https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 11 May 2026 22:06:18 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-25049 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:33:31 +0000 Dani 25049@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have a story similar to many others...after having my second child and realizing I hadn't bought clothes in 4 years (plus the fact that NOTHING in my closet fit me), I realized I needed to do something about my wardrobe so I started buying things to wear. A little later, I was reading something about having a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear and that was me exactly. I had a bunch of clothes but didn't have anything to wear. I hadn't bought with any plan, I had just filled my closet. I decided I didn't want to be that way anymore so I started doing some research and ended up here. I find now that I have fewer clothes but a lot more to wear and it makes me much happier. I can walk into my closet and pull something out for most occasions. I'm still building but I love the way my closet looks these days. I also love the fact that my wardrobe is versatile but functional for my lifestyle. </p> <p>I have always liked to try new combinations of clothes. I try to see how many ways I can wear an item in my closet...sometimes I find something great and other times I fail miserably. It's a learning process, but I enjoy the challenges and the creativity of it all. It has definitely become a creative outlet for me </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-25021 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:20:47 +0000 marianne 25021@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I can relate to many other responses - when I was pregnant with my second child, I realized that I hadn't updated my wardrobe for a few years since I had pretty much stopped buying things when we decided to have kids. My main problems to solve were changing my look to be age-appropriate and creating efficient wardrobe. That's when I found this blog, and it helped me tremendously. I am still working on it of course :)<br /> I have always been interested in clothes, but not in fashion - not sure if it makes sense. Growing up I didn't have access to nice clothes and had to be creative with sewing, altering hand-me-downs, etc. This interest must have originated from those days. But I never really followed trends, and I only found out here what WNTW is! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24976 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:25:23 +0000 Angie 24976@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh wow! What a fab thread. I can’t believe I missed it. I love hearing your stories.</p> <p>I’ve been in the fashion industry for 16 years (predominantly as a fashion buyer). I know no other way but to look appropriately dressed and well put together daily. It has always been a very necessary part of my job. I suppose my “moment” came at the age of 22 when I decided to switch careers from psychology to fashion. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24898 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:00:56 +0000 Munequita 24898@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have always been interested in clothes and fashion, like many others. Being petite, I didn't know where to start to shop for my size and got stuck in the trendy junior department clothes for a bit too long. I'm also not American, and growing up in the Caribbean where the style is a lot different and summer casual all the time, made me confused 'style-wise' when I finally came here for college. I then realized that I was still dressing the same as many of the younger kids in my class, and was always mistakenly thought of as being way younger. </p> <p>I'm now in my late 20's, so I want to learn to dress more polished. It's been a hard thing for me to learn to dress older, and I am just starting my journey. Seasons, like fall and winter, are especially challenging for me because I never grew up dressing for them so I am a bit clueless in dressing properly for those. I have learned a lot from books and magazines also. I found YLF while googling for dressing for your body type and for fall trends. I have learned so much here (got ways to go though)! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24830 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:07:37 +0000 anne 24830@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don’t think I have had a trigger experience – maybe it is still to come!</p> <p>I have always been interested in clothes, at first just as part of my interest in history (yes, since I was six!) Actually I think interest in clothes was what got me into an interest in history. I have always been a bit idiosyncratic in what I actually wore, not always following fashion much<br /> I also love and have a small collection of what I term “teenage advice books” from the 50’s and 60’s and 70’s and these usually contained some advice about clothing fashion and body type.</p> <p>But I have always been, and remain an uncertain shopper. Perhaps in part due to being the daughter of an uncertain shopper, who hates making decisions, is fairly frugal and also because I have little aesthetic sense. I never think to decorate my house for instance. I was hopeless at art at school. Any creativity I have (and I don’t have much) is in the realm of words. I envy friends who don’t seem to spend much thought on their clothes but seem to just be able to pick things that look good. Not YLF #10 good perhaps but not bad at all. I slide easily into frumpiness</p> <p>So with all that, I remain keenly interested in fashion advice. Some of the books I have read in the past are dated now – eg -Does this make me look fat and those written by the Colour me Beautiful lady. I still read every book that comes to our local library – the latest, I think, being the body type bible by T &#38; S. And that, I think was the final impetus to my writing to this forum – to see if anyone else had read it, as I found its analysis, in my case to be spot on and wanted to see if anyone else had. I still haven’t actually found many people who have read the book though (as opposed to reading the website etc)! </p> <p>I found the YLF blog some years ago and at first just read it occasionally. I think I found it doing a search for fashion advice for current fashion for particular body types.</p> <p>The difference between all previous stuff and YLF forum is that it is no longer one-way, but rather interactive. Actually having feedback on outfits is quite new. Also actually taking pictures and seeing my whole body, not just what I see in a bathroom counter top mirror.