And it's thanks to people like you Taylor, who help make YLF a different place

Post your WIWs, ladies!!! As often as you want, and for *any* reason that tickles your fancy! The only rule around here that is NOT to be broken, is that you have fun in the process.

Well considering I bought a tripod purely for WIW's, I guess I'm in the self indulgent category. I know my style is definitely not for everyone. I don't mind suggestions but rarely take them. I have a certain stubborn streak in me.
What I find more irksome is when I'm doing a keep or return and someone who rarely if ever chimes in on my WIW's has a definite opinion. Those seem to come form left field, and I tend to take them with a large grain of salt because I honestly don't know if they get my style.
I have a bad time commenting on other WIW's because I realize I have a very strong style filter/bias. So I'm on the camp if you can't say anything nice, then it's best to keep your mouth shut.

Anna, variety is the spice of life and your style gets a lot of love around here. I must also say though, in case you had your doubts, that it is through silence that we often communicate very clearly how we feel.

I guess I'm style transitioning right now, so I need WIW to make sure I'm not falling over the deep end into style victim :p

I post because I love to see WIW posts from other forum members and if I like to see the other I feel I must post mine also besides with you I feel confortable to ask for advice and you have always good ideas!
Seeing other wiw is always inspirational!

The whole process of taking pictures, even if I don't end up posting them, has been really educational. And watching other people's style evolve or become more nuanced is really fun. Y'all make me stretch myself and not always follow the rules, which is a good thing. I enjoy getting positive feedback, but I appreciate real critique as well. Finding a place where people will be honest while still being kind is not easy.

Interesting point, Anna - sometimes I post on keep/return threads more than WIWs because sometimes it's more clear that people want critical feedback on the former, whereas not always on the latter.

I love looking at WIWs, so I figure I should share now and then, too. I'm also one who feels a little guilty I don't post more, but I'm often so busy in a day, I don't get a chance to take pics.

When I post, sure, I'm looking for validation, but also feedback. The process of photographing outfits, too, is very educational for me. There are pics i've taken that never made it onto the forum because I looked at them and said, "meh" and never wore the outfit again!

annagybe, if i've ever posted on a keep or return of yours and haven't posted on a wiw, don't read anything into why i commented on one but not the other. i just have so little time! whenever i say something that could be construed to be negative, i always try to modify it by saying if it was me, id return but if it works for you, great, something like that.

I'm on a very steep learning curve here. I find everyone's WIW's so inspirational. I am not as inspired by fashion magazines or high fashion in general. I never see how I can apply this to my everyday life. Seeing YLFer's of all shapes and ages wearing everything from the newest trends to retro classics gives me an idea of how I can make these outfits work for me.

I post my own WIW's because I want suggestions. At first when I started posting my WIW's I thought I was looking pretty good. I quickly learned what was and mostly what wasn't working.

I am still pretty new around here and have posted my WIWs for ideas, suggestions and answers to the "how does this look" question. Joining you guys has energized my interest in fashion and trying to dress well. I have become more aware of what I like and what looks good on me. I have had to get rid of things I JUST bought before joining. Sometimes just because I looked at the photo and couldn't bring myself to post it. I am having fun getting dressed in the morning, even when I don't post. And I LOVE looking at all of you and getting ideas for my own outfits!

Awesome thread, Malina.

When I first joined this forum, I marveled at Angie, her professionalism and professional credentials!, the structure of the site (go, Greg!) and the openness of the forum itself.

So I dove right in and started posting on people's threads. I love looking at the WIWs as well as reading about product reviews and being inspired by others though provoking questions/revelations (fashion and OT alike).

It took me several months to post my first WIW, but I realized that I NEEDED to in order to earn 'forum cred.' My reasoning: how could anyone on this forum REALLY accept my opinion or thoughts or suggestions if they didn't 'know' who the advice was coming from (in a way)? And maybe after I did, they knew NOT to read my comments! haha

So I post WIWs simply to share. Lovely comments do make me feel very humble and fuzzy inside simultaneously; however, I have feelings of steel and completely welcome brutally honest feedback. Even if I think something is awesome or perfect, having others take a gander and offer ideas is always open for consideration in my book.

