An effective, efficient and enjoyable personal style is sustainable and ethical, individual, manageable, practical, authentic and therapeutic (or SIMPAT for short.) A common thread through these elements is that they are personal. This is obvious when it comes to your style being individual, authentic and therapeutic. But it’s also true for the ways your style is sustainable, ethical, manageable and practical. The decisions are very personal.

Here are three things you can do to amp up the personal in your personal style. In my experience, doing these things will give you confidence and a sense of ease in your outfits, and will help you to make good decisions about your wardrobe.

1. Do Your Own Thing

Almost anything goes these days. And as trends become less influential, creating a signature style and evolving it over time becomes more important. Wear the trends, don’t wear them, remix them, repeat them, or reinvent them. Or stick to iconic items and modern classics. It’s all good.

Soul search a little about this if you need to. The way you pull yourself together each day should be in line with your beliefs, values, and personality. Strive to create a style that is genuine and true to who you are as a person. It’s also easier to manage a style that is authentically you.

2. Wear What You Love

Make sure you like what you wear, and don’t worry too much about what others think. Select a few people from your life whose opinions matter and seek their advice when you’re unsure. This is harder to do within the confines of restrictive dress codes, mandatory uniforms, and even the expectations of your audience. But it helps that fashion trends and dress codes are becoming less important.

There are ways to stretch dress code guidelines so that they work in your favour if you’re clever about it. For example, my clients who are not allowed to wear jeans to work have successfully managed to wear crisp and tailored dressed up black, white, and dark blue jeans to the office (and are complimented on their looks.) Add a bit of black and white pattern to an all-black dress code, or wear comfy fashion sneakers under a dressy pair of full-length wide leg pants to keep them hidden. If you like to wear cool jewel tones but look better in warm earth tones – combine the two in an outfit and keep the cool tones closer to your face. Be creative and wear the types of items you love to wear as much as possible.

3. Wear What Works

What looks good on you and makes you feel fabulous is always in style. If certain items and outfit combinations work for your lifestyle, climate, current state of mind, and make life easier and less stressful — wear them. It doesn’t matter if they aren’t on-trend or having a fashionable moment. It doesn’t matter if fashion and style influencers aren’t wearing these looks, or believe they are unstylish. What matters is that you feel good, attractive and authentic in your outfit, so much so that you forget that you’re wearing it and can happily get on with what life has to offer.

Remember that style is beyond age and size. It’s an energy, attitude and confidence that is expressed through clothing, footwear and accessories. An honest representation of yourself is always better than a fake imitation of someone else’s style.

Like many others, I’m very eager to welcome the new year. Although the US is in partial lockdown, and the global pandemic has left its ugly and heartbreaking mark, there is light at the end of the tunnel. When the first healthcare heroes received vaccinations in Seattle, Washington a couple weeks ago, I was elated and felt hope for a brighter future. We can look forward to a better Spring, a much safer Summer, and hopefully some normality by Autumn.

I am SO looking forward to working with my clients in person again, visiting my Dad in the Netherlands, starting a new project, and enjoying those all-important celebrations with family and friends that were put on hold. Emotionally, though, there are still lots of thoughts and feelings to be processed, and challenges to solve. That’s why I find January a great time to reflect, improve, make changes, make plans, set goals, and start afresh.

I don’t set new year’s resolutions, but I do make a point of thinking about my priorities and the priorities of my loved ones. I think about how I can do things in a better way and become a better person, as well as what I want to achieve in 2021. I make peace with the things that bothered me during the previous year so that I can move on with a full heart, and focus on what creates joy, positive energy, a supportive environment for others, and self-fulfillment.

I’ll be reflecting about fashion and style this month, and look forward to hearing your thoughts as you reflect with me. In the meantime, I wish you a happy, healthy, safe, and fabulous 2021 that’s full of love, laughter, fun, adventure, SIMPAT style, good eats, excellent exercise, creative endeavours, and meaningful moments. I’m excited. Onward we go!

What a year. It’s been tough and stressful, and in most ways we’ll be glad to put it behind us. Focussing on the upbeat and positive, here are some short thoughts to wrap up 2020’s style, fashion, retail, entertainment and beyond. These are merely subjective musings, so feel free to agree, disagree, and add to my list. 

Best People on the Planet: Our incomparable healthcare heroes, and especially those on the frontlines in COVID-19 ICU units. They have courageously given, and continue to give, so much of themselves physically and emotionally during the pandemic. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude for their tremendous strength, tenacity and energy.

More gratitude and appreciation goes to all other essential workers who have continued to flawlessly and tirelessly do their jobs despite complicated COVID measures and the risks of exposure. You are INCREDIBLE, and we can’t thank you enough.

Personal Highlight of the Year: Turning 50 in July. Hubs Greg, Yorkie Sam and I took the week off and did some very fun things in and around Seattle with social distancing top of mind. In particular, lots of nice walks outdoors in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Best Sanitized and Moisturized Body Part: Hands.

Best of 2020 Retail: The ongoing flash sales and discounted merchandise. If you were in the mood to shop, this was your bargain-buying year.

Retailer that Hit the Best Note During the Pandemic: Boden, because their pandemic message was sensitive and heartfelt.

Most Popular Clothes of the Year: Athleisure, gear, loungewear, and pyjamas.

