A long time ago I asked Angie what new feature she wanted most on YLF and her answer was “a place for collecting products for myself and for my clients“. A sort of wishlist feature. And since then many people have asked for the same thing. It took a long time to figure out exactly what a feature like this should be, but a few months ago the concept took shape, and today it finally comes to life. 

Take a look at the little card to the right of this paragraph. Angie collected that item from the Nordstrom website earlier this week. On the top right of the item’s card, you can see a little heart with a number alongside it. The number tells you how many people have collected the item. Angie collected it originally, and I know Inge did too, so the number is at least 2. If you are logged in, you can click (or tap) the little heart to add it to your own collection.

Try it now! Click the heart on the picture and you will see the number go up as the item goes into your collection. Click the heart again to remove it from your collection.

Now take a look at the bottom left of the card. If you click that little info icon a popup will appear with more details about the item. The little yellow checkmark on the top left of the item means that Angie has made it a “YLF Top Pick”.

Create and Manage Your Own Collection of Finds

If you are a YLF member, then each item you collect goes into your collection of Finds. And you and other members can see this collection on its own dedicated page. You can reach this page in four ways.

1. Click the “View Finds” link that appears under your profile picture.
2. Go to your profile page and click “Finds” under your profile picture.
3. Use the member dropdown menu at the top right of the page.
4. Go to the front page of the Finds area and click “MINE”

Collect Your Finds from Retailer Websites

But how did Angie originally collect the item from Nordstrom? There is a new YLF bookmarklet that you can add to the bookmarks bar of your web browser (in Internet Explorer the bookmarks are called “favorites”). Then when you’re on the page of a product you want to collect, you click this bookmarklet and it will pop up a window that allows you to optionally add some info and then add that item to your collection. The next time you go to your Finds collection page, it will be there waiting for you.

You can get the bookmarklet (and see instructions for using it) on the help page for the Finds area. One limitation right now is that the bookmarklet isn’t easily accessible from phones or tablets.

We are launching with support for 25 popular stores, but we will be adding new ones all the time. In fact, every time you try to collect an item from a store that isn’t supported yet, we get a little message about that. 

So to recap, there are two ways to collect items.

1. You can collect them directly from retailer websites using the bookmarklet, or
2. You can collect them by clicking the little heart icon of an item someone else collected

Searchable Fab Finds and Top Picks

In future we will be adding Finds to YLF blog posts whenever Angie considers the item to be a “Fab Find” or top pick.

For example, check out the most recent roundup post and you’ll see the items in the post, ready for collecting. This also means that going forward, every item that Angie selects will be available in searchable form in the Finds page. No more hunting around for an item you know Angie mentioned in a previous blog post.

We know that these collections are going to get quite large, quite quickly, so you can filter them by store, brand and category, and you can search for text that appears in the title or description of the item.

Add Finds to Your Forum Posts

The Finds pages and blog posts are not the only places that you will see Finds. YLF members can easily attach items that they have collected to their forum posts. Just below the post form (for new conversations AND for replies) you will now see a chooser that allows you to select Finds from your collection.

A few minutes ago I started a new conversation in the forum to show all this in action.

And of course, ANYWHERE that you see a Find — in the Finds page, in a blog post, under a forum post — you can collect it. Just click (or tap) the little heart icon and it is yours. 

To say that we have more plans for the new YLF Finds is a massive understatement. Now that the foundation is in place we’re going to move quickly to add features that we know will be useful, like the ability to group your Finds into different categories (e.g. “Considering” versus “Must Have” versus “Purchased”) and to create collections for other people (e.g. for your spouse, or your children, or in Angie’s case, for a client).

This is a big new feature and although we have done quite a bit of testing, there are sure to be teething problems. Please let us know about these bugs using the contact form, the technical support section of the forum, or by sending us email at feedback@youlookfab.com. If you have comments or questions about the feature, please leave them below or feel free to start a new thread in the forum.

Thanks to Angie for her patience in waiting so long for her wishlist feature, to Inge as always for her attention to detail in testing the new feature, and to our friend Suja for her feedback and testing. Enjoy!

Looking for new ideas on how to organize your closets? Check out the tips and tricks in these blog posts: How to Live Large With a Small Closet, 20 Ways to Organize Your Bedroom Closet and these nine closet quick fixes from Refinery29.

At a loss on how to keep shoes and accessories from cluttering up valuable space? Then 7 Chic Ways to Display Your Jewelry and 12 Life-Changing Ways to Organize Shoes and Accessories might be helpful.

Absolutely no more space in your closets? Have a look at these 5 Ways to Use Fashion Items as Home Decor. Or if you’re ready to part with items, Verily Mag suggests five organizations beyond Goodwill that accept donations.

Fab Links from Our Members

Over the years La Belle Demimondaine has read lots of articles on French Chic and how to dress like a Parisian, but she says this post on Shopping’s My Cardio really breaks it down.

If anyone is looking for bold jewellery with a history: Iris Apfel is selling 800 pieces of furniture and accessories. Laurinda found her eclectic items very interesting to browse through.

How far would you go to fit your “dream” pair of shoes? Not being a shoe junkie and not being inclined to have cosmetic surgery in general, Trix couldn’t imagine having “Cinderella surgery“, but she’s curious to hear what others think.

Angie loved browsing these fabulous maternity street style looks.

For her master thesis, Dagmar Verheij conducted research into the impact of social exclusion on compulsive buying. Vildy was one of the people who filled out the thought-provoking questionnaire, and finds the results fascinating.

