YouLookFab Forum » Topic: How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) ) https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:39:12 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Stagiaire Fash on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2247387 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:52:23 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2247387@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks for starting the interesting discussion of “influencers”. That’s a world I’m not familiar with (other than following M gets dressed for a few months after frequently seeing her mentioned on here). Helena on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2247195 Sun, 09 Jan 2022 14:09:03 +0000 Helena 2247195@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks NM and Joy, those are great suggestions!!! The print suggestion especially resonated and I think a winter-spring transitional coat in a light or bright colour is a great idea - on my wishlist!! Anonymous on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2247173 Sun, 09 Jan 2022 05:50:30 +0000 Anonymous 2247173@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wonderful job,Helena!  You have learned from the work you did and have  good guidelines going forward.  You will have more successes in the coming year.  <div>You may happier and make fewer mistakes in your spring wardrobe if you add more color and light to late winter/ early spring.  Prints can help too.  So can a bright winter coat for this time of year.  I trip helps when you plan a travel wardrobe.  Try to make cold weather versions of your favorite warm weather outfits.  </div> nemosmom on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246797 Thu, 06 Jan 2022 15:50:55 +0000 nemosmom 2246797@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <div>You had me at long and analytical!! :D  What a great exercise that helped you really get to the heart (pun intended) of what worked and why.  </div><div> </div><div>Your observation of social media hit home for me - I had to unsub and unfollow several accounts last year because I felt the message was, "you're doing it wrong", and I got sucked into those pinterest-perfect looking capsules every. single. time. Following your heart (especially as an analytical thinker) is so so smart.</div><div> </div><div>It sounds like you are getting more comfortable with your choices and trusting yourself more -- and it really shows! Your successes are cohesive and consistent with outfits you've shared. Brava!!! </div> Helena on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246793 Thu, 06 Jan 2022 14:43:49 +0000 Helena 2246793@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Firecracker, yes that's it - the distinction between, I love this! and I love this for ME! But every successful experiment takes a few tries so even the 'mistakes' are part of it! Angie, THANK YOU. I really felt quite emotional (ha!) reading your reaction. As you know, this is big for me! :D Shevia, you articulated that so well, and that's my intention this year - to take in inspiration, trust myself to integrate it in a way that makes sense for me, and see what emerges (hint hint wink wink on my word for the year ) Suntiger, Bijou, Carol - thanks for the encouraging and kind words xo CarolS on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246780 Thu, 06 Jan 2022 13:31:24 +0000 CarolS 2246780@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What a smart way to review and think about your purchases, Helena! And congratulations on trusting your emotions and reaping the benefits! Bijou on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246778 Thu, 06 Jan 2022 13:27:12 +0000 Bijou 2246778@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Helena, I really enjoyed your analysis and agree that when we listen to ourselves is when we really get it right. As someone who is prone to emotional but impractical purchases, I need to get the sweet spot of practicality right as well. Anonymous on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246775 Thu, 06 Jan 2022 11:59:01 +0000 Anonymous 2246775@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm with Jenni re: "influencers." To me they're just people who decided they were famous one day! Sounds like trusting yourself is a much better way Jaime on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246733 Thu, 06 Jan 2022 01:49:47 +0000 Jaime 2246733@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Well you attracted me with long and analytical and totally won me over with your threats of over-thinkyness ! Anyway, fantastic analysis. Very interesting that even influencer influenced purchases worked for you if they resonated emotionally.  I will throw out my analysis of that: I do strongly believe that at a certain point in our development our emotions are trained by our experiences and when we see something that we have learned will work based on lots of unconscious cues we get excited. So really our emotions are rationally informed. Hope that made sense.  Anyway, fun and thanks! Angie on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246726 Thu, 06 Jan 2022 00:44:34 +0000 Angie 2246726@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ VERY HAPPY ABOUT THESE THIS, Helena: "I need to be my own authority"..... "ALL my emotional purchases were successes"..... As someone who does not lead with their emotions.... *APPLAUSE* You are following your feelings and it's working! Your head can't help but keep things in check, so bonus! And I know you find analysis exhilarating, so fab that you threw in some of that too ;) Irina on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246710 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:34:12 +0000 Irina 2246710@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great analysis, Helena! <div>I agree with you, one needs to get inspired by others. I follow people on IG and YouTube more now, due to the WFH situation. But I’m not interested in a specific reference group, I follow women whose style is similar to mine. Most of them from Europe, so often what  they wear is not accessible to me. And it’s not a point. Being inspired, learning, discovering is more important. How an outfit I like on someone is put together?  What accessories are used? This is what I’m looking for.</div><div>I find lists, recommendations, capsules not helpful to me. They are for those who just started a wardrobe building. </div> Firecracker (Sharan) on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246708 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 19:59:44 +0000 Firecracker (Sharan) 2246708@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Well done, Helena! Reading about your distinction between following your own lead or someone else's, I had an epiphany. My version of following someone else's lead happens most often in sewing. I get inspired by a sewing class or post (I follow one instructor/pattern designer in particular), and I end up with some garments that are a bit outside what I usually wear and hard for me to style. Helena on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246706 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 19:45:16 +0000 Helena 2246706@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks all! Robin, yes a definite confidence boost! Jenni/LaPed, great points about social media. I was thinking about it, and I feel like my intention is to use social media almost as a proxy for the street style I used to take in when I went downtown to work everyday ... i.e. to keep me in touch with where the general flow of style is going, which I would then interpret in my own way when I shopped and dressed. But what sometimes happens is, I get sucked into the lists and capsules and recommendations ... so I need to contemplate a way to stick to my intentions and maybe step away when I'm going too far down the influencer rabbit hole ...  