Where you live and how it effects your style - YouLookFab Forum

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Where you live and how it effects your style

Julie

Hi everyone - big day for me, 2 questions on the forum!!
This question is related to a question Patience posted about Lifestyle and Style. I'm wondering how where you live influences how you dress. Of course weather is a huge component. Dani was mentioning that it is 90 degrees and hard to dress well when you are so hot.
I live in Pittsburgh and we will never be known as a fashion capital. There are some areas of the city with very fashionable people, but they are few and far between and very expensive. I have thought that my lifestyle didn't fit my style because I'm mostly home with 2 small kids, but I felt out of place even before I had kids. I lived in New York City prior to Pittsburgh and you get so many wonderful ideas on what to put together when just walking to the grocery store. Here people wear too short athletic shorts and t-shirts that either have Disney figures on them, are Steelers shirts or are t-shirts that you get free from a race. I love ballet flats and people really don't wear them around here. I was in NYC for a weekend in March and everyone had them on. People took the time to put outfits together and look nice. I love looking at the pictures people post of what they wear because it is the only place I get ideas!! Do you think the people around you influence your style? Do they influence it in a positive or a negative way?

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14 replies

Latest reply was from judy

Nicole

Veteran

Hi Julie...I agree with you 100%. I live in a blue collar city an hour outside Boston. More than half of the women in my age bracket, appear to put very little thought or effort into their daily outfits. And when they do have the need to "dress up"--their clothes seem a few years behind current styles. Even young girls and college kids (A neighboring town is home to a state college), dress better than a lot of the moms. But...I do notice a slight change in women's attire. I'm seeing less jeans and sneakers and more casual pants, casual skirts and sandals. (But that could be a direct relationship to weather).

If anything, it motivates me to dress nicer. As far as getting inspiration from the way people dress--I rarely see people who have on things that would look good on me. When I do see a nicely dressed person, I may admire their outfit, but it rarely would be something I would wear myself.

Anonymous

I think your head has to be into style to be affected by what you see around you. The people wearing the grubbys are not interested and probably don't notice style around them, or possibly afraid to make changes and stand out from the crowd.
At a time in my life when I was a working single mom and didn't wear makeup except for special occasions, I resented people telling me to put on some makeup. I thought, "why am I not acceptable the way I am".
At this time in my life I am more relaxed and want to learn and be more stylish, so I am noticing what others are wearing much more than I used to.

Becky

Veteran

The style quotient is very low where I live, so there's not a lot of inspiration to be had here. (Other than inspiration to avoid a specific style faux pas, perhaps!) People dress far too casually for work, in my opinion, and sloppily in their casual time. Even those who probably feel more put together don't usually meet YLF standards! I do find myself learning from observation...why something works or doesn't work, by seeing it on people I encounter daily. I find myself wondering, "What could he/she do to improve his/her look?" This thinking is fun for me and educational, I believe.

Anonymous

It think it does make a difference where you live. For several years I lived in Orange County, California where it seemed like you were instantly judged by what you were wearing. Now, like Becky, I live in Kansas.
What this site has helped me realize is that I can really up my style and still fit in by paying attention to details like the color and fit of my clothing. A dark or white pair of jeans in a flattering style and proper length with a knit shirt that's long enough, that has some ruching or other interest and is fitted to your body (rather than the tee shirt everyone else is wearing), maybe with a properly fitting little twill jacket can make you look so sharp but not seem overdressed. Paying attention to fit, proportion and length of clothing in a flattering color make such a difference, but it's subtle. Proper undergarments are important too.
Now I notice how much sharper someone is in white jeans rather than thin fabric white pants or khaki, clam diggers rather than capris, a shorter knee length skirt rather than mid calf frumpy. I guess I'm trying to say that it's possible to have some style even wearing pretty much what others are wearing, just a smarter version of it.

Julie

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Becky it almost sounds like you live in Pittsburgh! I'm always looking at people and thinking about what little changes they could make to improve their appearance, but then I start to wonder if people are doing that to me! I'm a very visual person and I love people watching. I like to see what other people are wearing. I don't want to wear exactly what they are wearing, but to get inspiration. I have to say I have bought a couple of things this season that I LOVE that I bought because I saw people on this forum wearing them. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of inspiration where I live.

