I evolved my style more in 2015 than I have in a while, and it feels really good. Spending two weeks back in my favourite city Hong Kong earlier this year was the catalyst for the evolution. I came back from that trip in February wanting to change my hair, tone down the tomboy integrity of my style, and amp up the ladylike and pretty in my outfits. And so the next leg of my style journey began. 

Growing out my hair from punky spike to softer layers and sweeping fringe was a frustrating but worthwhile process. SOFT is a keyword to my style these days, and the new ‘do effectively softened my look even before I changed my outfits. My bright green specs are in their second year, and the best eyewear of my life. The colour makes me so very, very happy when I put them on every day. I’m still looking for the right white pair of specs, and hope to find them in 2016. 

I’ve changed my style moniker to Urban Pretty because it’s become increasingly important for my outfits to feel structured, refined, polished and pretty. So the five adjectives that I’ve chosen to describe my current style are Modern, Crisp, Simple, Dressy and Soft.

Fall 2015’s Ready-to-Wear collections from Prada, Bally and J.Crew also had a big effect on my style. They made me want to experiment even more with colour, think beyond blue jeans, and add a Modern Retro element back into my outfits. In some ways this feels like coming full circle because there was a retro streak to my look back when I was in my thirties. I recently wore one of my pearl necklaces, which I haven’t touched in years, and loved it. In fact, I might even change the adjective Simple to Retro. I’m thinking about it.

It’s been an absolutely brilliant shopping year and I’ve bought many, many wild cards. Now more than ever, I’m enjoying creating outfits with a subtle or deliberate ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s vibe to them. I’ll be continuing this leg of my style journey into 2016 for as long as it feels right in my head and heart.

I’m 45 years old and have never felt better about my style, my body, and creating a wardrobe that fulfills my needs. I’m relaxed about the process and enjoy every element of it. I have more fun shopping and putting together outfits with each passing year and hope that does not change. I’m going to continue to listen to my feelings and have fun with fashion till I’m a hundred and then some. Join me!

Here are my favourite outfits of the year.

Another year with hundreds more blog posts under our belt. That’s a lot of writing, thinking, photography, and brilliant engagement from our readership in the comments section. The number of blog comments are not a reliable indicator of the value of a post — not by a long shot — but it’s interesting to see which posts generate the most discussion. 

Here are ones that received between 90 and 165 comments: 

• Earrings Style
• Peak Premium Denim
• Ensemble: Casual Light Grey and White
• Sea Foam and Wild Cards for Spring
• New Feature: Random Outfit Generator
• Happy Ninth Birthday YouLookFab!
• Tomato & Turquoise for Spring
• A New Combination of Old Items
• The Two Bag Complement for Minimalists
• Team Orange or Team Purple
• Travel Capsule for a Four Week Trip
• Watermelon Birthday Lace (most commented, with 165 comments)
• A Glam ‘70s Jumpsuit
• Sam’s Holiday Capsule

There are also some posts that didn’t generate quite as much discussion, but that I really enjoyed writing. I am most proud of the posts where I feel that I was able to break down a topic and provide helpful, tangible advice that you can easily put into practice.

The most Googled fashion designer of the year, Uniqlo’s next designer collaboration, diversity in fashion in 2015, and more fashion news that caught our attention this month.