Being a member of this forum is a special opportunity and I treasure it.

So I vote educational and self-indulgent. I love it!

Very interesting thread and I've enjoyed reading it. The past year I've become very bashful about posting my pictures (I have no idea why!) and I often feel really self indulgent when I post, so I post less often. That said, this is just my own neurosis and lack of confidence showing through and I LOVE looking at all of your WIWs and do not in any way think WIW pics are self indulgent. I find them super educational for all parties involved and I try to look at every single WIW posted on the forum because I get so much inspiration from them. I posted my fair share back in the day and I miss that aspect of YLF. I feel like it adds a lot to your experience of the site and really helps you connect with other forum members.

This is a very thought provoking thread. I think my own reasons for posting WIW evolved through the stages. At first after I braved the very first one - requiring a lot of courage of course - they were to get a feedback and help with getting on with my style. Then as I became more confident I began to post fewer of them because I was afraid to bore everybody to death and thought it is too selfish to post too often - like asking for attention. That changed when I got comments thanking for inspiration. I was really surprised by that because I have never though in a thousand years that my WIW can inspire anybody - I did not even think I have any style at all! Then I realized that as anything we do in this life posting our WIW works both ways - we get something out of this like feedback or a boost - and others get something out of it as well. When I realized that I began to post weekly if I have a new combination to show.
Angie's outfits are my favorite blog posts and the ones I anticipate the most. I go through them over and over again to find new inspiration and ideas. I also learn a lot from WIW on the forum. It is very interesting but I learn as much from WIW which need improvement as from the ones which inspire me. When somebody asks for the advice and I have something to say I begin to analyze and by doing this I learn as well.
As for the self-indulgence... nothing wrong with it IMO - in healthy dozes of course. First of all we all can use an extra boost from time to time - it is good for your health! Secondly, it is nice to have some appreciation of what you wear because this is a big part of who you are and you put an effort into it and it is always good when our efforts are appreciated. Thirdly, just knowing that I will be posting my outfits for all of you to see makes me to put an extra effort into planning and executing them. And the last but not the least - it is more fun if you can share and YLF is all about having fun with fashion!

Great thread.
I post for a variety of reasons. This community has given me a sense of security and confidence in fashion. It has encouraged me to explore a side of myself that I had ignored for years. Most of my real life friends are not interested in style. This community gives me a chance to bond with women that have a common interest.
I have had the privilege to meet several forum members including Angie and each and everyone of these woman have a style of their own and are willing to help each other find their style.
As I've said before I came here looking for advice on a dress and found so much more.
Thank-you Angie, Greg and all.

This has been great to read and see a lot of us have similar reasons. I've posted a few WIWs and I realize I do it for two reasons, predominantly. One is to get feedback when I try something new. The other is that I don't have friends locally or co-workers who rpcare about fashion so this is my occasional chance to share what I enjoy with other like minded folks! (I do have friends who love fashion , but none of them live in town....)

Thank you all for creating and sustaining this safe and happy place to share.

@ Marianna -- I have been seriously missing your WIWs.

Malina, I don't post WIWs very often, but when I do it's generally for one of two reasons: to ask a question, or to record an outfit I particularly liked.

And I hope our more confident dressers continue posting WIWs, even if it feels self-indulgent. I have learned a huge amount from seeing the combinations posted by people who don't have a question to ask but are merely sharing a look with the rest of us.

@ Angie -- bless you for creating this unique place!

So interesting!

My most useful WIW post recently was a couple of outfits that weren't quite working and I learnt so much from all of the suggestions and useful criticisms that made me realise where I was going wrong. Had I applied Angie's 'when an outfit isn't working' blog post suggestions I could have worked it out for myself, but sometimes it's hard to do that when you think you've thought the outfit through already.

