YouLookFab Forum » Topic: 2021 review / hello to 2022

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: 2021 review / hello to 2022 https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022 Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:52:29 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php SarahD8 on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246617 Tue, 04 Jan 2022 22:24:18 +0000 SarahD8 2246617@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Jenni NZ, yes, I think we have some similarities in our upbringing and in our consequent relationship to fashion and style. So interesting to think about even though we are of different generations and from opposite sides of the world! It seems like your system of tracking wears etc. has really helped you to make the changes to your wardrobe that you have been seeking to make. Kudos to you! I think I was just trying to ask if those practices were still serving *me* in the way I wanted them to. You know? I can imagine that various wardrobe tracking and other management processes might wink in and out over time, depending on one's needs and goals and how those change... Mary Beth -- so glad my posts were useful to you! I relate very much to the kicking and screaming as priorities shift. Hence my wish for more gentleness, towards myself and others. And oh yes, I have various types of to-do's in my "mending" pile too. I am really trying lately not to acquire any more "projects" -- but I have this desire to "save" things! Like kitties at the pound, or that Dutch oven....  Mary Beth (formerly LBD) on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246473 Mon, 03 Jan 2022 21:23:29 +0000 Mary Beth (formerly LBD) 2246473@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sarah... Happy New Year!  I re-read your 2020 recap post.  I think a year ago, we all thought "2021 is going to be a big turnaround from 2020"... and honestly, I had a good start out of the gate, but came to a slow crawl pretty fast.   That seemed to be the case for most people I know, a sense of 'hurry up and wait' in 2021.  I think you've got a great handle on where you starting from in 2021, and I really think what you've said here is brilliant:   "I think in the past my impulse to do so has been about control — about turning the frivolity of fashion into a demonstration of virtue. Instead let a gentle awareness of these things be part of the joy of living my values." For my part, 2020-2021 have seen a reshifting of all of my priorities, including fashion - albeit sometimes screaming and kicking.   Reading your words, I realize that I've always tried to maintain wardrobe control, so seeing it put into words: a sort of gentle permission to relax and enjoy what's there... it's a very helpful insight.   Thank you for sharing your wisdom! Like you and Brooklyn, I have a pile of 'mending' - some are actual mends, some are things 'hem these pants', some things are "re-dye".     Sometimes I find it helpful to ask, "which piece would I be most excited to wear right now?", and that's the piece I dig out and work on. Jenni NZ on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246469 Mon, 03 Jan 2022 20:22:03 +0000 Jenni NZ 2246469@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Interesting to re-read your last year’s post and the responses. Once again what you say resonates with me. Yes, I’m sure part of my tight control over tracking, cost etc etc is an attempt to turn frivolity into a virtue, thanks upbringing as well! Makes me LOL! For me it has helped in terms of feeling so out of control before, back before YLF. But my second daughter, who like me has had issues with OCD, saw my tracking pages during the year and commented “That’s rather OCD, isn’t it?”, which genuinely hadn’t really occurred to me in the over 5 years I have been doing it. I note that Debbie Roes of “Recovering Shopaholic” blog ( now called “My Wardrobe, Myself”) did eventually stop her tracking after many years. Overall, I feel much better about my wardrobe than I did pre-YLF so will take that as a win. Congratulations on the new home, hope you get it all arranged to your satisfaction soon. And good luck on these wardrobe goals xx SarahD8 on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246435 Mon, 03 Jan 2022 16:55:11 +0000 SarahD8 2246435@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Bijou, your coat sounds lovely but I do know that sinking feeling of having bought something you really didn't need. "Focused," that is a good word to keep in mind. Irina, yeah, the outfit creation sessions are time consuming for sure! I'm hoping that after a while it won't require so much investment (bc I'll have a better sense of what works with what) but the time commitment is a barrier for me. Not sure there is any way out but through... Suz, it's interesting how the pandemic has changed our relationship with style, clothing, etc., isn't it? For me that impulse to control long predates the pandemic. I almost think that stepping away from style in 2021 (for reasons both pandemic related and not) has been what has triggered this new attitude for me. Anyway, we'll see how long that lasts though...those psychological