YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Your first fab six months...

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Your first fab six months... https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:04:22 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php viva on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223599 Tue, 15 Apr 2014 11:39:17 +0000 viva 1223599@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've been here six months. I thought I had my style pretty much set, and that I just needed a place to talk about fashion. And in some ways that's true - I haven't experienced a huge shift since coming. But I have definitely begun to both refine my tastes and expand my style. Before I described myself as a tomboy with a classic edge. Early on, Angie made a connection between my style and Ines de la Fressange (which was hugely flattering) and opened me up to thinking about my style in a more sophisticated way. This was really helpful, since I live in a casual, simple area that is not particularly sophisticated fashion-wise. Now, I find that a few very specific arty pieces have worked their way in to my wardrobe, so I see that I can extend beyond my persona if I am careful about how I do it. The biggest change is how I deal with shopping and my closet. Before I was a major purger. I would buy implusively and inexpensively at the beginning of each season (I live in outlet world, which tends to encourage that). At the same time, I would comb through my wardrobe and gt rid of half of it, hauling it off to the consignment store. I don't keep a big warbrode so this was not a major effort, but I think I became sort of addicted to this influx of new cheap things. Since coming I have ordered/purchased more, but also returned more. And I have recorded every purchase in a journal so that I can see it and think about it, which makes it more meaningful. I also write down a wish list, which lets many ideas die naturally on the vine and has saved me lots of money. On the other hand, I also made a major investment purchase recently that I feel great about. Overall, I can see my wardrobe more clearly now. -- both what works, and where the holes are.  Suz on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223581 Tue, 15 Apr 2014 11:01:16 +0000 Suz 1223581@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What a fantastic thread. Thank you for starting this, doubleh! It's fun to read the responses and remember people's outfits from their early days. (Just please don't anyone remember mine. Or at least pretend you don't. Thank you.)  Like more than a few veterans, I joined YLF after a significant weight loss. 35 pounds down, I had literally nothing in my closet! I rushed out to the local thrift store and bought a couple of items -- but in the process realized that I knew nothing about how I wanted to look, much less how to get there. I started reading the blog (in the archives first, rather than on a daily basis). Then I started reading the forum. Finally I joined the forum. I was relatively quick to post photos once I had joined, but didn't take them daily or even often, really, until one of our challenges last fall. I do find taking daily or at least frequent photos (even if you don't post them here) can be a huge help.  I spent a lot in my first year, experimented with lots of looks, and made a lot of mistakes. But most of my purchases were thrift or consignment. Which made it easier on the budget than it might have been, and helped me refine my preferences. Still, what it meant was a big cycle of buy and purge, buy and purge. First I purged all the too-big clothes and then I purged almost all the clothes I got to replace them!  It wasn't until my second year that I genuinely started to build a wardrobe, I think. Or until I had enough working pieces to make a variety of outfits for different situations. I learned that while I like a "lean" closet, and am drawn to the principle of closet minimalism, I am not really a candidate for a 10 item closet due to weather conditions, types of activity I engage in, and a need for some variety. On the other hand, I also learned that I don't need a truly large closet to feel satisfied.  I narrowed down my neutrals and key colours. I figured out my body type modifiers by trying lots of items and comparing in dressing rooms, with pictures or not.  I started focusing on how I actually spend my time and in what weather conditions -- and what I feel most comfortable wearing in those conditions. I tried all kinds of exercises to help me identify my style preferences but found this quite elusive until Angie dubbed me an "urban prince." Somehow, having this persona in my mind helped me make sense of my style descriptors and refine those even further, and from that point it got a lot easier to buy purposefully and ignore the stuff that wouldn't work. I found a few higher quality brands that offer a decent fit as well as a fast-fashion brand that tends to work for me. That allows me to narrow my focus a bit more, at least at times, and facilitates online orders when those are my only option.  So...all in all a long process of trying, making mistakes, improving. And lots of fun!  