https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:33:56 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160522 Thu, 17 Dec 2020 00:00:12 +0000 The Cat 2160522@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well, I am in my sixties, but many (probably most) of the styles, lines, prints, colours, fabrics, details, accessories, footwear, etc. that I love are things I have loved ever since I was a child or a young teenager. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160220 Tue, 15 Dec 2020 23:26:30 +0000 LaPed 2160220@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nemosmom, your description of your dad,&nbsp;not to mention your own TX/CA/tech industry background, makes me think of&nbsp;the television series Halt and Catch Fire. Definitely worth a watch if you haven't already seen it. Fun watching the characters' styles change (or not change, as the case may be) through the decades. Plus, it's wonderfully well-written and acted. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160212 Tue, 15 Dec 2020 23:04:53 +0000 Sal 2160212@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a lovely story Jenni!!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160206 Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:48:27 +0000 Jenni NZ 2160206@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have just re-read this great thread, thank you Nemosmom! And I’d like to say that even if you thought you were a nerdy red-headed kid, on here you’re definitely a gorgeous red-headed woman! I love your hair. In fact the twice in my life I have dyed my hair a different colour, aged 23 and 28, it was to red :)<br /> I had an amusing conversation with my DD2 (27 y old) on Saturday afternoon. We made a sudden last-minute decision on Friday night to see if we could go to the Royal NZ Ballet production of Sleeping Beauty- a tradition of attending the Christmas ballet that we had neglected for 6 years. I always took the 2 girls and we would buy icecreams at interval. We suddenly realised it was on next day- and got tickets! ( Because productions are back on in our country). We missed DD1 who is holed up in the San Francisco East Bay Area.<br /> Waiting for the parking machine, she said “Look, most people are nicely dressed, you’ll be pleased”. I agreed and she said “You always used to point out if people weren’t, like if they were wearing jeans”. I didn’t remember I had done that! And I had said this time to her, it’s fine if you don’t dress up, I know lots of people don’t these days. But she said she liked to have a chance to dress up- in a thrifted dress it was, she said. So I have been an influence, but I am also proud of her for buying thrifted!<br /> BTW we both loved the ballet and will revive our tradition next year. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160191 Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:13:03 +0000 Firecracker (Sharan) 2160191@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have a hard time identifying what my style is. Even after years of following YLF. Others seem to be quite adept at identifying my style, while I still struggle. It occurs to me that my style, whatever it is, may be rooted in my family's frequent moves. I tried to copy whatever everyone else was wearing, because what I wanted more than anything was to fit in with my peers, wherever we went. My version was never the same as what other kids had, because I would show Mom what I was pining for, and she would make it for me (God bless her!). So it wasn't the store-bought version, but I loved what she made for me, and I liked having "my" version. Even now in the last decade, I could see my style change as I changed jobs; I always end up wearing some things that reflect the influence of people I am around. And to this day, I continue to see things that others are wearing and either copy them by buying the same things ("the lemming effect" here on YLF), or sometimes create my own version at the sewing machine. Now I am probably less influenced by others around me, and more influenced by what I see online (here on YLF and on sewing and retail sites). I imagine I do seem to have a distinct style, and I still struggle with pinning it down. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160190 Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:04:41 +0000 Sal 2160190@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for this interesting thread NemosMom and for your own commentary. I can see those influences in your style. And they work!!</p> <p>Lots of really fascinating style roots.</p> <p>My Mum was moderately interested in clothes and she helped me buy a few memorable dresses and play suits when I was young. Her own style was very much into details and jewelry and layers. As a red head she suited autumnal colours. I loved Charlie’s Angels and reading home sewing magazines with my stylish and conservative Grandma.</p> <p>As a teen in the 80s I was pop culture influenced - Madonna, Bananarama, US tv etc. The 90s were not particularly fashionable years for me - travel, home ownership and being a student meant my money and efforts went elsewhere.