Revelations, about 20 WIWs in (long)

The last few weeks of regular posting have gotten me thinking about what it takes to make an outfit feel like me. I tried to pick favorites and least favorites, and had a much easier time with the latter! At any rate, I've made some observations, and would welcome your comments, thoughts, and questions to help me define my style! Thanks to everyone who's commented and helped me thus far!

Color
1. I need something playful to feel like me. This almost always means color. I felt sort of blah in this outfit, and I would've felt equally meh about this one if not for the necklace.

2. I like a range of different colors and would have a very hard time narrowing them down. I don't really wear pastels or anything low saturation, but I like most warm brights, jewel tones, and earth tones, and I think they work best for my coloring. This means I have kind of a lot of stuff, and maybe I should continue thinking about narrowing down my palette somewhat.

3. Some colors make me happy and I will continue wearing them if they're not flattering. Yellow falls into my happy colors.

4. Almost all of my bottoms are neutral. On the one hand, this is a little bit boring - but on the other hand, it makes it much easier to incorporate the crazy range of colors I've got going on with my tops. The yellow skirt (here and here and here) is a workhorse, while I'm still having trouble figuring out how to wear an orange skirt that I've had for quite a while, even though the shape is more classic.

Fit and Proportion
5. For the most part, my clothes fit well and I know what does and doesn't work for me.

6. Woven tops have no place in my wardrobe and probably never will - they just don't fit me in a way that I like. (Short waist, small waist and rib cage, very large bust.)

7. Now that I've started wearing pants again, I really like them. The black BR Sloans have been very versatile: worn here and here and today. In fact, I may get another pair! The grey pair from Anthropologie is trickier since they are slightly heavier wool and our weather hasn't really required that.

8. I need to be pickier and go ahead and shorten all the skirts I've been wearing 1-2 inches too long. I'll wear them much more!

Body Image
9. Regardless of how bloated or heavy I feel, I look pretty much the same every day. Posting these pictures and looking back at them has been great for my body image, which was a nice surprise.

Sentiment
10. Almost all of my jewelry is sentimental. I rarely look at jewelry when I'm by myself - it's something I buy with others or that others buy for me. And it makes me very happy!

I'm sure there are many more insights to come!

I had a hard time choosing favorites, but I did have some least favorites. It was a tie between these two, both from the first week of posting - which means I must be learning!
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....neutrality
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ess-casual

10 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I always enjoy these reflective posts where the author looks back and sums up her learning over a period. It's been great getting to know your colourful, energetic style over the last month! Your smile and your specs are your best accessories.

In most of your outfits I see a couple of tendencies -- a modern classic base, often with some boho tendencies.

Are you happy with where your style is at, or do you want to evolve it? If so, do you have any sense of what you'd like to look like or how you'd like to feel in your clothes?

Ornella

I enjoyed reading your post. Many things you wrote resonate with me (emphasis on colour and we seem to like similar ones, neutral bottoms). I like how you too have sentimental attachment to your jewellery, like SarahTheWhite wrote recently about hers. And, I found your unexpected bonus related to the body image especially enjoyable.

You mentioned you might narrow down the palette and I personally found that very liberating. But, I found that limitations (if wearing less colours is one) only fuel my creativity further.

Looking forward to the next 20+ adorable WIWs.

adorkable

Thanks, Suz - you've had so many kind and helpful things to say! (I should add into this post somewhere that Suz has been excellent for my body image!)

I appreciate this observation a lot. My weekend wear is a little bit more eclectic, but for the day-to-day I think it's pretty much exactly that - modern classic with playful and boho notes.

I am pretty happy with my style overall. I feel like me - and I also feel like I look a bit more professional and polished. Competent but approachable? And I'm having lots of fun with my clothes!

Ornella - I love the way you dress, so it makes me happy to hear you say this! Limitations do generally make me more creative, it's true. I'm seriously considering giving up on brown. (I love brown, and it flatters my coloring - but it's hard to find basics in brown for some reason, and black doesn't wash me out the way it does for some people.)

