Your best style lessons from YLF?

Helena

Veteran

Just for fun - what are the best style lessons you've learned from YLF?

Here are just a few of mine:

evolving my style - rather than changing it entirely, or conversely, getting stuck in rut - an ongoing progression
semi-tucking - a small detail that works great for the short-waisted such as myself
knits rather than t-shirts - when I joined YLF I lived in plain t-shirts - now I have a good stash of knit tops that are just are comfortable but look a little more polished
fashion as art form - I have always been a pragmatic dresser, but forum members such as Approprio, Anna, Rachylou, just to name a few, have shown me how artistic and self-expressive clothing can be

Over to you - what are your favorite YLF lessons learned?

8 years ago

Inspiration

42 replies

Latest reply was from Bijou

Joy

Veteran

So many, including those you have mentioned.
My #1 would be to be conscious of fit and proportions. On equal footing is to have fun with fashion.
#2. That one's style is evolving so don't plan for an item to last 20 years. It may but you may no longer want to wear it so tread carefully on investing in a look.

8 years ago

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Cheers for the shout out. It's very kind of you to say so.

I'm learning a lot too. I've discovered a lot of useful theory about body types and seasonal colours and I'm doing my best to apply it. I've learned to think of my wardrobe as essentials and capsules. I'm working towards a clearer idea of what I want to achieve with my style rather than collecting things I like that seem to suit me. Next step will be managing the content better and hopefully getting rid of stuff. All that, and getting better at writing.

Thanks Angie! Thanks Greg!

8 years ago

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

I've learned so so much. Here are a few that come to mind right away:

1) Column of color is slimming plus less distracting, and I feel, a little more elegant.
2) Metallic shoes!
3) don't worry if you can't wear heels. Alter the proportions of your outfit slightly, and flat footwear with dainty straps and pointed toes can be just as elegant and sophisticated.
4) Fluid, drapey knits are comfortable for all day wear when you work from home, but pick a pretty design and it looks absolutely stylish too.
5) There are various 'grades of casual wear'. Figure out your activities and create capsules for them.
6) Dress for yourself. It's OK to be dressier than those around you.
7) Enjoy your clothes. Don't "save" them for special occasions that rarely come. Your favourite today may not be a favourite next season...because our style evolves.
8) Dress for your REAL life. But dress in clothes you enjoy wearing.
9) Travel with more than one pair of shoes. This one has been an eye opener.
10) Love your body and it'll love you right back!
11) Accessories are all you need to give a polished finish to a casual outfit. Eyewear, footwear, jewelry, and bag can all make a simple top & jeans outfit look FAB!

8 years ago

Peri

Veteran

The fun concept has been my biggest lesson. Before the encouragement of YLF I would go shopping, get overwhelmed, not find what I wanted and give up until the next season. Repeating that 4 times a year. End result, I hadn't bought much new in years. I looked at my closet last night and realized that about 80% of it is new since joining YLF. So...PPP, stay calm, keep looking.

That might sound like YLF turned me into a binge shopper with an almost new wardrobe in 2 years. No worries! It was a long time coming, caused no money woes, was carefully done, and now for cold weather at least I love just about everything in my small/moderate sized wardrobe. Now if it would just get back out of the 70s so I could enjoy it! This winter has been a dud!

8 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Biggest lesson: never say never. As in, keep an open mind. Just because I don't like a new style or silhouette right out of the gates doesn't mean I won't change my mind after a while

8 years ago

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

Keep an open mind.

You can love the outfit without buying it or emulating it.

Understand your body's proportions. For instance: No, you don't simply have a big bum. You might have broad hips, a full rear, a long rise, and/or full upper thighs. Knowing how exactly you're proportioned will make it immensely easier to identify garments that work for you, and understand why garments don't, without causing you to resort to self-flagellation when something doesn't fit.

8 years ago

Joyce B

Veteran

Garments look different in different body types. You need to make the look your own so that it works for you.
PPP is something I am trying to work on as well.
What you wear has to make you happy.
There is no room for uncomfortable clothes or shoes.

8 years ago

Helena

Veteran

Great lists everyone!

