Christine - some great new stuff! I think the teal dress looks great on you. I see what you are talking about but I don't think it's too high. I'll leave that to others, though, because I'm somewhat conditioned to busty gals never being able to get something with the band completely under the bust! I love the pink cardigan (fits you great) and the floral tank. Keep it! It's fun! Especially if it was not a big investment, see whether you are able to branch out a bit and wear it. I like it under the jacket. It's hard to see the coloring in the jackets, but they both look like they fit nicely. I love the length on the skirt.

I agree on the black and white cardigan - it's just a bit too short. It would be better if it were either a bit shorter or a bit longer to wear with skirts. At first I thought maybe it was just too short to wear with pants, but it still looks a bit too short with the skirt.

I like the teal dress on you.

The pink cardigan, floral tank, blue & black jacket and bright blue jacket all look great on you and can be used so many different ways.

I think the blue and black (in photos it just looks one dark color) jacket and pink cardigan are great on you. The black and white floral I'd return. Your skirts look nice and functional-great work pieces.

I'm wondering about your photos- I've also had trouble taking good clear photos, and I'd like to hear what people do to get good photos of their outfits. Sometimes it's hard to see the details in your outfits, and that can be important.

Thanks for the feedback so far! Sinead - I, too, wonder about people's photos. I know that, ideally, I'd have my husband take pictures and they'd look better, but he doesn't have the patience. I don't know if I need to get a new camera, or what, but I'm definitely not happy with the quality that I'm getting. Maybe it's because the exposure time is longer without the flash and I'm not able to keep still enough to prevent the blurriness?

I think I'm going to claim you as a body type twin, Christine!

The teal dress looks great. It doesn't look like the band is sitting too high to me. When I wear empire styles, the band usually rides up a little bit, but not enough to cut straight across my chest or anything. I don't really mind, though maybe I should. In some ways I like it because the fact that the band sits a bit higher makes my chest look smaller.

I thought you had the b&w cardigan tucked into the a-line skirt because it's so short and I was going to say the waistband of the skirt was too low for tucking, but now I see it's just that the cardi is too short. You definitely have your top tucked into the jeans in the next picture right? I think this cardigan could work but you'll need a longer, untucked layer underneath it. It seems to be more of a cropped style.

The floral top looks AMAZING with the blue jacket and pants, but it seems a little long for skirts so I would keep it for pants only.

Everything else looks great!

I agree with everything people said, and I disagree with most of what YOU said.

The teal dress looks amaking on you, the color is awesome! The pink cardi, all the jackets and the brightly colored cami are fabulous! I think bright bold jewel tones like that are perfect for you. And the skirts give you a great hourglass shape.

I agree with Maya's suggestion of trying the black and white cardi with alonger layer underneat.

I love your new work clothes. The teal dress is fantastic in my opinion, and you really rock a pencil skirt. I love the pops of color with the cardigans. You are totally on track and these outfits are going to come together beautifully with jewelry and bags. Well done! Love your haircut, too!

Wow, I think nearly all of these pieces, with the exception of the black and white cardi, are simply amazing on you. Both those jackets I would kill for. :-)

I am curious why you don't like them. I am wondering if maybe you are buying what fits and flatters, but is not your "ideal" for your own personal style? Does that make sense? Because all of these pieces look amazing and do fit and flatter and are awesome colors for you.

However your comments seem to suggest one is too loud, one too bright, one too blah, etc. This seems to me that you are somehow settling in your own mind?

What do you want your personal style to be like? Maybe if you had some descriptors or even photos or examples, we could help you find a way to achieve that style, with these great basics as the base? Make sense?

P.s. The teal dress - is that ATL? Because if it is, I am really tempted to bite the bullet and go get it myself (I'd tried on the black one). The green would be perfect for that reunion coming up... hmmmm.....I remember the fabric was substantial?

Christine,

First of all, you are very pretty and have a great figure!

I LOVE the teal dress and the navy&black jacket on you!! May I ask where is the dress from?

The skirt is great, the bright cami is great. I am less in love with the black&white floral cardigan.

You look amazing in that pencil skirt! The only thing I am not sure about it the teal dress - I think a more vibrant color would be much better for your coloring (it may look different in real life though). And the empire line seems a bit too high from the side. Everything else looks great, esp. the pink cardi and the dark blue jacket - I can't see the details but the silhouette is great.

