My favorite outfits of 2015, month by month

I thought it would be fun to go back and look at my year's outfits and pick a favorite for each month! For the first part of the year I was knee-deep in home renovations and didn't have many photos to choose from, but I did have a few! So here they are:

1. January: Nothing new here. Gray skinnies, polka dot cardigan, red pullover, my beloved Frye boots, and my favorite scarf from my 2012 trip to Cambodia.

2. February: Neutrals featuring my beloved "queen bee" blouse, the fab moto jacket and taupe booties from last year's Seattle Shoptember Ingefest, and various other pieces I've had for a while.

3. March: Nothing to see here but oldies but goodies. Only thing new was the flat shoe to go with Das Boot from my skiing mishap!

4. April: I have worn this exact outfit for at least three years and I still love it to pieces. I bought that linen blazer in about five colors in 2014 and they have been real workhorses.

5. May: Crazy hotel room shot from my Memorial Day trip to NYC with Gentleman Friend. Loved the dotted ankle pants with graphic tee and ancient denim vest. The white loafers are still going strong in their second (or maybe third) summer.

6. June: Old standby red blazer with new top and pants from Old Navy. These pieces were inexpensive but really perked up my wardrobe for summer.

7. July: I first copied this outfit from Kari at least four years ago. I love it as much now as I did then!

8. August: Pattern mixing with old standby pieces. The shoes were new this year and saw a lot of wear. I felt like they really perked up my wardrobe.

9. September: The Old Navy top again, with new cobalt pants and olive vest from Banana Republic, both of which became instant wardrobe workhorses. I would never have thought to put cobalt with olive had Angie not suggested it!

10. October: More cobalt-as-neutral, with my leopard-as-neutral skirt. The only new things here are the cap-toe pumps and fab cobalt bag, which I think refreshed the older pieces nicely.

11. November: Sorry for the bad photo, but I loved the new Danier Leather jacket with last year's lavender sweater and Missoni for Target scarf.

12/13/14. December: Couldn't pick just one! The dress was purchased on vacation in Canada and I love it to pieces! The skirt was a splurge purchase for the holidays and I have worn it four times this month! And I was tickled by the brights-in-cold-weather combo in no 14.

Lessons learned: I have a lot of fabulous pieces that are standing the test of time! Often it just took a pointy-toed pump to make an older outfit feel new again. And if a combination works, I will continue to wear it happily even if it isn't quite on the very very cutting edge.

What's your take on my year? Comments? Suggestions for 2016? Thanks for going along for the ride with me for another great year, my lovely YLFers!

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8 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Wow! What a gorgeous year Mary. #6 jumped out at me but you look wonderful in every outfit!

anne

A lovely selection Mary. The first 2 appealed to me the most - I think partially because I don't often see you in trousers.

deb

Mary, you do color better than anyone I have ever seen.

Bijou

I agree with Deb, you look fantastic in colour. However, I really love number 12 - what a wonderful dress - the style and fit are wonderful and the red shoes look stunning. I also appreciate how you did not let your sore foot get in the way of looking stylish.

Anonymous

What a great post. What this shows is that you are imaginative and creative in terms of color and silhouette. Every single outfit was fully fleshed out. That is not easy to do on a day-to-day basis.

Originally, I was going to pick my favorites, but then decided it was too hard to pick just a handful. 2015 was obviously a great year for you fashion wise. May 2016 be even better.

Summer

Wonderful colourful outfits, Mary. The first picture drew me in because of the glorious colour of your sweater and that gorgeous scarf.

kkards

"cobalt-as-neutral, with my leopard-as-neutral"----Mary, your use of color is outstanding! i'm always in awe of how you can create such businesslike outfits with so much color. 2015 looked fab…looking forward to seeing what 2016 brings

Mirjana

I agree with all that you can create wonderful colorful outfits, and that you wear that in good style. I noticed that you look the best in skirt or dress and than slim(skinny ) pants and the last but not bad is jeans. I like more elegant style, but what to do, that is that.