tracks do tend to be deep! Angie, thanks for the encouragement and positive words! I do think you are right that all those previous steps were just part of the process. I have already managed to do a couple of outfit creation sessions and I do think they were helpful -- I discovered some surprising things. RobinF, I hope I can find a way to create some synergy between the outfit creation sessions and wardrobe maintenance/mending. It makes so much sense! Zaeobi excellent point about needing the mending pile accessible. Mine is not which I think is part of the problem. (Also mending pile is in one spot, sewing machine is in another, sewing supplies in yet another. I don't really have a system for how/where sewing and mending happens in the new place...I suspect I'll need to figure that out by doing.) Zaeobi on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246423 Mon, 03 Jan 2022 15:54:52 +0000 Zaeobi 2246423@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Some great but also lofty goals here - good luck, & don't be too hard on yourself to have it all figured out at once (I also moved recently, albeit on a smaller scale, & am still trying to screw my head on the right way again, lol)! For outfit creation & planning, I do mine for the following week. I don't know how variable your weather is, but I find it useful to hang up the entire outfit (including underwear & accessories) *plus* an extra (weather dependent) piece. For example, I might hang up both a yellow top & a yellow jumper for one outfit (in case it ends up colder than expected that day). I also like to reuse what I can during the week (to save on laundry), so I hang the outfits accordingly (e.g. outfit #1 includes trousers but outfit #2 doesn't, so that I'm forced to rewear them). As for mending, I'm also lagging here because of the move But before that, I found it useful to keep the alterations pile somewhere visible (*unlike* a holding zone) & near one of the less 'mindful' spots of the house (like next to the TV, lol). This way, I'm not only motivated to actually mend my clothing, but it helps me to remember whih wardrobe hole said clothes are intended to plug (so that I don't accidentally go out & buy a replacement item, only to find I have a similar one still waiting in my mend pile... not that I'm speaking from experience here lol) RobinF on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246411 Mon, 03 Jan 2022 14:13:59 +0000 RobinF 2246411@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sounds like it was a busy year. We made a move like that a few years ago and it took a lot of energy for sure. As far as mending goes, I often have to hem new purchases and if I want to wear it right away then I'll hem it right away. If I let it sit then the urgency goes away. maybe doing your outfit creation will help with the mending - two birds with one stone! Angie on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246149 Fri, 31 Dec 2021 21:54:01 +0000 Angie 2246149@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Congrats on the move, SarahD8! That's a great achievement, and happy house warming! Greg and I lost our Dads this year - six and half weeks apart - so I know all too well how stressful things are with respect to caregiving and worrying about older loved ones (in the middle of a global pandemic, no less). It's very tough - especially across continents - and I deeply empathize. Good luck, and hang in there. I LOVE this wardrobe and style plan for you! I suspect that you needed to do everything you did before to get to this clearcut and focussed ZEN point - and now you can enjoy style and fashion more fully with a clear conscience, extra confidence, and ample creativity....in a warmer house WOOOHOOOO!  WELL DONE. YES to more, and prompt outfit creative sessions! They are so worth the time and effort. I bet you're going to have a great 2022! Excited for you, and onward we go.  Suz on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246120 Fri, 31 Dec 2021 16:47:50 +0000 Suz 2246120@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think in the past my impulse to do so has been about control — about turning the frivolity of fashion into a demonstration of virtue. Instead let a gentle awareness of these things be part of the joy of living my values. I’m old enough now to be honest with myself, know when I’m not on the right track, and make a change. It's so interesting how this resonates also with Chris's recent post. I think those of us who were brought up to view fashion as a "frill" have perhaps lost the fun more easily during the pandemic. Security and control have been so much more important to us all, and so we tend to pare back spending, focus on essentials -- and there is a lot that is good and important in that. But it does tend to do away with the joy.  (I know that wasn't everyone's response -- some people overshopped during the pandemic. It seems to be tied to basic personality structure/ practicalities like budget, and also the role that shopping played in our lives before the pandemic.)  I love what you said about perhaps getting into visible mending and trying to see your stack of mending less as a chore than as a praxis -- making it into a kind of art form will surely help with that.  