Gigi on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223486 Tue, 15 Apr 2014 03:53:01 +0000 Gigi 1223486@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I read a lot on Angie's blog before buying anything. I had hardly anything in my closet, and what little I had didn't fit right. Like Windchime, I had grown up in a family where it was considered vain and wasteful to try to look attractive in your clothing. So I'd never learned anything about how to put a good outfit together: what colors go together; how to avoid looking stumpy; what kind of top to wear with a particular type of bottom; etc. I just couldn't do it...but I was determined to learn how! After a few months of reading the blog (and completely missing the fact that there was a forum, ha ha), I started shopping. I wear very small sizes, and they are petite also, so I was quite limited. But I found one store that appealed to me, and I bought a few items. I wore them for a while and enjoyed them, but then I started feeling like I wanted a slightly different type of style. So I found another store that had the style that felt "right," and I made quite a few purchases there and wore those for a few months. Then my style sense changed again, and I switched stores again. I probably went through at least five different styles in the first year of shopping. I went through a "keep/donate" phase when I was on my second style incarnation. I got rid of maybe half of what I had. By the time I was on about my fourth style, I discovered the forum and started posting there. I found it to be very helpful in pinpointing places to find what I was looking for, and it also gave me ideas of different types of styles to try. Angie's idea of a capsule wardrobe also helped a lot, though I had to tweak it to fit my love of bottoms (her capsules usually have more tops than bottoms). It's been about a year since I started becoming interested in fashion, and it's only been recently that I have felt like my style is starting to gel. I bought a LOT of clothes this past year; some of them worked, and some of them didn't. I made quite a few mistakes, especially early on, but as they say, Live and learn! I think it's difficult to really understand yourself and your own style if you don't make mistakes along the way. My style started to gel after I cut way back on shopping. I was finding that I was reluctant to spend more money on clothes, because I had become extremely picky, now that I had a sizable (to me) wardrobe. I was still open to adding to my wardrobe, especially certain styles of clothing, but I am very hard to fit. So I cut back in the interests of spending my money only where I had a reasonable chance of getting a good fit. When I cut back on shopping, I started playing more in my closet, and that is when I started feeling like I was discovering my true style. I recently started a thread about too much shopping perhaps delaying the surfacing of your style, and some fabbers commented that your true style comes out in the mixing and matching of various elements. So that explains why taking time out to play in your closet (once you have enough building blocks) is really important. catgirl on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223463 Tue, 15 Apr 2014 03:19:03 +0000 catgirl 1223463@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I pretty much copied everyone mindlessly trying to figure out what worked for me and why. I am still learning! But seriously, pussy bows and pumps and structured pencil skirts and pink A-line dresses and retro shoes and all kinds of things had to be gotten out of the way for me. I learn the hard way. Anonymous on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223402 Tue, 15 Apr 2014 01:38:44 +0000 Anonymous 1223402@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh hey, I just remembered something major that helped me. I wrote it down in my notebook next to the five adjectives exercise, so I think it's probably from Angie. It says "What style do you NOT aspire to? Explore the opposite style". That helped me hone in on what I needed to concentrate on. Strangely, I was (and still am) attracted to elements of the 'not' style, and I needed to stop buying them! Hello, McFly! Aziraphale on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223352 Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:11:19 +0000 Aziraphale 1223352@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't think I'm a typical veteran. I mostly read this site out of fascination at first. It didn't trigger a style overhaul. I picked up a few tips and tricks, but ultimately didn't change my style all that much. I think, however, that YLF has influenced me over the long run in subtle but substantial ways. I now have a clue about what's current and what's coming down the pipe, so to speak. It has made me a little braver with previously iffy items like belts. YLF has helped me tweak my style into something that feels even more "me" than what was doing before, mostly by learning what ISN'T me. Anonymous on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223344 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 23:57:46 +0000 Anonymous 1223344@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ doubleh, what a great thread. Thanks for taking me for a trip down memory lane! I've been around here a few years, and I definitely feel like I've found my fashion footing. The funny thing is, I've almost come full circle. My clothes are just a lot better fitting and better quality now, but my tastes are very similar to when I first started.  