UmmLila (Lisa)

As always, your color mixing is fantastic. I rather like your pale neutrals mix. It's also interesting that many of your favorites from last year include pants, since skirt looks seem to be your usual go-to.

Momo

Look great! Love 14!

I love them all, they're all a bit different but for some reason my favourite is your leopard and cobalt.

I also love that neutral moto jacket and your party skirt {mm, maybe I'm projecting, my colouring is similar and I want to steal them }

You have an awesome personal style

Murph11

I always love your posts, and of these: #7 is my favorite. Keep the WIW coming, Mary!

Sara L.

These are great outfits! I like the mix of both business outfits and casual that you've chosen here. I think it shows that both areas of your closet are in good shape.

Gail

#7 is my fave, I love the color combo and the whole outfit looks so crisp.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

(I am just about to start that annual post so DO post this on there too, Mary).

DAS BOOT. I almost forget! Well. You made it look soooo stylish!

Your outfits make me smile BIG TIME each time I look at them. Your killer style is an extension of your very big and colourful personality, and I appreciate your ongoing enthusiasm and loyalty for YLF. THANK YOU.

Of your faves, I'm going with #12 as my absolute best. And show us the red coat that went over it too! #7, 10 and 13 are next. Just so perfect for Magical Mary.

JAileen

What a fabulous year! I think I like 1 and 2 best, mainly for the colors. 2 is such a nice tone on tone.

Meredith

What a great roundup! I must have missed the original post of #12. You look amazing!

Bonnie

I love all of these outfits but #1 and #13 are my favorites.

Eliza

Colorful you! Always brings a smile here. 14 caught my eye, but I can't pick a favorite.

annagybe

Lurve #2

Runcarla

Having fun with fashion indeed!

Aquamarine

Great year in fashion! Hard to pick a favorite, but 7 and 14 rose to the top for me. Just so sharp and I love the colors.

unfrumped

It's never possible to pick just one of your outfits!
Always in awe of color possibilities on you.
There is something special I like about 3 and 7. It is something to do with citrus brights combined with a large dose of dark neutral. Probably I'm thinking of business wear, as certainly more hectic color combinations work great on you as well. But these pairings seem to really work with your coloring and a business-like vibe but are "energized business", IYKWIM.
In same vein it's amazing how well brights work. #2 is what might be a typical "blonde" outfit, very tonal and soft neutral, but probably I like the darker and brighter colors more. Still, no need to limit yourself, because you can do it all!

Nebraskim

2, 6, 12 and 13 are my standouts. While I think of you as the queen of color, I love the neutral tones of No. 2. Wow. I don't remember seeing that outfit before. You wear it so well. I love how you mix the old and new (for instance the many iterations of the apple green skirts) and find fresh ways to "recycle" your looks. 2015 was a hard year for you (boot, your folks' health difficulties) but you seem to have found yourself in a good place right now. Cheers for a great 2016.

harmonica

Thanks for this 2015 review. I love your stle and how you mix colours and patterns with panache. It is hard to pick a favorite! #1 got me with its vibrant colours and how you dress up the grey skinnies in a fun, fab and happy way. So fab!

Windchime

An inspiring outfit review! I love how you mix one or two new items with existing pieces and create a fresh, on trend outfit. I'm considering how to do this with my own wardrobe.

Happy 2016 to you!

Karie

My take on your year is that you have the best wardrobe ever! I love those cobalt pants, I have a similar pair from J.Crew. Picking a favorite is an impossible task as I love them all.

cheryl

Gorgeous! My favorites are #1, #6 and #14

Beth Ann

What a fabulous year, Mary! I've loved your style since I joined the forum years ago, but in the past couple of years, you've demonstrated a great ability to keep the fab flowing through major upheavals and changes in your life. This year, there was the happy, but major, reno of your new home (love the way it turned out), and the challenge of das boot. While a skiing injury can be a bit of bummer, at least it was a mark of living boldly!

I have many "favorites" in your sampling here, but the star is your ability to infuse classic silhouettes with sophisticated and strong color, to make trends work for your life (crops, scarves), to mix high and low end pieces to great effect, and to build a shoe collection that updates and adds instant polish to the whole ensemble.

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