This NYTimes article on the advantages of wearing oversized clothing caught Joy’s attention. They make a case for going big to look powerful and important and as a reaction to shrunken and fitted.

British online retailer Boden is expanding their presence in the US, so they asked us to participate in a campaign by using the sights of a major American city as the backdrop for some Boden outfit photography. We chose Boston, because Greg and I love the city. And because it has a preppy integrity that seems a perfect match for Boden’s distinctive style. 

I selected products from the Boden Spring catalogue, putting together a denim-friendly mix-and-match smart casual capsule made up of modern classics and on trend pieces across solids and stripes. Some of the fits are tailored and some are fluid. I chose dark blue boyfriend jeans, skinny white jeans, the Darcy sweater in ivory and deep blue, the Blenheim blazer in navy and navy stripe, a stripy sweatshirt, the Holland Park coat, gold boho booties and a lemon bowling bag. The blazers, skinnies and bowling bag are modern classics. The boyfriend jeans, upscale sweatshirt, fluid pullovers with high-low hemline, and gold booties are trendier pieces. The coat looks as classic and retro as it does modern with its roomier fit. 

For shooting our mini travel guide I wore my favourite combinations from the capsule, showcasing them at different locations in Boston at different times of the day. Our first stop on the city map was Boston’s Back Bay neighbourhood, which is full of historic landmarks, shops and eateries. It’s also a gorgeous residential area that looks over the water to neighbouring Cambridge, the home of world renowned academic institutions like Harvard and MIT. Below you can see the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, a wonderful greenway that runs the length of Back Bay alongside Commonwealth Avenue, all the way to the Public Garden. The statues and memorials along the mall reinforce Boston’s historical atmosphere.

Here I am wearing white skinnies with an untucked, roomy upscale sweatshirt, gold booties, and yellow satchel. The rise of the jeans is higher than I am used to, which is why I kept the top untucked. I topped off the lot with the striped Park coat, keeping the front open to elongate the outfit. The combination of subtle and bold stripe in the same colour family feels modern, as does cuffing the jeans to showcase the bootie.

I can’t talk about Back Bay without mentioning Newbury Street, which is full of wonderful shopping, from boutiques to large chains and high-end designers. Also in the neighbourhood are two beautiful churches: Trinity Church overlooking Boston’s famous Copley Square, and The Mother Church alongside a reflecting pool.

Our next stop was South End. This is where Greg and I had rented an apartment and it turned out to be one of our favourite neighbourhoods. It is a wonderful combination of residential and commercial. Lovely row houses on tree lined streets right around the corner from posh shops and the best restaurants. Tremont Street, in particular, is home to many fantastic eateries and we sampled many of them, from the quirky Metropolis Cafe to B&G Oysters, a go-to place for New England lobster rolls. They were as delicious as they look.

Here, I paired the same white skinnies, stripy sweatshirt, gold booties and yellow bag with a navy blazer. The topper is the only difference between the two outfits, making it a dash more classic and breezy. The blazer is tipped with a micro stripe which works well with the stripe of the top. Its tailored fit is conventionally flattering. The low one-buttoned stance adds a modern and relaxed touch.

With our next two stops we decided to celebrate Boden’s British heritage. First, a British pub: the Elephant & Castle in downtown Boston, which is conveniently located for thirsty bankers from the nearby financial district. I had my pub lunch staple of fish ’n chips, and Greg had bangers and mash. Both dishes were yummy, and the vibe in the pub was fun and festive.

This time round, I wore relaxed dark denim boyfriend jeans with deep blue roomy pullover, creating a column of colour under the dramatic striped coat. The gold booties and yellow bag stayed the same. This outfit was even more comfortable than the first two because none of the pieces are tailored. Fluid for a change of pace. 

Walking back to Boston Common we passed the impressive Massachusetts State House, a stunning building and home to a statue of John F. Kennedy.  It’s amazing how the historical culture of Boston is alive in every part of the city. Not only is it visually attractive, but there are fascinating stories behind each building, park and statue. And it was fun how the gold dome of the State House matched my booties.

Last stop on the map was the Langham Hotel for a very British High Tea. Having a civilized cuppa with yummy goodies in tranquil surroundings rates as one of my top ten things to do, and The Tiffin at Langham did not disappoint. It was extremely soothing as we savoured every bite and enjoyed each other’s company. Wedgwood fine bone china, strong tea, fluffy scones, and dainty delights went down well after hours of city walking.

I wore the same dark denim boyfriend jeans that I wore to the pub, but paired them with an untucked roomy cream high-low pullover and micro striped seersucker blazer this time round. I can’t tell you why, but wearing a seersucker blazer to High Tea felt spot on.

Needless to say there is a lot more to Boston than we could ever hope to cover here. Theatre, museums, historical sites, shopping and eating — Boston really has it all. To cap it off, everyone we met was welcoming and friendly. Not to mention dog-friendly. There are people walking their dogs around every corner, and that’s one of the things I loved most of all. Saying hi to doggies along the way brought tremendous joy to our wonderful time in Boston. 

Visit the same places we did on the map below:

Looking back on April for our recap newsletter I realized that it was all about casual. I wrote several posts relevant to business casual, and Inge’s outfit blogger series featured three different takes on casual chic from Chicago, Antwerp and Sonoma. If you subscribe to the newsletter, then it’s probably already in your inbox. 

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