Here’s a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of shopping both in stores and online. Have I missed anything? Please add your point of view in the comments. 

Store Shopping

Pros:

• You can see and feel the item, which gives you a great indication of quality, cut and colour straight off the bat.
• You do not need to purchase the item in order to fit it on. If it doesn’t work out, you can leave it in the dressing room.
• You can enjoy the ambiance and social nature of the retail experience.
• The sales staff (if they are helpful).

Cons:

• Traipsing to brick and mortar stores is a time-consuming and tiring process.
• You are restricted to shopping within store hours.
• Lack of variety.
• Some stores are crowded and overwhelming.
• The sales staff (if they are annoying).

Online Shopping

Pros:

• You can make a purchase at any time. The convenience and ease of this shopping process cannot be beat. 
• Larger variety of merchandise, which means that you can often find particular items in very specific sizes online that you can’t find in stores. 
• The ability to compare prices instantly.
• Sometimes items are cheaper online than they are in physical stores.

Cons:

• You have to purchase the item to fit it on.
• You end up returning a lot of items because you couldn’t judge them accurately using the photo.
• Shipping costs are sometimes a factor.
• Shopping on the Internet is sometimes a little too easy, potentially leading to unnecessary purchases. 

There is no question that online shopping has revolutionized the fashion and retail industry by enabling more people to shop. I do shop online for footwear in particular because there is a better assortment online. I also like online only sites like YOOX and Shopbop. And every so often I find exactly what I am looking for on Amazon.

But I am still Team Store all the way. I love the hustle and bustle, and being able to see and fit things on before purchasing them. I also love getting out, walking around in a city looking at shops and soaking up the atmosphere. It’s social and appeals to my love of urban life.

What are your main reasons for shopping either in store or online, and which do you prefer? 

It’s also known as the boyfriend denim jacket because it’s roomy all over, as if you “borrowed it from your boyfriend”. The look is fringe for now.

I like oversized clothing, and support the trend wholeheartedly. But when it comes to the quintessential denim jacket, I’m not sold on the big version yet. Perhaps I’ll get used to the look over time, but for the moment I much prefer the tailored rendition. And often, I prefer tailored denim jackets quite cropped too. 

That said, I do like oversized denim vests, which would be these jackets sans their sleeves. That version is more structured somehow, and a fun topper to wear in high Summer over soft fabrications. So I guess it’s the oversized sleeves in thick stiff fabric that are not my cup of tea. What’s your verdict?

Full skirts were never out of style, but form fitting pencil skirts have dominated the fashion scene for several seasons. The change has been building for a while, but this season the full skirt is retaking the limelight. 

Whether they are cut on the bias, layered with tulle, pleated, box-pleated, gathered, paneled, ruffled, inset with godets, or circular, full skirts are voluminous from the waist or hipbone down. Made of hard or soft fabric, they move as you stride and swish from side to side. The silhouette is conventionally feminine and quite dramatic.  

I LOVE full skirts, have four, and don’t believe they have an expiry date. I prefer them just below the knee because the effect is elegant, but also sport lengths on and just above the knee. There is something about their romance, movement and drape that makes me happy when I wear them. Having a stye that is equal parts ladylike and androgynous, I am as into wearing twirly full skirts with dainty pointy toed shoes as I am into sporting trousers with masculine footwear. 

My clients run the gamut when it comes to full skirts. Some love them for the same reasons that I do. Some feel that it is the most flattering silhouette for their pear shaped figures. Some feel that they look juvenile, prissy, fussy and overly feminine in a full skirt. Some feel that it makes them look larger than they are and stick to sleek pencil skirts. Some prefer to wear dresses over skirts. Some don’t wear skirts of any description. And some like the idea of wearing full skirts, but have a hard time matching them up with tops. 

Granted, pencil skirts are easier to style because they work with untucked tops, and with both fitted and roomy top silhouettes. Full skirts are tricker, especially if you don’t want to tuck tops into skirts but you do want to define your waist. You have to find a top that is short and tight enough to do the job, which is a tall order. Or belt a longer one at the waist. And as some of the photos below show, wearing roomy tops over a full skirt is “sack-like” and not everyone’s cup of tea. 

I’m seldom stuck with what top to wear with a full skirt because I match them with one of my wardrobe essentials. I either tuck in a button down shirt, wear a tucked or untucked, form fitting turtleneck, or pop a buttoned-up denim jacket or cropped moto jacket over a layering top. Every so often I play around with a new silhouette, like an oversized cropped lace blouse.

The only problem right now is that most of the full skirts at retail are mini length. This is a great look for those who like to showcase their gams, but it’s definitely not for me. I won’t go shorter than a length that brushes the top of my knee-cap and that’s that. Longer length full skirts are a rare breed at the moment, and actually this makes no sense at all. Runway shows are showcasing skirts in an assortment of lengths. Why can’t retailers follow suit? Here’s hoping that longer full skirts will appear at retail alongside their mini cousins very soon.   

What are your feelings on wearing full skirts? Do you like to wear them short or a little longer? Or do you prefer to wear straight skirts, period.

It is quite popular on the YLF forum for members to describe their style using a short, catchy descriptor like “Urban Warrior Princess”. In the past I used a set of fashion personas as a shorthand for describing the styles that my clients tend towards, but these new descriptors are better because they don’t come from a fixed list and people are adding new ones all the time. This means that they are more descriptive and more personal than the fashion personas ever were.

Style descriptors like these are lighthearted and fun, but they are also functional. The process of thinking about your style descriptor might help you to narrow down and articulate your style goals — an important tool for effective shopping. They are also a way to quickly communicate your style to others.

And did I mention they were FUN. We recently had a creative explosion of style descriptors on the forum and here are some of the ones that emerged: Elegant Eclectic, Sleek Urban Princess, Bohemian Prairie Girl, Rocker Warrior Queen, Gamine Eclectic, Business Bombshell, Arty Eclectic, Earthy Urban Chic, Modern Classic Queen, Romantic Diva, Sci-fi Urban Knight, Urban Pretty, Urban Prince, Fun Flirty Princess, Steampunk Girly Tomboy, Cycle Chic Tomboy, Quirky Warrior Waif, Elegant Tomboy, Boho Preppy Queen, Funky Prepster, Pacific Urban, Trendy Fashionista, Bohemian Hippie and Eclectic Princess.

So if you like the idea, have a bash at coining your own style descriptor and tell us about it in the comments section. Feel free to remix the descriptors above, or even use one of them as is if it captures your style. And be sure to tell us why it suits you.