What is left of your pre YLF wardrobe? - YouLookFab Forum

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What is left of your pre YLF wardrobe?

Deborah

Veteran

Hi Fabbers,

I was scrolling through outfit photos on my laptop yesterday afternoon and I was struck by the fact that so many of the garments are no longer in my wardrobe!

Even things that I bought after finding YLF have already "left the building" lol.
Clearly experimenting and trying different styles in order to "find my style" factors heavily in this process, but even so I was surprised at just how much has been moved on.

Interestingly, when I arrived here (3 years and 2 months ago), my wardrobe was very black heavy. I added pattern and colour, and flirted with "trends", and revisited a more modern classic work style that I had moved on from when I left the corporate sector. I had immense fun doing this but found I wasn't fully "relating" to my outfits. Hence I made the slow return to black, but instead of just "randomly" buying everything in black, I discovered I had learnt how to plan my wardrobe and consider elements other than just the colour ie, fabric, texture, wearability and quality.

I became clear on my style persona and for the first time could articulate what I was aiming for. Adding light grey, white and blues to my wardrobe have been carefully considered choices, and I am pleased to say that mistake purchases are *almost* a thing of the past:).

In some ways I see my style having come full circle yet it's not the same! It is more honed, more intentional and much more fulfilling and makes me happy in a way that my old wardrobe never did.

I suspect I am not the only one to have this experience.

Do you have much left of your pre YLF wardrobe?

Is your style completely revamped, or is it simply a "better" version of what you have always been drawn to.

xxxDeborah

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46 replies

Latest reply was from Adelfa

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Pre-YLF is a pretty distant memory for me Deborah - thank goodness Greg suggested starting a blog to Angie is all I can say. I have definitely gone through waves of evolution but still have pieces from some earlier waves - but I can't think of anything older than YLF right now.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

What a timely question. Last night I was packing some more and thought even more "why is this still taking up my wardrobe space and - worse - my mental space??" I also had a look through my old posts and WIWs and all I can say is I HAD a lot of fun with fashion It's not just experimenting with style though, it also about who I am. I'd like to believe I have changed as person and now know better where I want to steer things. Wardrobe is just one aspect which hopefully reflects that.

Deborah

Veteran

Shevia, as I recall you have been here since it's beginnings?

Ornella, yes I agree, it's not just the development of our wardrobes but as as people:). And it's awesome to be sharing the journey.

krishnidoux

Veteran

Good question!
Luckily I have kept some prized pieces that I was never wearnig (such was my plague before YLF); I find that now I am wearing them, and a lot, in previously unexpected ways.

There isn't much remaining: two pairs of jeans, some sportier tops.

Shoes are what is most changed.

MRL

Veteran

I have been on about a year and a half. I still have several pre YLF items, but they are the pieces that fit well, flatter me and project my style. I have bought far few "mistake" items since being on YLF.

rute

Veteran

Before YLF I had more weight, I start to lost after joining YLF, it was a new stage of my life. More health, more love for myself. So nothing remain because all the clothes were so baggy that I opted for donation

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Let me see...I have one studded off white belt, one pair of bone pointy toe slingbacks, one silk floaty cocktail dress...I think that's it! The purge was my middle name for my 4 years here - and like you I purged quite a bit what I bought while being already on YLF!
I definitely had fun with fashion over these 4 years and I also agree with Ornella - developing my personality together with my style.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I don't have much that's pre-YLF. I joined YLF 3.5 years ago. The amount of things I have from 2011 is less and less. I have purged many items that didn't work or I grew tired of (I'm looking at you abundant supply of colored skinny jeans from 2011 and 2012).

I think my style is constantly evolving because I love incorporating trends into my outfits. I am at peace with the fact that I turn over my wardrobe frequently. Some items I am hard on so there is actually a need to re-purchase more frequently. Shoes, especially.

I don't think my style is as finely tuned as yours Deborah. But, I have constraints (work) that keep me from fully expressing my style. And it is my choice to keep myself in a fairly strict work dress code, for functional and image reasons.

I still have the problem of 80% of my fashion dollars going to 20% of my activity and time. I posted about this 2 years ago, and it's still an issue for me. That's when I realized, this is truly a hobby for me that I am passionate about. The 80% of the time when I am either in super casual, my version of loungewear outfits or workwear, funds the 20% when I can express my style.

Not sure how cohesive these thoughts are … insomnia, it's 4:52 am here…

Deborah

Veteran

Denise do you think that having those constraints in some ways makes the outfits and times when you can be fully expressive of your style more enjoyable?

