November Recap: Party Time

This year I decided to start the party wear coverage a little early and as a result the November newsletter turned into a bumper issue on party items and outfits. It also highlights my outfits, the two outstanding outfit bloggers we featured and two posts I wrote on outfit creation. 

If you aren’t yet a subscriber, please consider signing up. Note that this applies to forum members too, because the newsletter and the forum are two separate signups.

When you sign up for the newsletter you can also ask for daily email updates for the YLF blog and finds area, but this is optional.

Finally, you can see the November newsletter here if you didn’t receive the email version that went out this morning.

A note for Gmail users: If you use the relatively new gmail Inbox Tabs, then the newsletter email message might get caught under the “Promotions” tab. So if you are using gmail in your browser and can’t find the newsletter, look for it there. If this happens to you and you would like YLF email to come to your “Primary” tab in future, then just grab the message with your mouse and drag it into the “Primary” tab. Here is some more info on Gmail’s new tabbed interface.

November Recap

Nordstrom Roundup: Thanksgiving Holiday Sale

Nordstrom is having a Thanksgiving Holiday sale and here are some items that caught my eye. Unavailable sizes do sometimes come back into stock so keep on stalking your favourites. 

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving weekend! 

Elizabeth and James Bourne Floral Print Flannel JacketVince Michela BootMackage Marila Asymmetrical Wool Blend CoatThe Kooples Coated Splatter Pattern JacketKate Spade New York Roger Bootiekensie Pin Dot Jacquard & Faux Leather Jacket

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Giving Thanks for our Furry Family Members

Our pets are important family members that hold a special place in our hearts. Their unconditional support is incomparable and unique. Their personalities keep us entertained. Their needs keep us on our toes. Their warmth and loyalty is comforting. They make us laugh throughout the day and cheer us up when we’re sad. They imprint their love and devotion on our souls forever, and we never feel alone when they are close by. 

No matter how much I praise our furry family members, I feel like I shortchange them. Thanking these glorious creatures seems so hopelessly inadequate compared to what they give us in return. But it’s a start. On this Thanksgiving Day I’m thankful for many things, but most of all I’m thankful for our pets.

We lost our precious little Jasmine three years ago, and our precious little Rosie four months ago. Words can not express how much we love and miss them. They enriched our lives, and they were an integral part of YLF.

Our little blog star Jasmine loved taking part in photo shoots. In the photo below she spontaneously jumped onto the chair behind me and posed perfectly for the camera. I didn’t even know she was there until Greg showed me the photo. Our little soldier Rosie kept us company whenever we worked in our home office. In this photo she jumped on my lap when the Seattle Times came to interview us at home. Rosie is looking at YLF on Greg’s monitor. I’m not sure what she’s thinking, but as always she was thoroughly engaged in the activity. We did not call our girls the CEOs of YLF for nothing. 

We wish you a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving Weekend filled with much love and adoration for your pets. Hold them a little closer, and thank them for being the incredible creatures that they are.

Jasmine

Rosie

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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Outstanding Outfit Bloggers

Classics with Punchy Accents

Lulu Soler is a busy working mum of twins, who shares inspiration to look and feel beautiful on her blog Simply Lulu Style. She is a modern classic dresser with a polished style and a preference for simple, chic outfits. She adores statement jewellery and firmly believes that well-fitting, versatile staples are key to making your wardrobe work for you and not the other way around:

“My style has changed quite a bit. In the last 5 years, I’ve been a working professional, pregnant with twins (and I was NOT a cute pregnant lady), and a mom. In the beginning of motherhood, I was a yoga pants queen. As the kids have gotten older and I don’t have to tote them around as much I’m able to really dress more like ‘me’.  My style is everchanging. I’m a prep at heart with a twist of trend. I love fashion trends, but I try to stay grounded and buy simple pieces that I know will be classics.”

Lulu Soler 1

There’s just something about a tailored long jacket that adds instant chic and polish. This fantastic collarless blue number has a Chanel-esque retro vibe that works brilliantly with the fashionable feel of the rest of the outfit. The jacket worn open creates nonchalant structure, while the V-neck top elongates the neckline and adds textural interest. Distressed toothpick jeans are worn as slim-fitting boyfriends. Sporting trendy high-heeled lace-up sandals in a tan shade close to the natural skintone lengthens the legline. Chunky statement bracelets and necklace bring some beloved bling to the party.

