Black Friday Sales Roundup

If you live in the US, we hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving. As the long holiday weekend continues, retailers are ramping up for the big gift-giving season. Sales no longer begin the day after Christmas. These days, holiday sales begin at the beginning of November. Of course, items are on deeper discount after Christmas, but by then the selections are picked over and you might not find items in your preferred size and  colour. It’s a trade-off.

On that note, here’s my roundup of sale items. Be sure to browse all the size and colour options. Read the fab reviews too. Feel free to suggest fab stuff that’s on sale in the comments section with a link to the item.

You can see the descriptions alongside the items on the collection page.

Team Skirt or Team Pants

You are on Team Skirt if you prefer wearing skirts to pants, and vice versa. Any type of skirt counts. Jeans and athleisure bottoms count as pants, but shorts do not. Pants can be cropped or full length, dressy or casual, and any silhouette, fabric, colour or pattern. 

I like wearing skirts. You can see my current collection of skirts below. None are worn frequently, because I prefer dresses to skirts. I might pass on some skirts that are well past their prime. I adore big Modern Retro swooshy flared midi skirts and have a formal one in navy tulle. I’d love a solid or patterned version that is more for daily wear. I also adore my new Zara citron co-ord that has a top to match the pleated skirt to create a two-piece dress.

love wearing pants and jeans, and so I bat for Team Pants. Personally, I find them easier to fit, style, and wear than skirts, and more comfortable too. I prefer to keep my pants dressier and have many of those, which I wear day to day. Pants and jeans are where my style is most on-trend, and I have fun with varying silhouettes. I live in a climate that is conducive to wearing pants and jeans year round across a range of fabric weights and lengths. I enjoy wearing pants suits too. Here’s my current collection of pants and jeans.

Zara
Cotton Print Pants
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Top Pick
13
Everlane
The Way-High Jean
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Top Pick
14
Everlane
The Arc Jean
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Top Pick
18

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Skirt or Team Pants? Since it’s the Thanksgiving weekend, you can bat for both teams, so no Team Bench. I bet Team Pants will win this race!

We at YLF wish those in the US a wonderful Thanksgiving. We hope your long weekend is festive, peaceful, filled with good health, fab food, and laughter. We’ll be back on Friday with a roundup.

Lengths Can Make or Break Outfit Proportions

Troubleshoot problematic outfit proportions by examining and adjusting the lengths of items in your outfit. Tops, bottoms, and dresses might need to be shorter, or longer to create proportions that feel best. A couple of inches can make all the difference. 

Lengths and Proportions

Too short, and a top can make you feel wider or too exposed if the hem hits you at the wrong point on your body. Too long, and a top can look unattractive with a skirt or wider pants. Shorten a top by semi- or fully tucking it into bottoms, or by having it altered.

Bottoms that are too short can shorten the leg line. Dresses and skirts can feel unflattering when they expose too much (or not enough) leg. Cropped pants can look unintentional when they are too long. Desirable lengths can greatly improve an outfit.

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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Wearing Trends a Second Time Around

Fashion repeats itself. So much so that as we get older, we see the same trends come through two or three times in our lifetime. I was born in 1970, which makes me a child of the ‘70s, a teen of the ‘80s, and a young adult of the ‘90s. Five decades later, and I’ve seen ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s fashion repeat themselves more than once. 

The question is whether you’ll re-wear the trends you wore decades before. Some feel it’s best not to revisit them, but generally, my answer is YES. I’ll happily re-wear trends I wore before if I like them, they work with my current style goals, and make me feel as fab now as they did back then. In fact, I’ll make a point of doing it because it’s nostalgic, playful, fun, and makes me smile. On some level I get a big kick out of reliving my youth by wearing the same things I wore back then. Hopefully in a more grown-up, elegant and chic way the second or third time round.

Of course, there are trends I thoroughly enjoyed as a child, teen and young adult that I prefer not to repeat at age 53 because they’re too revealing, juvenile, unpolished, unstructured, or the vibe simply doesn’t appeal to me anymore. My style preferences have moved on, and these trends don’t create the same joy they used to.