I normally post when I'm trying something new, or when I feel(hope!) I've got something 'right' particularly if it's for some kind of out of the ordinary situation.

I sometimes feels bad about posting because I feel it's asking a lot for people to look at and comment on what I'm wearing (especially as I don't feel I have much variety in my outfits) so I really appreciate reading posts from people who say they like seeing other people's WIWs.

I also feel bad about posting comments because my comments are fairly bland to say the least! I say mostly if I like something but can rarely articulate why! I also feel I do not take the time to read all of the threads properly.

I'm a member of the' Marianna WIW Appreciation Society' too...

ETA this is such a warm and friendly online community that it is always easy to forget that it did not get that way by chance. As Angie said, her blog is something different in the way it approaches style and fashion. She and Greg also are very careful in the way they guide the forum, ensuring that there is no place for things to get 'out of hand' as happens elsewhere. It's appreciated! And of course Angie's outfit blog posts also set the tone and model for WIWs, with explanations of how things have been put together and why they work.

Sorry, gone on too long...

Well, just for me personally, I will admit that there is definitely a self-indulgent element there. It's fun to snap photos of outfits I'm feeling really good about and share them and receive compliments - it feels good, and sometimes it's helpful to have that boost when I'm not feeling confident. I won't pretend that I don't do that. If that's self-centered, so be it.
But I do try to return the favor. I feel bad when I post a WIW thread and either don't have time to respond to comments that were left, or haven't had time to be as active on the forum and commenting on other's posts. I feel selfish when that happens, and am more likely to lurk and not post my own threads if I know I'm going to be too busy.

I did have a style blog of my own for a while. I've never pretended to be an expert or dispense advice - from the beginning, it has been an experiment in my own style evolution, figuring out what works for me and what doesn't, and documenting the process. Also, knowing that I was going to be photographing and posting what I was wearing really gave me an incentive to put some extra efforts towards getting dressed, looking polished, and stretching my boundaries and creativity. I received some very helpful compliments from other bloggers who were also undergoing their own process of discovering their own style, and also met some wonderful people - among them, our very own Celia, who I am very glad to have got to know.

Ultimately, though, I decided that right now I don't have enough time to consistently devote attention to blogging and to interacting regularly with the blogging community. In contrast, on YLF, it's okay if I duck in and out when I'm too busy to have a regular presence. If I don't feel like posting what I wore, I don't have any self-imposed pressure. If I have an outfit (or even a week!) when I feel that something just isn't working, or I'm trying something out, I can post it here and get some very valuable advice or helpful suggestions, or just encouragement to keep trying. Malina, I love what you said about feeling that you are in a dressing room with girlfriends trying to figure out what works. That's exactly the vibe that I get here, and I am grateful for the wonderful personalities and diverse style perspectives that are represented on the forum, as well as Angie and Greg's efforts to foster a collaborative, safe community where one can receive genuine feedback, but not worry about being personally attacked.

Another reason why I post WIW regularly is not only to document my own style transformation, but because I receive *so* much benefit and inspiration from seeing other posters/bloggers' WIW posts. From the beginning, when I was lurking without posting for such a long time on the forum, I got so much enjoyment out of looking at what others were wearing - how they were incorporating new trends or finding their own style niche or responding to advice from Angie or other posters. I do feel like it could be some use to others who have the same experience if I post my own outfits, and it's been very helpful to me personally to do so.

Anna, if you don't mind me calling you out particularly in response to your comment above - your style is very different and much more edgy and fashion forward than mine - and as a slow adopter, I don't always automatically get what you are going for. But I love, love, love to see what you wear. I love your daring and your willingness to always try something new - your style is anything but stagnant. And really, you challenge my eye and get me to appreciate a style perspective that I really hand't considered before - and if anything, I think that having the opportunity to meet you several times in person, and see how well your style meshes with your exuberant, outgoing personality, makes me understand and appreciate your style more. I hope that you understand that I mean this as a total compliment in terms of how you inspire a very, very modern-classic, slow adopter to take more risks and try new things more than I did before.