The first year or so I tried LOTS of new things. I basically threw out any rules or preconceived notions I had about what I could wear and tried it all. I shopped a lot. Luckily it was mostly at thrift stores, but still, a lot of clothing came through my door. It was a ton of fun, but by the next year, I hated it all. The colors, the patterns, the silhouettes. So I washed, rinsed and repeated. After getting rid of my second or third huge batch of clothes I realized how wasteful I was being. It was time to hone in on what I really loved, what looked good on me, and find some quality items that I could take with me into my next decade.  I discovered that I'm much more interested in personal style than I am in high fashion. I found out that I'm really very traditional and conservative in my tastes, and those aren't necessarily bad things! I've learned so much about fit and fabrics and how to choose things that are beautiful, comfortable and practical for my lifestyle. A huge key for me was discovering the capsule wardrobe concept, AKA 3/33, French Wardrobe or the 10 Item wardrobe. I've lived with about 10 core items for S/S and another 10 for F/W for about a year now and I'm not going back. For my stay-at-home lifestyle, this is plenty. I have hunted down and perfected each item until I'm in love so that keeps boredom at bay. I will still one-in-one-out, but once I have at least 10 items ready to wear for the season, I know that I have enough so I can stop. shopping. Or stop shopping so frantically anyway, lol! This contains my mistakes to a reasonable number and I can always start again at the next season.  Windchime on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223306 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 23:06:25 +0000 Windchime 1223306@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I joined YLF almost seven months ago and "lurked"several weeks before joining. I'd decided I needed to be intentional about keeping up my appearance as I become older. I never really learned from my mother how to dress in a way that made me feel good and attractive. Actually, I think I picked up the message that it wasn't morally right to think about one's appearance or spend very much money on clothing. So I was shopping primarily at Goodwill prior to finding YLF. I cannot even say how wonderful it feels to let myself purchase and wear new, on-trend clothing items. At first, I chose one or two wardrobe holes each month--jeans, gear, ankle boots, etc. and shopped for those items. Now that the most obvious wardrobe holes have been filled, I'm having a harder time prioritizing my shopping. I see so many great things on the blog which I'd like to try. Looking forward, I need to clarify my style descriptors, keep refining fit, and figure out a workable way to prioritize my shopping. April on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223266 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 22:36:11 +0000 April 1223266@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This was my (not uncommon) YLF progression. Read the blog for a couple of months...then read the forum for a couple of months...then created a log-in...then finally posted something to the forum...a few months after that, posted a picture. In the meantime, I was slowly acting on things I'd learned here.  (Perfect Pants Length?  You mean I have to pay attention to where my hems end and my ankles begin?  That was probably the guideline that resulted in the most purging for me.) At that time, I was creating a professional wardrobe in a field where I had almost no role models.  (Elementary education.  Everyone around me was either a woman in knit pants and a holiday sweater or a man in a shirt and tie.  A weird fashion culture, to say the least.)  And I wasn't a teacher, I was the psychologist, a role where it's important to have some authority, yet without making your principal look bad.   I made lots of wild mistakes, spurred on by the newly adventuresome spirit I'd found here.  A forum member I admired would buy something, and I'd be off to the races.  Then I learned that barely-worn mistakes were great fodder for consignment. Then I stopped working and didn't have a work audience for my clothes, so for a year I hung out in gear.  That felt really bad, so I came back to YLF this winter, cheered on by my husband and son.   And that has been my YLF journey so far. Emily on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223222 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 20:56:16 +0000 Emily 1223222@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Here are the three things I like best about YLF, most of which I discovered in my first six months as a forum member: 1. YLF Members: they are wonderful, stylish, friendly, witty and kind. 2. Having lots of objective eyes available to critique purchases before cutting the tags can help lend perspective and prevent orphans. And the third, which sort of snuck up on me:  3. Seeing loads of real-life women going about their lives looking amazing in a wide range of shapes, styles and colours. I think that just observing all of the various types of fabness going on here can really help build confidence to rock a look that is you in the real world every day.  