I get what you are saying. I can certainly be "me" at work style wise, but I still have times where I "tone ot down" in order to conform depending on what the day holds and which office I am in:)

gryffin

Veteran

Deborah - I, like you, don't think my style has changed as much as it's crystalized and become clearer and more honed. YLF has been good and bad for my pocketbook. At first, I wanted to try things that look great on everyone and that was a bit of a disaster. Button downs, wovens, I went a bit mad. Then one day I woke up and I realized that the real magic of YLF is that it empowered me to push away "fashion" and embrace "personal style." I purged all colors other than black/gray with a bit of white and cream. I concentrated on texture, silhouette, minimalisism, sharp tailoring, fit, flexibility and balance. I upgraded the boot/bootie capsule. I am still working on streamlining, cohesion, flexibility and being better prepared for all "occasions" but I feel closer to that goal. I do not have any natural talent or a great artistic eye so I find this challenging. But I feel like I'm on the right road!!

Anonymous

When I came to YLF, I had lost weight and my clothes were too large. I can only think of a couple of pieces that I still have...a silk tee with a sunflower pattern that is now fashionably oversized and some silk EF pants that I plan to take to a tailor when I find one I trust.
As far as my style, it is far more varied and less frumpy. PreYLF I owned no jeans and wore dresses and skirts way too long for me. I had almost no prints after a flirtation with chaotically mixed Carole Little print items. YLF has definitely opened my eyes to new possibilities and I've had a lot of fun exploring them.

Astrid

Veteran

I've been here over three and a half years and I think the only pieces I have that are pre-YLF are some sentimental ones and some bags... I think the rest has been replaced completely, sometimes more than once. That said, I only had a small wardrobe to start with, inexpensive clothes that wore out fast and I gained and lost a bit of weight in the meantime. I need to replace a lot of my current items again, so I'm thinking of doing the whole planning for a minimal wardrobe thing going forward. I do want to start working towards a less casual wardrobe, because I feel like there has to be some change when I'm (hopefully) finished with my studies next year. I'm still practical at heart so I'm not sure yet how that is supposed to look like.

anne

Veteran

Not much! But then I have been following Angie's blog since 2006 I think. Just my charcoal suit and a couple of dresses. Plus my tartan A - line mini dress from 1994 that I worn with leggings as a tunic a few years ago but haven't worn for some years though still in the main wardrobe.

Thistle

Veteran

Right now, most of it is all pre-YLF except for my shoes. Now granted, that is because I am back in my maternity clothes.

I started reading Angie's blog the summer of 2012 and joined at the end of the summer. DD was still very small and I was trying to figure out a post baby body but still nursing body. A lot of changes continued to come, especially now.

I feel like my first year or so I started trying new things - especially skirts and dresses. I was reminded how much they like my shape, but also, how hard they are to wear in my climate! With how cold this past winter was, combined with family planning issues, I found myself unwilling to deal with complex outfits and returning to a pre-YLF uniform but with more intention.

After DD2 is born, I suspect I will continue down this path for sometime. Comfort and ease will be paramount, but hopefully done with intention and maybe, just maybe, a dash of style.

viva

Veteran

I've only been here for about six months, and I didn't have a huge wardrobe before, AND I have always been a big purger so my wardrobe was pretty clean of big mistakes ... so I still actually have a lot of it.

YLF did help me get rid of some things I held onto that really were outdated but still fit and looked "pretty good." Those were the hardest things for me to be ruthless about.

But by far the biggest change has really been in what I have added -- or not added -- since joining YLF.

missvee

Veteran

Oh good questions Deborah. I've followed the site for a couple of years now and while my style probably hasn't changed all that much,YLF has had some major effects -
Buying for the life I have - this has meant spending the majority of clothing dollars on smart casual clothes.
Creating capsules - I play a couple of sports and this concept is perfect.
Buying mindfully - here I mean looking at a potential purchase and saying how will this fit in to my existing wardrobe, do I need another (fill in the blank). Before YLF I would see a nice top for example, and say oh that's a nice top, I like nice tops, I think I'll buy that nice top :-). That's an oversimplification, but you get the drift.
Remixing existing clothes - the blog posts on ensembles are great inspiration.
Trying new colours - I discovered that I love blush. Who knew?

Overall I'd say my wardrobe is significantly smaller than it was pre YLF but it's also way more cohesive.

amiable

Veteran

I've only been here a year and a half, and most of my pre-YLF wardrobe is gone too. But I'm also noting just what you said. Before YLF, my style was super duper casual - mostly grubby and slobby to be honest. I wanted to improve the way I portrayed myself, and I figured that meant dressing up. But I had no idea how to pull that off either. After learning how to be more polished (a bit), and dressing a little less casual for a while, I've returned to my really quite casual beginnings. It's just what works best for my lifestyle. I still wish I was better at polishing-up when I wanted to, and I'll keep working on both the super casual and the slightly less casual aspects of my style for years, I'm guessing.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Great question Deb and very interesting discussion.

