https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:12:00 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-326107 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 02:15:28 +0000 Elly 326107@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>People in my field basically people-watch for a living. However, I find it funny that they very distinctly tend to stand out, and not in a positive way! I about died when someone said "you all look alike . . ." I hope I don't look like other people that were studying the same thing because there were way, way too many unwashed-Jesus-feet type people in that group. I may not be super stylish, but I hope I don't look unwashed!</p> <p>Anyway, I have spent a lot of time people watching on college campuses and in the midst of the horrors of daytime PJs and booty shorts, I have seen some truly stylish and inspiring women. Outside of the "college campus environment" I haven't been lucky enough to live in a prime people-watching location. My home town and the place I live now are very small--- everyone drives, most people wear crocs, and the town looks deserted on a Friday night. Even the local city is dead by 9 or so on any night but Saturday. The last place I lived it people weren't in the streets except in the residential barrios, and it certainly wasn't safe to go staring at people in their yards. I guess "Old Mexico" and "Old World" are two very different things. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325990 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:37:17 +0000 Aida 325990@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great read! Having never been to Europe I haven't experienced the "Other's Gaze" firsthand, but because I am always people watching I like to dress as if others were as well. I think even if it's not as strong here in the US people are certainly still watching others, but as you said the desire to dress comes from within, not without. One of the things I miss about living in the city, especially in spring/summer, is going to a cafe and leisurely eating outside, watching everyone walking by and seeing what they are wearing. Currently most of my people interaction is so short as you said, driving A to B to C; if I feel like it's not worth the effort of dressing, I know I can share my fashion joys with everyone here </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325648 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:19:15 +0000 CocoLion 325648@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you chouette for this thoughtful thread.</p> <p>I agree we are lacking in interesting street scenes/public places in the U.S. I love going to San Francisco because it has this, and is a great place for people watching. I lived in Japan many years ago, and have often thought, maybe we need something like Harajuku here in the U.S., where all the fashion-conscious people come out on the weekend and parade around, just for the fun of it! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325619 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:59:37 +0000 Anonymous 325619@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This thread is wonderful reading and food for thought. I enjoyed the people in Italy and Spain out strolling in the early evening experiencing the "Other’s Gaze”. Children at dinner were not in athletic uniforms but dressed for going to a restaurant. We have much to learn. I wonder if we as a nation ever will. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325606 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:30:07 +0000 thimblelina 325606@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great thread! It is fun philosophizing with all of you on a Sunday... I just think it is remarkable how with the preposterous amount of retail square footage we have per capita in the US, how many of our homes have big walk in closets, the amazing crush of personal possessions owned by the average American, yet how poorly and infrequently we seem to "dress" compared with those in other countries. It strikes me as a sad sort of disconnect. L </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325535 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:01:39 +0000 chouette22 325535@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you very much, you lovely ladies, for all the insightful comments and experiences!<br /> @Nadya and Kristine: I LOVE the idea of YFL as a coffee shop where we hang out, encourage each other and strike up conversations. And just like both of you, most of my friends happen to not be very much interested in fashion or at least we don't necessarily speak about it. Thus I come to YFL.<br /> @Airin: You lucky lady living in Barcelona. I have been there twice and adore your city.<br /> @GirlX: Your airport observations were so much fun! Thank you!<br /> @Gingko: Yes, I have read that book and the scene you describe with her French boyfriend is so hilarious - how poignant of you to bring that up here! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325486 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:22:10 +0000 Kyle 325486@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Insightful, wise, and oh-so-true. Thanks for your comment. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325468 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:32:56 +0000 biscuitsmom 325468@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a fascinating topic! I love people watching also and it's wonderful to see it written about so eloquently! I really enjoyed everyone's posts.... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325461 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:18:06 +0000 rute 325461@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Loved! Being European I really know what you are talking about!!! My mom always said that! My mom dresses well even when she is in her house because "someone might come to see her".<br /> I ALWAYS watch other people, we love to go to the café with friends and just sit and watch people coming in and out.. I tought this was universal! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325459 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:05:30 +0000 Ginkgo 325459@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Chouette, I loved this post! For a few years I lived overseas (out of US), and I enjoyed tremendously people-watching on public transport, city squares, at street cafes...and it definitely made me dress more carefully. </p> <p>Has anyone here read "Almost French", by Sarah Turnbull? She's an Aussie writing about living in France with her French boyfriend, and one day she decides to walk to the neighborhood bakery wearing her sweatpants, and her boyfriend is begging her to not do this, that it would be unkind to inflict this on the baker -- "the other's gaze". Not a concept we have here in the US!</p> <p>Even though I try to dress better now (received two compliments yesterday), it is difficult when we're just isolated in our cars and walking through the parking lot. Before I found YLF a couple of months ago, I realized that now that I'm not working that I've lost the the idea of what is currently fashionable. I could walk through Macy's and see what they're selling but I don't see many people "putting it together", at least at my local Safeway. Thank you, Angie, for now keeping me up-to-date. And even though I don't post much, I absolutely love the girlfriend-feel of YLF. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325437 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:56:55 +0000 dakota 325437@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I just cracked up when I read your post, Girl X! I know what you're saying is true but reading it made me think I was reading an excerpt from a novel. Loved it!! I also love watching people at the airport but I'll do it now with a whole new outlook ;o} </p> <p>chouette22, I think you're spot on with your observation. I grew up in a small Scandinavian town in ND and I guess I had never thought about 'dressing up' to go out of the house. It was the way it was....just expected. My Grandma never left her house without a beautiful brooch on her dress even if she was just going to the grocery store. I love to go to the mall and watch people but it truly isn't the same as Europe. The one thing I miss the most are the public areas you talked about. Your post brought back a rush of warm memories, perfect for a Sunday morning. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325435 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:51:09 +0000 Angie 325435@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, chouette. I just marked this as a favourite thread. You eloquently captured so much that really resonated with me. Thank you for sharing </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325432 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:45:02 +0000 Melissa 325432@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great post! I find that YLF has actually turned me into much more of a people/fashion watcher than I ever was before. Now, I love to look around at what people are wearing and be inspired. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325426 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:23:00 +0000 rosee 325426@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great insight! It's true about Europe -- when I visited relatives in 2002, I realized I was too casual for the European aesthetic. My cousins helped get me into shape when there, and since I've tried to be more conscious of dressing for both myself and others. If the focus is too much on myself, I tend to get a little lazy. When also considering that how we dress is a sign of respect to others, as well as ourselves, it motivates one to do a little better. Love people watching! GirlX' analysis of the airport travelers is very imaginative too. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325412 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 14:54:47 +0000 Isabel 325412@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is fabulous !!! We should philosophize every Sunday. I had a really hard time becoming a stay at home mom and moving the country. And now I understand it better. It is all true. It is why I love airports and train stations and plazas. It is true. In Europe you dress to "be seen" and to "see". Unfortunately, out malls have replaced all that and they don't do the job well at all.</p> <p>What great insight. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325401 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 14:37:50 +0000 lynne 325401@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, chouette, what an articulate description of the ways people present themselves. Thank you for the food for thought. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325396 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 14:24:02 +0000 Girl X 325396@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is such a timely post for me. I'm at the airport with a 3 hour wait between my cancelled flight and the next one out. So it's pretty much all computer work and people watching for me. </p> <p>The airport brings out such an international mix of people with varying styles and attitudes. A flight attendant just walked by - in her uniform, but managing to look like she's ready to be discovered and whisked off to a life of glamour. And now a pair of women who are in their Sunday best 'just in case this is the last thing I ever wear' outfits. Of course there are the 'travel should be comfortable' flip flops, sneakers, and sweats gals. Some of whom clearly consider the airport and airplane a place outside of reality - they'll get ready when they arrive where they're going. Their manes currently bound into twists, waiting to be released in a perfect cascade of waves. And you just *know* there are some fabulous outfits neatly packed in their luggage just waiting.</p> <p>And of course passers by are looking at me as well, that's the deal. I'll accept your scrutiny if you'll accept mine. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325392 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 14:19:42 +0000 Irene 325392@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, I never thought about it like this. Living in Barcelona, I am certainly used to getting properly dressed every single time I get out of my flat. Even if it's only to go get fresh bread or throw away trash. Really, if any of my neighbors saw me in my pajamas, well.... uh. That's a big no no for me and, as far as I know, for most people. I love watching people and of course I do it everyday, but had never regarded it as something very important or something that people in the US may be missing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325383 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:52:20 +0000 Kristine 325383@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love people watching also! In the warmer months I take my lunch outside and enjoy quietly observing. I also love YLF for the friendship and feedback. I have one friend interested in fashion but it's not always realistic to get her opinions. YLF is like having friends all over the world who support and encourage each other in the quest to dress well. It's fun! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325370 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:13:24 +0000 Nadya 325370@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This definitely resonates with me. I've been pondering why I became so obsessed with YLF since I found the site in February. For me it fills a missing piece: I've loved fashion since I was a teenager but seldom have had others around from whom I can seek advice or inspiration, or, frankly, encouragement or praise. My nearby female friends don't happen to be fashion lovers, and my work place is very casual and mostly men. My husband is a dear, but it's not his bag either and he seldom remarks on how I look.</p> <p>I like the metaphor of YLF as a coffee shop or other public place where we hang out, admire each and strike up a conversation! As you say, it helps me feel like someone else does care or notice about what I'm wearing, and that others care do about fashion as well. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/philosophizing-on-a-sunday-or-people-watching#post-325367 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:59:18 +0000 chouette22 325367@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was pondering on why I enjoyed reading fashion blogs so much, when I have time. As I have mentioned before, I started perusing them some year and a half ago and now I resort predominantly to YFL because this site is like many fashion blogs wrapped into one. Coming here is such a fun and really relaxing activity.</p> <p>However, it’s not just the inspiration I draw from the threads or blogs that is alluring. For me they also fill a gaping hole since moving to the United States: people watching! Growing up in Europe, it was a constant. “Le regard de l’autre” or the “Other’s Gaze” was relentlessly on you and yours on others (for Sartre and his existentialist philosophy this could be loaded with negativity, but is certainly not the case here).<br /> If you live in a city, you are very likely using public transportation and what is there to do in the subway, tram, bus, train, and on the platforms before they arrive? You observe the other passengers, their fashion, style, mannerisms and general behavior. You sit down in an outdoor café and watch the passers-by; you sit on the steps leading to a cathedral in a big public plaza to rest for a moment and you will take in the scene filled with people. And, of course, in the streets your gaze is always on the others (that’s why sites like the Sartorialist are so popular, I think). </p> <p>It’s such a joy, this feeling of being part of a community. Here in the US, unless you live in one of the few big cities with public transportation or big public spaces, this completely falls by the wayside and I really miss it. Every spring or summer I take a group of college students to Europe and at the end, when I ask them what they think they’ll miss most from these trips, they invariably say the public spaces with their energy.</p> <p>“The Other’s Gaze” also influences people’s sense for fashion and the care they put into dressing themselves. During my first few years in the US, I often could not believe how some people presented themselves outside of their homes (pajama pants, curling rolls in hair, etc). I must say, it has somewhat changed over the years, for the better, or maybe I just got used to it. However, I have also come to understand that the motivation to dress well is very different here - it has to come from the inside (much, much harder in my view). In Europe it is mostly unthinkable to leave your house if you are not properly dressed, because of the “Other’s Gaze” being ALWAYS on you. Instinctively you present yourself in a different way. Often, when I run errands here in the US, I take my car from point A to B to C and I barely encounter anyone besides the cashier, the clerk, the barista. You do ask yourself “why make any effort at all?” Well, we all know that we do it so that we feel good about ourselves, but I can also understand that for many people it’s just not worth the sweat. On the other hand, if you encounter masses of well-dressed people, as is the case whenever I go to Europe (or, for that matter, lots of places around the world obviously; I am just mentioning Europe because I go there on a regular basis for extended periods of time), I would NEVER present myself in anything less than my best self, if I can help it. </p> <p>Thus, YFL has really stepped in to cover some of these roles (and more):<br /> - I find lots of inspiration by being able to watch all of you.<br /> -I have so much fun being an observer (the scene is even international!) and observee here.<br /> -YFL is a bustling community full of positive, contagious energy.<br /> -It is the validation for days when I don’t encounter many people (the winter semester is coming to an end on April 29, and besides an online course, the student trip and research, I’ll be on vacation until the end of August. I know, what a fantastic profession, right? :). Knowing that I’ll snap pictures of some of my outfits will prevent me from resorting to just the comfortable jeans and sorts.<br /> -It’s also the missing girl-friend in a fitting room who gives approval to an outfit, whenever we need it.<br /> -I am getting great fashion advice. </p> <p>So, thank you YFL! I really enjoy being a part of you!</p> <p>Does this resonate with you? Do you enjoy people-watching as well? </p>