It's a nice antidote to the tucked, pinned and tweaked images in magazines and catalogs. doubleh on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223214 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 20:46:30 +0000 doubleh 1223214@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm so thrilled to see so many replies- and so many different approaches.  i was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed and maybe slightly guilty, as I think I have my goals in order, but like a few of you mentioned, I come home with "pretty little things" or a ton of $15 "okays".  It does seem that for most of you, the process took about a year or at least a few season changes to get to the next level.  I'm too anxious. ;) I think I may need to head out to make some potential mistakes...or hopefully scores! rabbit on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1223097 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 18:04:35 +0000 rabbit 1223097@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm new, I've only been lurking then posting beginning this year - so probably not who this thread is aimed at in hindsight.    I just did my spreadsheet for the first time.     I was in a situation where I had very few clothes that weren't either 'special occasion' or 'good for rolling in mud' :D (the later is my work wear due to the nature of my job).   I also didn't have many of the above clothes either, having recently done a pretty complete purge of worn out/very dated looking items.    I also hadn't bought more than a handful of things a year in the previous 7 years, most of those gear.  So I started January through April with a binge.  I created my style descriptors, limited my palette,  shopped frugally/always on clearance, but bought A LOT of clothes (around 100 items including tights, shoes, coats and belts).   I also knew that I had a limited window of time this winter/spring to focus on wardrobe, due to my work responsibilities heating up later in the year, so I didn't 'save' much budget for later in the year.  We'll see if that's a mistake in hindsight, so far so good.      I also wanted to stick as closely as possible to my yearly budgets for clothing for the previous years (even though they were years when I really was buying very little - I didn't do monthly budgets because in these years I normal just did 2x a year clothes shops).    I also wanted to reincorporate as many orphaned but loved  clothes I already had as possible.   Luckily this so far is on track.  (As a buffer, I was able to cut my grocery budget dramatically by couponing, so I do have some flexibility to increase the clothing budget if I need to in upcoming months). So far what I've learned is -- many of the trends I tried I ended up returning, or colors that strayed outside my main neutrals or two accent color families (teal/turquoise and purple/pink).  I also returned clothes that filled a wardrobe hole but didn't excite me. I bought way too many shirts.  They will all get worn, they are all comfortable/work well in capsules/inexpensive.  But seriously, no more shirts/sweaters needed.  Of my yet unworn new clothes (about 30% of the total purchases) most of these are tops.  Tracking my CPW was reassuring.  The most expensive items I bought have been workhorses and are down to CPW of 3$ and below.  However, again -- too many 15$ shirts/sweaters haven't yet been worn,  so I'll see how that ends up in a few more months.  Some of them are definitely more summer weight. My goal is a CPW of under 2$ per item at the end of the year.   My other goal is to wear or purge the remainder of my few 'legacy' clothes by the end of the year (only exception being a wedding dress, and one fancy cocktail dress - they can hang around indefinitely since they have already earned their cost.) I also learned that I really don't dress intentionally every day, especially when working at home, so items like a purse I carry 'all the time'  in reality is 15 or so wears per month, rather than 30. I also learned I like to dress in silhouette cycles.  So for a few days I might be wearing a similar skirt/legging grouping,  and a few days later, it might be a skinny jeans trio of looks.  It usually corresponds to weather, but also simplifies the washing and choosing outfits process.  It also means my 'wears' for items are often grouped rather than spread out. I have five recently bought items that are more expensive than my usual (so around 25$ per item for these)  they fill the role of lighter weight toppers and all season shoes and I need to decide by looking at my current patterns of wear whether they are worth keeping or returning.  If I keep them, they take the place of something I could buy in the future, as they use up the budget. Sorry this was long.  