What is PPP? Something new for me to learn

8 years ago

lady

Active Member

Oh my, Ive learned quite a bit over the years. Some that come immediately to mind:

-Shop smarter. Make sure an item can go with at least 3 items in my wardrobe to avoid orphans.
-Black does not go with everything. Treat it like any other color. Some combinations are better than others.
-Don't fear dressing against the environmental norm. This was essential advise for me years ago when I worked in a professional office that had gotten super casual despite the business casual dress code of the rest of the agency. I was dressed better than my manager. It was very frustrating but I knew I was dressed appropriately and did not dumb down my choices to fit in with these few people.
(I'll have to come back to this thread later and finish. My 2yr old is making it hard to do this now. )

8 years ago

shedev

Veteran

Torontogirl, its picky, patient and practical.

Mine is proportions, mainly balancing my top and bottom halves. It's become the only figure flattery rule I follow. I cheat with crop tops by wearing a longer under top to create the proportion.

8 years ago

Ginger

Veteran

I have some pretty similar ones. Great discussion!

Semi-tucking! It opened up whole new vistas of how to wear different tops without totally hiding my shape.
Drapey blouses. Too tight in the hips? Baggy on the waist? Semi-tuck and *boom* structure at the waist, and the good fit at shoulders and bust can shine.
Footwear can instantly update a look.
Identify capsules you need, and then supply them.

8 years ago

always trying

Veteran

My biggest is putting everything together. a more pulled together look! I have learned to analyze the whole outfit. Secondary I am now a more careful shopper.

8 years ago

Joyce B

Veteran

TG: PPP is as Shedev said. Here is the link:
http://youlookfab.com/2012/01/.....principle/

8 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

Balancing aspirational style with real-world wearability.

"Shopping my closet" and appreciating what I have as a way to keep myself PPP.

Not being afraid to enjoy color!

8 years ago

elpgal

Veteran

Stop shopping for the aspirational body and aspirational lifestyle. This mantra has benefitted my style, my wallet and has given me immense peace of mind.

8 years ago

Karie

(website)

Veteran

From the 2014 Boston Meet-Up:

It's not you it's the clothes

If it doesn't fit, "NEXT!"

I've learned to stop settling for ill-fitting clothes just because I like the style. It's not stylish if it doesn't fit correctly, and not all styles will look good on me.

When I first found YLF I saw that the #1 rule was "Have fun with fashion." That was it for me, I knew I had found a friendly place to hang out! I am all about having fun

8 years ago

Anonymous

Zeroing in on my style identity.

Perfect pants length.

Just flattering enough is good enough.

8 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

*VERY BIG SMILE*

8 years ago

Cerinda

Veteran

The best lessons I've learned on YLF?

There are neutrals, and then there are neutrals! And they "say" different things to each other.

http://youlookfab.com/2015/12/.....-neutrals/

Color palette, affinity for color mixing, and degree of contrast work together to make Angie's wonderful "happiness factor" for me

http://youlookfab.com/2016/01/.....-wardrobe/
http://youlookfab.com/2015/12/.....-wardrobe/

These posts have been total game-changers for me:

In my fall/winter wardrobe (which generally makes me happy), I'm consciously moving from monochrome looks to tonal ones and adding contrast in accessories.
I'm building a transitional capsule around a mid-tone grey leather jacket, modeling it on Angie's planning around her client's blush one.
And that process has allowed me to see that the absence of mid-tone neutrals is why my spring/summer wardrobe doesn't work.

And every single time I open the forum, I learn something else! Thank you, Angie! Thank you everyone!

8 years ago

April

Veteran

Let's see. If we climb inside the Way Back Machine, when I first found YLF about 7 years ago, I learned:

1.) Perfect Pants Length

2.) That the way to wear black with a bright color and not look all 1980s was to add another neutral (such as charcoal) to the combination

3.) That the reason a jacket over a skirt or dress so often looked dowdy was that the jacket was too long, and that what was called for was a cropped length or nipped-in waist giving the illusion of less length.

4.) A number of cool ways to tie a scarf, including "the Maya knot."

5.) That -- surprise! -- boots that go to the knee are actually supposed to fit around your calf and not leave a gap roomy enough to stow your bag lunch. Who knew. This was a painful realization because it sparked off an endlessly frustrating search for boots that fit properly on narrow calves. (I even had two pairs of boots altered by a cobbler: one spectacular success and one epic failure.)

6.) That it was okay to dress up, even if your colleagues favored knit pants, running shoes meant for running, and holiday sweaters (I worked in elementary schools then.)