</p> <p>Since then I have circled around to my own style. A few missteps and experiments. I do feel I have got there now but maybe that is just that current trends suit me. I am sure there will be some more circling. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160185 Tue, 15 Dec 2020 19:23:01 +0000 Liesbeth 2160185@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Came back to read all responses, so fascinating. Greyscale's comment made me realize I did pick up something from my mom: first, to dress for myself and not for others (within certain rules like those of school of course but I was never that rebellious anyway), and to look for things that flattered me. Figure flattery is so ingrained for me I don't even realize it. So my idea that I'm steering my own course is still very determined :-D. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160181 Tue, 15 Dec 2020 19:00:00 +0000 jacquez 2160181@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hm. My mother, in my youth, wore a lot of long skirts, but now wears jeans with boho tops and comfy shoes, which is a cute look on her.</p> <p>I have never fully scrubbed the 90s grunge-goth from myself, and I don't want to. I love a comfy boot and a button-front top with jeans! And that look can go from more-refined to hiking to daily casual wear pretty easily with accessories, different styles of tops, swapping the jeans out for dress trousers. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2160110 Tue, 15 Dec 2020 11:56:49 +0000 Lynne 2160110@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>How fascinating, following so many different style journeys! And how wonderful to see the influence of so many beloved parents and grandparents here. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2159925 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 17:37:37 +0000 Anonymous 2159925@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I'm like my grandpa in that there was only so casual he'd be in public. He'd wear suits to dr appts!<br /> My mom was a big thrift/consignment shopper "thrill of the hunt." I use (or did) boutiques for that instead. She's a lady of perpetual excess- I'm a minimalist as much as possible in rebellion </p> <p>Child of the 70s, so influences from all decades. Influenced by music, theatre, dance, fitness. Used to be influenced by tv and probably movies, but I don't watch either anymore. </p> <p>Color and style analysis has always been a big influence. I want to get it right and be done with it (till some magpie thing catches my fancy). I do think I can lean too far into Winter though, cause my mom. </p> <p>I don't think I'm influenced by non- informative fashion blogs- the "look at my pretty outfit" with no real content behind it. Nor celebrities of any sort. I'm dressing for my life and my body, and want to be the best me, not a copy of someone else. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2159923 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 17:36:08 +0000 nemosmom 2159923@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you all so much for your responses! I found them all to be so fascinating!&nbsp; And, I can see everyone's influences reflected in their style.</p> <p>My parents were hippies. I grew up in a Native American community. We spent months road-tripping to the west coast in our VW bus in the late 70s. I was a ballet dancer (18 years!), who was obsessed with Soul Train, Solid Gold, cosplay, Star Wars, and metal music. After college, I spent a few years in Austin before taking on a tech job in San Francisco. There, I discovered a love of the Castro district, the Grateful Dead, car camping at the beach, seasonally-confused outfits, tiki bars, and hoodies-as-office-attire. I stayed there until a few years ago... </p> <p>My mom always had an opinion (usually critical) about how I looked. I did not look like my parents or most of the local kids, so I was always an outsider. My interests were also nothing like my mom's. She was the popular fashionista cheerleader in her youth; I was the nerdy freckle-faced redheaded girl who hated dresses and shoes. I suspect her criticism was her way of trying to connect with me. And, I am sure my rebellious teen years were my way of trying to widen that gap...</p> <p>My dad worked in tech and wore button up shirts with disco collars, and wide pants to work. His DIY/weekend uniform was a plaid workshirt, denim (cutoff short-shorts in the summer, with knee-high striped socks LOL), and Timberland-style boots. My earliest memories were of him building things while cranking classic rock and disco in the garage. I definitely see his clothing choices reflected in what I like to wear...</p> <p>As for my own style, I often think of myself as a walking contradiction - how can I feel simultaneously drawn to western boots, distressed jeans, moto pants, sequins, teddy coats, AND corduroy? But, looking at my life, I can see where every one of those influences came from! I guess I come by my scattered fashion choices quite honestly </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2159918 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 17:17:34 +0000 Ginkgo 2159918@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My roots are deep, indeed.