I expect this to be another really easy poll. You are on Team Jeans if, given the choice, you would wear jeans rather than leggings. Vice versa for Team Leggings. And then there’s the fabulous “Legging Jean” which is a hybrid of the two. Legging Jeans, or Leans, are more like jeans, so they fall under jeans for this poll.

I enjoy wearing stirrup and zippered leggings in fun ways, like under a voluminous woven dress or black pencil skirt. The look brings back fond 80’s memories that make me smile. But I love jeans and leans even more. I can wear them year round in Seattle and have several pairs. I am on Team Jeans.

Over to you. Are you Team Leggings or Team Jeans? Tell us why, and you know you can’t bat for both Teams.

Fernanda, my wonderful client in Mexico City, shares her thoughts, feelings and experiences leading up to our recent styling session. Working with her was a joy from start to finish.

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There are two kinds of good luck. Your everyday, smile inducing, happy coincidence kind, and the apparently simple encounter that ends up redefining your life. Just a few months ago, I experienced the second kind.

My meeting with Fate didn’t take place in a restaurant or in a park, but in a more vibrant, lively and visited location: a fashion blog site, hosted by the lovely and uber trendy Angie Cox. Since you’re reading this right now, chances are you’ve already witnessed the jaw-dropping sense of style she displays in her YouLookFab site.

I stepped into “Angie’s place” a little more than a year ago. I had become a random reader of all kinds of fashion blogs, not finding any of them appealing enough to become my daily stop. One day, one of them included a link that led me to the YouLookFab blog. In that precise moment, a great habit was born. Every day, almost without taking notice, I found myself checking YLF not only in complete awe of Angie’s talent for putting together outfits, but yearning to learn the nuts and bolts of creating an outfit in such original and unexpected ways.

To say that I love clothes would be an understatement. I’m spellbound by the way they become an extension of someone’s personality, her interests, even her daily moods. I’ve never regarded clothes as “something” you just put on and carry on with your day. I see them more as a way to find your place in the world: a playful and unique “code” about who you are and how you want to relate to your surroundings.

My love of clothes should be obvious, but few people around me would have guessed it by just looking at my everyday “picks”. Plain, non-fussy, lazy combinations, which allowed me to go unnoticed by anyone, anywhere. Instead, my secret passion for clothes could be discovered just by taking a look at my closet or watching a shopping addiction that over the years has resulted in a mostly unworn wardrobe. I guess I came to believe that every time I got a gorgeous new jacket or a beautiful pair of shoes, I would magically acquire the know-how to make it work with the rest of my stuff, or even the guts to experiment without feeling clumsy or defeated in advance. This quest was, of course, unconscious, and could have been going on forever. It was, in a way, comforting: my “hidden” clothes were undeniably pretty, and I was totally fashion aware. I firmly believed that one day it would all come together, and all my hoarding and compulsive buying would finally make some sense.

It never quite happened, though. By the time I came across YouLookFab, I already had the feeling that my method and my habits were useless and wrong. Once I became a regular reader of Angie’s posts, I knew that I had to stop. There she was: a gorgeous woman with a sense of style I immediately identified with (some of her clothes looked a lot like mine!) whose great style wasn’t based on loud or excessively trendy pieces, but in the practice of wearing things in ways that immediately set her apart from the rest. By watching Angie’s creations, I could only imagine all the things I could do with my clothes, if I only I dared to disobey the “rules”, discard any fixed ideas on how to wear things and finally step out of my comfort zone. I then started to recreate some of my favorite Angie looks. Something as “easy” as a scrunched sleeve or the combination of dressy and casual seemed to work perfectly on her, but somehow felt unnatural and not quite pretty on me. It became obvious that I was lacking confidence, and felt trapped in a rut of boring and predictable looks. This time, however, I was aware of the problem and couldn’t fool myself anymore. I knew I had to take action: a pair of new shoes wouldn’t do.

That’s when lightning struck. It was a day in early November when I felt I’d reached a point where I had nothing much left to lose: either I did something drastic to change my relationship with styling and clothes, or I might as well envision a future of black and grey sweatpants, totally uninspired outfits and an unrequited love for clothes. Feeling both brave and reckless, I decided to write a message to Angie using the YLF contact form. I would briefly explain my dilemma, and ask her if she would consider taking a dive into my closet and help me to see everything in a whole different light. There was something for her to consider, though. Something that I knew could sound downright outrageous, and make my request fall into the “wild dream” category. I happen to live in Mexico City: thousands of miles away from the YouLookFab headquarters, in a country where —I would learn later— Angie had never visited before.

Not only did I get a reply from Angie in less time than it took me to digest the crazy thing I had done, but it was promising and kind. Whatever came out in the end, Angie was definitely open to working things out. I knew from reading her posts that she was brilliant and generous, but nothing could have prepared me for the experience of working with her. Enthusiastic, sensitive and incredibly committed to her talents, she assured me we would find a way to make the issue work. In the meantime, she asked me to describe in detail aspects of my current life relevant to our mission, and asked to envision my ideal wardrobe style.

