Today’s post on the recent YLF gathering in Seattle was written by casual-chic boho Meredith, a fab friend and an active member of the YLF community.
Luck shined on us for the second YLF get-together. The sun filtered through the beautiful autumn leaves and into the windows of Café Flora, a lovely vegetarian restaurant in Seattle’s Madison Valley. About six of us gathered around the table, looking just as sunny as the day, sporting splashes of yellow and green.
Wild mushroom omelets, pumpkin pancakes, and sticky buns arrived at the table as we chatted about fashion, sipped our tea, and devoured our brunch. One question for Angie was, “How does one wear a brooch?” Angie said that wearing them on mufflers is a perfect way to combine the casual with the glitzy. Pinning them onto jackets is fine, but shoot for more monochromatic looks. Brooches that contrast too much with a garment can tend to look a bit garish and kitschy.
Another question was, “How do you know when your closet is full?” Angie told us about her system for knowing when she has enough clothes. Her closet has shelves with notches, and she hangs one hanger in each notch. When all the notches are full, she has a completely full wardrobe. Nothing new comes in, unless something else goes out.
Angie also shared a story about how the chemistry in her last hair dye had gone a bit wonky. I learned that your dye might change color over time. Although she left the salon blond, in a few days time her hair had turned a nice yellow. “I looked like Big Bird,” Angie said. But fortunately, better living can be achieved through chemistry. She returned to the salon, and they applied some sort of magical solution that returned her hair to the nice color we all know and love.
After eating our yummy food, sharing giggles, and catching up on families and travel (and yes, the elections too), we gathered outside to pose for the camera. Some of us have very few inhibitions when it comes to vamping for the lens. We had good, silly fun posing with our shoes, bags, and outfits in the sunny garden outside the café.
Sihaya layered multiple pieces to create a fantastic tailored look with depth and texture. Marianna sported preppy sophistication in skinny jeans, a button-down shirt and belted boyfriend cardigan. Julie was radiant in an earthy animal print cardigan and skinnies. Laurel looked lovely in a voluminous green print dress, leggings and fabulous coordinating green handbag. Angie was stunning in her retro Winter floral dress with chartreuse cardigan and chunky new pearls—all recent Hong Kong acquisitions. I wore a bohemian sweater over a tulip denim skirt and my favourite wedged knee-high boots
In the spirit of Autumn, boots and closed toe pumps were the order of the day: from Julie’s fab mock-croc grey snip-toed kitten heels and Marianne’s pretty chestnut mary-janes, to Sihaya’s riding boots and Angie’s pointy patent peds.
Oversized totes and structured satchels in brights or cream reigned supreme.
We are all looking forward to the next YLF get together. Hope to see you there!