I don't think I have anything from my pre YLF days - maybe socks? Almost everything I purchased pre YLF was of poor quality and that is something I just will not tolerate anymore.

My style has changed a lot since joining YLF. Like you, I have done more than more share of experimentation. When I started and shortly thereafter, I was very much into retro pieces and looks. I will always have a special place in my heart for that but I don't see myself going back to that overall vibe.

Now with my foray into comfort and restrained drape/volume, I feel like I've found my style home. I'm not only physically comfortable. I'm emotionally comfortable in this style.

Like you, black was a large part of my wardrobe and I did move away from it a fair bit in my earlier YLF days. But I am moving back towards it. To me, it is not a fall back option, a safe choice. It is a deliberate style choice. I think I look good in black thanks to my coloring. But I now choose black items with better quality, nice lines or sharp fit, textural interest, great shape, etc. I've already decided my fall/winter wardrobe this coming season will focus on black, grey, white (I do want to add winter white), and burgundy.

Lisa

Veteran

I don't own anything from pre-YLF anymore. Everything has been purged. I've also purchased and purged quite a bit during my time at YLF. Lately I've been focusing on less choices of colors, but I still have lots of patterns. My outfits are easier for me to create, and my closet doesn't overwhelm with with a color overload. That's the biggest change since joining YLF, my closet has slowly become more organized and full of purpose.

celia

Veteran

Deborah, you clearly explained what has been going around my head lately.
Since I joined YLF I played with trends and colors(still do ) but in the end i just rediscovered my own preferences in a smarter way.
When I start buying clothes for the new job I realized that I was buying what could be constructed as the' same old' stuff that I had years ago. But looking closely I can see that small and important details have changed.
(I had to purge almost everything after I had DD because of changing body/changing countries)
In the end I am more happy to be me, and more confident to.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I've also been here just a bit over 3.5 years, like some other responders. I have plenty still that was pre YLF, maybe 20% of my wardrobe and shoes?
But I also purged a LOT.
I never bought in terms of cohesive outfits or wardrobe before YLF. It was just on a piece by piece basis, unless I was trying to find a specific grey sweater to match a print tank, etc. I also would just buy as much as I could as cheap as I could. More was better. So, how I shop has changed the most.
As to what I buy, I have come full circle a little bit in that I re embraced shorter shorts after ditching them as being too young. Well, once I found the sweet spot of short but not too short, it was fine. I also came back around to maxis, not that I ever left them.
One thing I regret is purging all my hoodies and flip flops. Sure, they aren't high style, but if your life is super casual, there can be a place for them I believe. That is an example of my period where I took advice as gospel instead of what worked for me and my own lifestyle.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Deborah, I relate to a lot of what you said, about your style coming full circle.

I've been here about the same amount of time as Denise -- 3.5 years. I discovered YLF around the same time I was starting to experience a shift in my life. It wasn't obvious at the time, but it is now in retrospect. I was just starting to get way more active and experienced some body changes, but I was also starting to shift in the way I saw and treated myself. This has manifested itself in a lot of ways, and style is one, albeit one of the more outwardly visible (I hesitate to say "superficial") ways. I don't say superficial because that implies that the change is all on the outside.

But as it applies to the state of my wardrobe... I still have a number of things from pre-YLF. Coats and jackets are the most obvious. Old too-big jeans that are now cut-off BF shorts. Some of my more infrequently-worn but still classic or trend-defying footwear (cowboy boots, Fluevogs). A couple of handbags. Classic button-front shirts and silk blouses, and a couple of pairs of classic wide-leg trousers. Some sweaters and even t-shirts, although the remaining ones are slowly being demoted down and out as they are getting either worn out or are looking less than current. Oh, but my favorite argyle sweater is pre-YLF and it still looks great. I'm glad I hung onto it after I lost weight, because it went from fitted to fluid, so it still works for a modern classic.

But I think we all know by now that I am a fairly conservative purger, and I'm not a wardrobe minimalist. I try to assess something on the basis of whether I love it and it's still useful to me, rather than how long it's been in my closet.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Deborah, I joined just after you did -- in May, 2011!

And what a ride it has been.

I arrived with honestly very little in my closet. I had just lost a lot of weight. What I did own was almost entirely bought at thrift or consignment. I knew I would need a period of experimentation to figure out my style and I did not have a lot of money to do that!

I'd always defaulted to "classic" but feared that classic equalled boring and dull. I tended to wear a lot of blues because I knew I looked good in blue -- but feared that was a bit tame. I tended to wear jackets with jeans and boots because it fit my climate and lifestyle -- but wasn't sure of fit or proportion and often got that wrong. I had always loved an androgynous look, and had always loved short hair -- but had grown my hair for a more "feminine" appearance for a while.

So I experimented for a while with draping, arty looks, retro, even some steampunk elements! I continued to buy at thrift and consignment for about a year because I had a very small income.