8 years ago

Anonymous

Yes, mine is the same as Aziraphale's: Never say never. I'm sorry I ever said I hated birkesntocks! I don't hate them anymore! (
I think also my poison eye is lasting far less long, so there's some internal growth right there.)
I like gradfashionistas "no, my bum is not big" one--there are many ways for pants to fit wrong!

I think my main realization recently is that following trends is fun and kind of a social thing that brings people together. (Whereas preYLF I felt that being too trendy meant you didn't have a good sense of your own style.)

8 years ago

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

I was a pretty confident dresser using fashion as my artistic expression when I began Ylf.
1. I learned Proportions, which is Huge and I am grateful beyond words.
2. I learned making mistakes is part of the process, let it go and move on.
3. I finally came up with some style descriptors.
4. And most important of all is that there is a safe wonderfully supportive space on the internent!

8 years ago

Sal

Veteran

Proportions- how to tweak them to make an outfit work!

Adding in some light neutrals makes outfit creation easier.

The importance of quality essentials. And keeping them modern.

The importance of keeping your own style- there are plenty of forum members with styles I admire but I regret it if I copy too much. I want to have MY take on fashion and learn how to make it better.

8 years ago

kerlyn

Veteran

I've learned the importance of proportion, and I think my eye is improving in this regard.

JFE was a revelation to me! Before YLF I couldn't imagine choosing something that wasn't figure-flattering;but now I often do choose items that might not flatter in a conventional way, yet they feel more stylish and fashion-forward.

Most importantly, I've learned that it doesn't take a huge budget to feel fabulous. I can take the lessons I've learned here and apply them within my own budget.

Oh, and that you can find inspiration in styles very different from your own. It's challenged me to try new things, put together items I've never paired before, and to to just have fun with it!

8 years ago

chirico (Chiara)

(website)

Veteran

Great thread! I loved reading the other responses.
I love the suggestions on how to wear the trends. I am pretty classic, style-wise, and very slow to adopt a new trend. The breakdown here makes the process easier.
I also like the Friday suggestions. Usually they involve something already in my closet that I never thought of combining.
I am warming up just now to the idea of cuffed jeans, and that's because of YLF and the forum.

8 years ago

Ginger

Veteran

Wow, Smittie, you got me with this:

"I think my main realization recently is that following trends is fun and
kind of a social thing that brings people together. (Whereas preYLF I
felt that being too trendy meant you didn't have a good sense of your
own style.)"

So wise, and also convicting. Because I know I've thought that before, in a snobbish way. Easy trap to fall into when doing the vintage thing.

But now, I love watching people around me and identifying certain trends or tendencies. It brings me closer to them, at least mentally, which is a big step for an introvert who wants to be antisocial at times. It's also particularly true now that how you wear clothes is really the trend, not merely what you wear.

8 years ago

Sara L.

Veteran

I've learned so much but my biggest lessons are:

not buying for a fantasy lifestyle,
perfect pant length and
making sure items fit correctly and not settling for an imperfect fit.

8 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

PPL and proportions for sure. And not taking it personally if something doesn't work for me (easier said than done). Also to look at my appearance objectively without all the stories we tell ourselves about our bodies and how we look.

I like the points about participating in trends as a social thing. That's a lot of what keeps me here at YLF even when I don't need to shop right then.

8 years ago

Cococat

Veteran

Like TracyLiz65, I was a pretty confident dresser when I found YLF, but my wardrobe was an overflowing shambles and some things I just couldn't get right, and I had no idea why.

I know I have lots more to learn, but so far I've learned about

-capsules and how to make the concept work for me
-paring down my wardrobe and the questions to ask before buying
-just flattering enough and how it helps me step outside my comfort zone
-pant lengths, can't wait to try crops
-semi tucking
-the store Motto (thanks to Deborah)
-how to incorporate trends, or not if they don't suit
-why some shoes do and don't work eg. ankle straps, vamps
-to trust my instincts
-that age and style are unrelated; as I've gotten older I've been afraid that I shouldn't/couldn't enjoy indulging in fashion as I always have. That terrified me as fashion and creativity with fashion is one of the things in life that gives me joy. The amazing style of so many YLFers of all ages has shown me I have nothing to fear.

8 years ago

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