I agree with you Nicole that I think because others might be more casual around me that I try harder to look nice.
Joy - completely agree with everything you said. I think I look around and the changes people can make and the ones I'm trying to make are so simple, but yet make such a significant difference.

I had a good friend here that recently moved and she was always very chic. I knew when I was getting together with her that I wanted to look nice and I miss that. I knew because she was in town I needed to pay more attention to my outfits. She was trendier then I am, but she kept me from being too conservative. I know that sounds weird, but I miss that.

shiny

Veteran

My mom came to visit recently and she complained that everyone in Boston seems to be a size zero. I had to point out to her that the size zero's she was seeing on the streets were mostly college students in their 20s!!

Boston style: if it's not skinny college students in jeans, it is black, black and more black. Bostonians have a conservative streak and stick to understated neutrals. Flashy colors are unusual, even in summer months.

I have said before that people in my town dress nicely just to go to the grocery store. Stay-at-home moms dress nice too - even when exercising, it's LuLu Lemon workout gear, not Disney tees. When I first moved here from farther out in the burbs, I was seriously underdressed just running the kids to school in the morning.

However I have always worked in high-tech and the work attire in that field is quite casual - I was always overdressed because I didn't wear jeans until recently.

There's a lot of wealth here, but people don't flaunt it, like I have seen in other areas of the country. For example, people may be wearing expensive designer outfits, but without obvious logos.

I remember a few years ago, we went to Miami and everyone was carrying the Coach bag with the logos. I had never seen so many in my life. EVERYONE. You rarely see that here. People do wear Coach bags (including me) but choose the ones in leather without the logo print. It's not so much about the brand here, as it is about quality, classics and timelessness.

Lately I've moved away from the perpetual black uniform and it's probably true I'm more flashy, color-wise, than most of my peers. But ever since I hit my 40s, I think black washes me out too much.

Suede boots are completely impractical here, with all the salt they use on the roads in the winter! I have a pair but I only get to wear them a handful of times each season - I save them for dress-up occasions when I know we'll be getting in and out of a taxi and not trudging through slush.

Julie, I have a VFBF - very fashionable best friend - too. She's always chic, much more so than me, and was a major influence on my own style transformation. I love getting together with her because it's always an opportunity to pull out all the stops!

Tanya

Veteran

Shiny had described most of Boston style very accurately. Since I live in a completely different neighborhood - Cambridge - there are mostly students, then locals which tend to dislike students a lot and dress fairly bad, and than a group of "young professionals" which work In IT or Biotech fields dressed in inevitable khakis and button-down shirts. If I want to people watch I usually have to go downtown to Newberry stree, where one can see more trends/ designer stuff, but it is still pretty understated. Oh, and it looks to me that ALL the female undergrads are wearing skinnies, regardless of their shape and stuff they pair them with.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Hmm....Austin is a total mixed bag when it comes to style. Since I spend most of my time on campus, I probably have a different viewpoint to Patience or Sarbear (hopefully they'll chime in too--I'd be interested to get their take).

There are LOTS of students sporting ripped, light/faded jeans and burnt orange TEXAS t-shirts. Way more college t-shirts than I've ever seen in any town. When I lived in Boise and went to Boise State, I don't think anyone wore a BSU tee, ever. The jeans here are almost always designer, despite being in bad shape--I've seen 7s and Citizens everywhere on campus. Most jeans are flair or bootcut, but I do see skinnies out there as well (mostly on emo kids). The skinnies are usually every color other than dark denim blue or white. I've seen gray and black skinnies a lot. And students here invariably wear flip flops--always, to EVERYTHING. There have been exceptions--I have seen some students with high style quotients sporting a dress and ballet flats or gladiator sandals, but for the most part it's jeans and t-shirts on campus, or Abercrombie & Fitch tiny tanks and micro shorts (because of the heat).

In the nicer areas, there are all sorts of styles and outfits--from really casual to very dressed up. I don't see a lot of designer clothing here, but I do see lots of expensive designer bags, some with logos and some without. I think Austin's style is kind of laid back most of the time, but I think people can pull it together and dress up when the occasion calls for it. Since taking Angie's advice and dressing "smart casual," unless I go someplace like "The Domain," which is an upscale shopping area, I'm usually the most dressed up person wherever I go. This is okay with me, and I don't usually feel uncomfortable being this way. Granted, I don't go to Westlake, which is a really "nice" neighborhood/suburb of Austin. People might dress up more there, I'm not sure.

