It’s fun to look back on the year and take a stand on what was best and worst in your fashion and style world. Between us there are sure to be many differences in opinion, but there may also be a few similarities. It will be fun to compare our answers and I’ll go first. 

General

Best Fashion Trends: Midis, sleeved dresses, low heels and bright colours. 

Worst Fashion Trends: Leg shortening cropped trousers, especially for Autumn and Winter. It’s an extremely hard look to pull off with panache. 

Most Fun Fashion Trend: The revival of the glam ’70’s, and the ongoing nostalgic silhouettes from the ’80s. 

Best Shoe Style of the Year: Booties! The right bootie can be worn with virtually everything, often making an outfit look even better. 

Most over-killed items in retail stores: Cardigans, batwings, sky scraping platforms, cowl necklines, sleeveless garments, plunging necklines and short hemlines.  

Most over-killed colours in retail stores: Black, grey and beige. 

Best “new” Colour: Ink blue. 

Most Stylish Celebrities: Cate Blanchett, Gwen Stefani, Carolina Herrera, Ellen Degeneres, Vera Wang and Kate Moss continue to walk on water in my style world. But youngster Emma Watson has been added to the list. 

Best Customer Service: Zappos and Nordstrom, with a special shout out to the Nordstrom Concierge and valet parking staff at the downtown Seattle Norstrom Flagship. You make shopping with my clients a whole lot easier. 

Most Frustrating In Store Service: Macy’s, where it is so hard to find someone to check you out. I still take almost all of my clients there because their range and discounts are worth the shopping frustration. 

Stores with the best colours: J.Crew, Zara and Reiss.

Store with the worst layout: Forever 21. I am clearly NOT their target market. 

Stores with the most affordable, best fitting basics: Ann Taylor and Banana Republic.

Store with the most disappointing quality: Ann Taylor Loft. 

Most inspirational outfit in the blogosphere: The first photo of Michelle Jank in this post by The Sartorialist. She is wearing a black lace midi with two-toned ballet flats. I will recreate this outfit one day. 

Personal

Best YLF Moment: The video created by our forum members to celebrate YLF’s 5 year Anniversary. KILLER doesn’t even come close to describing its heartfelt sentiment.

Best Fashion Industry Moment: Spending the day at the Karen Kane head office in CA learning about what it takes to successfully design and manufacture clothing in the US. The fact that the very impressive Karen herself spent the day with us was sublime. Meeting and working with her wonderful family, and in particular eldest son Michael, was the cherry on top. 

My favourite outfits: A bright and simple ensemble because the colours make my heart sing. An edgier combination, because I have grown to adore ink blue and my booties are so very comfortable. This classic black, white and red pairing with pearls because it’s a signature look. Last but not least, a nostalgic skirt combination that makes me think fondly of my late Mum.

The outfit that took me most out of my comfort zone: My bikini moment.

My biggest style surprises: Switching to Team Gold, falling in love with trouser silhouettes, wearing nude lipstick, and leaving off most accessories. 

My most fun wardrobe purchases: Trousers with suspenders, two toned Docs, and an awfully shaggy vest. 

My most cheerful wardrobe purchases: A tomato red knee-length coat and a short yellow peacoat. 

My most special wardrobe purchases: Two Ann Fontaine shirts that hubby Greg helped me choose, which makes them all the more meaningful. 

My favourite shoes: Two toned ballet flats. 

My favourite jeans: How can they be anything but my infamous jodhpur jeans. 

My favourite dress: Pink Midi. 

The Worst idea I had for my own style: Growing out my hair when I am absolutely not ready to do that yet. 

The Best Moment at NY Fashion Week: Having dinner with top NY Fashion Stylist and author, Kendall Far, who has become a friend. 

Our Best Media Moment: YLF is covered in The Seattle Times. 

Our Best Addition to YLF: Inge! 

Our Worst Moment: Losing our incomparable Blog Star Jasmine, who was an integral part of the YLF family. 

My Best All Round Moments of 2011: Working and having fun with my inspirational soulmate Greg, while Rosie keeps us company and Jasmine is safe in our hearts. 

Over to you, ladies. Feel free to comment on my answers, and if you have a moment, chime in with the “best and worst” of your fashion and style world for 2011. 

Some wardrobe items look as stylish and hip today as they did when they first appeared on the fashion scene many decades ago. In particular, I’m thinking of “Chuck Taylor” Converse sneakers, Dr. Marten boots and Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. In my book, these items are true wardrobe classics because they have stood the test of time like few others. 