Thrilled and energized with the prospect, I took time to reflect on things I had never paid attention to before: fear of change, self-defeating perceptions and parts of my personality I hadn’t allowed to evolve and now was eager to express. She also asked me to take pictures of what I considered my cornerstone pieces; before I realized, I was laying my whole closet on the floor of my apartment, taking pictures of every single item, from shoes, to earrings, to dresses, to coats. I was eager to somehow build for her a replica of my closet, hoping that her creativeness would make her want to bring life to what I perceived as a boring wardrobe. That way, I thought, the prospect of coming over to Mexico might seem less daunting and far-fetched.

I like to think my plan worked, since we finally set a date for her and husband Greg to travel. It was, I can assure you, one of the happiest days of my life. Not only because it was the fulfillment of a really wild dream, but because I really appreciated Angie’s willingness in ways I cannot even express. Her efforts to make it work took the experience to a different level.

We still had some weeks ahead, so Angie pointed to me some serious gaps in my wardrobe, and suggested that I fill most of them in preparation for her visit. I happily devoted hours to picking possible options, and sending pictures to her. She would then “approve” my picks (we had so much fun over that!), and I would cross out things from our “missing items” list. One day I found myself choosing things that a few months before I’d not even lay my eyes on: feminine and flirty blouses, a gorgeous red patent clutch, a pair of bright blue Mary Janes. Nothing “imposed” by Angie: just colors, textures and patterns that in a matter of weeks I’d learned to appreciate (and covet).

Painlessly and miraculously, my own sense of style had already started to grow.

Tomorrow, part 2: Angie and Fernanda get to work.

Apart from basic turtlenecks, I hang up my knitwear (sweaters and cardigans) because I prefer to see most of tops hanging in one place. This simplifies my dressing process. I have the luxury of plenty of hanging closet space and take full advantage of it.

Although my knitwear is fine gauge and not overly heavy, I do occasionally get those unsightly “hanger bumps” on the shoulders of my sweaters. I loathe ironing and there is no way I’m going to pull out the steamer to straighten out the bumps. So I had to come up with another trick: I pull on the sweater, run the tap, wet my fingers and rub them quite vigorously onto the knitwear bump for 5 seconds. The damp rubbing flattens out the bump. Afterwards, I flatten out the wet bump even further with my fingertips. Bye bye bump and wait for the patch to dry, which takes about 10 minutes. Remember that the sweater has to be ON your body when you rub the bump with wet fingers.

You can also use “bumps be gone” bendable foam hangers. Several of my clients say it works like a charm. I don’t use special knitwear hangers because I don’t like the way they look in my closet. I know this sounds ridiculous, but we all have our quirks. Besides, my wet finger rubbing trick works too.

Mexico City is full of colourful buildings, pretty tiled areas, art deco architecture, and charming courtyards. These pictures were taken on our first day as we walked around town after a perfect breakfast of buttery Mexican pastries and granola. One of our very favourite things to do is walk around a new city and soak up the atmosphere. The sun was out, the weather mild and we enjoyed every interesting minute.

My bold and voluminous polka dot bubble dress is crease resistant, making it ideal for travel. I’m still wearing my favorite three year old zippered leggings because they make me smile and keep me warm. My cropped tuxedo jacket adds a sophisticated and arty dimension to the dress, as does the new LuLu Guinness structured satchel. Black ballet flats, retro specs, RayBans, and a big silver watch complete the look. No jewelry required. Easy to pack, comfy to wear and the right smart casual tone for the first face to face meeting with my client.

Greg and I sat in an outside Café while we waited for Fernanda, who we were going to meet for lunch. In the distance I saw a fresh and pretty vision in purple walking towards us. From her fabulous black Frye boots, perfect pant lengths and amazing Joan Jett hairstyle – I knew that this was Fernanda! Excitedly we waved and embraced like old friends.

Fernanda regularly appears on Mexican TV and radio shows and it wasn’t long before someone recognized her. It was quite clear that Greg and I were in the company of a local celebrity.

Our shared passion for dogs bonded Fernanda and I from the start. On weekdays her adorable rescue, Dulce (in the red bandana), attends a school for dogs in a nearby park. On the way to lunch, we met Dulce and her classmates and it was an eye opener. There were many different breeds, from the largest of Great Danes to the smallest of toy poodles, obediently doing their homework in the park. We couldn’t believe how well behaved these dogs were! The picture with Dulce below was taken during recess, and as you can see, she is a 100% Mummy’s girl. I did get the odd bit of snuggle time too, which was quite an honour.

On the way to the best taco place in town (the tacos were delectable), we wanted to know all about Mexico City. And since Fernanda is a writer and film critic the three of us talked a lot about movies and film. The talking didn’t stop. We yakked about life in America, Mexican food, our hotel, dogs and so much more. I think I talked poor Fernanda’s ear off.

After lunch I walked with Fernanda to her apartment. And so the closet fun began. You’ll hear more about that from Fernanda herself tomorrow.

Additional photos: We have started to post photos on Facebook since some readers prefer to get their YLF fix over there. We have posted these ones and a few others in this album.