&nbsp; I started grade school around 1960 when both teachers and students were "dressed up",&nbsp; there were school clothes and there were play clothes and those categories did not overlap.&nbsp; My teachers in the early grades were all young women just out of college and I used to describe what they wore to my mother.&nbsp; Most of my school dresses were made by my mom and I remember just about all of them.<br />My grandmother was a redhead and always wore dresses and necklaces that enhanced her coloring (she even bought a car that was turquoise at age 73).&nbsp; When she came out of her bedroom in the morning she had her makeup on and was in a dress and heels and had her makeup and necklace on (and she was a housewife).&nbsp; I've been going through old photos lately&nbsp; and have been impressed by how well-groomed and put together my grandmother looked well into her 80s, even though she'd grown up in modest circumstances.&nbsp; She grew up in the early 20th century during the time of the "dress doctors" as described by Linda Przybyszewski's book so maybe it was more common then to be&nbsp; attentive to how you presented yourself.<br />Growing up, I used to watch a lot of 1940s movies on tv&nbsp; and later I read a lot of WW2 history and am partial to that era's style -- the slim skirts, the jackets with lapels...some of that came back in the 80s so I relived it then and am still fond of jackets and blazers. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2159917 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 17:12:34 +0000 anchie 2159917@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My mom was a business woman - head of accounting in big firm, and she also had her private accounting business on the side that she did from home office.<br /> She loved clothes, shopping and fashion and she was always very well dressed. She actually loved it too much so she also shopped for all my clothes that lead to me not experimenting with fashion and developing my own style. I only started getting interested in fashion in my early 30ies and I still don’t have confidence in my style. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2159914 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 16:42:30 +0000 Synne 2159914@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is so fun! I can def "see" everyone's style in these descriptions. I am impressed at the degree of precice introspection and analysis.<br /> For me I grew up in mostly hand-me-down clothes. I was also very lanky growing up (think Olive Oyl), so nothing really fit great. At least not for long. I early developed a view on clothing as "a nessecary evil" and something I would just feel awkward in. I know what I like and what I think look good, but it is just difficult to make it work on me. Still working on turning that around! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots/page/2#post-2159911 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 16:22:53 +0000 Mary Beth (formerly LBD) 2159911@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a very intriguing topic, and I was surprised how quickly I was able to assemble a list.&nbsp; Sorry in advance for the novella.</p> <p>My great-aunt used to doll me up and take me to her church when I was very small, and I loved how the Italian and French ladies dressed:&nbsp; fitted black lace dresses, heeled shoes, compact handbags,&nbsp; red lipstick, and the most delicious perfumes.&nbsp; Every woman looked like current-day Monica Bellucci in Dolce and Gabbana.&nbsp; &nbsp;To this day, I love vintage Gianni Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, Dior, and YSL.&nbsp; &nbsp; </p> <p>My Italian grandfather's every day style (when he wasn't sweating it out as a carpenter) was to "dress sharp":&nbsp; immaculate grooming, casual slacks, polo shirt, leather belt and shoes, Aqua Velva,&nbsp; and his hair coiffed high (he had a mane worthy of Michael Landon).</p> <p>My grandma was English, and born around the same time as the Queen.&nbsp; &nbsp;Elizabeth was her lifelong style icon&nbsp; - something I never really knew until I watched The Crown.&nbsp; &nbsp;My grandmother wasn't formal or fancy, but she had a beauty routine she followed every morning and night, her entire life, and she was always beautifully-groomed.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>Film influences:&nbsp; &nbsp;Film Noir heroines, Vivienne Leigh, Marlene Dietrich, all the Hitchcock Blondes, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe.&nbsp; &nbsp;Vera-Ellen in White Christmas.&nbsp; Fellini films.</p> <p>1977 Nutcracker film (Kirkland/Baryshnikov):&nbsp; &nbsp;fitted pants, slightly flowy tops, fitted little jackets, tall, flat boots.</p> <p>Junior high &amp; high school was "Sloane Ranger", adventure- and safari-style via Indiana Jones and the Romancing The Stone, and elevated looks from The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Designing Women, 227, and Dynasty (Joan Collins)</p> <p>College:&nbsp; &nbsp;Paula Abdul!