As my very last post of 2016, here are some thoughts to wrap up the year of style, fashion and retail. My musings are completely subjective, so feel free to agree, disagree, or add to the list. There are no right or wrong answers and it’s all in good fun. 

My Highlight of the Year: Ten FABULOUS years of YLF, and a very special gift. Greg and I were absolutely blown away. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude, but our hearts are full and we feel very appreciated. THANK YOU.

Fashion Highlight of the Year: Shopping with in-house fashion stylist Greg for my birthday, and a new pearl wedding ring with matching bracelet. 

Favourite Red Carpet Look: Olivia Munn in a poppy off-the-shoulder gown. 

Best Super Hero: Batsam.

Buzzword for 2016 Fashion & Style: PERSONAL. 

Favourite Fashion Trends: Modern Retro, Cropped Bottoms, Waist Definition.

Trends I Unexpectedly Fell in Love With: Maximalism and High Fashion Puffer Coats.

Worst Fashion Trends: The ones that don’t make you happy. 

Most Celebrated Body Part of the Year: The alluring ankle.

Best Body Type: A healthy one. 

Best Skincare Workout: Caudalie products and yoga.

Favourite Make-Up Trick: Tight lining.

Best Wardrobe Basics: Uniqlo’s Heattech underwear and socks. 

Best $68 I spent on Footwear: Chuck Taylor All Star Faux Fur Chelsea Sneakers. Super cute, comfy, classic, and graphic. Grippy soles for rain and ice. High shafts for ankle coverage. Fleece lining for warmth. Laces to fit narrow ankles. Gold elastic and grommets for magpies. Combined with Uniqlo’s Heattech socks, I was very comfortable on our snowy getaway. 

Nordstrom

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Faux Fur Chelsea Sneaker (Women)

$89.95

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Retailers with the Best Customer Service: Amazon and Zappos. It’s hard to beat their (often free) next day shipping and swift processing of returns. And Amazon will credit your return BEFORE they’ve received it.

Retailer Shout-Outs: Nordstrom’s Underwear, Sleepwear and Hosiery departments at the Flagship store in Seattle. The permanent staff offer helpful and accurate advice when purchasing what can be tricky wardrobe items.  

Most Saturated Items at Retail: Distressed and torn denim, oversized tops, too short dresses, and overly tight skinnies. 

Best Movie of the Year: Sing Street.

Biggest Missed Opportunities at Retail: Trendy items that are tailored but not overly tight, and trendy silhouettes in sizes US14 and up. 

Best “New” Colours: Earth tones. 

Favourite Way to Accumulate Steps in a Day: Shop.

Best Way to Look Stylish in Extreme Temperatures: Stay indoors. 

Favourite Photographer: Greg, because he creates the most beautiful images with impeccable attention to detail and a lot of heart.

Best Online Community: YLF!

The Best Part of 2016 Fashion: Its diverse assortment and commitment to comfort.

Best Pin of the Year: Queen Elizabeth with her corgis. 

Best Way to get the Biggest Bang for Your Fashion Buck: Wear the heck out of your beautiful clothes. 

Favourite Style Tips: Be patient with your style, listen to how you feel in an outfit, and never stop having fun with fashion. 

We at YLF wish you a happy and peaceful New Year.

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For the most part, my style came back home this year. Home isn’t exactly what it was before, because my style has evolved since the last time I had similar style sensibilities. But it’s home nonetheless, and feels really good. 

I started moving away from simple, strict, and less structured tomboy outfits at the beginning of 2015, and I’m still on that leg of my style journey. At the end of 2015, I changed my aspirational style persona to something I call “Urban Pretty”, which emphasizes the soft, ladylike, structural, polished and pretty components of an outfit. In 2016 I continued to embrace this direction. I’m back to loving romantic flounces, ruffles, structure, scarves, necklaces, and all things pretty. Goodbye button-down shirt, and hello blouse. 

As I reflect about my style over the last year, five things come to mind.

1. Retro 

I had a strong Modern Retro element to my style when we started YLF ten years ago, and I’m thrilled to have come full circle in 2016. I thoroughly enjoy wearing retro silhouettes from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s because they’re my favourite fashion eras. As a sentimental person, these silhouettes increase the happy factor of an outfit. 

2. Pearl Fun

I LOVE PEARLS. After a five year hiatus, I am back to wearing my chunky pearl necklaces several times a week. The pearls have to be a shade of white, because that’s the colour I like best. Nice and bright, matches the colours that run through my hair and most of my footwear, and is low contrast against my pale collection. I also amped up my pearl wearing style this year by wearing a new pearl wedding ring and bracelet on a daily basis.

3. Hair Fun

I grew out my fringe for a year and a half and sported my hair both straight and wavy throughout 2016. I thoroughly enjoyed the romantic waves for seven months, which was just what I needed to change things up. By the end of September I grew tired of the fringe and chopped it off. I’m back to sporting a short polished pixie, which is where I want to stay for now.