</p> <p>Sorry this was so late – I have been thinking about it since you posed the question, but only now sat down and wrote it out </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24159 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:50:57 +0000 Taffy 24159@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I started watching WNTW and got addicted. After feeling terrible last winter because baby #3 weight was not coming off like it had with the others, I was needing some help. I wore the same swishy pants and fleece old navy pullover on all of my days off (4-5 times a week!) yuck! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24152 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:01:17 +0000 Becky 24152@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ditto what AJ said about the books. Most of the ones I have read are found on the sidebar. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24126 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:53:20 +0000 Amanda 24126@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>scroll down on the YLF Angie's blog home page -- there are a list of books there. I started with those and fortunately was able to get them from the library. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24120 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:10:18 +0000 susan 24120@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Shiny and Becky-You both mentioned reading books about fashion and style. Could you share your favorite titles? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24075 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:15:11 +0000 shiny 24075@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For me it's been a series of moments - all with wonderful women involved - and a long process over time.</p> <p>In my 20s, my very first boss coached and mentored me about what to wear on the job. She and I would go clothes shopping over our lunch break. This was the 80s and the time for women to wear power suits with big shoulder pads! We are still very close friends today, after all these years. I learned a few good tricks from her - but it was more about wanting to emulate her style and not about finding my own style.</p> <p>In my mid-30s, I struggled through a divorce, restarting my career, and then a very lengthy layoff during the dot.com bust. I was pretty depressed. One day, a very good friend grabbed me by the back of my cordoruy pants, and said, "We need to take you shopping. You've lost weight from all the stress, and your clothes are falling off of you." I couldn't afford clothes for myself (I was struggling financially and the kids needed clothes more than I did), but I did go with her and choose a few items that actually fit. Otherwise, we spent time together just trying things on - not buying but having fun fantasizing about what I could buy once I got a job again. </p> <p>What I learned from that friend is: No matter how down on your luck you are, no matter how little $ you have, you have to find a way to pamper yourself just a bit. You can't be a good mom if you're not first good to yourself. And that is it okay to dress nicely when dropping the kids off at school. I also learned from her that fit is very very important! And that often our brains still see fat, when the fat has been long gone. </p> <p>The next phase in my process was a few years later. I was working and had $ and things were going well. A different friend - the one I refer to here as my VFBF (very fashionable best friend) was building her own career wardrobe and we'd have a standing date every other Monday night to go clothes shopping together. She has fabulous taste and I learned a lot from her. I also learned that what works on her (tall, pear shaped) doesn't work on me (short, hourglass). </p> <p>Around that time like the others I started watching WNTW and reading up on books and educating myself about what fits, etc. But at this point I still owned no jeans. I had shifted to full-time telecommuting, and was very very slow to come around to the realization that jeans really fit my lifestyle better than dress slacks and khakis!!</p> <p>So the biggest turning point for me was two years ago when I finally found "my" jeans!! And that led me to googling which led me to YLF! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24069 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:48:28 +0000 Nicole 24069@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great topic, and great responses. I think my story is a little bit less dramatic. I was trying to decide what to wear to my 20th year HS reunion. I wasn't sure if I should wear a dress or skirt or pants, I was really just looking for some basic direction. I googled the topic and YLF was one of the sites I hit. I got an answer to my question and signed up for teh daily blog. Up until this point, I really thought I was dressing well for my body. I had the basics, but was clueless on so many other things (like shirt lengths, shoe vamps, color!) Then Angie started the Forum and I started to see other people post photos of themselves, and I though "wow these women really dress well." Little by little I started to question my choices, and finally mustered up the courage to post a photo. I was shocked how I looked in the photo--it was one of my favorite outfits==and the whole thing ended up in the donation pile. Then I was on a kick with taking photos--I was a litte embarrassed by this--and hid it from my family for a few weeks. Now, I have them take the photos for me...and I won't make a final decision on any new purchase without a photo.</p> <p>I need to go thru my closet again. I need to devote a full day to trying on, and taking photos and getting feedback here. I know I have more to donate. I also need to take photos of all my new items--The Tahari trench arrived yesterday, and I have the boots. But I'm just so wiped out from this virus--it'll have to wait til I have the energy. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24065 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:45:50 +0000 Alecia 24065@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For me, it was turning 30. I decided I wanted to be more polished. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24046 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:28:59 +0000 Sihaya 24046@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For me it as a combination of being in my late 30's and being done with having babies. I will still nursing but knew it would draw to a close soon. I had mostly dumpy clothes at that point with baby spit up on them and they were all baggy from my preganancy and nursing days. I hadn't bought much significant in the past 5 years ever since my first kid. And any "nice" clothes I had were way outdated. I was lucky enough to run into Angie quite by chance because she happened to be shopping with a mutual friend. Until now I had never been too much of a girly girl. I had gone through patches in my life where I dressed well and dramatically and stood out from the crowd and then my lowest point when I met Angie. I think I was left with less than a dozen pieces in my closet by the time she was done with me. And it took many, many shopping trips, over each season and a couple of years to built it all up. If I had been younger, with less of a regular salary to depend on, this would have probably taken me 6 or 7 years. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24044 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:51:58 +0000 Julie 24044@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have always loved clothes and worked at Ann Taylor during graduate school when I was NYC. I almost quit my program to work in their corporate office, but decided to finish my program. Clothes and fashion always interested me, but in hindsight I was always very casually dressed. I really started to change my perspective on clothes after my second child was born. I nursed her for 10 months and I really struggled with the clothing options. I have an older son who was 3 at the time and I hated going to a museum or park and having to try to get through different clothing layers with a screaming baby and my son darting in each direction to try to feed her. Therefore I just started wearing jeans and a t-shirt. It just made it much easier, but I was miserable. I didn't realize how miserable I was until I stopped nursing and could start to put cute outfits together again. I realized then how important my outward appearance is to me and that I needed to put some more time and effort into myself for my kids, myself and my husband. I'm a much happier mommy, wife and person when I feel I look fab. That being said I still struggle with my fashion persona, but I realize that I need to take it seriously and put time and effort into looking good. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24040 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 06:20:11 +0000 Amanda 24040@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>When I left a career in non-profits to go to graduate school, I realized that my entire casual wardrobe consisted of ill-fitting jeans, t-shirts and sweatshirts. Then my doctor ordered me to try to walk 30 minutes a day to lower my cholesterol -- and I ended up losing 15 pounds. I wanted to have clothes that were comfortable and casual but that also were stylish and appropriate for my age (early 40s) since I'll be in school for several years. That prompted me to get a few style books from the library and then I found YLF. I'm still working on putting together my casual wardrobe -- and hopefully in 2 more years I'll have a job and be putting together a new professional wardrobe. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24015 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:23:24 +0000 Tanya 24015@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For me it was something similar to Antje, although it was getting close to the 30 mark - it was actually 28 that got me thinking that I shouldn't shop in the juniors departments anymore. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-24012 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:53:10 +0000 Antje 24012@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For me age and the magic "40" has a lot to do with wanting to put more effort and polish into my wardrobe. When I was in my late 30s I had a phase where I was kinda down on myself, feeling old and frumpy and stuff, and so I did various things that perked me up including hiring Angie for a closet makeover. And after I moved through that phase, and especially when I actually turned 40 about 8 months ago, I decided that life is too short to hold back, which amongst other things also lead me to be more adventurous and confident in my style choices. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-23989 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:37:44 +0000 Becky 23989@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am obviously still a work in progress, but my trigger occurred two years ago, when my body had recovered from my second pregnancy, and my sister said, "You dress like you lost your figure when you had kids!" She challenged me to take more care with my appearance. We had a ball playing "What Not to Wear" in my closet, my sister playing the part of Clinton, with the accent and all. We tossed a *bunch* of frumpy, outdated, oversized clothing. I know my wardrobe isn't particularly impressive now, but you should have seen it *then*. I came a long way before the YLF forum even started! Then for my birthday, my sister bought me a couple of outfits (she lives in CA, with much better shopping than we have here); that was the second stage of WNTW. Then I started reading every book about style I could get my hands on, and discovered some sites, including YLF, which immediately shot to the top of my "Favorites" list. I'm still learning and don't have the budget to complete the metamorphasis anytime soon, but I'm enjoying learning from all the fab YLF ladies! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-23949 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:08:07 +0000 Basia 23949@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sorry girl, obviously I am asking only once:-). Sorry </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/break-thru-in-you-closetwhat-was-the-trigger#post-23947 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:06:30 +0000 Basia 23947@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Reading many of the posts about reorganizing closet, cloths sharing, tips for shopping I had one question in my head:what triggered in you the need of restructure and creating your new fashion habits, styles, tendencies. What trigger the revolutionary process, not just going and buying something hot but to create my new fashion concept??<br /> In my case I was in between jobs, had plenty of time,closet full of clothes and limited budget..<br /> I started to read the books and magazines and first went for eliminating wrong colors, believing that if the color is wrong no stitching will help. Then chopped of all the FAAAR too short skirt and too short trousers.....<br /> What was the story with you? If after break-thru you manage to create the new YOU- doest stay or every 6-12 moths you still double check what lurking in the closet??<br /> What triggered such a profound change ? WHat made you think about fashion in your closet differently?? </p>