Suz, well, not that I want to be flippant about spending or consumption, but if a $50 something brings us happiness after a Canadian winter, even if not for the long haul, well ... I'm prepared to accept that Looking forward to seeing your spring journey now that you live somewhere that gets a proper spring - as well as your analysis! LaPed on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246702 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 19:25:43 +0000 LaPed 2246702@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great analysis! What you've recognized about your relationship to Insta and influencers is so valuable. I'm always curious about how a social media fast would alter my consumption habits. It can be so hard to distinguish between the things you genuinely want and the things you feel like you should want because you've seen them over and over again in your feed. Suz on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246700 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 19:22:51 +0000 Suz 2246700@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wow, Helena, this is BRILLIANT!! I love this analytical method and plan to apply it to my own Finds this year! What a great idea.  Your successes are so lovely and cohesive and each one makes perfect sense for you.  I really love how you have identified spring as a tricky season for you. I think that is true for me, as well. But off to find out!  Jenni NZ on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246699 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 19:00:40 +0000 Jenni NZ 2246699@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Well, I’m older, and so maybe because of being so am not into them, but I question the need to look at “influencers” at all. Why do you want to be influenced by them, if you think about it that way? It’s good that you do look at ones where you think at least they are more authentic or more similar to you, but overall I think your realisation to follow your own authority will work better for you. And with that knowledge, it looks like a lot of your purchases were successful. I don’t think there are any of us who make no fashion mistakes at all. It’s just good if those reduce over time! RobinF on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246696 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 17:35:37 +0000 RobinF 2246696@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ That's great that you have pinpointed your successful purchases and that they were when you trusted your gut was even better. That can give you some confidence going forward that you know how to make the right decisions.  Helena on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246689 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 16:36:59 +0000 Helena 2246689@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thank you slimcat - yep, trust my feelings - 2022 mantra! :D Rachy, yep - even though I try to follow 'authentic' influencers that are legitimately relevant to my life (i.e. they really are moms in my age range, running a part-time business), there is still that element of styling and pretty photography involved, not to mention they are obviously trying to sell (and fair play to them!) Bad news for me if I'm in an overthinking mood! rachylou on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246687 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 16:24:06 +0000 rachylou 2246687@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Unbridled reading of the fashion pages has been my nemesis in the past… buying things because they’re cool in general not cool for me specifically… slim cat on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246684 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 16:12:19 +0000 slim cat 2246684@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Cute new pieces - love all of it ( checkered pants and coat as fav! ). Good analytical break down on purchases - with " trust your feelings" as possible subtitle . Helena on "How I Purchase (long and analytical, but there's a short version :) )" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-i-purchase#post-2246681 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 15:40:19 +0000 Helena 2246681@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hi all, and happy Wednesday! Fun fact - I live in the most locked-down jurisdiction in North America for the pandemic - and we've just been locked down again! So thank you Angie for giving me something to sink my analytical brain into this a.m. rather than fretting! Inspired by today's blog post, I decided to analyse my 2021 shopping to determine what approaches to shopping were successful for me. I'm putting my big learning here at the top, and then the detail is further down for any of the other analytics-nerds :D Big Learning I need to be my own authority, and in fact, most of the time I am! Despite my lists and plans, the vast majority of my purchases included either an emotional element, or a self-identified (vs. following someone else's advice) want or need and ALL OF THESE WERE SUCCESSFUL. Yay me, and will be applying this heartily in 2022 (in fact, this is a big theme for 2022 in general for me - more on that another time I'm sure). Additionally, since I don't lead with my emotions, I can really trust them when the show up - it's actually my tendency to rationalize that needs to be kept in check. In the Finds, I'm showing some of the purchases that I believe where right in the center of the success Venn diagram - organized emotional purchases driven by a self-identified need. However, emotional purchases inspired by an influencer, or non-emotional purchases inspired by a self-identified need, also worked this year. Ok now skip the rest unless you want to see just how over-thinky I can get :D Method I went through my Finds and cross-tabulated them based on the following criteria: 1. Success of the purchase: Success/Fail/Undecided 2. Process that drove the purchase: Organized but Not Emotional and a self-identified need, Organized but Not Emotional and purchased because of a capsule or influencer, and then the same for Emotional but not Organized, and Organized Emotional (so 6 categories there in total). Here is what I've learned: What works (for me) - ALL of my self-identified purchases were successes. In other words, if I identified a need and then went to fill it, it didn't really matter whether I followed some organized process, my emotions, or a combination - the purchase worked.  - ALL my emotional purchases were successes. In other words, whether I started with some vague notion of needing something and then waited until something fitting the bill hit an emotiona note, or whether I just walked into the store and bought something on emotional impulse, it was good. What Doesn't - Capsule/influencer purchases worked only when a) I saw something that triggered an emotional reaction (example - two summer-weight button-ups that I lemminged from Instagram posts), or b) I identified a real practical need and used a capsule as a secondary tool to help (i.e. when I realized I wanted a good gear-but-nice wardrobe - All of my fails and undecideds were organized but non-emotional capsule/influencer-based purchases, and in fact, this method only yielded one success (black linen soft shorts). - Most of my fails were in the spring, which makes sense to me since I am so stir-crazy by the end of the winter, I tend to be really into checking out spring trends and chomping at the bit to buy - I need a better method of dealing with this - perhaps needs to book more mani-pedis in the early spring to tide me over (or just go to the mall with no plan and allow for a wild card or two, rather than looking online for guidance).