• For the first time ever, Pantone chose two colours as the Pantone colour of the year for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity.
• For its next collaboration Uniqlo is teaming up with Liberty London.
• In other Uniqlo news: the Japanese brand’s is teaming up again with Carine Roitfeld for a second collection that will be in stores in February 2016.
• French company Veja is producing a sneaker made of recycled plastic bottles.
• Banana Republic fans will be able to buy limited-edition items straight off the runway immediately after its Fall 2016 show at New York Fashion Week on February 13.
• Earlier this month, Everlane launched “Mini“, an 11-piece collection for kids.
• According to Yahoo! Style, the Hermès Apple Watch was this year’s most talked about fashion and tech collaboration.
• London-based brand Jonathan Saunders is closing shop after the Scottish designer announced he is stepping down as creative director at his namesake label.
• Vogue published a report on how fashion fared in diversity in 2015.
• Raf Simons was the most Googled fashion designer of the year. Check out the rest of the top 10 here.
• Singer Beth Ditto is launching her own plus-size fashion line, which will be inspired by her love of prints, silks, embroidery, and vintage.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that the cup system for bras was developed in 1929 by the Maidenform Brassiere Company. (NSFW) “This new form of measurement offered more comfortable and accurate fitting, and coincided with the development of a new type of elastic thread by Dunlop chemists (Lastex), which had the flexibility and strength to offer support instead of heavy boning and lacing.”

We’ll be slowing things down this week as I recap our year of fashion and style. First up are my favourite YLF moments, of which there are of course too many to count. But five stick out most in my mind. 

The New Look YLF

YLF started the next leg of its style journey with a completely refreshed design. I love the typeface, blue header and picture-rich visual integrity. The new design’s modern, simple and friendly aesthetic makes me smile each time I use it, which is about a million times a day.

We made another big change later in the year, removing banner ads for logged in members. And members who would like to support the ongoing maintenance and development of YLF can become patrons. We haven’t reached the point where the support from patrons compensates completely for lost ad revenue, but it does feel very good to offer an ad free option.

Three International YLF Gatherings

Greg and I did a lot of international travel this year, and were welcomed with open arms by YLF’ers across the globe. The international nature of YLF is one of my favourite things about it, because our diverse backgrounds, cultures and personas are uniquely, unconditionally, and effortlessly united through fashion and style. That’s a gift that enriches my life more than I ever imagined.

We met members of the YLF community in Hong Kong, Amsterdam and London this year. The Amsterdam gathering was small, but very powerful. Liz, Inge and I marched up and down those cobbled streets like there was no tomorrow. We soaked up the style, bought treasures along the way, ate to our heart’s content, laughed up a storm, and yakked till the cows came home. It was SO much fun.

The London gathering was special in many ways. Inge and Liz travelled from Amsterdam and Antwerp to have a ball all over again. Other fabbers travelled from within the UK, Paris and Tel Aviv. With us coming through from Seattle it was indeed a global effort. We walked till our feet gave in, ate till our tummies burst, laughed till our cheekbones hurt, and enjoyed each other’s banter for hours and hours. The warmth, wit and wisdom of the women made it a brilliant day.

Sharing My Travel Capsule

Although I am an experienced packer, this was the first time that I shared exactly what I packed and wore on one of our trips. We documented my outfits on the go for an entire month as we visited family and friends in the Netherlands and England. The trip spanned a range of temperatures, activities and locations, which kept things interesting. The photo shoots in all sorts of new places kept photographer Greg happy and motivated. The capsule, the reasoning behind what I packed, and the way I remixed the outfits was well received by our readers, making it a worthwhile effort.

The Forum Fashion Era Challenge 

I challenged our forum members to create outfits that were inspired by their favourite fashion eras. So over the course of three weeks, many of our forum members did just that. They pulled out vintage pieces, wore wigs, did their hair, adjusted their make-up, and played dress up with the best of them. It was sublime, and I didn’t want the challenge to end. Our members covered most fashion eras and did it with panache. It was hard to pick a favourite but I’m going with the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s renditions because they are closest to my heart. And I’m demanding an encore for 2016.

Our Photo Shoot With Sam

Our eight month old Yorkie Sam is a natural in front of the camera. His photo shoot at home showcasing his holiday ensembles brought out his sweet disposition, playful persona and mischievous streak. It was an absolute joy prepping and styling our pint size pup with big personality. Sam is as adorable as it gets.

To cap things off, YLF recently passed 170,000 likes on Facebook, which is a lovely way to end the year.

What were your favorite YLF moments of 2015?