Well done, Christine! You are definitely on the right track. I know I say this every time I comment on your post, but I LOVE YOUR BOB! Here’s my 2 cents:

o Teal dress – LOVE. It’s very pretty. Is it uncomfortable under the bust?

o KILLER black pencil skirt – your best skirt silhouette by far. Get more pencil skirts.

o Black and white Cardi – fabulous. Layered with skirts, you might find it more flattering.

o Navy and black jacket – KILLER.

o Pink cardi – fabulous. Not blah at all.

o Floral cami is adorable, but if you don’t fancy the print – return it and find something else. I’m glad that you tried something new though. That’s the spirit.

o Cobalt jacket –KILLER. That’s not a capped sleeve. It’s a full little puffed sleeve and you wear that style well.

So my dear, are you feeling a little more encouraged? I hope so because you score 10 out of 10 for this shopping trip. Congratulations!

Thank you so much. I feel all smiley now!

The dress is Ann Taylor Loft, and I think I saw that the non-petite style is now on sale. Mine is a petite. I just thought of this - do you think that if I got the non-petite it would sit a little lower on the bust? I usually get petite for the length, but I think it might work out even not as a petite... It is a nice fabric - not too thin and clingy but not thick either.

I posted a picture of the black & white cardigan with a longer, different colored layer underneath:
http://s259.photobucket.com/al.....CN1651.jpg

Maya - I think we are body twins! I always look at your posts for ideas about how to dress because you always look so cute.

Shiny - as always,you are very perceptive. I think that there are a couple of factors at work. One is that I am a bit shy and so tend to dress in a way that won't draw attention to myself in any way, which often has meant neutrals and clothes that are slightly too big. The problem is that then I feel boring and blah, and I don't want that. So I then try to get things that are more vibrant but wonder if I look okay. I would LOVE suggestions about how to accessorize to express my personal style more.

I would love to look: confident, interesting, creative,open-minded, and feminine. I have a hard time actually expressing that fashion-wise though because I'm generally insecure about style and am afraid of taking risks.

Angie - thank you, thank you, thank you! I just got my hair cut again, and I have to say that I am pleased with how it turned out this time. :)

You look fabulous in all the clothes. I don't think they are too loud or too blah at all. All are just conservative enough without being too much so. Your legs are killer so as long as you keep the hem at that perfect length you look great in them and the dress.
I also wanted to say that your description of being shy sounds just like myself. I also want to look nice and be looked at as having taken the time to be well dresses and groomed, without being too flashy. I love this forum for helping us to figure these things out together.

Fantastic! The teal dress is such a lovely colour on you and suits so you well. The pencil skirt fits you perfectly and I can guarantee you that you'll find it to be so versatile in your wardrobe. The pink cardigan is beautiful and really suits your colouring.

Do you have an anti-shake mode setting in your camera? Or you could invest in a cheap small tripod for taking photos. I have a tripod that was given to me by my boyfriend, an amateur photographer, last year and I use it for my YLF photos.

So confident, interesting, creative,open-minded, and feminine?

Confident: I think that is more of an attitude. It's about feeling comfortable in the clothes you wear. They fit well so you are not futzing. You feel appropriately dressed for the occasion. You know you look amazing. Etc. Since you're shy, you may never feel completely confident in super bold outfits. However, I would definitely give it a chance!!! I do think that that one can take risks and over time slowly get more comfortable and confident.

I wouldn't say I'm exactly shy (<grin>) but the new banana bag was a risk for me. It is quite a bold color. But, I challenged myself to wear it every day last week, and now I have grown comfortable with it. I was the same way about skirts a few years back, and had to challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone and now I'm used to them. I read a book once that talked about fear and anxiety. It was written by a psychologist. For people who fear rejection or things like public speaking, the advice is to go out and do what you fear over and over and over again. Eventually you become immune and it gets easier and easier.

So this is my advice, if there's something that does appeal to you about bolder colors and patterns, start in small & safe doses (like wear out to dinner with hubby for a few hours, before wearing for a full day of work), take the risk, go out of your comfort zone.... and see what happens.

Femine: I think all your outfits here have a feminine appeal already, so you have that covered!

Creative, interesting, open-minded: I think accessories are your answer here! For creative, take a look at Antje's (and of course, Angie's, outfits). I think both do a great job with this. Creative accessories to take your outfits up a notch:

- Big floral pin (this would also be feminine)
- long pearl necklace with a pretty brooch
- Unusual, fun statement purse (go ahead and stick with a neutral - but choose something a bit unexpected/whimsical)
- Unusual shoes (see above)
- If you wear glasses, funky specs
- interesting scarf

I really think all these pieces are fabulous and I can imagine how much wardrobe mileage you can get out of them. Those two jackets are just fantastic. I think I said that before, but I'm saying it again, having looked at the photos again. LOVE!