4. Frocks

2016 was my year of the frock, and I added eight of them to my dress capsule. Wow. That’s a first for jeans-and-trouser-loving me. Despite the fact that I complain about the dress assortment at retail level, I managed to find items that fit well and are a pleasure to wear. Of course, that only happens when you’re not looking for dresses. Sometimes your unplanned purchases are just what you need to inject newness into your look. Go Team Dress! 

J.Crew

Long-sleeve multicolored tweed dress with fringe

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Nordstrom

Utility Midi Shirtdress

$100.00 $45.97

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Nordstrom

Linen Popover Shirtdress (Regular & Petite)

$69.00

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Neiman Marcus

Ophelia Short-Sleeve Lace Sheath Dress

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Ann Taylor

Side Button Sweater Dress

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Ann Taylor

Wave Sweater Dress

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Zara

Frilled Dress With Floral Patch

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Ann Taylor

Fluted Sleeve Dress

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I wore dresses throughout the year, and tweaked my style goals along the way. Thanks to a new pair of tailored and tall ink blue boots that I bought in London, I can now wear dresses with hosiery in colder weather. 

5. Maximal

I was done with minimal outfits by February, but hadn’t realized it yet. The maximal trend in both Spring and Fall had worked its magic, and soon I was pattern mixing, layering, adding accessories, and looking for garments with intricate detail. Adding pearl necklaces to my outfits, along with green specs, created a maximal look all of its own.

Of all the outfits that I posted on YLF this year, the ones below were my favourites. My birthday blue lace dress holds top position, while the other four are tied for second place. Lace, white pearls, metallics, shine, tomato red, sour yellows, ink blue, white jeans, dark denim, dainty footwear, white footwear, pretty blouses, green specs, Ray-Ban sunnies, modern classic patterns, retro styling, ankle straps, and a nod to fashionable trends. These all made me happy in 2016.

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Another year and a few hundred more posts on YLF. That’s a lot of writing, pictures, and comments from our readers. WOW. Comment count isn’t a perfect indicator of post value, but it’s interesting to see which posts generated the most discussion. 

Here are the posts that received more than 80 comments:

• A Retro Cape for the New Year   
• Your List of Wardrobe Essentials  
• Challenging Your Environmental Norm  
• Modern Mod & Casual Pearls  
• Fringe Trend: Oversized Long over Oversized Cropped  
• Winter Neutrals & Wavy Hair  
• Trend: The Pajama Party  
• A Wild Card Spring Tweed Suit  
• Ensemble: The Ultimate Power Suit  
• Reasons to Have a Denim Light Style  
• Ten Fabulous Years of YLF!  
• My Ten Favourite Beauty Tips  
• Matchy-Matchy Floral Workhorses  
• Five Reasons Why Dresses Are Less Popular  
• Taking a Stand with My Summer Body  
• Happy Memories on Mother’s Day  
• Creating a Small Capsule For My Citron Trousers 
• Camisole Style  
• My Amazing and Adorable Papa  
• Blue Birthday Lace & Pearls  (in top position with 190 comments)
• Wear Your Wonderful Wardrobe Items!  
• Seasonally Confused Outfits  
• A Very Special Gift  
• Your Toenail Polish Style  
• Birthday Blue Top and Jeans Become Favourites  
• Trend: Extended Sleeves  
• Team Boutique or Team Department Store  
• The Aversion to Culottes  
• Tops That Ran Out of Fabric   
• 20 Trends for Fall & Winter 2016  
• An Ink Gilet in LA with Sam  
• Universal Fit Challenges  
• Fall & Winter Trend: Embroidery  
• The Short Strap Crossbody Bag  
• Keep Your Tall Boots  
• Team Warm or Team Cool Colours  
• The Popularity of Purple  
• Earthy and Comfy for Thanksgiving  
• Why Skirts & Dresses Aren’t Coming Out For the Holidays  
• Winter Hats For the Hat Averse  
• Twenty Years and a New Pearl Ring  
• Compliments of the Season in Crazy Stripes 

Here are the posts that didn’t get as much discussion, but that I thoroughly enjoyed writing. I am most proud of the posts that break down an abstract or tricky subject into tangible and helpful advice that can  easily be put into practice.

• 10 Stylish Resolutions for 2016 (my favourite post of 2016 and relevant every day) 
• How to Add a New Colour to Your Wardrobe  
• Healthy Is the Best Body Type  
• The Most Important Style Tip of All  
• A Modern Approach to Fit: Four Silhouettes  
• The Shifting Goal Posts of Conventional Figure Flattery  
• Five Minutes Is Sometimes All It Takes  
• When Your Style Comes Back Home  
• Seven Reasons to Love Fashion & Style  
• Looks That Become the New Normal  
• Gen X and Peak Denim  
• How to Create a Mix & Match Capsule  
• Aging Is a Privilege  
• Travel Capsule for a Ten Day Trip  
• Learn From My Shopping Mistakes 

The most celebratory and sentimental post of 2016 deserves a shout-out because I laughed and cried for hours while writing it:

Ten Fabulous Years of YLF!  

