YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Go Blue!

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Go Blue! https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Thu, 07 May 2026 13:22:51 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Jaime on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-943000 Tue, 28 May 2013 01:20:11 +0000 Jaime 943000@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I love these colors on you and the reference to Anne of Green Gables made me smile. In my experience with environmental norms I have learned that people get used to anything given some time. Stick with what works so beautifully for you! Suz on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942871 Mon, 27 May 2013 21:51:21 +0000 Suz 942871@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Just loving Celia's reply here.  Beth Ann, your style is through the roof this year. Don't stop doing what you're doing.  Thistle on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942838 Mon, 27 May 2013 20:07:21 +0000 Thistle 942838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You look terrific in your signature color, and I see no hiding here! Love the pairing of the yellow bag. I really think you look terrific in all of these combinations. And don't let my card carrying membership at Gymboree scare you! Scarlet on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942812 Mon, 27 May 2013 19:01:58 +0000 Scarlet 942812@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hiding behind brights? What an interesting concept. I think you are dressing perfectly in line with your personality and you look great. Beth Ann on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942807 Mon, 27 May 2013 18:50:03 +0000 Beth Ann 942807@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Celia:  Thanks for your encouragement and your thoughtful story.  I appreciate that you would take the time to share it.  Sounds like your friend from NO had the wisdom to be true to herself.  The plain truth is that I wouldn't do well trying to fit into the environmental norms anyway.  Tried that in junior high and crashed and burned!  I was on Team Color and Team Dressy even then!  BTW --- I could easily fall for a great red dress! celia on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942750 Mon, 27 May 2013 17:31:52 +0000 celia 942750@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Beth Ann, as you asked I am going to try to answer as truthfully as I can. The simple answer, and truthfull answer is that you look fabulous in each one of those outfits and none of them resemble an 'adult Gymboree advert' but there is more than that. We  share the same coloring so the colors and color combinations we are drawn to and suit us are also similar.Which means high contrast combinations and sometimes 'loud' colors. Thanks in great part to YLF we feel good with wearing what suits us even if it is not the norm around us.But not everybody feels comfortable with what we wear. It sounds silly but people feel  uncomfortable with what differs from the norm and tend to not express their opinion because they don't know that liking something that is different will alienate them also. It is sad because, as you noted, this behaviour doesn't limit itself to clothes, people are lonely and unhappy sometimes for the only reason that they don't dare to be themselves. I have a friend that once told me this story of her life; In our religious comunnity back in Portugal we had a visitor from the US, she was from New Orleans and was , as she called it in the most loving terms of the words a 'big fat mama' with lots of personality and that liked to dress in bright fun colors. A 'well intentioned ' lady from Portugal decided to give her some advice on what to wear for a conference. She told her that portuguese people dressed in neutral and darker tones so she might want to tone down. My friend heard this and at the conference day she decided to wear her brightest red dress, with fabulous heels and red lipstick. Of course the other lady also sticked to her guns and dressed as she wished and nobody died from a brightness induced heart attack. My point is, if you are the one that defies the norm, the one that people sometimes don't know what to do with or how to react to, there is certainly someone that you can inspire to get the metaphorical red dress from the closet and make the world a brighter and happier place. So so sorry for the big post. Angie on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942672 Mon, 27 May 2013 15:10:04 +0000 Angie 942672@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ That's the style spirit, Beth Ann. And best of luck working through your life questions. We are here to support you if you need us. xo Beth Ann on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942667 Mon, 27 May 2013 15:07:18 +0000 Beth Ann 942667@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks for the encouragement, Angie.  As I mentioned earlier, I need YLF to be my mirror sometimes.  I know you all will help me focus and move forward.  The life questions will take some time to sort out.  I will have to be patient there.  