We’re delighted to introduce our first guest contributor. Today’s entry is written by fabulously funky Antje, a good friend and long time member of the YLF community.

Thanks to Sihaya’s initiative, the first YLF gathering in Seattle took place on Saturday at the Queen Mary, a quaint tea shop near the U-Village. What a delightful afternoon we had! Any initial shyness was overcome within minutes as we plunged into lively conversations ranging from how we each discovered YLF to style icons we admire (including Audrey Hepburn, Helen Mirren and Cate Blanchett, with Tina Turner getting special mention for pulling off a mini skirt).

The style quotient in the room was sizzling. There were definitely some themes (four yellow handbags!), but there was also an abundance of individual style, unique combinations, fab accessories and statement pieces. We all stared in disbelief at Marianne, who told us she just had her second child seven months ago – she looked so trim and smashing in her Matchsticks. Sihaya stylishly paired the Franco Sarto booties from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale with ultra skinnies. Naf looked radiant in red, black and white and wore an amazing necklace. NuanceDream dazzled in a black and white day dress.

Sihaya, Naf, and NuanceDream

I myself went with an edgy look of shorter skirt over leggings and premiered my new grey patent leather pumps. JuliJuli looked killer in the black and white jacket she wore when she ran into Angie at Nordstrom a few weeks ago. Angie, of course, was in a league of her own. She wore her cream Anne Fontaine blouse; it is absolutely stunning with its cutout cotton organza fabric and funky sleeve detail. She paired this statement piece with black skinny jeans, a smart military charcoal jacket, patent leather pumps in a rich golden yellow, and a gorgeous cobalt blue Charles David purse from her extensive bag collection.

We took plenty of pictures and, in honor of one of the forum’s most active contributors, some of us decided to strike the famous “shiny pose”. Are we pulling it off?

Antje, JuliJuli and Angie

We all agreed that the best thing about YLF is that it really is a style community for “real women”. The outfit photos other members post are so tremendously helpful (a big THANK YOU to everyone on the forum who posts pictures!) and have inspired all of us in different ways, motivating us to try a new style or color, or just to experiment more with existing items in our wardrobes.

The gathering also presented a great opportunity to ask some questions that are a little more personal and quirky than the ones we typically see on the forum. My favorite questions to Angie were “What do you wear to walk your dogs?” and “Do you have a designated parking space downtown?” We learned that for short walks through the neighborhood, Angie just dons her Converse sneakers and takes off her necklace, but otherwise stays in smart casual garb. She wears fab and colorful athletic gear – always layered – for longer “power walks” with her four legged sweeties. And while there is no parking space with Angie’s name on it (yet), she does have a great relationship with the “lovely lads” from Nordstrom’s valet parking service, who always try to squeeze in her red VW for her (almost daily) trips to Nordies with clients.

Fantastic shoe choices!

Yellow was the order of the day for bags. Angie and I sported our favorite accessory: statement specs.

It was such a treat getting this group of women together and finding that our virtual connection on YLF translated well into the real world. We had plenty to chat about, started sharing a little bit about ourselves, cracked each other up with stories (including Nuance Dream’s report of pajama bottom sightings at her workplace, which happens to be the state capitol), and bonded to the point where we were all reluctant to part ways and decided to meet again later this fall. Hopefully other Seattle YLF fans will join us!

This entry wouldn’t be complete without a shout out to the pioneers of the YLF meetup. Ana and Patience from Austin, Texas, posted their story about a month ago, complete with photos and video.