And I feel that way about others who are more daring and fashion forward than I am... I just get something out of seeing what others are wearing and trying out, even if my personal style is much more subdued and different. I feel that we're so lucky here to have a community where we aren't forced into little style clones of one another - we do rub off on each other and often emulate inspiring outfits. I don't know if I'm saying this very well. I just hope that I'm not a total naysayer to someone who has a very different style than what I'm going for.

Anyway, I didn't mean to write a novel in response. Thanks for the inspiring thread, Mo - you've left me with a lot to think about!

posting wiw requires a lot of bravery from ordinary women who don't have an exhibitionist streak, so everyone who has exposed herself--KUDOS. also, a little self love is required to face a world that isn't always loving us back. again, if posting wiw and getting warm feedback from this community replenishes this in us, then more power to the community.

@anna and angie--i do understand that saying nothing may be the kindest cut of all...but due to the nature of the site...silence can be misinterpreted as not having been viewed/seen. of course, i would prefer criticism tosilence, but this is a personality thing.

I feel, at least here at YLF, the WIWs are more sharing/teaching/learning with a small side of self-indulgence.

I LOVE to see WIWs. I find them inspiring. They give me ideas on looks I like, proportions, color combos and shopping! I also love to see how various posters put the same items to work in different ways.

I post WIWs for help to improve and also just as a way to share. It can't be all about me looking and learning from all of the lovely ladies of YLF all of the time. And of course it feels great when someone gives you a compliment. Who wouldn't love that?

I post WIW's for all of the same reasons as everyone else. I have found photos tell me a lot about my outfits and since I've already taken a picture why not share it? I learn a lot form other's WIW posts and figure I should contribute too. Sometimes I am uncertain on an outfit and the feedback helps. And other times I think something looks super and it's extra special when others concur.

I LOVE to see WIWs. It's how I've stumbled across so many style blogs; usually searching for an image of someone wearing something I'm curious about.

I haven't posted any proper ones yet though. I'd love to but I have some reservations, and they're not about shyness, privacy or anything like that.

When I get the urge to post, it's because I like my outfit and feel like going, "hey, check this out!" BUT my difficulty is the response I expect to get (if any). I see the WIW culture here as being very much about workshopping. So someone posts an outfit, and people respond with a combination of praise/reassurance and critical suggestions (like, have you tried pairing this with X? What about a shorter hemline? Could you swap those pumps out for flats... etc etc).

The truth is I don't want to workshop my outfits! I want to mix them, play with them, and wear them! If I posted them and then got all that feedback, I'd feel like I just handed in an essay then got told to rework it and hand it in again! lol.

I just want to play with my toys and go, hey, look at my toys! And if you think my toys are cool then we have a little bonding moment over that! Or something. I don't want to feel like I have to go back to work over my outfit. I just don't have the energy at this point in my life!

I also don't want the amount of reassurance I sometimes see. If someone likes my outfit I'd love to hear it but I don't want them to labour to boost my confidence (there is a difference between simply complimenting someone vs reassuring them).

Some people thrive on both the reassurance and the constructive criticism. But I think these responses are part of the culture of this forum and occur even when the OP doesn't specifically ask for them. And for me, they would take the fun out of it.

On a practical note, I think getting a gorillapod would help me start posting WIWs for sure!

What an interesting thread! The only pictures I've posted were for problem solving, and that's the kind of thread I tend to read more often. I don't post WIWs because
1. I'm lazy
2. I don't think I'm that interesting
3. I don't want to appear self indulgent
I don't think that way about those who DO post WIWs, its just my own insecurities.