A few months later, it was followed by the most emotional and tear-jerking post of the year:

A Very Special Gift  

And last but not least, YLF has quite a large Facebook following with 210 thousand followers. The Friday ensemble posts create the most excitement and engagement on Facebook, and these were the top performers: 

Ensemble: Light Blue, White & Pearl Grey (865 Likes)

Ensemble: Coral, Blush, Cream, Taupe & Ink Blue (608 Likes)

Over to you. What were your favourite posts in 2016?

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Cori is a designer and a Mum of four who lives in Seattle. She documents her outfits over at Dress Cori Lynn. Her style is feminine Modern Classic mixed with preppy, trendy, romantic, and lots of polish Our 4’11” tall blogger likes stripes, plaid, bright colours and quirky prints. She also enjoys sporting jeans and romantic dresses, and spices things up with fun footwear.

Check out this casual denim look if you need further proof that petites can wear maxi cardigans. 4’11” tall Cori is sporting distressed skinny jeans with an untucked utility shirt that hits her at the hip. She’s rolled the faded jeans to show the entire bootie and a bit of ankle, which creates structure. The just-below-the-knee cardigan adds cosiness and visual interest. A great third piece to make a casual outfit look more pulled together. The cardigan is a heavier gauge knit but doesn’t overwhelm Cori because it’s fitted on the shoulders and streamlined on the hips and legs. Suede peep-toe booties with a stacked heel add on trend texture. The structured tote in warm cognac works well with the cool-toned cardi and footwear. Dark nail polish and Cori’s long wavy hair finish off the look.

There’s something about a pair of red trousers that’s just so cheerful! Our blogger has tucked a blue and white striped long-sleeved tee into cotton sailor pants. The tee’s fluid fit and red “voyager” slogan give the outfit an extra fun nautical touch. The subtly flared trousers with button detailing on the pockets are the perfect length to wear with high-heeled white sandals. A white satchel further pulls the outfit together, while the classic trench suits the preppy vibe wonderfully.

You don’t have to be tall to wear a high-contrast long tunic with flats. All you need to do is sport it at a shorter length to balance our proportions. Cori built this romantic look around a statement A-line blouse. Her white lace hem peasant tunic features tonal embroidery and vertical ladder stitching. Pairing the blouse with cropped skinnies that finish two inches above the ankle bone creates flattering proportions. The pointy toe of the delightfully quirky gingham d’Orsay flats lengthens the leg line. The larger size crossbody bag is unexpected, and the white makes it look extra fresh.

The moody floral pattern makes this Thanksgiving look for me. It’s romantic and dramatic at the same time. Opting for wine-coloured opaque tights instead of the more unexpected black makes the outfit sing even louder. And it’s extra festive for the occasion. Layering a cream silky blouse with puff sleeves under the sheath dress adds warmth and picks up the lighter colours in the dress. So does Cori’s trusted crossbody bag. The black patent double ankle strap pumps bring a tad of sheen and a retro vibe to the outfit. For outside Cori throws on a black wool coat. Our blogger’s straightened hair and polished make-up are the perfect finishing touches.

A bold shoe in a bright colour can elevate a simple tee and jeans outfit to the next level. I also love white and light grey together, in all seasons. For this casual Summery Mum-on-the-Go look, Cori has semi-tucked a fluid fit T-shirt into lightweight cropped skinnies. Pairing this relaxed combo with bright red flat sandals makes the outfit sizzle. The fringed strap and tassel-embellished wraparound laces are so girly fun! Throwing in a tote in a matching red makes it extra sassy. White nail polish echoes the white jeans. Cori completes the outfit with cat eye sunnies and a watch with two-toned strap for a fun nautical touch.

When you live in Seattle it’s smart to have a cosy rainy weather outfit on hand. Cori is wearing a warm cable knit sweater with blue skinnies. Skinny jeans are a practical option because they can easily be tucked into tall boots that prevent soggy hems. The classic Hunter rubber boots are puddle-proof, so perfect for outings with the kids. Cori recommends trying the children’s size because the shorter shaft height works better for shorter legs. A waterproof hooded raincoat in a vibrant yellow keeps our blogger dry and adds cheer on a gloomy day. The blue and white striped lining provides a preppy maritime touch. A cream pompom beanie matches the sweater. Dark red lippie and bright red nail polish are all that’s needed to finish off the look and look extra polished.

What do you think of Cori’s fab style? Let us know in the comments, and check out the rest of her outfits on her blog, Dress Cori Lynn.

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