Austin's heat has definitely influenced my style. When I lived up North, it was warm only 3 months of the year, so my cold weather collection was vast, and my warm weather clothing almost non-existent. Since moving here, I've had to completely rethink and rebuild my wardrobe, since half the stuff I owned I really would never wear here. It's a process, and I'm still working on it. I've found the key is to mostly buy blouses and bottoms that can make a transition into cooler weather as layering pieces, so I don't end up with a 2-3 month wardrobe, and then the rest of my wardrobe, which just seems like a waste to me.

Has anyone on here thought about video recording some local fashion areas/street scenes and posting it here? After watching Angie's "accessory" video, I've thought about doing it on my digital camera, which lets me record video as well. I would love to see what you all see everyday--how interesting!

shiny

Veteran

If you want to get a taste of Boston style:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyl...../stylespy/

and

http://www.boston.com/lifestyl.....une08seen/

This shows how people dress for gala fundraiser affairs though - not necessarily every-day street wear.

I forgot to mention that on game days the streets are awash in people wearing red sox tee shirts and baseball caps.

marianne

It's not a secret that Seattle has a penchant for fleece and other gear, and you definitely see a lot of it. My neighborhood is a mix of families and young professionals, and there is a ton of designer denim and bags around. I don't think I'm ever getting a Coach bag just because there are too many around. Same with lululemon. Downtown where I work is a real mix, and you see all kinds of styles (still a lot of fleece at any time of the day).

In general, I don't usually research new trends outside this blog, but I frequently notice them on people around me, and I think that provides some inspiration and gives me ideas. I see more trendy people than ones I would consider very stylish. Also, I used to live in a lot more image-conscious environment, and now I kind of like the relaxed attitude here. And Angie, you'll probably be shocked, but I actually think the overall style quotient has slightly increased - 10 years ago it was 100% REI.

judy

Veteran

Great topic. I really agree that our environment, both the people and the weather, affect how we dress and our style choices. As a former Bostonian...it was nice to see your comments here. And I've been to Pittsburgh! I live in Seattle now, but when I went back to New England this May for my Dad's 90th(!) birthday, my mom took a look at what I was wearing one day (an American Apparel tunic over my clam digger type jeans) and said, with a smile of course... "you can tell you're not from around here!" We both laughed. She's always been more of a Talbots kind of gal :).

Even the neighborhood in a particular city can dictate my choices. I live in a section of Seattle that's just over the bridge from downtown...more like Cambridge. Seattle is a much smaller and more residential city (though it's changing everyday...they are tearing down the old one family houses in our neighborhood and rapidly replacing them with seven story apartment buildings)...and it's the gay edgy part. I really like that..and I do find myself taking note of some of the styles and colors I see others wearing and incorporating it. I agree, Shiny, that too much black can be aging and I've softened my neutral shades too. I also find that the clothes I wear around the neighborhood are different than when I go the 20 minute walk downtown...I get a little dressier or put on a coat or jacket to pull it together a bit more.

My sister who lives in a suburb or Boston, and used to be the fashion plate of all of us four sisters, said to me "I don't really care what I wear any more"...and admitted it's because she's not working on Newbury Street like when she was younger, before marriage and twins. But in a way, maybe that's kind of a freedom for her...she used to be all heels and vintage. It might be a healthy pendulum swing to now prefer her hiking boots and walking her dog through the beautiful woods...(and she inherits my premium denim).

Afterall, style isn't just about what we wear, it's how we carry ourselves and walk through the world. Confidence is the best beauty accessory...and I love it when someone looks like they aren't "trying too hard"...there is a naturalness that shows through, like you can see the person, not just the outfit...whatever city they're in!

Anonymous

I love that last paragraph Judy.

Tanya

Veteran

Me too! Sounds a like it could be part of a wonderful essay!

judy

Veteran

Oh good...I wondered whether I was waxing too philosophical on ya! He he...it's easy to get on the soap box sometimes!