The difference is in the details. Fit, fabric, texture, colour and comfort.

I just wanted to say I am loving this discussion as I reaffirm my old favourites in colours and silhouettes!

details, details, details....followed by intention

Wow, Suz! I am in good company!

For me, the difference is in details and intention. I used to throw on anything black by default, with little attention to things like PPL and interesting cuts or textures. Now I have a better sense of how to add those details and style items to make my outfits look like I meant to wear them.

Funny, I was just going to post about how one of the staff where I work, who is a woman I've known forever, said to me yesterday that I needed some flair with my outfit. And I realized that I had fallen into my old habit of throwing on black dress, tights and boots - so basic that it was BORING. In my defense it was my fourth day of waking up at 4:30 a.m. to be at work by 6, and dressing in the dark.

Off to read the rest of this thread...

Ditto-ing. Unless you could put yourself in exactly the same items, there are likely small differences in fits and fabrics.
This is both a liberating revelation--hey, there's a method--and a reminder that some of the fabness may have been "finally" getting the right fits, while another aspect is that "right fit" will keep changing. That will be because there are, ahem, small changes going on in me, as well as in the "eye" of fashion, so the sweater that I love this year may no longer be the right sweater in a couple of years.

Just to add, this is why I posted my "What are you never done buying?" thread. I was thinking not of general categories (boots, scarves, bras) but within those categories, what are your specific consistently loved items and looks (colorful silk scarves, military jackets). Because certain items have always held a tractor-beam pull for me, though the details may have changed. Black sweaters, RATE jeans, chunky boots... KWIM?

I was just looking at Annagybe's cap, jeans, boots, trench formula outfit and noticing how the devil was all in the details. Anna looks tremendous - runway-model fashionable and glamorous. Pulling from my closet, it would come out hipster mod (because that's the sort of caps and boots I have). And then there is what I called the "epitome of dull" interpretation - 90s Gap cap, limp ponytail, Range Rover, children over by the school gate or on the soccer field (not so close rug rats! haha) (oh, and at home there is a gianto kitchen with a giganto island that means you have to walk a mile to get to the fridge, but it doesn't matter because there's no food in there anyways...).

I think fit is super important and making sure you love the silhouette.

It's because you have perfected the formula. You have perfected it in every way - fit, fabrication, style, etc. Take, for example, my post last week re two blackwatch plaid blazers. One was a blazer I had purchased a few months back but had never worn or even removed the tags. Something just wasn't right for me so I kept looking. Along came the BR blazer, and yep, this was the right one. The tags came off and I wore it today. Now pre-YLF I would have kept the first blazer and I would have been somewhat happy - mostly I just wouldn't have known better. What's my point you ask? The formula would have been the same (skirt/top/blazer/boots) but what I wore today is my perfection (or at least better version) of it.

I agree with everyone that it's all about the details. But I wonder if it's also about validation.... When I look back at photos from childhood, university, traveling etc I have always been a little boho, a little Rate, it's just who I am. But since that comes naturally to me I have always thought it wasn't right, that I need to go find my style elsewhere, become more polished or sophisticated. But that never felt quite right unless I incorporate some of my Boho or Rate details. So maybe I knew my own style all the way along, just like you used to wear your style. But now it's a little better version of that style with more attention to detail, but very authentic You.

In summary: Your personal style but better, with knowledge gained from Angie and fellow YLFers to guide you to perfection.

Suz, great topic and don't you love how simply and succinctly Angie nails the response:)

When I think back to my very first WIW, even tho the items were of course mine, the combo was so not typical of what I was wearing at the time:). I recognise that I wanted to fit in and tried out one of the ideas Angie presented in a blog post - I gave the skirt to my mum and never wore that combo again;)

Discovering that this was such an amazing community where I didn't have to fit in but was encouraged to "be me" allowed me to experiment and have heaps of fun in the process. But I have essentially come back to what has always been my signature ....lots of black and a blend of slightly alternate and classic stylings.

I did always feel awesome in black pre YLF but in those days it was black with little thought. I am much more intentional now and pay much more attention to fit and quality. For example, pre YLF i had a wardrobe full of black dresses, some fab, but a lot that were so so. Now I have a much smaller collection of black dresses but I believe each one is fab.

I also have so much more available to me in terms of resources. Pre YLF I didn't know much about blogs, now I read rather a lot of them. I find the inspiration from regular (non models) women priceless. I think that, along with YLF, has really refined my understanding of proportions etc. As Angie says it's the "detail".

I think YLF has been responsible for helping me define and refine my style (and that is an ongoing journey). And given me the confidence to step out and just be me. And that makes me feel fab:)

Reading through this thread makes me wonder if we all have our own natural style personas. When, for whatever reason, we feel we need to explore a different look it is initially exciting to become a new "improved" person. However to truely remain authentically YOU maybe we need to accept what is our individual style and simply work on refining and improving within that persona.

