YouLookFab Forum » Topic: My Style Goals (long)

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: My Style Goals (long) https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:47:03 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Penny on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1783259 Thu, 02 Mar 2017 01:58:48 +0000 Penny 1783259@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Terrific goals and plans to achieve them, especially your focused approach to footwear. Angie on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1783079 Wed, 01 Mar 2017 17:26:47 +0000 Angie 1783079@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I like the sound of growing out your fringe to the side.  Ginger on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782899 Wed, 01 Mar 2017 03:30:02 +0000 Ginger 1782899@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've already made progress! On the oxfords-with-dresses thing. Yesterday it was really warm, so on a whim I tried the rose gold oxfords with bare legs to go to choir. It wasn't an inspired combination; rose gold isn't the color of choice for royal blue and black. But I liked it a lot. I'm not sure why it worked, but my eye approved. They are quite comfortable shoes, too. Lace snugly across the instep, no need for an insert at all, and have significant arch support. I have quite high arches so it was a novel feeling! And I just counted my shoes. Doesn't include dance shoes or costume shoes, but even with the 1930s/40s shoes I have collected, I have less than 80 pair. I felt sure I had over 100! This is encouraging. Ginger on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782892 Wed, 01 Mar 2017 03:18:13 +0000 Ginger 1782892@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks, lpr200! It sounds like you're a fellow shoe person. I realized that it's great to love shoes, and important that I have ones that I really do enjoy! Rachy, that is an excellent idea. Focusing on one color and accenting with the others will keep the right feel without sending other connotations. Aww, thank you, Janet/Style Fan. Haha, Waldo had style! A red and white striped shirt sounds pretty awesome, now that I think of it. Thanks, Angie! I will definitely check in. First step would be not forgetting this post. :p  I think I have decided not to cut my hair, at least for now. *ducks* Sorry! I thought about it a lot, looked at pictures, and sought opinions of other people as well. But I have taken your advice to heart, and am implementing some changes. I'm letting my bangs grow significantly, as if part of a bob, and I'm ironing them out to the sides.  I'm also experimenting with much looser, wavier styling. It's working well, and I got positive feedback immediately once I made the changes. JAileen, that's a really good idea. I can definitely make yellow work in a bag. And ooh, a kelly green (kelly!) bag would be super fun... JAileen on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782747 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 20:32:30 +0000 JAileen 1782747@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Back to your nautical look, if everything you wore was blue or white, the pop of color could be your handbag alone, be it red, kelly green, yellow or something else. And it doesn't have to match anything. I think that could be a really fun look. Angie on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782672 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 18:30:58 +0000 Angie 1782672@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ *applause* GREAT GOALS, Ginger. Lets see you did come July. Check back in about them then.  Loving the superhero palette. Why not!  Have you thought anymore about having your hair cut into some of the styles I suggested?  LaPed on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782651 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 17:27:01 +0000 LaPed 1782651@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great set of goals! I particularly like your in-depth shoe analysis. I end up wearing red and white stripes with a blue bottom with surprising regularity, especially in the spring when I start feeling nautical again. I did it yesterday, with sailor jeans no less! I prefer to think of it as "Where's Waldo?" colors rather than flag colors. ;) Style Fan on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782648 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 17:20:25 +0000 Style Fan 1782648@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great goals Ginger.  I always think of you in the fit and flare silhouette.  It is so lovely on you.  rachylou on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782506 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 05:08:09 +0000 rachylou 1782506@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have to say I have the same fear of looking like a flag too. I have some ideas about this now... like don't do the colours in equal amounts... like blue skirt, red jacket, white blouse... go for a column of one of the colours and use the others for accents... Ginger on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782494 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 04:37:23 +0000 Ginger 1782494@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I certainly will. I don't mind how spring slides into summer, but by mid September I'm frantically longing for any kind of