In an effort to repurpose and recycle our wardrobes, it gives me great pleasure to officially invite all youlookfabbers to our first official Seattle Clothing Swap. It will be held on Saturday 21 February from 10.30am to noon. Read this forum post for further details on how to participate. See you there!

It’s just a month and a half into the New Year and time to check in on those fashion and style resolutions. Hopefully, you’ve had an opportunity to follow through on some of them. I’ll go first:

• To have regular facials: I’ve had two this year and the next one is booked. Well done Angie.
• To add more knitwear to my wardrobe: I picked up two fancy knits and two basic layering turtle necks on sale. Not very exciting but it was a solid attempt. I’ll continue pursuing this resolution in Autumn.
• To add more skirts to my wardrobe: I’ve purchased three skirts, all of which were on sale. One is a seasonless, high-waisted denim skirt which will comfortably take me through to Spring and Summer. A nice bit of extra bang for my fashion buck.
• To wear my cocktail rings: I started wearing my pearl ring at night. The others are still hibernating but I’m getting there.

I have also made a concerted effort to become more of a bargain shopper. Even though I battle to find items in my size on sale, I managed to pick up those basic layering turtle necks at Banana Republic for $12 each. Unbelievable. I’d also like to extend a special thanks to the forum for helping me find items in my size at reduced prices. Your sale finding abilities are unprecedented.

Look back at your resolution list and tell us how you’re doing. If you haven’t managed to make headway, let us know how we can help.

I seem to have created the impression that “black is not a YLF colour”. Let me set the record straight. It absolutely is. I love black and own many black pieces (like this dress and this biker jacket). So do many of my clients.

I don’t think our wardrobes function well without black pieces and some items look better in black than in any other colour. That being said, I’m not an unconditional advocate of black because it isn’t flop proof.

• Some people wear black well. Others don’t. People who don’t look good in black might prefer brown, grey, ink blue or white as “their black”.
• Falling back on black tops time and time again without adding a contrasting colour to your ensemble is dangerous. This is what I call the black rut and it is just too somber. Angelina Jolie is infamous for being in a black rut, but that has changed recently. She’s incorporating other neutrals and colour into her style mix and in my opinion looks much better for it.
• Wearing black from head-to-toe is hard to pull off. It can look stunning when the outfit is textured, but most of the time it’s a risk.

I do not mean to discourage you from purchasing black wardrobe items. They can be fab. Just ensure that black works for you, stay out of the rut, and incorporate texture when you wear it from head to toe.

This item has wafted in and out fashion for decades and we’ve probably all had one at some point. Now more than ever I’m finding the perfect denim jacket an indispensable wardrobe item and have started to encourage most of my clients to get one.

It’s an extremely effective casual cover-up for dresses and skirt ensembles (remember these formulas?). Casual cover-ups like cardigans are sweet and stylish, but a sassy little denim jacket adds easy-going spunk. It’s the perfect way to dress down a dressy frock or skirt. The contrast of the two looks is especially appealing.

You’re after a tailored and relatively short denim jacket. It won’t look cheeky if it’s long and roomy. The back has to be streamlined too. Both dark and light washes will work (dark washes are smart casual whereas lighter washes are casual) and there is room for both in your wardrobe. You also don’t need to stick to the original “Levis Strauss” styling if you’d prefer something else, like a biker or blazer look. I highly recommend a bit of stretch for extra comfort.

Don’t underestimate the power of altering a denim jacket. I have a Diesel denim jacket that’s 10 years old and it looks exactly like the bluefly style (top left above). It is dark denim, stretchy and superbly made. But it was roomy so I had it tailored for $45 about 18 months ago and now it’s perfect. It was money well spent because I’ll have it forever.

Go get a denim jacket if you don’t have one already. I’m declaring it an edgy and versatile item for all body types and age groups. I have clients approaching 70 who are looking sensational in streamlined denim jackets. You can’t go wrong.

An assortment of denim jackets: the “original” denim jacket look, biker styles, faded options, cleaner lines, darker washes, super cropped versions and everything in-between. You’ll pick one up for a song if you look hard enough.

This one is particularly adorable.