Fashion accessory designer Tamera Beardsley (56) lives in Southern California and has transformed dressing into an art form. Her style is maximal, arty, eclectic and dramatic, with lots of attention to texture, layering and drape. She loves statement jewellery, distinctive eyewear, and adores headgear. Tamera wears mainly neutrals and makes abundant use of one-of-a-kind accessories as the bold finishing touches to her outfits.

“My personal style has definitely evolved during the past five years as I have transitioned from full-time motherhood into my next chapter. After the birth of my third child I shuttered my successful accessory design company to concentrate fully on raising my family. As my nest began to empty I wondered if I wasn’t too old to return to the fashion career I had loved. I stopped my wondering the day I stumbled upon both Iris Apfel and Tziporah Salamon, two older women that demonstrate every day that true style is ageless. Both of these women raise dressing to a literal art form, using clothing and accessories as their paints. My view on dressing and personal style has never been the same since. My personal style for the most part has evolved into a mixture of Southern California bohemian beachy with big doses of old Hollywood glamour mixed in a kind of sporty glam punctuated with bold accessories. I love pulling from eclectic sources and personally see crafting a perfect outfit for any occasion as a creative and artistic endeavor. I oftentimes will design accessories for a perfect finishing touch for an ensemble.”

Arty layering is one of Tamera’s trademarks. Here she combines two Stella Carakasi pieces to put together an impactful Summer White-Out look. The midi skirt has asymmetrical seams that create movement and billowy drape. A tucked long-sleeved tee in the same shade of white enhances the vertical integrity of the outfit. The long vest features more asymmetrical detailing for further outfit cohesion. Both vest and skirt are made of a hemp and tencel mix that mimics the casual crease of linen. Low-contrast ankle strap shoes are the footwear of choice. An oversized floppy hat, sunnies with swirly sides and a tiered pearl bracelet add Hollywood glam.

Our neutrals-loving blogger also loves a good stripe and likes to sport bright colours when the mood strikes. The dramatic full-length kimono is the star of the show in this maximal outfit. The dressy silk fabric juxtaposes cleverly with the distressed boyfriend jeans, which are rolled to reveal glittery silver kitten heel pumps. Ladylike glitz. By showing some skin, the rolled hems and bracelet-length sleeves of the topper add structure to the voluminous layers. The long striped tee, worn over a denim shirt, makes for fun pattern mixing. Tamera’s eye-catching vintage necklace, made from flower brooches, adds even more pattern and colour. Four turquoise bead bracelets and a cheeky panama hat finish off the look.

Tonal warm gold from head to toe for an eclectic chic date night look. Tamera sure has an eye for finding unique pieces that suit her style to a T. The batwing-sleeved sequined sweater has a scooped V-neck for subtle allure. The longer length and oversized fit create flattering proportions paired with the knee-length tiered fringe pencil skirt. A statement piece made of a texture-rich rattan-style material that looks flirty and fun. Perfect for a night on the town. Tamera’s clutch echoes the rattan look. Simple wedge sandals lengthen the leg line. Our blogger’s relaxed elegant updo and very dramatic chandelier earrings amp up the glam factor.

I hereby crown Tamera Queen Maximal. Layers, patterns, different textures, piles of jewellery… she has a knack for creating complex outfits without it feeling overwhelming. Keeping things in the same colour family is one way to accomplish this. Tamera is wearing a dressy button-down tunic over cropped brocade pants. The white shirt is high contrast against the greys, but the pants do have white in the background. The furry vest paired with the brocade gives the look a luxurious vibe. Tamera’s hard-edged sandals come up to the trouser hems, which lengthens the leg line. For warmth, she threw on an A-line cape coat with Sherlock-esque pizzazz. Extra large chain link necklaces, big bracelets and a sparkly cocktail ring create a very bold statement. Our blogger’s topknot streamlines and balances the look.

“My life and personal style are very much intertwined as I like to make my life my art, one day at a time. For me creating beauty, whether it is in an outfit, accessories, in the garden, rooms or even entertaining, are all creative pursuits and it is sharing this creativity that I most enjoy.”

An off-white tunic slip with asymmetric hemline and white capri pants are the building blocks for these two outfits. For daytime, Tamera tempers the volume of the flowy tunic by layering over a short-sleeved sassy sweatshirt. White Birkies for on trend comfort and a wicker bag casualize the look. A statement turquoise-and-white cross necklace and Tamera’s trusted panama hat add arty flair. For evening, our blogger dresses up the outfit with a long tailored blazer, lucite-heeled sandals, playful straw hat, and pearl pendant necklace, also one of her own creations.