cool tang in the air. I can't control the weather, but I can keep my interest in fashion alive by having a "new" set of clothes to wear. Accumulating pieces will be fun, as long as I keep finding them! I found a dress on ASOS that has potential; it's not dissimilar to the blouse. It is lovely to see the flowers and herbs recover from the heat; I need to share a picture of one of my flower beds last October. But it really does seem wrong! Trees don't really starting dropping leaves until mid November or later. I'm not sure about English roses, but hybrid teas routinely bloom into December. Cold weather slows down the blooms but doesn't stop them until it's a really hard freeze. And once we cut them back, the new growth comes back in late February. (Or early February, this year.) lpr200 on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782491 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 04:30:50 +0000 lpr200 1782491@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I love your style name, Duchess Next Door, and the colors you chose. I also need to really go through my shoes again and only keep (and wear) the best fits. And get back into the habit of wearing heels! Anonymous on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782489 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 04:26:34 +0000 Anonymous 1782489@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You have many excellent goals and ideas. Please keep us informed as you move forward with your plan, especially for hot fall. That has been a problem for me that gets worse each year. I was excited when I still had flowers and garden herbs at Thanksgiving but within 2 years I had English roses still blooming at Christmas. Jaime on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782484 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 04:16:54 +0000 Jaime 1782484@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Those Modcloth bags look perfect for you! Your style goals are so concrete and well thought out. I like your careful assessment of color too. Brava! Ginger on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782475 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 03:39:40 +0000 Ginger 1782475@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ That's right, Emily! September here is discouragingly hot, maybe 5 degrees average cooler than August and July. In other words, absolutely NO way I can wear boots and sweaters and cozy things like that, especially as hot/warm weather drags into November. I get seriously frustrated every year, because I get so tired of the same stuff. The Hot September idea is to reserve things that feel like fall without being significantly different from summer clothing in coolness. So, things like a black blouse (I hardly wear black in summer at all), a different hat instead of my white straw with sky blue band, swapping out handbags, and wearing high-vamped shoes. Thanks, shedev. They're interesting, and different from anything else I have. L'Abeille, I actually love red, white, and blue together. It's a terrific color combination, very sound on the color wheel. (As are red and green! That's another I want to reclaim for regular wear.) I'm just hyper sensitive about comments people might make. Like "What holiday are you celebrating?" Probably with some truth; around here, certain color combinations, or even single colors, can signal football team or school allegiance.  I want to grow a thicker skin, and especially not let imagined comments keep me from wearing these colors together. Like you, I think I'm going to lean heavily on the white, and use the other colors mostly as accents. I've already got two excellent white skirts, and now fun red flats. Thank you, Janet! I thought about yellow, but the true yellow that goes best with navy and white is a very tricky color on me. It looks terrible in shoes, and not the best closer to my face either. About the only good place would be in a belt! So I went around the color wheel and will work on green, red, and lighter blue for additional add-ins with white. JAileen on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782465 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 02:56:20 +0000 JAileen 1782465@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm impressed with your goals. Maybe your nautical look of navy and white could have a pop of yellow instead of red. L'Abeille on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782448 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 01:51:30 +0000 L'Abeille 1782448@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Ginger, I'm delighted to hear about your nautical capsule. I've been doing that with my summer wardrobe for years and it's so much fun. I too am allergic to the Tricolor; not MY flag colours. I do have several red shoes and scarves that I occasionally mix in, but mostly I pair my navy-and-white with more white, and sometimes black, grey or khaki. Also acid green or leopard. I can't wait to see what you come up with! shedev on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782437 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:47:51 +0000 shedev 1782437@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Nice goals, I really like the ASOS slingbacks. Emily K on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782429 Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:05:08 +0000 Emily K 1782429@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Your goal with the September capsule is to celebrate incoming Fall fashion/style even though it is still summer-hot?  