Kristin L

I hear you on color. I'm working on narrowing my colors as well. I'm trying to go for a more mix-and-match wardrobe as well as trying to learn to be more of a minimalist. And almost all of my bottoms are neutrals as well. I can't wait to see how you keep refining your look.

Beth Ann

Great insights! Having a good range of "data" lets you see what works best and allows you to forge ahead.

I just wanted to add that, while yellow is positively horrid on my skintone, I found great delight in a yellow bag last summer, and have decided that a pair of shoes or a skirt in a sunny shade will go nicely with all my summer whites and blues.

Mellllls

Great commitment to posting you wore and great analysis. I'm glad it has been useful for you.

Anonymous

Great insights! I have really enjoyed seeing your WIWs and then your reflection on them.

Thanks, all for your support and wisdom - it's been a lot of fun so far, and I will definitely keep getting more insight out of the process

Gigi

You are a fast learner! I feel like I am only starting to learn after doing this for almost a year. :^)

As long as you're able to mix and match your tops with your bottoms quite well, you don't need to feel obligated to cut down your color palette, unless you're sure you want to do that. If color is very important to you, all those colors might be necessary. Some people just need more variety in their wardrobes for whatever reason. It's just an emotional thing. I think the biggest danger is when you start getting a wardrobe that's not cohesive, where you have all kinds of tops that don't have a suitable bottom, and vice versa. Since your bottoms are all neutrals, it sounds like you're doing OK in this area. But if you feel the need to start reining the color in, try it out and see how you do! Sometimes we learn best from the things that don't work out.

Sometimes getting stuff tailored is all we need to add a bunch of wearable items to our closet. :^) I had some skirts hemmed and wear them all the time now, without the hassle of trying to compensate for the incorrect length. Well worth the money if you really like the skirt!

shiny

I think you are achieving your style goals, and I agree with Gigi you are a fast learner! As I said yesterday, I admire your fashion instincts. And your outfits and journey resonate a lot for me.

Thanks for the WiW recap - I clicked all the links, and realized I missed most of these. It was great going back and seeing them all together, and reading your analysis.

I like playful too, though not necessarily color. I like the modern classic/neutral/expected outfit, with one fun detail in small dose, often it is shoes, sometimes it is bag. If it's my top, rather than color I have this thing for patterns. I'm a huge sucker for paisleys. Do not ask me what it is about paisley's.. i have no idea! Paisley is to me what yellow is to you. When I shop, I am drawn to it like crack. Completely irrational if I try to analyze why, other than it makes me happy.

Jaime

Nice insights - I especially like the one about body image. It is good to be reminded that other people cannot see the minutiae we focus on!

Aubergine

You do seem to be a really quick learner with a good handle on what fits and colors work on you. And it seems like you're well on your way to refining things even more!

unfrumped

I liked your own reflection on trying to find some of your bright colors in more tailored styles -- and well- made, good quality fabrics. For example a tailored skirt in red wool or wool blend reads differently than flouncy thin cotton in red. Or a knit that is an upscale knit with some heft compared to one that might be worn casually with shorts. Or colorblock with 2 such items. Have you read Angie's blog on power of tailored and/ or
classic items or something? Just one or 2 elements in the outfit can help ground it while you combine more boho or casual or playful elements.

Gigi: I think we have a lot of similar fit issues, if I remember right, in addition to similar youthfulness issues, so it's nice to hear from you! I have been lurking for a good long time, just not participating actively...enjoying the wisdom from you that it's okay to have loads of colors!

shiny: I like patterns too, although a very particular super-saturated type of pattern!

unfrumped: So true! If it's thin and unlined it will stop looking put-together very, very fast. Definitely true that high-low with at least one really good piece looks more put together.

Thanks again to everyone, it's so kind of you to read and comment.

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