https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:30:58 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173973 Mon, 22 Feb 2021 11:15:52 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2173973@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sal, I hear you on finding common ground with so many of these posts! After a while reading them, I got to wondering who I really was, if I even knew anymore after agreeing with so many others on so may things. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173928 Mon, 22 Feb 2021 04:42:48 +0000 Sal 2173928@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for sharing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Like with most of the BVP posts I can see common ground and differences for you and me.&nbsp; I share your like of practical pieces that allow you to live your best life without getting in the way.&nbsp; And also your desire to be authentically yourself but work on your style to have fun.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173891 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 22:21:06 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2173891@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for the idea, Annagybe. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173888 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 22:03:09 +0000 annagybe 2173888@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Look into glasses chains. You can probably repurpose an old necklace.<br />There's different styles. And bonus they can be modified for masks.</p> <p>expensive ones for inspiration<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="https://laloop.com/">https://laloop.com/</a> </p> <p>ETA a few finds</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173886 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 21:57:27 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2173886@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I guess that is all oddly in the present tense. Sorry about that. I’ve got the bootcuts now too. </p> <p>Good point about the glasses—I do that when I’m too lazy to pull my hair back properly, which often happens in winter, when I’m going to put a hat on it anyway. But I can do better for the pix. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173880 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 21:49:05 +0000 annagybe 2173880@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ok, your phrasing suggested otherwise.<br />My current nitpick is that in many, if not most of your pics your glasses (they appear to be reading glasses) are pushed up onto your head. I really honestly feels that detracts hugely from your overall look.&nbsp;<br />And I'm all for maximal dressing. Just need to be a bit careful and deliberate.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173877 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 21:43:44 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2173877@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Anna, yes. I got these three years ago, after it was clear they weren’t a quickie fad. The NYDJs are pink, unlike the find.<br /> <a href="https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/finally-found-my-party-pants" rel="nofollow">https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....arty-pants</a> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173872 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 21:32:44 +0000 annagybe 2173872@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Err, skinnies have been going for over a decade.&nbsp;<br />I'll have to come back to your other points later </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173860 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 20:45:04 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2173860@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Angie, thanks for this thoughtful response. I so appreciate your patience with and support of my slow process. The dressy glitz was a strange thing to discover in myself; who knows what else I’ll find? Your enthusiasm for my long-holding ways strikes me as pretty unusual and special among fashion pros too. I’m still working on the best ways to wear that tension/juxtaposition in my personality (including the androgynous take you suggested), and look forward to your and the forum’s responses.</p> <p>Thanks Bonnie. I’m actually standing on a platform where they turned the wheel to draw up the bridge, but shhh—if it looks like I’m living dangerously, all the better! </p> <p>Thanks Suntiger! I always appreciate your remarks, which are usually concise and on-target. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173838 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 19:05:36 +0000 Angie 2173838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b></b><b></b>*APPLAUSE*</p> <p><b>FI,</b> slowly and surely you are figuring out your style and how it reflects your beliefs, values and personality. You are taking your time, making meaningful changes as they feel right, and reaping the reward. Aesthetically, I can see you find your strongest style stride in the last six months. Good for you!&nbsp;</p> <p>I don't know anyone who is middle aged and still wearing a couple of items they wore in high school and varsity. You are the first! That is an excellent testament to your no waste philosophy. Specifically, I'm thinking about your navy coat and 501s. WOW :)</p> <p>It's brilliant that you've identified what feels authentic and what does not. That has happened both analytically and intuitively, and moves us in the right manageable and happy style direction.