I think the shopping pitfalls of thrifting you mention are probably baked in, to an extent, especially when you have to do it all online. I don't know if this would be practicable for you (and maybe you've already done it) but I wonder if knowing your essentials and having those in core neutrals (through thrift or other types of purchase or trade) would allow you to focus on statement-y items for the online thrifting, which would make that shopping both more fun and also lower risk in the sense that if an item didn't work out, you could simply re-sell it or donate. I guess that's more or less what Shevia's saying -- focus the search to the items you really want and try to let the rest go?  Irina on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246108 Fri, 31 Dec 2021 15:09:45 +0000 Irina 2246108@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great goals, looks like you have a clear picture of what you would like to change and improve. The outfit creation sessions take time and I, too sometimes rush through it. I got better lately - I try to remember to take pictures of new outfit combinations for my reference. It helps if I’m in a rush or don’t know what to wear. Bijou on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2246081 Fri, 31 Dec 2021 03:43:34 +0000 Bijou 2246081@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You did have a lot going on in 2021, I hope 2022 gives you more time for yourself. Your goals sound spot on and perfect for where you are at. Thrifting became a thing for me in 2021 with some less than stellar results, like the coat that I bought because it was great value but do not need…. I am trying to keep my shopping focused in 2022. SarahD8 on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245906 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 18:14:38 +0000 SarahD8 2245906@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Brooklyn, thanks for the encouragement. It's reassuring to know that you struggle with motivation on the mending/upcycling front too. But, you also provide proof that when one does overcome the inertia the rewards can be great! Excellent idea to keep notes for outfits on your phone, make sure they are always handy. rachylou, I certainly don't mean to suggest that everyone should be planning outfits ahead of time! Horses for courses on this one, for sure. But, it's super interesting to think about how your outfit-making strategy actually drives/contributes to your style...Anyway whatever you are doing is obviously working so don't change! kkards, that's a great point about farming out some of the sewing work. In the back of my mind I'm aware that I *think* I should be able to do it all because I "know how to sew," but the truth is I'm not a super experienced seamstress and I'm certainly out of practice at the moment. So there are some projects that languish because they are a bit intimidating technically...and probably would be well worth taking to a professional. kkards on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245904 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 17:56:34 +0000 kkards 2245904@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ 2021 the year that so many goals, plans and objectives got upended and rearranged.   <div>Now, I love what you’ve laid out for 2022, but please take a deep breath and take it slow…re sewing and mending. Are there some items that should be outsourced? Sure you might be able to do it yourself, but maybe some else could do, and maybe you could do something else instead? Maybe you like to bake cookies and someone else likes to eat them, but they love to hem…well you get what I’m talking about.  </div><div>I love the try on goal, that was/is something that I struggle with.  I have gotten better, but still sometimes I just have an idea in my head, assume it’s going to work, and then as I’m heading out the door realize that it really doesn’t work.  The best part of the last 2 years is that I’ve had more time to actually try different outfits without the rush.  And most importantly When I’ve bought things it’s been with intention with an end use and/or with a thought to how it will work with what I already own. </div><div> </div> rachylou on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245844 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 07:10:50 +0000 rachylou 2245844@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Worthy goals, smart goals! It’s interesting. I’m contemplating what would happen if I prepared outfits in advance… because really, I usually just get up and go. As in, what would happen to my RATE style and my dinner dishes… Brooklyn on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245837 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 02:54:39 +0000 Brooklyn 2245837@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Good work! I like your commitment. I struggle with the mending too. I have a few DIY/upcycling projects that have been waiting my attention for months. But sometimes the energy is not there. Sometimes I crack and get a dressmaker to do it, but then it’s extra