Still, it's really true that dressing with confidence for a day filled with uncertainty helps me move through my day with more joy and grace. Angie on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942617 Mon, 27 May 2013 14:23:19 +0000 Angie 942617@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Honey Pie, Beth Ann. Your life may be in a state flux, but as I said last month - your style has reached new highs. REALLY. All outfits here are absolute winners! #1 is KILLER deluxe! You wear cobalt so well!!! No wonder it's signature :). And you are gorgeous in bootcuts! To answer your question - don't give it a second thought. Brights and high contrast are stylish and if those combinations make you happy - go for it. You look pulled together, chic and beautiful. I wear brights - NEON in fact - and high contrast all the time and live in the city. I'll wear it in NYC and be the only person in a bright coat. Works for me. Remember that style is an expression of individuality. Wear what feels right in your heart with confidence and no one can touch you. Beth Ann on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942615 Mon, 27 May 2013 14:07:36 +0000 Beth Ann 942615@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks for taking the time to help me think through my choices.  Truly, I feel like a downmarket version of Marie Antoinette these days, searching through her closet saying, "but no ting eez right.  Call the royal seamstress.  No cake until she makes my leetle heart sing!"  Oh wait...the royal seamstress would be ME! My local environment is conservative, and uber casual.  I definitely dress outside the norm in color and silhouette.  I don't think people are whispering behind my back, necessarily, but to be complimented on an item of clothing is a rarity --- perhaps once a month, if that. I do have two close friends who might be an exception to this rule. I don't dress to get a string of admirers -- my divadom doesn't reach that far, but it makes you wonder if you're looking strange.  For example, no one has said anything about my yellow bag, except for, "Wow, that's bright." I'm beginning to suspect that the issue is deeper than fashion and broader than just me.  I notice a lot of lonely people in my neighborhood, in my workplace, even in the new church we're attending.  We "do things" together, but don't really see each other or really connect -- except on facebook.  I think the fact that I have, to quote Ann of Green Gables, 2 bosom friends, is very unusual.  My DH and I have set about trying to make a dent in this.  We're being intentional about bringing people into our home, even though this necessitates deep cleaning (lol).  In conversation, I make it a point to draw people out -- to find out what makes them tick.  And yes, I comment positively on the pretty earrings, lovely shoes, colorful sweater, etc.  For now, YLF is my mirror to make sure I'm not looking whackadoodle! Now --- for the clothes!  Deborah:  I have resisted springing for a truly well-fitted shirt, because I don't wear them often.  Of course, perhaps I don't wear them often because they don't fit well! Caro:  This ruched skirt would be difficult to hem, but I can fold it and move it about on my body.  I like this length with heels,  I think, but I might play with it in the mirror a bit.  I was hoping for a "retro" look with the flats, but I don't think it was intentional enough. Adelfa:  We do have similar coloring, indeed.  I suspect my undertones are more yellow than yours, although I'm less sallow as I age, and my eyes are hazel --- goldish with lots of green.   You give me a lot to work with, some ideas that are new to me --- the blackened brights, for example.  I have started to work in bit of brown and return to gold, too, with good results.  I'll be watching your posts closely! Suz:  Color makes me happy, for sure!  I think I sometimes expect the perfect, stellar garment to be the answer, and that's what I mean by hiding!  As if it's the perfect garments in our closet that give us good style, when in fact it's the way they fit and work together that's most crucial. I'm working with super casual looks this Summer.  That's my nod to environmental norms, and it's providing  a good challenge.   Still, I'm beginning to think it's not me -- it's my environment.  I do not say that with any judgement at all --- we all can make different choices.  I guess maybe I feel just a little sad that my neighbors don't know the fun of a yellow purse! Mona on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942592 Mon, 27 May 2013 12:57:28 +0000 Mona 942592@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You are a breath of fresh air in #1. Lovely colour combination of coabalt and yellow. #2 and 3 are so fun. Cobalt really is your colour. Krista on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942586 Mon, 27 May 2013 12:42:44 +0000 Krista 942586@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ "grown-up Gymboree advert"!!! Ha ha!! I may have lost a mouthful of coffee on that one. :) I love all of these outfits, Beth-Ann.  We have similar coloring and I think we can do high-contrast outfits.  I wear a lot of bright color combinations as well and I've come to the realization that they are a key piece of my personal style.  In fact, color is a part of my personal style rubric.  