Oh, Malina, bless you for looking at both sides of the discussion! It shows how open minded you are.....and the responses above illustrate the answer so clearly. This is a diverse and supportive and inspirational community, and Angie, your WIWs are THE BEST. You always explain the thought process behind your outfits, and why they work, and why you 'break the rules' , AND you bend over backwards - for free - helping us to sort out our style dilemma's. The blog we discussed on Patti's thread was, as you say, an eye candy site, and the lass is perfectly free to do that. But comparing it to YLF? Apples and oranges - this site is about constructive input, support, and cheering each other on. As we've all experienced :).

I didn't post wiws for ages, and I always felt as if I was benefitting so much from your inspiration and not giving back. I feel that I am contributing by posting, and I appreciate the constructive input, especially if the response is diverse. And if there are compliments? Well, they make my day :).

i come at this site from the loner wallflower artist, used to backhanded comments/compliments and just blend in side of things. I feel safe here. I know I can get good information from the posts and constructive criticisms (gauntlets not kid gloves) I respect from any repliers to the WIWs posts. You have no idea how much I learn here--learn laughed and cried I must say. And I have opened my eyes to many more things.
This site has it's audience and it seems to maintain the dignity and respect, decorum, acceptability, givingness and beauty that comes from Angie and Greg--yes this fish stinks from the head down LOL ( It's funny--crude talk is so darling around here!! ) And we all seem to keep to these unspoken rules out of the same respect given back--now that is power.
I am happy in your self indulgences--you are welcome to them and from what I read above we've all profited!
AND>>>how and what you dress and present yourselves makes soo much more sense when we know the wearers lifestyle--modeled magazine shots are eye candy---you women show me how it works in real life! I hope I can get to a point of self indulgence.

And with my previous post on the newspaper article---she has her audience and it has given her a new career with her own web community--you go girl! But I know where I fit.

Meanwhile--I do the odd card and cartoons for laughs and indulgences :

I was reluctant at first for privacy issues, but you nurture such a great community around YLF that I eased myself into WIW's. I don't own a tripod/ a good camera but I still posted a couple of wiws mostly for looks a bit out of my comfort zone, when I needed reassurance/advice/tips and tricks how to make them better. And it was fun. I got so involved, that during my vacation last week I thought "I should do a WIW about these new shoes/my love of polka dots"

I tend to respond to WIW only occasionally, mainly because I don't post them myself. I only have so much time to check out this blog, after all.

Having said that, I think it's an absolutely smashing idea. Totally useful if you want help with how to style something, or you're trying to decide between two items/outfits etc, or even if you just want a bit of reassurance/positive feedback. There are lots of women here who spend a lot of time thinking about this sort of thing, so what better place to come for advice and opinions! BUT, for me personally, the only times I've ever had the urge to post when I'm feeling like a real sassy smarty-pants -- so I guess that means, in my case, there's a big element of self indulgence.

Just reading over the latest replies and realised I ignored the title question. So yeah, in a roundabout way my response = I don't want to post WIW to be "educated" - not a bit (even though I learn heaps from others' WIW). I want to post them for pure unadulterated self-indulgence!

I have found looking at how you all pull together your WiW posts to be invaluable for seeing how women in REAL LIFE situations can dress in a way that is appropriate and yet still look fabulous and stylish. I've learnt so much from you all.

From my personal perspective, when I post WiW posts, I'm still asking for approval, suggestions or directions, because I recognise I have a lonnnnnngggg way to go to have the outside appearance reflect the inside spirit. From a practical viewpoint, I live in a household full of boys (even the cat is male!) and haven't got any close female relatives to ask (no mum, no sisters etc), so have found it wonderful to think of you as all like shopping and style "sister's in arms".

And if there is just a wee bit about posting a WiW that IS self indulgent, I figure if it's good for the soul, makes me smile and doesn't harm anyone - who really cares? x

yay, KTP!

Anja, you raise a good point. I too, was nervous about posting, so I built up to it with a few OT pics - new cushions on my sofa, a made-over mantel. Interestingly, after my husband had been sick, my perspective on a lot of things changed, and posting a WIW didn't seem such a biggie anymore. Needless to say, I haven't stopped :).