like on the Nordie's site, and frankly it doesn't lift my spirits. That's been a recent test for me, thanks to the inevitable Konmari book: does this item bring me joy?

rachylou

Veteran

Well, I have become a poor starving student-to-be, so my bank account is on total lockdown, so maybe that's why I'm just working what I've got... but I have to admit I haven't been inspired to re-work what I've got. That is, I'm styling everything the same.

But the new Nordie's catalog has come. I have to look at it. Maybe I'll be inspired!