disappointing if it doesn’t work out. I do make time for an outfit creation session whenever I buy a new item that has any statement-ish aspect to it (I wouldn’t for a plain black tee for instance) or if it’s a new to me colour. I try to keep a few notes on my phone as an aide memoire so I can wear the combinations I come up with. Otherwise I find when I come to get dressed I can suddenly forget them and revert to tried and tested. SarahD8 on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245834 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 02:30:42 +0000 SarahD8 2245834@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Suntiger, thanks, you’ve given me an idea: I’m sort of reluctant to create new *rules* for myself to follow, but I think I will try identifying items in my mending /alterations pile that group with (match, complete outfits with, etc) whatever I’m purchasing at a particular time and see if I can prioritize the work on them. That might help motivate me as well as make both my purchases and my mending efforts go further. Nemosmom thanks for the encouragement and the helpful link! Great to be in a similar headspace as you. I would love to see the results of your mending, whether visible or hidden. Shevia, oh that’s sort of comforting actually to know that even a pro like you still faces some of these thrifting pitfalls. I admire how relaxed you are about your shopping/dressing strategy, and you certainly wear the results of your thrift hobby well! #thriftinggoals Vildy thank you, that is high praise indeed! Vildy on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245828 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 01:50:52 +0000 Vildy 2245828@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I love how honest you are with yourself.   Jaime on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245825 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 01:33:13 +0000 Jaime 2245825@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Now that your move is completed, it makes perfect sense to use a bit of that headspace to establish new fall back outfits so that when things are hectic you don't have to think about what to wear but will still feel great. I hear you about the haphazard nature of second hand shopping. With decades of practice, I still find it hard to resist an amazing find or remember that small purchases add up and it might be better to invest in the one larger purchase I need/want. But all the online options do make it sort of easier because there is just so much available now. Try to focus your searches on those items like stompy boots and cape like cardigans - easier said than done perhaps .  nemosmom on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245822 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 01:24:01 +0000 nemosmom 2245822@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <div>Sounds like the new house offered a change of scenery - hope it was a positive change.</div><div> </div><div>Your goals sound fantastic.  I LOVE what you said here: let a gentle awareness of these things be part of the joy of living my values. I’m old enough now to be honest with myself, know when I’m not on the right track, and make a change. I am jotting that on my inspiration board! </div><div> </div><div>Yes to mending! I thrifted a couple of sweaters that had minor holes (and one with major holes...) but, discovered a <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj21s_N64f1AhWtj4kEHeBnAc4QwqsBegQIBRAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Df-SJEwSP4HE&usg=AOvVaw185Mpqm29bRKMQXQg9BBBD">way to re-knit a patch into the hole</a>, so it's nearly invisible. There's visible/sashiko, too, if that tickles your fancy. </div><div> </div>MORE YES for outfit creation! Expanding the number of FFBOs will help curb boredom, I bet.  It's high on my list for Jan/Feb!  And, I am nodding along with your observation of hodgepodge results from thrifting and defining a shopping strategy.  I hope you will keep us posted! Anonymous on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245801 Tue, 28 Dec 2021 23:12:43 +0000 Anonymous 2245801@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Those sound like very good goals to me! Maybe challenge yourself to mend _ pieces for every new piece you want to add? SarahD8 on "2021 review / hello to 2022" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2021-review-hello-to-2022#post-2245798 Tue, 28 Dec 2021 23:02:08 +0000 SarahD8 2245798@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Well friends, this has been a year, hasn’t it? I have enjoyed reading everyone’s 2021 wrap-up/2022 look-ahead posts and have learned a lot from them. My apologies for not commenting on all the threads. For me, 2021 has been a year when style took a back seat to other aspects of life. Physical and mental health challenges for family members in both the generation above and the generation below meant increased caregiving responsibilities for me. Plus we moved house mid-year (just across town, but still, after more than 15 years in one place it was a big undertaking). All of this left me with little bandwidth to focus on wardrobe