I also think you look amazing! You have a fantastic figure (and great legs) and all of the styles you're wearing seem to be perfect. (Of course, if you're not comfortable it doesn't matter how many of us tell you you look great.)

I think all these colors look great on you (as much as I can tell from the slightly blurry pics.) I prefer the colors to the b&w - that one doesn't seem to light you up as much as the colors do. It's interesting that you think the pink cardigan is "blah." It's a very bright, pretty color. The floral cami is also amazing on you - your whole face just lights up. But if you're not comfortable with these bright colors, perhaps you could try shopping in different stores? I think that AT Loft tends to have brighter colors. AT (regular, not Loft) tends to have more subdued, neutrals. Banana Republic also has more subdued colors, but they don't tend to work on me - they seem to be a bit muddy for me.

Again, it's a little hard to tell from the photos, but it looks like these clear, bright colors are great on you. Is your hair reddish? Brown-red? It seems like the bright, clear spring colors look fantastic on you! I think GAP also tends to have bright, clear colors. Do you shop there at all?

Tassajara, I hadn't thought of a tripod - I'll have to get one next week. What a good solution to the blurry photo problem. Thank you for the suggestion.

Today I wore the pink cardi out house-hunting with my husband, and I was a bit surprised, but I felt great all day. Every time I caught a glance of my reflection I liked how the color looked and the little flower made me smile. So Shiny, I think you're right. It's about practicing. btw, I'm saving your post in my journal because it's so helpful in terms of thinking about how to make basic pieces fit my personal style. Thank you so much.

I do think that I look better in brighter, more saturated colors, but I sometimes shy away from these colors because I'm worried about sticking out too much. I love the clothes from Banana Republic, but I hardly ever end up getting any of them because they wash me out. I haven't shopped at Gap in awhile, but this season there's a bright green cardi that I've been coveting.

At some point, I guess I'm going to have to quit buying things but it's hard because I am just starting to understand how to buy pieces that flatter, and it's a bit addictive.

Can I just say how wonderful all the ladies on this site are? I am so appreciative of the generosity of everyone here. Having help with this process is so, well, helpful. For the first time, I feel like I might actually get the hang of this style thing.

Christine, I really like all the clothes and outfits. The cropped B&W cardi looks better with skirts and I'm not liking the floral cami too much. I like how you elongated the cropped cardi with the pink camisole. I think that works lengthwise while giving you the versatility to bring different colors to this outfit by just switching out the cami. I can see adding springy accessories like colorful necklaces or floral pins to outfits with the B&W cardi.

Nice post from Shiny and you are definitely getting the hang of the style thing, Christine. Remember - I guaranteed it :0).

Wear what you have for a while and see how you go. That way you’ll be able to identify the gaps and duplicate where necessary. Also, you’ll get a handle on what you like and your individual style will start to take shape. Keep looking at other outfits posted here for inspiration and apply the concepts back in your dressing room. You get this month’s YLF award for most focused! Your results have been stellar. And to think that a month ago you were wildly frustrated. Look at you now!

Christine, I'm chiming in late but want to echo the other ladies' comments. You look super fab in your new purchases!
My favorite is the pink cardi, it's such a great color and a wonderfully flattering shape on you. I also LOVE the colors of the floral cami on you, though I agree that it's a tad long for the skirt; it looks wonderful with the jeans. I'm not a fan of the b&w cardi; I think it looks a bit boxy - more wide than long, though I do like it much better when you layered a cami under it. LOVE both of your jackets. They are PERFECT smart casual pieces.
You show great style, and you rock the pencil skirt with your beautiful legs!

Your figure looks so lovely in your new purchases. I love everything except the b/w cardi. My favorite is the pink cardi and the blue short sleeve jacket.

Christine - I have to chime in. Your outfits are great. You look wonderful in a pencil skirt and also pants - wow!!! And I love your hair. Your outfits couldn't be more perfect and I have teal dress envy.

Christine, I'm a bit late jumping in, but I think you look great in ALL of these.

I LOVE the teal ATL dress on you. It didn't work on me, so I'm so glad to see someone around here make it look awesome! I also love it paired with the chestnut pumps (which I'd love to steal.)

And you're wearing my favorite new cardigan (I got it in green). Love the fuschia on you. You look great in bright colors. It's not even close to "blah" and the cut looks lovely on you.