Veteran member Jenava suggested to Greg that a day of camera fun was in order. Naturally Greg, who is passionate about photography, welcomed the idea. So with cameras in hand, local Seattle YLF’ers Jenava, Kari, Aida, Amy and Phoebe met with Greg and me at scenic Alki Beach last Saturday on what turned out to be a glorious Spring day. 

Phoebe brought fresh warm donuts to get our sugar levels going right at the start of the meet. Good thinking, Phoebe! The purpose of the meet was to sharpen our photo taking skills. So everyone practiced snapping photos of each other against different backdrops with different light exposures and camera settings while sharing advice along the way. There were lots of individual outfit photos, group photos, photos taken in the sun, in the shade, zoomed in, zoomed out,  photos with and without a depth of field, photos of smiles, growls, frowns and sexy face. So fun. I was the only one without a camera, but I did make myself useful by providing the odd  pose and offering moral support. 

As with all YLF gatherings, there is spades of laughter, admiration for each other’s outfits, non-stop chit chat, and a very delicious midday meal. After a couple of hours of photo taking, we all recharged at Cactus for yummy Tex-Mex cuisine. Jalapeno lemonade, Margaritas, tacos, enchiladas, salsa and guacamole went down extremely well. 

Laptops in hand, we then moved to Starbucks where we looked at some of the photos that had been taken that morning. Post processing tips — like how to correct the white balance, create colour contrasts, add overlays, and sharpen images — were shared. There were several aha moments, even for Greg! 

Below is an assortment of photographs, by and of the individuals at the meet-up. Big thank you to Jenava for organizing the day. I thoroughly enjoyed the different flavour of this gathering and watching all the pretty lady photographers in action. And Greg, of course.

Warby Parker is a popular online site that sells eyewear, and I’ve heard good things about their product and online shopping experience. But it’s the offshoot of that site called Warby Barker, which sells stylish eyewear for dogs, that really grabbed my attention. Apparently the specs are made of chew resistant acetate. The enchanting poses of the canines speak for themselves. 

I don’t know if the site is for real, but the video footage of the photoshoot was entertaining. My goodness — such well behaved models.

This is our friend Morgan, who together with Greg created the iPhone and Android apps for YLF. Greg snapped this photo while he was snuggling up to a little doggie in sunglasses who was passing by. Morgan is super cute, but this little pup gives him serious competition.

Popular British and American television shows like “What Not To Wear” were all the rage ten years ago, encouraging us to identify our body type and follow the prescribed dressing rules. Countless books told us that it was trendy, fashionable and cool to follow body type dressing rules. Using clothing, footwear and accessories to balance out bodily proportions, accentuate good features while camouflaging so-called flaws was the way to create a sense of style. 

YouLookFab, was born in 2006 when adhering to body type dressing rules was at its peak. As a fashion stylist who makes a living dressing all sorts of body types, I shared my guidelines on body type dressing within the first month. Over the years I’ve updated the guidelines to keep abreast with changing fashions.

Like most things in life, our thoughts about a particular topic evolve over time, as mine have done with body type dressing rules. We are in the midst of what I think of as the most uninhibited, unprescribed and democratic of fashion eras. More than ever before, outfit creativity and individualism is applauded. There are extremely stylish people bending and breaking body type dressing rules ALL THE TIME.

To some degree, dressing for your body type has become unfashionable and uncool — the polar opposite of what it was a decade ago. 

Over the years I have placed far less emphasis on the importance of body type dressing rules because the idea of sticking to a prescribed way of dressing seems dated in itself. No one wants to have their creativity stifled. No one wants to feel boxed into a particular set of clothing silhouettes when our souls yearn for freedom and independence. Body type dressing rules, as much as they are meant to have a positive problem solving integrity, can also be a bit of a downer. They focus heavily on creating a slim, long limbed,  and hourglass silhouette – and the further you are away from that body type, the more restricted the guidelines appear to be. And no one wants to feel that their body is wrong because they shouldn’t wear a  particular clothing style. 

That said, I still believe that body type guidelines can be an excellent starting point in certain situations. If everyone could wear everything, there would be no such thing as having a great sense of style. Stylish dressing is still very much wrapped around achieving attractive outfit proportions, so understanding what might work well for your body type is a good thing. That’s why I point our new forum members to body type dressing guidelines when they feel lost and overwhelmed. But in the same breath I am quick to qualify that the guidelines are suggestions and not rules. I stress that women shouldn’t get too hung up on them and should feel free to try whatever else tickles their style fancy. 

Body type dressing rules are not the be all and end all of style, but they do have their place. Establish your figure flattering priorities and adhere to them — most of the time. Experiment with silhouettes that you were told NOT to wear, and manipulate them to work in your special way. After all, it is the rebels and rule breakers who start the fashion trends in the first place.

Before finding YLF I didn’t know that shoes possess magical powers. Sure, my heart would beat a little faster over all the eye candy in the shoe shops, but that didn’t stop me from making rather uninspired choices. I just never realized how big of an impact the right shoe can have. How a pair of two-toned oxfords creates a completely different mood than a wedge sandal with a cork heel. How the perfect ped simply transforms any outfit. Angie and the many shoe mavens on the forum finally helped me put two and two together. Today I’m still far from an expert, but experimenting is proving to be heaps of fun.

In this week’s book Phyllis Hoffman talks about the shoes she wore during various defining moments in her life. From the shoes she wore the first day of school to the ones she sported the day her twin sons were born, footwear fan Phyllis Hoffman remembers them all. In “Honey, It’s All in the Shoes: Celebrating the Footsteps of the Contemporary Woman” she reminisces about her favourite pairs and the small and big steps she took in them. Defining moments in her own life are mixed with stories of style icons and the shoes they loved to wear. The book also contains celebrity shoe quotations and black and white illustrations of footwear throughout the ages.

This inspired me to compile my own shortlist of shoes that matter:

• White leather ballet flats — My first pair of “grown-up” shoes. They had an almond toe, a basket weave pattern and made me feel like Audrey Hepburn. I walked a little taller in those cuties and wore them until they literally fell apart.
• Dr. Martens 20 eyelet boots — Purchased during my first year on YLF. The gunmetal silver was a limited edition and I’m heartbroken that they no longer fit. The punk rocker in me loves how they add a little edge and lots of attitude. Plus there’s nothing like a pair of sturdy soled Docs to stomp through the Belgian snow.
• Fly London yellow wedge sandals — These have led to another YLF-inspired epiphany: I discovered that yellow footwear can act as a neutral. To my surprise these sandals work with practically every item in my closet, and catching a glimpse of my “bold” yellow shoes always makes me smile. 

Do you have any “big impact” shoes or a pair of peds that has special meaning for you?

Reminder: The Devil Wears Prada for May 25

Friday 25 May is kick-off day for our next Book Club title. We’ll be chatting about the movie version of The Devil Wears Prada, with Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in the leading roles.