Lulu Soler 2

A wonderful outfit that illustrates the power of Modern ClassicsLulu loves blue, and the colour loves her right back! A dark blue denim shirt is super versatile because it can be molded and worked into any style. Here, our blogger has tucked it into a kicky short full skirt, and turned up the collar for extra spunk. The wide white and blue stripes on the skirt are playful and crisp. The brown animal print belt adds depth to the outfit because it represents both pattern and texture. Pointy-toe pumps are 100% on trend, and mixing in the cobalt with the darker shades of blue is absolutely delightful. One single bracelet, rings, small earrings and gorgeous red Kate Spade bag are Lulu’s ladylike accessoires of choice. And don’t you just adore her cute freckles!

Lulu Soler 3

The neon pink silky shirt makes this look for me. It packs such a happy punch and livens up the beige tones in the outfit. Love the bootcut jeans too. They look elegant, plus a flare or bootcut can read a tad more dressy than skinnies or straight legs. And dressy is undoubtedly one of Lulu’s style descriptors. The one button blazer hits at exactly the right spot to create great outfit proportions. Patent pumps with pearly finish add subtle shine, the blue necklace is flattering against the pink and beige, and the bold arm candy is signature Lulu.

As a petite blogger, Lulu sometimes has fit challenges. Here are her tips to achieve good fit:

“There are definite challenges. But no one has a perfect body. I’m sort of lucky because even though I’m petite I have long legs. So often I have to buy regular pants and have them slightly hemmed because petite pants are too short! Find a good tailor and know your body are my tips. I really know what looks best on me and what doesn’t. Focus on the parts of your body you like and enhance them.”

Lulu Soler 4

Lulu Soler 4 

Tucking skinnies into boots is such an easy mom-on-the-go formula. No worrying about perfect pant lengths, no need to commit to one heel height, and no soggy hems. A fluid fitting chunky knit jumper with fun contrasting elbow patches adds in the modern. The white button-down layered underneath is the crisp classic element. Knee-high mixed media boots with buckles bring textural interest and a touch of trendy toughness to the look. As does the spiky gold bracelet. Lulu is a jewellery girl at heart, and happily mixes gold and silver metals here. A bright red Kate Spade bag with clean lines and sweet XL bow detail is the perfect complement to the simple grey with blue and black colour palette.

Having a closet filled with go-to classics has definitely made the hectic morning routine easier for our busy mom:

“I’ll be honest, I’m not polished every day. But that’s part of being real. Most of the time I’m planning an outfit as I’m putting it on in the morning. There’s a lot of things I think about as I’m getting dressed — weather, mood, what’s not in my gigantic laundry pile. It’s really important to have good staples in your closet to make getting dressed easier. Great denim (I live in my jeans), classic crewneck sweaters, blazers, blouses. Beautiful classics that have great detail. Pieces that speak for themselves, that I can throw on with some great jewelry and go!”

Lulu Soler 5

A stripe with a difference. The intricate embroidery and neon pink turn this short-sleeved top into a statement piece. Pairing it with white pants makes the neon pop even more. So fun! The soft blue chambray shirt works beautiful with the rest of the colours. In addition, layering a button-down under a short-sleeved top is a clever way to get some extra mileage out of your Summer clothes. Keeping the jewellery fairly minimal and opting for a neutral-coloured tote and pumps lets this beautiful top be the well-deserved star of the show.

Lulu Soler 6

A fab casual coat elevates your outfits. Pick one in a beautiful, flattering-for-you colour and it will make you extra happy. I love this shade of blue with Lulu’s strawberry blonde hair and complexion. The oversized, knit collar provides plenty of textural interest without looking overhwelming on our 5’1″ blogger. Opting for a streamlined column of denim under the topper helps too; wearing the lighter blue shirt untucked over the darker skinnies creates an unbroken line. Fun leopard print pumps, a coral multi-layered necklace and several bracelets spice up the look. The neutral satchel picks up the brown in the footwear and finishes off the outfit.

What do you think about Lulu’s beautiful classic outfits with punchy accents? You can browse the rest of her looks over at her blog, and find out what inspires her on Pinterest.

Tall Aquatalia Boots for Narrow Calves

Aquatalia makes extremely well-made weatherproof footwear. And I mean stomp around in snow and puddles all Winter long and your feet stay dry. Their knee-high boot styles also tend to fit a narrow calf, and above all, are very comfortable. You might need to size up half a size because they run small. 

These beautiful boots are expensive, and so far, I haven’t found them suited to wide feet. But they are a quality piece with a high longevity factor. Hopefully you’ll score a pair on sale if they’re your cup of tea. It’s better to have one pair of killer stunning perfect boots, than four pairs that in some way aren’t quite right.

Aquatalia by Marvin K. Orso BootAquatalia by Marvin K. Rhumba BootAquatalia by Marvin K. UpstartAquatalia by Marvin K. Diane