White and tan is a chic colour combo for Summer. Crisp and soothing at the same time. Tamera has tucked a high-low sleeveless tee into wide-legged linen trousers. The lucite sandals came out to play again and create perfect pants length. A silk piano shawl with beautiful blue floral pattern, reminiscent of delft earthenware, gives this date night look a romantic and retro vibe. The stretchy velour turban and large floral corsage finished with feathers provide old Hollywood glam. Piles of chunky bracelets on both arms and round sunnies are the trademark Tamera touch.

Let us know what you think of Tamera’s dramatic arty eclectic style, and then hop on over to her blog to browse the rest of her outfits. You can also discover what inspires her on Pinterest, or visit our blogger’s shop to check out her designs.

Matt & Nat handbags are made of vegan leather. Truly, the Matt & Nat imitation leather bag is a cut above the rest, which is why the prices are comparable to leather bags. They look like real leather, are beautifully made and quite durable. I haven’t seen these fashionable styles in person, but they’re on my radar because my next handbag purchase will be vegan leather. Be sure to browse through all the colour options. I’m going to go for a style in nude, light grey or light blue.

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Matt & Nat 'Tardy' Vegan Leather Crossbody Accordion Satchel

$150.00

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Matt & Nat Vegan Leather 'Malone' Satchel

$138.00

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Matt & Nat 'Abiko' Vegan Leather Clutch

$85.00

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Matt & Nat Vegan Leather 'Mitsuko' Satchel

$140.00

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Matt & Nat 'Wellington' Faux Leather Satchel

$140.00 $83.98

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Matt & Nat 'Minka' Vegan Leather Shoulder Bag

$140.00

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Matt & Nat 'Raylan' Vegan Leather Diaper Bag

$195.00 $117.00

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Matt & Nat 'Daisy' Vegan Leather Clutch

$80.00

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Matt & Nat 'Baxter' Vegan Leather Shopper

$140.00

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Matt & Nat 'Phi' Cycle Commuter Crossbody Bag

$125.00

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Matt & Nat 'Tardy' Vegan Leather Satchel

$150.00

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Matt & Nat 'Deeter' Vegan Leather Tote

$150.00

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Until now there have been two ways to collect Finds. The easiest is to click the little heart icon on the top right of a Find card. The second way is to use the bookmarklet to collect the item from a retailer’s website. While both of these are quick and easy, they exclude items that are no longer available online. Older items in your wardrobe perhaps, or items that you receive as gifts or purchase second-hand from a thrift store.

I found this limitation frustrating because I really wanted to capture my entire wardrobe in the Finds system. And our random outfit generator that was the source of much hilarity on April 1 turns out to be a good way to generate unexpected outfit combinations when you tell it to draw the items from your own wardrobe. Of course, this is much more useful if it knows about your entire wardrobe.

So today we have added the ability to create your own custom Finds from scratch.

It’s very easy to do. If you go to the “MINE” tab in the Finds section, where all your collected items are shown, you will see a new button near the top labelled “+ Custom Find” (if you are on a phone, the button will say “+ Custom”).

Clicking or tapping this button will take you to a form where you can upload a picture and specify the product name, brand and department. You can also add some notes if you like. Press “Submit” and Bob’s your uncle: the new item is added to your collection.

In most ways custom Finds behave in exactly the same way as other Finds. You can put them in folders, add them to collections, and attach them to forum posts. One difference with other Finds is that custom Finds can only be collected by their creators. If you look at the Find card for a custom Find created by someone else, you will see that there is no little heart icon on the top right. This gives the creator of each custom Find a little more control over the amount of exposure it gets. 

Here is a collection of my coats, most of which were purchased long before YLF Finds existed (I’ve had some of them for a very long time). I took all of these photos with my iPhone 6 Plus. The backdrop is a just a spot on our off-white wall that was close to a window for natural light. I removed a picture we had hanging in that spot and used the hook for my clothes hanger. I used the photo edit feature of the iPhone Photos app to crop the pictures and adjust the colours.

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Holland Park Coat

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It’s AMAZING to see all my coats on one page like this. I know exactly what I have at the press of a button, and I can add or subtract Finds as my coat capsule evolves. If you go to my wardrobe page you will see lots of new custom Finds and more will be appearing as I go through my wardrobe, category by category, adding all the items I couldn’t collect online.

Have fun adding your custom items. Please let us know in the technical support area of the forum if you run into any problems.

A new outfit from Cynthia Yang of My Rose Colored Shades, who we introduced to YLF in March 2015.

Cynthia uses texture, pattern and shine to create a visually interesting casual Summer look. The self-colour geometric pattern of the eyelet top provides both pattern and texture. The pretty blush is low contrast against the white jeans, which lengthens the leg line. Cynthia’s streamlined sci-fi metallic loafers bring shine to the outfit. Crisp and modern. The rose gold bookends the blush top. Our blogger’s rose gold cut-out cuff bracelet both echoes the pattern in the top and the colour of the footwear. The angular lines of the cognac crossbody add a touch of polished strictness.