If you can wear it so well (and not like a grown-up Gymboree advert at all!), why would you stop and wear something else that isn't you?   In #4, the only thing I would add, if you have it, is a wide black belt to complete the look. It would cinch the blouse so you don't need to tuck it as much into your, er..., panties?! Suz on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942579 Mon, 27 May 2013 12:34:26 +0000 Suz 942579@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Ah, the yellow bag!! Told you it would work with everything! I never did find my own version for this summer; still on the hunt. If I find one on sale later in the season I will snap it up. In the meantime, I went with cobalt!! :-)  Beth Ann, you look spectacular in #1. Everything about it is perfect. I even love that you pulled your hair back for that look. Stupendous!  #2 is also fabulous. And they are all good looks. I have a feeling #4 might be better in person - in the photos we don't get as much sense of the skirt's texture.  As to your questions: You do not look like a grownup Gymboree ad. Do people comment on your brights? In an unpleasant way? I know you have mentioned that nobody in your environment except maybe very young women wear bright pants, etc. Do they not wear any bright jackets, either?  Looking at the pictures, I see someone who suits cobalt beautifully, and it would be a shame to tone it down too much.  When I look at the photos, my eye is drawn to you -- to your face and your beautiful smile. Not to the bright clothes first. If anything, it's drawn more to your face in 1-3 (the brighter ones) vs. #4 (the more subdued print). Ultimately, I think that is how we have to make the colour call. Do the colours make us sing? (As a Diva, you know all about that!)  But in all seriousness -- it's a combo between the visual effect and the happiness factor, I think. Lots of colours wash me out so badly I might as well not have wakened up; others make me look as if I got the sleep  I didn't. I'd rather wear more of the second ones, and generally they make me feel happier, too.  Karie on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942569 Mon, 27 May 2013 11:33:29 +0000 Karie 942569@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You look fantastic in cobalt! I also have a yellow purse and find that it does indeed go with just about everything.  Lantana on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942550 Mon, 27 May 2013 10:19:28 +0000 Lantana 942550@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Your 6 points are a Fast Fall Back Plan for successfully managing fashion ennui. Anonymous on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942547 Mon, 27 May 2013 09:48:05 +0000 Anonymous 942547@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think you look great in bright colour. I don't think it looks hectic at all. The only outfit I would tweak is 4. The shirt looks too big and the skirt might be a touch too long. rute on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942535 Mon, 27 May 2013 08:15:39 +0000 rute 942535@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Gorgeous! Adelfa on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942524 Mon, 27 May 2013 06:50:52 +0000 Adelfa 942524@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You look amazing in that first outfit! Shape, color, proportions--everything! They are all great outfits. I am going to give you some thoughts on your final questions. My thoughts are completely influenced by the facts that 1. I've been going through a color evolution that isn't finished yet and 2. you and I seem to have quite similar coloring although it's very hard to tell in head-to-toe shots and I can't see your eye color. I too started wondering about being bright and high contrast so much of the time, though they were good looks for me, and there are some things I do a little differently now. Cobalt is my signature color too I am wearing cobalt jeans as we speak and my Sunday dress today was in a predominantly cobalt print. I even have cobalt nail polish on. At some point I started asking the questions you are asking and worrying about what you mentioned. I've been experimenting a lot and as I say am not done. I learned that it is possible to have coloring that is not 100% cool or warm. (I looked into the 12 season systems.) I decided that I'm somewhat more "neutral" than completely cool.  A useful reference point for me for a super cool fair skinned dark haired woman is Imogen Lamport of the Inside-Out Style Blog. I am not like her. So I started looking at wearing colors that were not purely Color Me Beautiful Winter and tried various things. At this point I am mostly back to the Winter shades but with some tweaks. Here are some things I'm liking: 1. Colors tinged with black.  This is mostly for fall and winter.  I adore a blackened red, oxblood, very dark aubergine, ink blue, even a blackened emerald. I feel very me in these colors and find them easier to wear with my favorite neutral, black. I find I prefer them to their super-bright counterparts. As I say, this is mostly for the cold weather, though I do wear ink blue and oxblood right now. 2. I like all pinks, not just the ones I'm supposed to wear ("supposed" to wear). I love a pink so deep it almost looks red, and a pink so light it's almost white.  