I should add a similar style goal.  In Seattle, one can (but maybe should not ;-/ ) wear fleece, jeans, long sleeve tops, light layers pretty much year 'round.  I'd like to dress a little more distinctly for each season.  Ginger on "My Style Goals (long)" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/my-style-goals-long#post-1782405 Mon, 27 Feb 2017 22:31:30 +0000 Ginger 1782405@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <div> I've never really set style goals before, but I started jotting some down in response to Angie's post and just couldn't stop. 01 – To keep my “Duchess Next Door” moniker in focus as a style guide. It’s easy to be swayed by pretty colors, a good fit, and sales. Duchess Kate in particular is good to keep in mind, since her public wardrobe includes elements that are important to me: Skirts & dresses, pretty color, defined waist/fit and flare styling, earlier retro influence, and occasional touches of sportiness or boho as appropriate. 02 – To refocus on the fit-and-flare aesthetic. It is both easiest and happiest for me. I have experimented with JFE and it's a good concept, just not my favorite at this point. 03 – To achieve a shoe wardrobe of on-trend or classic options for all outfits, and no orphans. Shoes are very important to my style. Unlike other wardrobe items they're relatively easy to fit, and are correspondingly one of the easiest and best ways to stay up to date. So I need to be rigorous in choosing and keeping them. – Justify or purge all shoes I have now, per Staysfit’s shoe test. Some shoes can be made more comfortable, and some will always be a struggle to style. – Wear heels on a regular basis to both work and church. I have too many pretty pairs that I simply forget to wear. And I will have purged the truly uncomfortable or ill-fitting ones. – Train my eye to approve of oxfords/loafers with skirts & dresses. Or at least to try!  It's a versatile style that I simply still have trouble with. I recently purchased some very pretty, shiny rose gold oxfords. If I can't make them work with summer dresses, I will not invest more in oxfords and loafers. I can wear the ones I have infrequently with jeans. – Identify and fill major holes. A variety of navy shoes fall into this category, as do some smart casual white shoes. I'm not good at predicting a hole until I'm aching for something to fill it, though, and I don't know how to get better. :( – Keep up with trends as I like them and they work for me. No backless/slipons, or platforms/flatforms. But nearly everything else goes. – Be more willing to return. Unless a pair is extremely uncomfortable or clearly ill-fitting, I have a very hard time taking them back. That means I keep shoes that I instinctively know aren't the best choice, or will split wears... but FOMO is very strong. 04 – To shop for and sew warm-weather dresses out of lighter, breathable materials. My eShakti knit dresses are perfect for 3 seasons but too warm for 100 degrees in the shade. And other eShakti dresses are usually lined or a bear to iron. I do have a stash of fabrics I can use, though. 05 – To build a navy-based nautical capsule for spring and/or summer. I love the colors and the cool, fresh feel, but I'm absurdly self-conscious about looking like a flag. But <a href="http://www.foreveramber.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Forever Amber</a> <a href="http://www.foreveramber.co.uk/2013/07/independence-day.html" rel="nofollow">isn't afraid of flag colors</a>, and <a href="http://www.foreveramber.co.uk/2016/07/201607rule-britannia-html.html" rel="nofollow">thoroughly embraces the nautical</a>. I want to be like that! – Embrace navy in accessories, more than in basics. I have a number of skirts and mostly navy dresses, and can struggle to style them because the overall effect is so dark.  Instead, I really need shoes, and a variety of them! And then patterns that incorporate navy without being a solid dark block. I'm considering the two pairs of shoes in the find.  - Go to town with white, and red, and mint color combinations. Maybe emerald, since I just discovered it's AMAZING on me. Also sky blue, and maybe light denim, as long as it's not too faded or rumpled. - Stripes. I bought a blue and white stripe tee last summer (see Find) and it revolutionized a couple existing skirt outfits. It's a classic pattern that doesn't look too busy even with another pattern. Now that I see the potential, I'm looking for more. 06 – To build a hot September capsule suitable for 95F+ degrees but in colors and styles inappropriate for high summer. I've talked about this one elsewhere. So far I still only have the black floral blouse, but I know what to look for. Accessories (handbag, hat, and high-vamp shoes) will be key to this look. I think I will also incorporate cognac leather here. 07 – To swap out handbags four times a year instead of two. It's a hassle, but a few more times invites variety without too much chaos. 08 – To wait on refreshing shorts and underclothing capsules until my slow weight loss is complete. 09 – To stick to my budget, both by appropriate increase and by restraint. 10 – To purge the closet again in the fall. It will be a year since the last time and I will be able to approach the maybes with a new focus. </div>