&nbsp; &nbsp;Tania Coleridge in George Michel's "Father Figure".&nbsp; &nbsp;I wanted everything they wore.</p> <p>The 1990s... eh.&nbsp; &nbsp;I blank out here, because GenX and Grunge were the antithesis of everything I loved.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />2000s, I moved Okinawa, and it sparked my love for tropical, Hawaiian, and Asian style.&nbsp; I discovered Dita von Teese, and she immediately became my&nbsp;style spirit animal.</p> <p>Other significant influences:&nbsp; Valmont, Mad Men, Mrs. Maisel, Star Trek, The Crown.&nbsp;</p> <p>During the pandemic, I've copied a lot of Kate Middleton's casual style:&nbsp; striped shirt, dark jeans, espadrilles and wedges.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159898 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 15:21:58 +0000 Jules 2159898@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Coming of age in the 90s definitely had a huge influence, one I didn't fully understand/recognize until I learned more about fashion and trends here on ylf. For example, for so long black footwear was my default essential in all seasons - now I own literally none, but maybe this is the rebellious phase :)<br />Deeper roots are a little harder to identify. Nothing very significant comes to mind. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159886 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 14:58:46 +0000 Liesbeth 2159886@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting question! I have to think on this. I do not know how I got attracted to the simple, tomboy styles and color palettes I favor. My mom dressed in a much more colorful and creative way (and she dressed us, her kids, that way too as long as that worked!). I also don't recall having fashion icons up until my late teens... Not my aunts or older nieces either... I guess I liked the style of some nineties tv icons, at least more than I liked my peers way of dressing, but I didn't try to copy anyone as a child or early teen. Just chose individual items I liked or that I could wear to fit in (looking at all denim :)). I had to learn to observe 'whole looks' when I got more interested in style in my twenties. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159869 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 13:58:51 +0000 Janet 2159869@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My first reaction was, eh, not that deep. But I suspect the answer is more complex than that. My grandmother was very stylish when she was young, and was a glove buyer (yes! Gloves were that big!) for a department store 60+ years ago. I have half of a huge collection of vintage gloves for that reason. I wear some of them, but gloves were made to be worn tightly back in those days, so even though my hands are slender, they’re a bit snug for modern use. </p> <p>My mom loved clothes, and was always impeccably groomed. She was a beautiful woman who took pride in her appearance. And she loved shopping and looking at pretty things. She also loved art and design and had an unfulfilled dream of going to art school and studying fashion design. I know she passed along a lot of her talent and appreciation to both me and my sister (my sister is a hugely talented painter and colored pencil artist; I just point a camera at things, LOL). </p> <p>So yes, my appreciation for how I dress and style myself deliberately is very much due to those familial roots. My style is very different from my mom’s — a product of being 40 years younger and my environmental norms in high school and college, and beyond. Mom never wore jeans, never. And I rely on them! But we both loved pretty prints, shades of green, black with colors, scarves and jewelry. We used to have great fun shopping together. Those associations still influence my style and habits to this day. </p> <p>I think I also carry some generational influence as I still love styles from the 70s, the era in which I became aware of style. I have less fondness for 80s and 90s style but still carry on some of the best-for-me influences from those eras. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159866 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 13:38:51 +0000 Minaminu 2159866@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>what a fun question!&nbsp;</p> <p>I think I am taking after my grandmother and mum, my dad is hopeless -he relies on my mum to buy his clothes and happily dresses as advised by her.</p> <p>Both my grandmother and mum had their own fashion uniforms and were not afraid of repeating the same outfit - which is something that I do as well. I remember they used to do a shopping spree in spring and autumn to replace or add new pieces for the entire family and children used to get clothes passed down from other family members. I don't think this is possible nowadays as the quality of garments has reduced since and one has to keep the eyes wide open for good pieces throughout the year!&nbsp;</p> <p>.