&nbsp;</p> <p>I too like dressy glitz, have lots of energy, and am very practical and active. You refer to it as "ornamental function", which made me smile. I like the symbolism of that beautiful bridge you've woven into all this too.&nbsp;</p> <p>Well done! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173820 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 17:39:53 +0000 Bonnie 2173820@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Your analysis seems right on to me. I really like your new profile photo, it &nbsp;shows how you like to "live dangerously". </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173802 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 16:49:24 +0000 Anonymous 2173802@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>All that sounds just right from what I've seen of your style! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173764 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 11:24:27 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2173764@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks Bijou! It’s so interesting how we can read different things from the same picture. I appreciate your support in fashion and other things. </p> <p>Rachylou, getting past brown was a huge step away from my basic Midwestern “fashion” but I guess we never really leave, lol. </p> <p>Cat2, I have plenty of images floating around in my head, but none where others can see them. I am beginning to notice what people around me are wearing, so that’s a step. I think most people on here find it reassuring to remind themselves “no one is paying attention to how I look/what I’m doing”. </p> <p>Synne, agreed! That was a great turn of phrase. </p> <p>Thanks Nikki! You’re a pro at that kind of mixing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173760 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 09:45:37 +0000 Bijou 2173760@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Fashintern, I think you reflect all of these qualities in your current style. I have never thought that you looked sugary sweet, however style evolution and refinement is fun, so I hope you enjoy this next leg of your style journey. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173748 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 07:50:52 +0000 Synne 2173748@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Judgy radar, lol! That was spot on and hilarious, cat2! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173708 Sun, 21 Feb 2021 01:14:38 +0000 cat2 2173708@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I laughed at your default being to disregard what others are thinking; it’s the exact opposite of what I try to do, which is sail just under the judgy radar. Do you have images of street-style that inspire or inform you? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173692 Sat, 20 Feb 2021 23:52:03 +0000 Anonymous 2173692@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mixing dressy/casual, vintage/new and pricey/inexpensive is a lot of fun! Love your new profile pic </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173685 Sat, 20 Feb 2021 21:44:21 +0000 rachylou 2173685@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The technical writer in me is bubbling up - I am a terrible reductionist in this way - but these values, beliefs and traits strike me as having some roots in a Midwestern ethos... not that I as a Californian know all that much about the Midwest. There’s a lot to be admired there. I had a boyfriend from the Midwest who used to joke with me about him liking everything in brown. I remember the laugh we had when he chose teal for his new towels... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/bvp-take-2-vlp%e2%80%94very-long-post#post-2173580 Sat, 20 Feb 2021 15:42:28 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2173580@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I’ve enjoyed reading through and learning from many excellent posts this week. They’ve woken me up to parts of my value system and personality that are so basic, I tend not to think of them as things. I still don’t know how to do the YLF separation between the three categories, so forgive me that I’ve listed them all in one. </p> <p>1.<b> No waste </b></p> <p>A. That saying about “use it up, wear it out” etc is how I live my life. I refuse to remove items from my closet for things I see as temporary, like trends or my body shape/size. If they’ve earned a spot, they’ll stay until they are limp and lifeless. I apply this to other parts of my life as well, am not replacing the glass bread pan and pie dish that were my grandma’s and great-grandma’s. Until I have them again, I’m using cheap aluminum ones that were containers for food we purchased. Buying more nice ones would be a waste. </p> <p>B. No wasted movement. I tried to look up a scene from my favorite movie to illustrate this point, but came up with <a href="//m.youtube.com/watch?v=I7B_QaQOyh0”">this clip, </a>which centers around that scene and says many other wonderful things. It’s a 10-minute watch, but worth it. I might rename myself Tampopo on this site, after the movie. What it says that applies to my style is that I don’t wear flappy bits—no scarves, ruffles, sleeves or pants legs that get in the way. </p> <p>C. Form follows function. My new avatar is a celebration of that; the bridge’s curves and chains are all functional, but I find them beautiful. It also shows that there’s more than one way to fill a function—the paint could be any color, but they chose green. This also means that it’s worth getting good quality items that are a pleasure to see and use. I want footwear I can move and walk a long way in, but it can be lug oxfords, metallic ankle boots, or suede ankle boots with a block heel. The same applies to other wardrobe items as well. I like ornamentation, but it needs to follow