What an interesting post. Very relevant to me at this stage

OMG so true... I too was trying to branch out in terms of silhouettes etc but it being January in Toronto, skinnies + tall boots is a very practical uniform. And one I happen to love. I've found more interesting pieces and invested in better-fitting basics (duplicating my favourite jeans); doing more layering and variation on top, and decided to leave 3 pairs of transitional shoes (probably the most I've ever owned!) at work to change into. So for these 2-3 long, limited months I am feeling much more fab than years past, wearing basically the same winter uniform I've had for years. And having spent a bunch more money

I think updated versions of favorite pieces can make a tried and true formula go from drab to fab. But also, when you try other formulas and styles, and see how they work on you, then see how your old formula works, sometimes you see it really is the best choice. And now you don't have any "oh what if" thoughts about it, which is fab because it means you are making a solid choice when getting dressed. During the experimentation phase it's a lot of "what about this" and none of the "dang it, this is what works." That comes later.

What Angie said. When I "got" the difference between classics & modern classics my eyes were opened (thanks Angie).

I also believe that for most of us it takes time & experience to discover who we truly are. When we do connect with this "self" we choose our clothing in a way we couldn't have before. IMO this is true even if we were wearing the same types of clothes as before.

I use the analogy of poetry. we respond instinctively to a poem but don't know why. If we study literature (which in this case stands for ourselves & fashion) we not only respond instinctively but we also know how the work was put together technically, what experiences the poet drew on etc.

I think a lot of it has to do with the change in style and proportion of these garments. The formula works for you and now the fit does too!

PS yeah, what Angie said

Caro nailed what I was trying to say, as usual

Our instincts might push us in certain direction, but exploration and insight helps us understand what attracts us and how to appreciate it better. As others have pointed out that knowledge gives us confidence in our choice. A bit of external validation doesn't hurt either.

I like what IK said: you get better at buying what you always liked!

I've come to this thread too late to add anything, but it has been great reading! Actually, it makes me feel good to think that you don't have to change what you most naturally gravitate to. That you can improve your style within "your" style...not having to go against that in order to be fab.

Wow, late to this party and absolutely everyone has been so eloquent!! I am just nodding right along. I always like the aphorism, "if you understand the why, you can figure out the how." I can't speak for you Suz, but I know that even when an outfit really worked in the past, I could not always articulate why it worked. That made it hard to reproduce the look in anything but the original way. Once I began to understand the language, the meaning, the proportions, how fit and texture changed the look, the "why" of clothes I gained more confidence and was able to be more sucessful. I also am strongly nodding with Mo and Deborah - it is so key to be authentic. If there is one thing that I thank Angie and all of the YLF community for each and every day, it is for reinforcing the importance of wearing what I like and what I feel good in, what suits my lifestyle and my personality. It freed to me, in so many ways, to embrace my aesthetic and own it. There is such a world of difference between what is worn with trepidation by default and what is worn and embraced by choice!

Ooh, great discussion! I think it comes down to fit, details, and confidence. They sort of go hand-in-hand and feed on each other. Having a uniform is a good thing and there's usually a good reason for choosing the pieces we choose. A thorough understanding of those reasons boosts confidence and informs choice of detail and fit.

I've tried skirts in everyway possible and it just doesn't feel right. I'm a pants girl, even though I have a flat butt and muffin top. I'm gonna stick with it.

You look great in a black turtleneck. I love black! Why am I avoiding it, Suz? Nothing is a good substitute for black. It's sophisticated, edgy, reliable.
BTW since you have "cool" coloring, black looks good on you. It's a cool neutral.

Let's just be "us" why don't we! That's why I love it here....

karymk, interesting about black. It is the mainstay of my wardrobe, but recently I have been feeling like I've gone back to defaulting to black for no good reason, and that has made me feel frumpy somehow. I am also noticing that black looks harsher in me in winter, when my skin is fragile and washed out, whereas greys are a bit gentler.

This is really interesting!

I feel like I'm at the point where I can tell the difference between meh versions of my favorite formulas and versions that feel better, but can't explain why in any way that doesn't just seem like guessing. And I'm good at coming up with guesses that feel plausible and building on those, but it's not the same as really knowing this stuff at a deep level.

Suz, that outfit really does look perfect on you. Nothing stands out too much, but everything just harmonizes together and harmonizes with you.

Aubergine, thank you...and I think you've hit on a key -- it's not just that the items harmonize together -- they have to harmonize on the wearer. Karymk, thank you for the comment about black -- I do think I wear it reasonably well for someone as pale skinned as I am, but as Una said, it can be draining. I try to wear it on days when I am feeling energetic. And it works better on me in summer, I think.

The January threads are so insightful!

Suz, I've been reading your post and the responses and learning so much, and here at the end Aubergine sums up MY feelings...when I study my pictures some combos work, and others not so much. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't...still a student! Always a student?

Carla, I do think we are always students, for sure.

Speaking for myself, at least!

But I did experience a real shift around this time last year, and since then things have been "clicking" a lot more. I am not sure what it was. I truly SAW and ACCEPTED some things that had eluded me in the past about my own shape, proportion, and lines, so that was surely part of it. And I also began to see the essence of the look I was after. I started ruling out more things I like but that don't like me back (as much) or that don't work in my lifestyle (as well). And allowing back in some things that I had feared, perhaps simply because they'd always been fallbacks for me. I also got much pickier about cut.

I agree that the difference is awareness and intent. Putting things on automatically and without thought puts any clothing in a backseat to other things. Putting things on with intent and awareness makes us conscious of our choices, makes us walk a little taller, and makes us fully consider each item.