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159857 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 12:53:46 +0000 ChristelJ 2159857@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Love this question. My stylish parents were a huge influence. They were quite put-together in a slightly artsy way. Mom sewed her own clothes from gorgeous fabrics, making sure to match her accessories. Dad had quite a collection of interesting printed shirts such as one with tiny Egyptian mummies in subtle shades of olive. I was taken thrifting at an early age, and sewed my first dress at age 11. To this day I love thrifting and patterned fabrics, and recently took up sewing clothing again. Formative decades were the 60s and 70s, and those remain my favorites. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159808 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 04:45:38 +0000 slim cat 2159808@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I'm still developing my style. I'm uniform dresser and sometimes &nbsp;feel stuck in same repetitive looks.<br />Spending considerable time in Seattle influenced certain preferences - natural look ( minimal make up, simple hair do ), jeans and shirts with parkas, walkable shoes.<br />Being a part of a YLF forum really help to develop my style in a more interesting and fun way . </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159805 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 04:12:01 +0000 Bijou 2159805@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My style is influenced by my family, friends and career choice.</p> <p>I have always enjoyed clothes and had my own idea of my style (disastrous at times). In my teens, it was a way to identify friends with similar interests and tastes in music. I was a Finance major who dressed like a wannabe Arts major. Since then, I have embraced working in the Corporate sector, so dress conservatively, but like to add a feminine edge to my clothing and presentation, which I like to think is my Mum's &amp; Grandmother's influence.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159778 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 02:54:54 +0000 Jaime 2159778@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I grew up with mostly examples of what I did not want to do or be, but, looking back, I always had very decided taste and judgment (I did not say good! ). Anyway, I was pretty oblivious to fashion until my early 40s, but made up time quickly since then. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159773 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 02:29:17 +0000 rachylou 2159773@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmm. I shall be mulling on this awhile. There are certain signifiers I cling to, like a Queen Mum purse, but I can’t say my personal style reflects anyone in my family. Everyone else is very prep school. However, I would say my interest in fashion is familial. They’re all classically educated and think complicated thoughts about aesthetics, pay attention to them - art, architecture, music and yes fashion. Lol, I remember my dad giving me a big push into taking an interest by buying me a Vogue... I probably wasn’t caring enough, lol </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159766 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 01:52:45 +0000 Jenava 2159766@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I loved vintage fashion and color as a kid (I vividly recall arguing with my mom about wearing blue tights and black shoes together when I was in preschool). And I still love those things but now I have a wider array of life experiences to draw on, and lifestyle needs that must be considered. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159765 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 01:44:39 +0000 SarahD8 2159765@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think it's inescapable that all of us have deep style roots -- going back to childhood in some sense.</p> <p>I grew up in a family that was financially comfortable but in which fashion, clothing, and grooming were not things on which resources were spent. I do remember a number of favorite clothing items over the years -- some homemade, some thrifted, some bought at discount retailers -- but as discrete, isolated items if that makes sense; I don't feel any connection to any of the fashion eras (70s/80s/90s) in which I grew up. And although I know that what I wore must have reflected what was available at different times, I don't have any sense of having participated in any of those fashion eras/trends/movements.</p> <p>I'm oversimplifying a little bit, but I don't think I ever had a sense of having a style that could be named and described, or of wanting to achieve a particular consistent look, until about 8 years ago. I went to a swap party at a friend's apartment and picked up a vintage wool Aran cardigan. I put it on and my friend said, "Wow, I have always wanted to wear that but have never felt right in it -- it looks like it was made for you." So, I took it home and somehow it triggered something in me. From Aran knits I branched out to fair isle, Nordic patterns, other folkloric influences, and eventually the whole Modern Land Girl/Girl on the Moors thing took shape. (I don't actually own the sweater anymore; after a while I realized that crewnecks don't really suit me, and the cream/ivory color was too yellowish for my skin tone. It was hard to give away though, because it was such a formative garment!)