Best Addition to My Style: Creating a capsule of “at-home-only footwear” that made me feel more polished and pulled together than wearing slippers all day. Wearing proper shoes while working and staying at home was also a heck of a lot more supportive, and my feet thanked me.

CEO of the Year: Sam

Best New Recipe Source for Baked Goods: Shades of Cinnamon. I’ve made the South African crunchies and Scottish shortbread multiple times because they are Cox Castle favourites. I’ve also made the malva pudding, coconut Bundt cake, gingerbread loaf, apple crumble, and savoury muffins, all of which were top notch. They are amongst the very best recipes I’ve used.

Footwear of the Year: Slippers, sneakers, clogs and Crocs.

Accessory of the Year: Masks

Best TV Show Hair: Nicole Kidman in The Undoing. She’s back to being her natural redhead self, which I prefer. Those cascading red locks are romantically beautiful and are dramatic worn either up or down. Hugh Grant’s neatly messy head of salt and pepper hair was equally fabulous.

Best TV Show Corporate Attire: Shiv Roy from TV show Succession. Another redhead who rocks earth tones with the best of them. Her impeccable modern classic and clean-cut corporate wardrobe was a highlight of the show.

Best Miniseries: The Queen’s Gambit. The captivating story and compelling characters were unique, and the fashion was in a league of its own. The outfits Beth Harmon wore in the last three episodes launched me into orbit. I want quite a few of them.

Most Fun TV Show: Ted Lasso for excellent British humour. Cobra Kai is runner up for the fab ‘80s flashbacks and because I love karate. Star Trek Discovery too, because I love the futuristic technology and strong female leads.

Best Nordic Noir TV Show: Bordertown, which plays in Finland. Dark, mysterious, eerie, and very interesting.

Best Documentary: The Social Dilemma — very thought-provoking.

Best Trends: DYOT (Do Your Own Thing,) WWW (Wear What Works,) and WWYL (Wear What You Love.)

Most Popular YLF Blog Posts

• 50 Years 
• Goodbye Gore-Tex Hi Tops 
• For Now, Weekday Posts Will Continue 
• Corporate Changes at YLF 
• Fourteen Years of YLF 

Retailers with the Most Diverse Models: Universal Standard, Knix, Warp + Weft, American Eagle, Wild Fang, Sheertex, Wray, and Alice Alexander.

Fashion and Style Buzzwords: Sustainability, Gender Fluidity, the ‘90s, Diversity, Casual Comfort, Conscious Consumption, and Size Inclusivity.

The Best Way I Changed My Beauty Routine: Leaving off the tinted moisturizer. I now bat for Team Naked Skin and I’m thrilled about it.

Our Most Fun Pandemic Pastime: Finding remote beaches because going off-leash on the beach is Sam’s absolutely favourite thing to do. And we love beaches too!

Favourite New Beauty Products: These items from Vanicream.

Amazon

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser with Pump Dispenser | Fragrance, Gluten and Sulfate Free | For Sensitive Skin | 8 Fl Oz

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Top Pick

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Amazon

Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer, With Hyaluronic Acid, 5 Key Ceramides and Squalane, For Sensitive Skin, Fragrance and Gluten Free, pH-Balanced, Dermatologist Tested, 3 Ounce

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Top Pick

2

Amazon

Vanicream Sunscreen Sport Broad Spectrum SPF 35, 4 Ounces

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Top Pick

3

Amazon

Vanicream Moisturizing Ointment | 13 Ounce

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Top Pick

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Colour of the Year: Blue in all its hues. I was finally able to purchase a small turquoise capsule.

Biggest Bang for Your Fashion Buck: Wearing the heck out of your wardrobe, and feeling fabulous in it.

Favourite Style Tips: Be patient with your style. Don’t let fashion or your wardrobe boss you around. Listen to how you feel in an outfit. Compare, but don’t despair. Most of all, have fun with fashion.

We at YLF wish you a happy, safe and peaceful New Year’s Eve.

It’s the last week of 2020, and what a year it has been. The sadness, hardship, anxiety and loss that the world has felt and continues to feel is devastating. If ever there was a time to show our appreciation and gratitude, share affection, be extra thoughtful and kind, support others, enjoy the gift of giving, and fondly remember those who are no longer with us — it’s now. So whether you celebrate Christmas or not, let this be a time to feel comforted and think about the good in your lives. Cook and bake up a storm, eat your favourite foods, dress up, dress down, sing, dance, snuggle, catch up on reading and hobbies, watch tele, enjoy nature, play games, play instruments, meditate, and reach out to loved ones. Be festive your way, and make the most of it.

The residents of the Cox Castle will be having a relaxed and quiet holiday week at home in Seattle. Christmas day is Yorkie Sam’s favourite time of the year because he LOVES to open presents. His chill little persona goes from nice to naughty in a nanosecond when we start to open the presents under the tree. He does not approve of presents that aren’t toys, bones or treats. He turns his little nose up at doggy accessories, or something for me and Greg. But as soon as he gets his toys, he’s the happiest little guy and plays with them relentlessly. That puts an end to our quiet Christmas, and it’s onward to a loud and squeaky new year.

We’ll be slowing things down over the holiday, but will recommence regular weekday posting after new year’s day. We wish you a wonderfully festive season filled with good health, happy moments, fabulous style, peace in your hearts, and lots of love.