function, or at least not get in the way. My preference for showing the body’s structure is part of this too. </p> <p>D. Why buy when you can adapt? Our rags used to be a bedsheet or my son’s underwear. I scrub nooks, crannies, and bottles with old toothbrushes. The brass beads I got for a college formal have a little patina and work to add a little edge to outfits. My son’s old sweatshirt jackets fit me well. There is often nostalgic pleasure in this, and connection, say, to the mother figure who took me to the market where I bought the sarong I wore to death that now adds a decorative flair to the couch cushions, or to the great-grandma who cooked my dad’s meals in the frying pan I use now. </p> <p>E. I don’t want to support producers who are wasteful of resources, whether that be water, fuel, materials for their production, finished product that wasn’t purchased, or something else. </p> <p>2. <b>All time is like the present</b></p> <p>A. If I don’t find what I’m looking for, it can very probably wait until the next season. Even without flat slip-on shoes, I wasn’t barefoot in the winter. This also relates to waiting for the baking dishes above. </p> <p>B. If I like a thing, I like it and expect it to be a permanent part of my wardrobe. For this reason, I don’t go big on trends. I’m much more likely to get baby bootcuts than great big flares, and to wait until skinnies show they have staying power to pick some up. </p> <p>C. I wear things from different eras and like to connect the eras. Per La Ped’s excellent suggestion, I want to start playing this up even more, focusing my multi-era outfits on a theme. This will take some work, so will be an occasional thing at first. </p> <p>3. <b>Equity and equality matter</b></p> <p>A. I look for products produced by companies that treat their workers well and pay them decently. For the time being, I rely on European labor laws to do the research for me. I’m really looking forward to stores reopening, because I expect this will be a lot easier then. </p> <p>B. I don’t want to dress in a way that presents me as better than or above anyone else. </p> <p>C. Theft of intellectual property is theft. Colonialism is theft. Although I like color, pattern, and ornamentation, I won’t knowingly wear designs that were lifted from another culture, whether overseas or right in the US of A. </p> <p>D. Gender equality is important. We aren’t all the same, thank goodness, but we all have equal value. I’m not about to add social markers of femininity, like lots of make-up or clothing that forces me to take up less space or restrict my movements. I walk through my city confidently, even in the dead of night. </p> <p>E. I am as old as I am. I’m not going to dye my hair to look younger, or hide my legs because they’re “old” (but I do work out to put some muscle on my thighs and broaden my back/shoulders). </p> <p>4. <b>I’ve gotta be me</b></p> <p>A. I don’t pay much attention to rules about age, or who can/‘t wear x. </p> <p>B. I like to mix up dressy &amp; casual, “vintage” &amp; new, pricey &amp; inexpensive. </p> <p>C. I like color, pattern, texture and shine. They are generally present in all my outfits. </p> <p>D. I’m apparently a maximal dresser. Rn I’m exploring that, in a tentative embrace. It doesn’t feel bad. </p> <p>E. Following trends is not for me. If you show me an excellent item, I’m as likely to interpret that as a prompt to look through my holdings for something similar as I am to think you mean I should buy it. </p> <p>F. I “own” some things others would see as beauty flaws—the multiple shades of my hair, the scar on my bicep, my birthmark and freckles. (I’m not quite consistent here though—I shave, use coverup for the allergic rings, might start waxing my upper lip) </p> <p>G. I need to remember that other people pick up on my vibe. Subconsciously, I think I give off energy &amp; confidence, but I am aware there are others who consciously evaluate and judge what a person is wearing. Deciding how much I care about them is tricky. My default is to flip them off. </p> <p>5. <b>I live dangerously</b></p> <p>A. Physically, I want to be ready for a little football—running, reaching, falling down &amp; getting back up. I’m not too precious, so my clothes shouldn’t be either. </p> <p>B. I’m not afraid to make mistakes, even when others can see. </p> <p>C. I have a sense of humor about myself, and about most things, loving wordplay, understatement (“it doesn’t feel bad”) and double references. </p> <p>D. I tend to assume others are the same, which has gotten me in hot water more than once. </p> <p>6 <b>And all that other stuff</b> in my “me” style post. </p> <p>A. I have an edge to me, in my personality, am trying to figure out how to bring it across in my style. Bare face &amp; nails, flowing hair, shirts that come untucked on their own—all that is me. “Rocker” style, with zippers and over dyed denim, piercings, and lots of black, is not. It feels fake for me. Androgynous (but not the costumed kind) might be. A little bit of sexy might be. </p> <p>B. This edge is in constant tension with a compassionate side that I think is currently overstated in many of my looks. I don’t want to be a doughnut with pink icing and sprinkles. <a href="https://i.ya-webdesign.com/images/simpsons-donut-png-2.png" rel="nofollow">https://i.ya-webdesign.com/ima.....-png-2.png</a> My compassionate side isn’t sugary-sweet anyway. </p> <p>Wow, this got long, even for me! If you got this far, thank you! </p> <p>*The movie, <i>Tampopo</i>, has been remastered in recent years, and is worth a watch as well—my son watched it with German subtitles when he was 6. Too bad he lost those language abilities and had to relearn the language! But if he could do it, you can too. It’s widely available with English subtitles. </p>