But I also love pinks in between and I love warm pinks, whether it's a deep coralish pink or a warmed pastel pink. 3. Cobalt of course, I went away from it for a while but it is my lifetime favorite color, and I'm back. 4. Brown can add richness to an outfit and can break up that all-bright look that sometimes can feel a little wrong. A deep brown belt can tone with my darker colors, and cognac or tan with my lighter ones. Same with shoes. I have a pair of ballet flats that's a mix of dark brown suede and black patent. Love. I have boots in cognac and cocoa and love what they do to my outfits. I bought sandals that are white and tan. I have a necklace that's a bunch of bright beads strung on highly visible brown thread, and I love wearing it with a bright outfit and a brown belt. 5. Gold toned jewelry. I love silver and will never give it up. But gold can really warm up a white-or-black-with-bright outfit. Its effect on black alone, IMO, makes it worth looking at. 6. Prints--I used to think that prints weren't clear and bright enough for me. But I started wearing black-and-white prints and then branched into color. After not wearing prints for so long, I love having an alternative to outfits composed entirely of solid brights. 7. Cream--I wear white a lot. But I love cream too and it can look so good with black or brights. 8. Lime green--I love this color so much I can't stand it. I am still figuring out how to wear it but I am determined to succeed. I think you're getting the idea by now.  I am finding ways to add warmth to my "Winter" colored ensembles, just as you did with your yellow bag. I find I'm a lot happier with how my colors work together. I feel a little more sophisticated with my color use and just feel better in my outfits. You already look great. I hear you wanting to keep thinking through your use of color and since that is one of my favorite topics I described some of my journey.  I know this has been very long so thank you for your patience! Lyn D. on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942519 Mon, 27 May 2013 06:16:08 +0000 Lyn D. 942519@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh, you had me at 'Blue' of course, and these all look lovely! I think cobalt blue is perfect with your colouring, and you are not 'hiding' but rather flattered by this shade. jenanded on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942517 Mon, 27 May 2013 05:26:03 +0000 jenanded 942517@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ your coloring totally suits brights... not hiding at all  Caro in Oz on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942513 Mon, 27 May 2013 05:11:01 +0000 Caro in Oz 942513@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think you look fab in these. I see you & then the clothes - usually when someone is overwhelmed by their clothing I only see the clothes. The only suggestion I'd make is does the skirt need to be a tad shorter? To hit at that point where the calf goes in.  Deborah on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942510 Mon, 27 May 2013 04:55:39 +0000 Deborah 942510@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wow Beth Ann you are looking stunning my dear.  I just love #1 and #2 and #3 are gorgous.  Clearly cobalt and stripes were made just for you.  #4 is a great idea, but I just find the shirt to big???    I don't find any of these combinations hectic but certainly vibrant.  These looks do suit you and from what I know of you as a person, I would suggest they do reflect your personality. Beth Ann on "Go Blue!" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/go-blue#post-942507 Mon, 27 May 2013 04:49:04 +0000 Beth Ann 942507@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've been struggling with fashion ennui.  Maybe it's the fact that much of my life is up in the air.  Will we move in the next year?  Should I stay at my present job?  Maybe it's the fact that I've been working on body changes that are moving -- but at a g-l-a-c-i-a-l pace.  Maybe it's just that Summertime casual dressing is more challenging. At any rate.  I've found that little things mean a lot. 1.  Using a signature color:  cobalt.  Adding white for freshness. 2.  The value of a faux tuck -- or the modern feel of a visible belt 3.  Embrace the Cons for a quick modern hit 4.  Don't forget the flattery of the bootcut --- trends be damned! 5.  Try a pop of color that's bad for your face but good for your spirits!      (My yellow bag goes with all my favorite colors, if not my complexion) 6.  Try new combinations, and don't forget the classic!      (The last look, worn to Church, is a take on a preppy classic:  pencil skirt        with button down and pearls.  The skirt is completely ruched poplin.        I'd prefer with my patent pumps, but I was walking to Church, so the        ballet flats were the better choice)  Next time, I think I'll tuck the        generous sized blouse into my, er, panties, to keep it crisper. I still worry about looking, a little "suburbanite bright."  You know, like a grownup Gymboree advert.  Questions:  Am I hiding behind bright color, or do I seem to you like a true high-contrast girl?  How do you gauge the boundary between vibrant and hectic? P.S.  NEED HAIRCUT!