management, outfit creation, or style creativity. It is what it is. I had actually forgotten that I wrote <a rel="nofollow" href="https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2020-review-and-2021-plan-super-long">a post this time last year with 2021 goals</a>. I pretty much didn’t follow up on them at all. I still bought stuff, haphazardly, but I didn’t track my wardrobe or budget at all. (I am pretty confident I didn’t overspend; thanks Calvinist upbringing!) I wore some of the stuff I bought constantly, some very little, and some not at all. I dressed VERY repetitively this year, a consequence of that lack of bandwidth and also pandemic fluff that means some of my clothes do not currently fit comfortably. There is nothing wrong with dressing repetitively but it does not bring ME joy, I think 2021 has definitively proven *that*. I suppose the good news is that because I forgot about last year’s goals post pretty much everything I wrote there still applies! And, actually, a lot of it still resonates with me, albeit with a few tweaks. So here’s what I’m thinking for 2022: Keep an eye on spending, wardrobe size, and churn — but let go of the need to track obsessively. Look, I am not a huge spender. I can tell when my wardrobe is getting too big because my quite reasonable clothing storage gets crowded. I know when I edit out a bunch of stuff that I never really wore. Maybe there is no need to commit it all to a spreadsheet, you know? I think in the past my impulse to do so has been about control — about turning the frivolity of fashion into a demonstration of virtue. Instead let a gentle awareness of these things be part of the joy of living my values. I’m old enough now to be honest with myself, know when I’m not on the right track, and make a change. Less shopping, more sewing and mending — oh, this will be a tricky one! I continue to shop mostly secondhand online and the thing is that means shopping is by far the easiest style-related activity for me to do. The Ebay and Poshmark and Etsy apps are always there, and surfing them requires no preparation, skill, or cleanup. And yet, I know in my heart that it’s not always the most productive use of my time and effort, in terms of actually getting me a wardrobe that I will enjoy wearing. So it will be a matter of creating new habits and working them into my schedule. About that mending: oh, I know I’ve mentioned this multiple years now! I still have a big backlog of mending and alterations. I think I need to reframe this task so that instead of being a chore I’m perpetually behind and failing at it becomes a kind of joyous praxis. (Yes I know that sounds impossibly earnest but earnestness is what’s fun for me, so.) I’ve just spent the past couple of days cleaning up a Dutch oven that I got from my local Buy Nothing group. Can I bring that spirit to tending my wardrobe, as well? I’d like to learn more about visible mending, for one thing — I think that would be a fun and creative pursuit. I need to not only plan but also TRY ON outfits ahead of time. I just simply do not have time or headspace or creative energy in the morning to *figure out* an outfit. And even if I pick out clothes, say, the night before, if I don’t KNOW for sure that the items will work together and fit properly and feel comfortable then I will not actually wear the clothes I’ve picked out, I will just grab the same leggings and tunic sweater I’ve already been wearing for the past 5 days. I essentially need ALL of the outfits that I plan to wear to be FFBOs. So that means: <ul> <li>outfit creation sessions at the beginning of the season and/or at the weekends to prep for the week ahead. </li> <li>when I buy something new, brainstorm possible outfits while waiting for it to arrive, and then</li> <li>do an outfit creation session when a new item gets here. This will hopefully help me integrate new pieces into my wardrobe more quickly rather than letting them languish because I don’t know for sure how to wear them.</li> </ul> Shop in a more organized way with more of a big picture in mind. The thing about online secondhand shopping is it really fosters a hodgepodge, catch-as-catch-can approach. I tend to buy the thing that’s super cheap, the thing with the listing that is ending soonest, the thing that I suspect someone else is going to snap up. The result is often a whole that is less than the sum of its parts. But I wonder if I can create some strategies to shop with more intention — for example, this month I’m going to focus on burgundy. Or this month I want to experiment with X new silhouette so I’m going to find 3 pieces that can help me create it and buy them at once, rather than piecemeal. Maybe? Worth a try! About that experimenting: last year I said that I was “really drawn to new and more dramatic silhouettes. A cape style cardigan! ¾ sleeves over long sleeves! A midi length bubble skirt and stompy boots!” That is still true! The good news is that our new house is a LOT warmer than our old one, so now I have more leeway to experiment with outfit formulas that don’t involve layer upon layer of long-sleeved sweaters. Hooray! Thanks for reading and as always I am interested in any comments you have!