Then I got better paid work and began to build my wardrobe more mindfully. Even so, I made a ton of mistakes! I bought and purged, bought and purged. It seemed there wasn't any other way for me; I just have to learn from experience.

At long last, I'd say I'm pretty close to having an excellent working closet, one that works for my life and expresses who I am. And-- lo and behold -- like you, I find that I have pretty much come full circle. Back to classic -- but with a heavy dose of "modern" and "minimal" added to make it feel current and fresh. Back to my blues, because they really do suit me! Back to jackets and jeans with boots. Back to my short hair.

I own almost nothing that I had, pre-YLF. One dressy skirt, that I had altered after my weight loss. One simple black jersey dress that was a gift from a friend.

But I fully expect to own a lot of the items in my current closet in 3 years' time. The quality is higher, the happiness factor is higher, and I have many items now that you'd have to pry from my cold, dead hands to get away from me.

Deb

Veteran

A good question Deborah.
I've only read YLF over the past year. Converse to most of the other respondents, I haven't changed that much at all. Angie has certainly taught me a thing or two, but generally I had already been educated over the years on suitable colours and styles that work for me, and I choose not to be a fashion slave, but rather a stylish woman. I was brought up to dress and present well and that has stayed with me. ( I had a French grandmother, and a half - French mother so I guess it is in the blood ). My wardrobe is modern classic and I always think carefully before I purchase wardrobe items, particularly since I like higher end clothes, shoes and bags, thus I avoid wasting time and money on the wrong selections. It is great that YLF has helped so many women who aren't as sure of their style. I hope YLF continues to help us all evolve in that part of our lives.

Gigi

Veteran

Interesting thread! I've been doing YLF for about a year. I have maybe ten items left from my old wardrobe, but several of those will be consigned come fall. I did consign several pieces of my old wardrobe (plus a few mistakes in purchasing for my new wardrobe) this summer.

Of the pieces that I have left, three or four of them I am keeping simply because they are very useful and practical, and I haven't found suitable replacements yet. They are what Rachylou calls "hated but useful."

If I were able to find replacements for the "hated but useful" items, I would probably keep only two or three of the items from my old closet.

merwoman

Veteran

Purging my closet last week,'your' question ran through my head. I don't think there is anything left from pre-YLF, (aside from a few 'sentimental' pieces) and I've been a member for just over 3 years. In fact, at this point in time there is barely any 'early' YLF as I have gone through transitions and experimentations in discovering 'my' style. No aspect has been untouched - bras/undies/socks/scarves/belts/shirts/sweaters/pants/footwear etc......
Not only has my style evolved, but also my eye has become extremely critical of fit and drape.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I read Angie's blog for a while before joining, but according to my profile I joined 3 years and 12 months ago (some people call that 4 years, what the hey). I don't have a ton left from pre YLF days - a few winter coats, a pair of boots I've had since college, a couple of special occasion dresses. Most of my shoes have cycled out due to general wear, and my biggest clothing purge was 18 months to a year ago when I lost 30 pounds and got rid of 95% of my too big items.

Interesting in context of Anne's thread about CPW and wearing stuff out - a lot of us have been here 3-4 years and don't have much left from those days, either because they wore out or we culled them for style reasons.

Cerinda

Veteran

Echoing all of you above; almost two years lurking here.

YLF encouraged me to return to my roots. My mother was in the fashion business, and until I was 30, I wore mostly her hand-me-downs -- lucky, lucky me! I was spoiled by exposure to quality. When I couldn't afford clothes, I simply did without and waited for her closet purges.

I had a 20 year love affair with cheap and trendy. My first exposure to YLF intensified my needless acquisitiveness, but I am happy to say further exposure has inoculated me against that particular illness.

YLF reassured me that it is perfectly alright and entirely possible

to have a small wardrobe, a casual and lifestyle-approppriate wardrobe
to buy the highest quality, and stay on budget
to choose my clothing for comfort, fabric, line, and drape instead of trend value

And Angie's blog and the forum are invaluable in my trying to learn to concentrate the trend in accessories and basics with low CPW.

Roots or no roots, I want to look like me, not my mother!

ETA: All that remains of my pre-YLF wardrobe are either top-quality (some EF pieces in regular rotation from 13 years ago), vintage (largely packed away in tissue paper, some accessories still in rotation), or just too sentimental to part with (also in the storage closet). But I do have piles of beautiful cotton shirts in a holding zone because they are so not me not now.

rachylou

Veteran

What a fantastic question, Deb (!) I have to go have a rummage...

ETA: Back from perusing pics. I think all my work trousers and knit tops are pretty much switched out. Also, this sweater I keep hanging on to and one more of those designer dresses I was yammering about... They're out now as of this review. Lolol. Straight to the curb.

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