https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:12:27 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374739 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:47:34 +0000 catgirl 374739@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ah - thanks for clarifying! It's a great term. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374736 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:44:30 +0000 MsMary 374736@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It's actually from a classic personal finance book called "Your Money or Your Life:" <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Life-Transforming-Relationship/dp/0143115766/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1289853977&#038;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Your-Mon.....038;sr=8-1</a>. It doesn't have to be clothes -- a gazingus pin can be anything you can't pass by without wanting to buy. (Another one of mine is books!) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374732 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:38:40 +0000 catgirl 374732@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mary, is 'gazingus pin" a legal term? I love it. Mine is skirts - I can easily eyeball how they will fit and don't have to worry about neckline or color against my face, so they can be picked up by the truckload. </p> <p>Lisa, I think you are really onto something as far as how much change I need. I don't feel comforrtable wearing the same item more than once in a workweek, but I am happy to repeat the next week with tweaks. I guess we don't see people post repeat WIWs because what would be the point - however, I'm sure I'm not the only person who repeats exact outfits from time to time, and I'm fine with that. </p> <p>What I'm finding is that I both like simplicity (or ease) and variety. Dress + blazer, skirt + cardi, nothing too fussy or complicated, but it still has to have some edgy quirk or interest in either form or color and pattern. </p> <p>Figuring out how to balance those two things is going to be the trick. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374713 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:56:10 +0000 MsMary 374713@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lisa, I am getting to that point, too! No matter how much I love shopping, it doesn't do me any good at all to keep buying great items if there just aren't enough days to wear them all!</p> <p>Turns out (as you can see from my count on the "large wardrobe" thread) that tops are my "gazingus pin" -- the thing I can't seem to stop buying. But lately I've gotten a lot better at stopping and saying "Hang on a minute -- this is an awesome top for work, but I already have more awesome tops for work than I can wear!" It really helps me leave it in the store instead of bringing it home to hang unworn in the closet! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374698 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:47:27 +0000 Lisa 374698@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You found 7 reasons "why" and that is a huge step. I find wardrobe purging difficult to do and a very slow process. Which is fine. As mentioned in another thread a spreadsheet took me a long time to create, but it really is helpful. I am analytical by nature and having real numbers to work with helps a lot. Plus it really helped sink in the reality, there are 7 days in a week and 4 weeks in a month. There are only so many items I can wear, no matter how many I own. Realizing how many items I need to keep me happy and feel I have variety was a key turning point for me. And that "set point" will be different for everyone. Plus as another impulse shopper, knowing I have say 20 tops at home waiting to be worn, which is over 2 weeks worth, really makes me second guess a new purchase. I haven't stopped purchasing on a whim yet, but I do return an awful lot once I see what I have at home, remix an item in a new way and assess how well (or not well) a potential new item mixes into my closet. Having a wardrobe that remixes well is really key for me.</p> <p>Once you figure out the two or three things that are essential features for you to have in your wardrobe you will streamline much easier. For me that meant realizing: I want enough items to remix after 2 weeks and I want all my clothes to play well with others. Now I purchase and purge with those two mindsets in my head. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374606 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:55:53 +0000 Mellllls 374606@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I commend you for the effort you are making. Unfortunately, in terms of closet, I have the complete opposite personality of you, so I haven no advice, insight. I thrive in creating outfits amongst the randomness! It's just the way I am (which is so different to the way I am in all other aspects of my life) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374603 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:50:02 +0000 Aida 374603@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good thoughts! When picking apart your career wear for your next step, I don't know if it helps to set two levels; it seems like some days you need to look "professional" and some days "very professional" (more conservative). I would think you should sort out "very" first, then normal, then casual last. Not sure though? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374484 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:24:35 +0000 Suz 374484@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Una, thank you so much for sharing this. I'm following along quietly and thinking and (I hope) learning as I go. It has been so rich for me. </p> <p>Susan </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374389 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:01:54 +0000 modgrl 374389@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great suggestions, especially from Angie! Get rid of and do not purchase any more items that do not fit, flatter and aren't on trend, no matter how cheap they are at the goodwill. You deserve a working wardrobe and not a rummage sale. I am talking to myself here too if you haven't noticed!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374382 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:57:46 +0000 yellowgirl 374382@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Cheering for you, Una! What a great start with your list! Thanks so much for letting us go on this journey with you - you have us all fascinated and asking ourselves the same questions.<br /> Waiting anxiously for the Angie homework - I think more lightbulb moments are coming! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374266 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:54:38 +0000 celia 374266@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good job Una,</p> <p>I can imagine how tough and a bit scary was the work you already done.<br /> Angie already set another task for you.Good luck !</p> <p>ETA: I'm finding fascinating and a great learning curve also for me. Thank you for sharing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374261 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:24:48 +0000 nancylee 374261@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Another thanks, Una, for starting this great discussion....and for keeping it going. I'm experiencing some of the same fashion growth pangs as you, so I'm reading these posts with interest and rooting for you as you continue to take on this tough challenge! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374256 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:07:16 +0000 Ornella 374256@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh dear. I've only just taken in and caught up with the other thread that started all this and posted a massive reply there, but your're already in action.</p> <p>Looking forward to follow your progress. This promises to be fun, for the specactors at least :D</p> <p>ETA:<br /> I just remembered I have these great posts saved, in case you need extra homework here is additional reading:<br /> <a href="http://geekthreads.blogspot.com/2009/02/breaking-out-of-fashion-rut-part-i.html" rel="nofollow">http://geekthreads.blogspot.co.....art-i.html</a><br /> <a href="http://geekthreads.blogspot.com/2009/02/breaking-out-of-fashion-rut-part-2.html" rel="nofollow">http://geekthreads.blogspot.co.....art-2.html</a><br /> <a href="http://geekthreads.blogspot.com/2009/02/breaking-out-of-fashion-rut-part-3.html" rel="nofollow">http://geekthreads.blogspot.co.....art-3.html</a><br /> <a href="http://geekthreads.blogspot.com/2009/02/breaking-out-of-fashion-rut-part-4.html" rel="nofollow">http://geekthreads.blogspot.co.....art-4.html</a><br /> <a href="http://geekthreads.blogspot.com/2009/02/breaking-out-of-fashion-rut-part-5.html" rel="nofollow">http://geekthreads.blogspot.co.....art-5.html</a> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374251 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:50:25 +0000 MNsara 374251@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Una - this is so timely and I will be eagerly watching (and maybe replicating some of your efforts in the privacy of my own closet ;-), so keep it coming. . . !!!!</p> <p>It was eery when I read your Big Seven because I saw myself described pretty thoroughly - in fact, more thoroughly than I ever could because I give up after just a few moments of any introspection.</p> <p>In the past year and a half that I've been around here, I experienced that new awakening of a love of style combined with the wide variety of stylish and inspiring women here. The combination is lethal to the closets *and minds* of us impulse buyers. </p> <p>I love rae's Anthro/AllSaints observation, and vix's idea of intermediate/holding storage for all the 'maybe's from your closet. </p> <p>I'm heading up to my closet right now - before the motivation wanes </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374250 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:49:00 +0000 Angie 374250@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>These are good realizations, Una. Well done. </p> <p>Now, it's time to get to the nitty-gritty and no more writing until you've done an important physical task! (I am an operator that gets on with it I'm afraid). </p> <p>Haul out your career wear and start analyzing it. See what fits into both your style descriptors and professional dress code. Tell us what you see. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374244 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:40:32 +0000 Gaylene 374244@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lisa's recent post on her blog, Privilege, really helped me reorganize my closet. Her idea on starting with the end product instead of trying to assemble disparate items into a cohesive outfit seemed to click with me.</p> <p><a href="http://amidprivilege.com/2011/04/perfect-career-wardrobe/" rel="nofollow">http://amidprivilege.com/2011/.....-wardrobe/</a> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374232 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:18:48 +0000 lynne 374232@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Fascinating thread, Una, so thoughtful and thought provoking. I am drawn to the same sort of statement pieces, whether they fit into my lifestyle or not. It has helped that I've come to the same epiphany as rae, that I don't have to buy something just because it fits and looks good. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374228 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:13:55 +0000 anne 374228@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nothing useful to add Una, but just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed your previous thread and this one. Fascinating!!!!!</p> <p>Great to read Vix's links too. Thanks Vix! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374224 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:08:32 +0000 Jonesy 374224@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That sounds like quite a night of work! You are *so* on the right track, Una! Re. Anthro and AllSaints (and Fluevog, I'm thinking)--are you drawn to Audi's style a great deal? Would you wear multiple layers of skirts, artfully and romantically arranged, if you thought you could "get away with it"? I somehow see your style as more androgynous/less feminine than that, but with some of those Audi elements, if that makes sense? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374222 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:03:49 +0000 Vix 374222@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>AG --</p> <p>Good to see you back in the game vs on the sidelines; congrats on the tedious closet wading and the often emotionally tough thinking that goes along with it. </p> <p>As you're sorting I would put your favorite items that don't fit/flatter (but are realistically options for wearing down the line) in seclusion -- a box under the bed, an out-of-the-way closet -- so you don't beat yourself up every time you go to get dressed. </p> <p>You have BOUNDLESS creativity with your personal style, and I bet you'll feel better once you have a clearer way to channel it for work outfits. </p> <p>I can't wait to see how Project Hoover Dam evolves.... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374216 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:53:21 +0000 rae 374216@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Congrats! Purging is tough work, and tougher when done so thoughtfully. </p> <p>I can totally relate to your desire to buy every lovely, unique statement piece you love - the thing that has helped me is to say to myself, "It is not your job to buy every nice thing you see." Then it helps to think of someone else who might like and look great in it and let them know about it. </p> <p>What struck me most is you said your biggest temptation stores are Anthro and AllSaints. I was surprised, as these stores have very different - some might say opposing -- points of view. One seems very hard/aggressive, while the other strikes me as very soft/shimsical. Do you have an idea of how you want these two elements to play together in your closet? It would be convenient if, say, AS was your work persona, and the Anthro came out for play, but I have a feeling it isn't as cut-and-dry. Would you ideally like to have elements of both looks come through in every outfit, combining them to create a new look of "post-apocalyptic nostalgia" or some-such? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374204 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:27:18 +0000 Anonymous 374204@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Congratulations! It sounds like you made lots of progress in your closet. It's a journey. Angie's blog today may help with decisions. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374146 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:11:47 +0000 catgirl 374146@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Rosee, sometimes we just create events so we can dress up. But there's always weddings (at least two coming up) and fancy fundraisers and holiday parties...</p> <p>I have done some capsule work but I'm not sure it held up because there was so much chaff in there too. And there still may be. I've filled up a lot of holes but it's like road work, every time I fill one a new hole appears! So thankful to have all of you because my husband's eyes would roll out of his head if I asked him about these things, and my girlfriends are just not that interested in clothing issues... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374143 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:06:19 +0000 rosee 374143@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That sounds like a bit of work and you should be congratulated for your efforts. Maybe looking over Angie's wardrobe capsule posts will help, and you could start setting up different capsules for work and play, etc., but more than 1 for work. For ex: a Ted Baker dress capsule -- things that work with that dress, a summer work clothes capsule, a winter work clothes capsule... you get the idea. The capsules may help you get things streamlined a bit, then keep whatever else works as well.<br /> Keep the evening stuff too, even if you rarely wear it, you never know when you might again. I've heard that Yukoners dress up every once in a while for formal events (so different from their everyday look), does the same happen in Alaska too? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-a-new-thread-to-update#post-374139 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 05:54:52 +0000 catgirl 374139@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>From this one, which I hope will continue to have a life of its own!</p> <p><a href="http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/question-for-vix-and-jeangreenglove?replies=59" rel="nofollow">http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....replies=59</a></p> <p>PLEASE don’t feel you have to follow along on this angst-filled (but FUN) struggle of mine... I am posting here only because it seems like the best place to hold myself accountable! And maybe it will help someone here in some way...</p> <p>********<br /> I spent an interesting evening sorting through my closet with all of the new advice I’ve received in mind. I looked really hard at everything I’d kept from the last purge, and thought about not only why I loved it and if it was truly useful, but whether it fit me and my current body, and if I’d even worn it any time in the last year (making an exception for formalwear). Based on those criteria, I managed to bag up a huge number of items to consign.</p> <p>As I was plugging away, I also thought really hard about why some of these items were in my closet at all, and basically tried to come up with some reasons I have made recent purchases. These are the Big Seven I could articulate:</p> <p>1. The biggest struggle for me is that I have gained some weight in the last couple of years, and that has not only changed m size but also changed my body from an IT with a waist (but not an hourglass) to an IT rectangle. It is a whole new challenge figuring out how to dress for me as I am now with what is (or was) in my closet - some of which doesn’t fit, some of which fits but no longer flatters. I’m also trying hard to lose that weight and get back in shape, so I don’t want to buy items that will not work if and when that happens.</p> <p>2. I am a true impulse buyer. Blah. See it, love it, buy it (finances permitting), wonder how it fits in later.</p> <p>3. I am attracted to clothes that I find beautiful or unique, whether or not they suit me personally or my climate and lifestyle. Allsaints and Anthro are the two biggest examples here (not that I have many items of either brand, but I’m constantly tempted!).</p> <p>4. I do not like dressing conventionally in my profession. I spent a lot of years wearing a single pair of black shoes and a very basic work uniform of black suit separates. It was easy and made sense, but now I find it very boring, and yet I don’t know what the alternatives really are. The good thing is I work for myself in a very informal city, and I have a huge amount of leeway in terms of what I can wear to work most days. As Vix said, I am not a Bawstan lawyah!</p> <p>5. I like to have variety (or as Aida reminded me, “ a buffet”) in my closet, although I’m not sure how to make it all work together.</p> <p>6. As Vix so astutely pointed out, somehow I am simultaneously a stingy thrifter/sale shopper and a statement piece buyer. Rarely do I buy middle of the road basics.</p> <p>7. I’m not a hoarder, but I am a saver. Many of the clothes I finally purged were 10 -15 years old, sitting around because they were good quality or one-time workhorses. I even think a lot of them would still pass YLF standards as retro/vintage or trendy again, but I realized they no longer suit my “Aida list” criteria.</p> <p>So that’s as far as I got tonight, and frankly, I’m exhausted. Now I’m thinking about my game plan to do something about the above-mentioned issues and make sure I don’t repeat the same mistakes over and over, or invent too many new ones.</p> <p>If you’re reading along, thanks for sticking it out with me. xo </p>