Of course, there is a much wider style assortment of these items today than there was back when they were originally introduced, and fabrications have improved and changed over time. But the original designs, the ones that launched these brands and took the world by storm, are still being manufactured and are still going strong in their ranges today. I find this phenomenally cool. The fact that all three items have unisex appeal just adds to their cool quotient.

All three of these designs really appeal to me personally, so I have had them in my wardrobe for some time. As important as the enjoyment I get from wearing them is my desire to support the continuation of their legacies. My hat off to their respective designers. So when I post my outfit pictures 50 years from now at age 91, don’t be surprised to see Wayfarers, Chucks and Docs in the ensemble mix. 

This one’s for all the polka dot princesses. I’ve batted for Team Polka Dot since I was a child and it’s still my favourite pattern because of its magically graphic simplicity. I like a polka dot in black and white best, but colours have my heart too. Take a peek at the polka dot items below and be sure to click through all colour options. 

1. Banana Republic Polka Dot Cardigan: A fun way to kickstart your Spring wardrobe and great for pattern mixing. 
2. Commando ‘Big Dot’ Sheer Tights: These are worth the price because the waistband does not dig into your skin at all. Uber comfy. 
3. Full Circle Polka Dot Pussy Bow Shirt: If boxy blouses are your thing, check out this irregular spot. 
4. ASOS Blazer In Spot Jacquard: Here’s a different take on a Chanel inspired cropped jacket. 
5. ASOS Polka Dot Pleat Neck Tie: Sweet! I love blouses and shirts that are buttoned all the way to the top. 
6. Dotty Snake-Print Lil Ukita Shoulder Bag: This bag looks best worn as a cross-body and it almost came home with me.
7. Seafolly Spot Boy Leg Swimsuit: Gloriously retro and feminine. 
8. Poetic Licence Charm School Pumps: Quite the arty, charming little shoe.
9. Whistles Large Square Spot Dress: This is technically not a polka dot, but it’s fun all the same. We have to nab those sleeved dresses when we can. 
10. Marc by Marc Jacobs Hot Dot Scarf: A fun classic. You could wear this season after season and always look fab. 

I have many polka dot items, from blouses and bags to scarves, umbrellas, and even an iphone case. I used to have a polka dress, but it tore at the sleeve and that was that. I’d love to add another one to my dress capsule. Do you have any polka dot items in your wardrobe?

A few days ago we were talking on the forum about dressing up or going casual for the holidays. Today is Christmas Eve and this got me thinking about other holiday traditions, like favourite foods you serve every year, opening presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, watching old movies together on TV.

I’ve always loved the image of everyone settling down after dinner, dressed to the nines, to listen to an old radio play or an audiobook. Very nostalgic of me, I know. Although my parents love books, there never was much reading aloud when we were kids. However, we did always watch The Blue Bird. The movie is pretty dated now and it doesn’t actually have a holiday theme, but somehow it always happened to air over the holidays. To this day my sister and I agree that Christmas vacation just wouldn’t have been the same without it. 

A few years ago I started a new tradition when I finally got around to reading A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas. It’s a story with no obvious plot, a boy’s idealized view of a magical Christmas with plenty of presents and mischief around every corner. The tale evokes slower and simpler times, where the world is always covered in snow, there are always hot drinks, many, many aunts and uncles, and snowball fights, of course. To tell you the truth, I was sold the moment I read the passage below. Mrs. Prothero sure is an aunt after my own heart…

“…But we only called the fire brigade, and soon the fire engine came and three tall men in helmets brought a hose into the house and Mr. Prothero got out just in time before they turned it on. Nobody could have had a noisier Christmas Eve. And when the firemen turned off the hose and were standing in the wet, smoky room, Jim’s Aunt, Miss Prothero, came downstairs and peered in at them. Jim and I waited, very quietly, to hear what she would say to them. She said the right thing, always. She looked at the three tall firemen in their shining helmets, standing among the smoke and cinders and dissolving snowballs, and she said, ‘Would you like anything to read?'”

Now I listen to it at least once every December. The mix of easy contentment, a child’s carefree excitement and the idea that life and the holidays don’t have to be a continuous succession of earth-shatteringly spectacular events to be special, always gets to me. Hearing it told by Mr. Thomas himself really adds to the experience.

Did you have any similar traditions when you were younger? Is there a special story you, family and friends now love to read every holiday season? A book you can’t wait to revisit this time of year? Or a movie perhaps that brings back memories and always gets you in a festive mood?

This is our last Book Nook post for 2011. We are taking a short break and will be back on 6 January with YLF Book Club and Bill Cunningham New York.

I wish everyone at YLF wonderful holidays and a very happy, healthy 2012 filled with laughter, a touch of magic and a few good books!