Finally, there are trends that I wore decades ago that take time for me to warm to the second time around. For example, when skinny jeans came back in 2006, I resisted them for a season then fell in love all over again. I felt similar about higher rise pants and jeans, which after wearing low and mid-rises for decades felt very off. That said, once I found a perfect pair, I was hooked and haven’t looked back.

In some ways our styles are evolving, but in other ways they stay the same. And sometimes we come full circle. Over to you. Do you like to wear a trend on its second or third time around?

Outfit Formula: Off-Kilter Skirt Looks

It’s more of a skirt season than I expected. Go Team Skirt! Lengths from micro mini to maxi, and every length in between are on-trend. There are countless ways to style skirts these days as wearers prioritize comfort, work with what they have in their wardrobes, stay warm in Winter, and do their own thing. The results are creative and interesting. 

Here’s a smattering of off-kilter skirt outfits. Combinations are unexpected, playful, interesting, and in many ways quite practical. Some looks are more structured than others.

Juxtaposing dressy items with casual ones is one of the defining themes of our current fashion era, so you’ll see a lot of that. Statement socks are on-trend so you’ll see a lot of that too. There’s pairing body warmers, puffers, and belted jackets with skirts. Wearing neckties with shirts. Bomber jackets with ball gowns. Cowboy boots with corporate skirts. Oversized layers with pleats, sweatshirts with bling, and plaid tops with sequin skirts. Any type of footwear goes. From heeled pumps, strappy sandals, and dressy tall boots, to booties, stompy boots, riding boots, western boots, flats, loafers, Mary Janes, mules and sneakers.

On to outfits that might inspire your styling techniques. Choose any colour palette.

1. Puffered Sequins

A sequin pencil skirt is paired with a fitted, sheer and tucked mesh turtleneck. A bright, short and fitted cobalt cardigan is buttoned through and worn as a top. Its V-neck allows the mesh top to shine through. Black opaque tights and pumps give the effect of tall dressy boots, and bookend the model’s black hair. The lot is topped with a very short and shiny black puffer jacket. It’s worn open to showcase the blue cardigan.

Puffered Sequins

2. Shirted Sweatshirt

Wearing fashion sweatshirts with all sorts of skirts is a way to dress them down. They can also be more breezy and comfy than a woolly sweater. This look combines two casual pieces with three dressy ones. The sweatshirt and sporty skirt are very casual. The button-through shirt, structured bag, and mules are dressy. I like how the white shirt picks up the white slogan on the sweatshirt, and adds a crisp and strict touch. I’d have left the sweatshirt untucked for a relaxed vibe. The black complement of shoes and bag works well with the model’s hair.

Feel free to leave off the shirt, and stick to sweatshirt and skirt. Add bling to dress things up.

Shirted Sweatshirt

3. Cosy Satin

A buttery and dressy satin bias-cut skirt is paired with a cosy, long and roomy burgundy pullover. I’d have scrunched the sleeves to create structure because “skin = structure”. That said, when it’s cold, arm coverage is fab. The long sweater gives the silhouette a dropped-waist integrity. Black fishnet hosiery adds a textural touch. Wearing sandals with hosiery is on-trend, although feel free to wear closed shoes. The gold sandals here work well with the buttery tone of the skirt. I see a gold necklace of sorts to finish off the look.

Cosy Satin

4. Maximal

This is genius outfit composition, and as maximal as a festive Christmas tree. It may not be your cup of tea, yet its creativity deserves appreciation. Wild, and to my eye successful pattern, colour, texture, and proportional silhouette mixing. A red and white button-through shirt is worn under a cream Scottie Christmas sweater. Those layers are worn over a billowing blue and green tartan taffeta skirt. Red socks are worn inside black and cream haute hiking boots with red laces to match. The cream vamps of the boots match the cream sweater and pearl earrings. The lot is topped with a short black sequin jacket, and red tartan scarf tied inside the shirt collar. The black in most of the outfit components helps pull the look together. The only thing missing is a terrier under the wearer’s arm.

Maximal