</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159760 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 01:27:23 +0000 LaPed 2159760@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmm, well, Quaker heritage means no frills, nothing wasteful or OTT. My whole family has that sort of ethos. No make-up, sturdy shoes only, pull out "the good flannel" for holiday dinners, etc. Sounds like <b>G</b><b>rey</b><b>scale</b>'s mom dresses exactly like mine. My mom is also a fiber artist, so I developed a love for handcrafted textiles early on, especially knits. My grandmother helped run the local benefit shop, so I got good at thrifting too.</p> <p>I have a strong and inescapable dose of New England preppy like <b>kkards</b>, but the part of New England where I grew up is actually influenced as much by Montreal (closest metro area) and NY (lots of ex-urbanites, like my parents) as it is by Boston. Then I moved to the PNW late teens/early 20s and was immersed in the early '00s indie music scene there, which had a big influence on how I dressed, with light punk and grunge influences. Still have some of my band tees. </p> <p>I was very outdoorsy as a kid and lived in fleece and hiking boots, then abandoned that look trying for something more a bit more urban in my 20's, and have now come full circle back to the stomping-around-in-the-woods looks of my childhood. Just in time for vintage gear to become trendy! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159758 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 01:24:44 +0000 MsMaven 2159758@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Anti-style? Reaction against the conventional, but not too much. My Mom tried hard to be lady-like 1950s housewife and worried about us fitting in with our clothes selections. "Wait until school starts and see what the other girls are wearing before spending a lot of money."</p> <p>Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy. Smooth, simple and elegant, sophisticated until hippie era started. The elegant look too old for me. Confused with peasant dresses and Dress-for-Success.</p> <p>My roots are confused! I wanted to be elegant as a 25 year-old.</p> <p>Getting older: advice from fashion magazines. Color analysis.&nbsp;A lot of mistakes came from buying clothes for a life I didn't lead.&nbsp;</p> <p>I still would like to have an aura of elegance and simplicity. But I want to be warm and cozy. I do like to experiment with new trends.&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159752 Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:53:26 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2159752@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don’t like to be splashy. I’m sure that goes back all the generations my family lived in the Midwest, probably to the Puritains in New England. But I also don’t like to be matchy. That probably goes back to me as a kid, hating expectations that I play by practicing writing with chalk or other quiet things the other girls did. I have been thinking since joining YLF that my style is pretty consistent, feel like the recent re-additions of things I haven’t worn for 10 years bears that out. So I’d say my color preferences and general sillouhettes go back at least that far, and probably more. I’m fortunate never to have worked or lived in a place where what I wore mattered. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-deep-are-your-style-roots#post-2159723 Sun, 13 Dec 2020 23:36:25 +0000 Greyscale 2159723@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Fascinating question! My first reaction was that my roots are fairly shallow, just the past 10 years of developing my personal style. But then I realized that my family does give me very deep style roots in a way: the freedom to not worry how I look. I grew up without anyone around me wearing makeup, doing their hair in anything but a pragmatic haircut, or paying the least attention to fashion trends. My mother has always worn a practical mix of loose fitting jeans, turtlenecks, and sturdy shoes. My college setting (an engineering school) was similarly unconcerned about fashion, though it had some latent sexism in thinking that women shouldn't put effort into appearance.</p> <p>I'm excited that I like clothes, myself.&nbsp;I think I've translated my early days (grunge and utilitarian) into a grown-up style that gets noticed and with the freedom to do my own thing. It's heavily influenced by the un-feminine grunge styles of my teen years, the minimalism of the 90s, and the drapey avant garde shapes that were popular 10 years ago when I first started paying attention to fashion. </p>