Today we bring back fabulous Veteran forum member and scientist Tanya who used to live in Boston, but now lives is Maryland. This is Tanya’s third YLF gathering! She did a wonderful job covering one of the Manhattan gatherings last year, which is why I asked her to tell us about the recent rendezvous in Washington DC.

On a very hot and humid day in July, four YLF members met in Washington DC for yet another fabulous gathering. Maya and Lisa traveled all the way from New Jersey to meet Steph and me in the heart of Georgetown. We chose to start off the day at a little French cafe called “Le Madeleine” situated in one of DC’s most interesting shopping areas. Maya and I already knew each other so it was easy for her and Lisa to spot me. None of us knew what Steph looked like though, but luckily she recognized us!

Relieved that we had found each other, it was time to indulge in the Cafe’s tasty offerings. A lot of compliments were exchanged since despite sticky weather conditions the style quotient was very YLF-worthy. Maya sported a typical all black New York look with a beautiful dress, sandals and funky necklace. Lisa looked wonderful in a beaded striped top and skinnies. Steph had us all impressed with her gorgeous Stella McCartney sky scraping heels which perfectly complimented her white denim skirt and purple top. I wore a ladylike silk blouse and pencil skirt with edgy gladiator sandals.

The conversation flowed easily as we touched on millions of topics, from fashion and clothing, to our line of work. We decided to spend the whole afternoon shopping and off to the Cusp we went first. The Cusp  is owned by Neiman Marcus and is a hip, contemporary store that targets younger customers. We had a lot of fun pointing out hideously ugly items to each other which soon became the tradition in all the subsequent stores we visited. We each tried on lots of items, but eventually left the huge store empty handed. Exhausted by the clothing fittings  we decided that the only way to recuperate was to indulge in famous Georgetown cupcakes. The sugar did its job and we happily resumed our shopping adventures.

A whole whirlwind of stores followed, including Urban Outfitters, Zara, Benetton, Club Monaco, H&M, Intermix and a few more. We all found plenty of things to try on and thoroughly enjoyed giving each other feedback and recommendations. At Aerosoles and Camper shoe stores we saw quite a few pairs of cute shoes with low heels. Consignment store Second Time Around was a huge success: Maya found a perfect cropped denim jacket and black shorts, and Lisa a pair of great fitting Joe’s jeans that were already the perfect length. Lisa also scored a beautiful blazer at Zara, while Steph found a lovely blouse and some quirky headbands at H&M. I was lucky to spot a gorgeous grey silk tunic at Club Monaco that followed me home.

After 5 hours of shopping we were very tired, but would have continued were it not for the fact that Lisa and Maya had to catch the train back to NJ. We were all in awe of Steph’s ability to keep up the pace in her uber-high platform sandals. Steph must have magic feet!

The gathering was a great success and the day flew by so fast that it caught us by surprise. It was a blast to spend a great afternoon with these amazing women. This was my third YLF gathering, each one more south then the previous one: first Boston, then New York, and now Washington DC. Despite being a YLF Veteran at these gatherings, it never ceases to amaze me how easy and natural it is to bond with women I have never previously met other than through the internet on YLF. I am already looking forward to the next gathering and wonder where it will be. Hopefully in NYC again to meet Angie and Greg!

My word, the speculation continues. I wish we were taking you backstage to see Depeche Mode wearing the best 80’s garb. And goodness knows how the related posts algorithm thought the Bra Baby had anything to do with all of this. Rest assured I shan’t be coming up with a new line of bras.

No, just an update to the site I’m afraid. And on that note, the next peek behind the curtain…

Mine is deliberately drab.

I like to wear very simple socks. They are usually black or dark grey, quite thin, very soft, warm and fairly snug fitting. I wear both knee high socks and ankle length socks under jeans or with boots. Very occasionally I’ll throw in a monochromatic black argyle design, but that’s it. No colours or colourful patterns of any description.

I am about as plain Jane as it gets when it comes to my sock style because I don’t want my socks to interfere with my outfit. Its weird, even though my socks are always hidden, I need them to be as neutral as possible. Otherwise I feel that my outfit is mis-matched, and not in a good way.

When at home I swap out my shoes for slippers and I like to see black or grey socks on my feet with the slippers. I have no explanation for this.

Oh well, I guess I make up for my drab sock personality with a fun hosiery collection. Tell us about your sock style.

When I first posted about over the knee boots, the trend was very fringe. Now we’re two years down the line and it’s “the” boot of the season. Mainstream all the way. It always amuses me when that happens, AND how time here on YLF flies.

I was in love with flat over the knee boot styles right from the start and promptly bought a grey pair when we were last in Hong Kong in 2008. I absolutely LOVE wearing them and they became wardrobe workhorses virtually straight away. So much so that I just added another pair to my collection — I nabbed a black Stuart Weitzman pair at this year’s Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and I can’t wait to put them through their paces in cooler weather.

I adore the equestrian vibe of over the knee style boots with flat heels – hence the two pairs in my closet. They make my outfits feel pulled together and fashionable, but in a casual and very practical way for our climate and my lifestyle.

I was originally wary of over the knee boot styles with heels, especially with stiletto heels because they somehow looked a little tarty. But after seeing fabulous heeled designs this year with both wedge and stacked heels, I have completely changed my mind. I will personally stick to flats, but I like the aesthetic of heeled over the knee boots just as much.

I vote yay. How about you?