It was very helpful to me to think through, thanks for starting the thread! Cindy S on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222949 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:39:09 +0000 Cindy S 1222949@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Long but well worth reading! Thanks for being so specific, after coming home yet again with "a few pretty things" I can see where my biggest challenge will be... Mo on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222730 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 03:47:48 +0000 Mo 1222730@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I came here shortly after turning 40, which coincided with Laura's 3 month SYC that many were doing.  I joined in, which was difficult but worthwhile.   I started with a lot of purging, doing K/P threads.  I hadn't really purged my wardrobe and had decades of stuff that I wasn't really wearing, but just accumulation on top of.   I had never had a budget, but just nickel and dimed my wardrobe together with deal after deal of separate random pieces that I liked the looks of.  No thought about color palettes, mixability, let alone what core style I was after.  So my first half year I chose black over brown to simplify my color palette.  Then I attempted skinny jeans (in a $10 version to test drive it first) and branched out to ballet flats.  This was 3 years ago, so they were more 'in' at that time.  I remember that's when I specifically told myself a little guideline that I keep coming back to:  1 light neutral, 1 dark neutral, 1 color or pattern.  I didn't want to snap up 6 pairs of flats to find next year I didn't like them after all.  And I did just that: bought a black zippered pair, then cream, then red, then stopped.  Purged the cream pair just a few months ago actually in favor of silver pointy ones.  But I digress.  The point is, I did take it slowly at first, and I'm glad I did. The hardest, but most valuable, part was narrowing down my style instead of wanting to wear a little bit of this and a little bit of that simply because I liked the looks of it all.  Oh, and I admit to getting too caught up in the forum's general choices instead of heeding my own direction at first.  That shifted back eventually to a nice balance of informed but choosing anyway (for instance maxi dresses and short shorts). On that note, don't toss true beloved things just because they don't follow a style trend or rule.  I still wish I had a few things that I hastily purged.  That was long - sorry! Beth Ann on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222725 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 03:40:51 +0000 Beth Ann 1222725@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I lurked and read for about 6 months.  During this period, I learned how to try new things boldly and figured out how to integrate trends in a grown up way.  Next I improved my fit and proportions.  Finally, I begin concentrating on building a wardrobe instead of buying pretty things.  My style rubric and monikers helped in that area. Because I'm more particular than before, trying to make my closet really work for me, I'm finding I need to develop better shopping skills -- learning how to see an item without trying it on, and imagine accurately how it will work with other pieces -- this is still hard for me! annagybe on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222716 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 03:25:21 +0000 annagybe 1222716@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I lurked for a year before commenting. Another year before I posted a picture. I didn't think anyone would get or appreciate my style. I got a Killer for my first WIW. So I'm probably not a good example. Caro in Oz on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222703 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 02:59:58 +0000 Caro in Oz 1222703@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Of course you will get there - we both will :)  Liz on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222679 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 02:07:23 +0000 Liz 1222679@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm definitely in the slow and methodical world. The biggest revelation from my first six months was it was possible to plan your wardrobe and what you wanted to buy and not just randomly choose from what was available. I had zero budget for buying new items, so i mostly just learned and absorbed...and planned out what I would need/like.      I still don't add many items, but I figure as long as each new purchase moves my style forward a little, I'm in good shape.  Jaime on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222672 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 02:01:41 +0000 Jaime 1222672@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I found YLF even before there was a forum, even before Angie had posted a picture of herself and have stuck with it ever since, although it took me a long time to join, and then a long time to post, and then a long time to show my face. Back then I was the mother of 2 year old twins (and their then 4 year old brother), and just coming out of the blur of a few intense years of pregnancy and nursing. DH gently suggested it was time to update my wardrobe (from sweats and jeans), I started thrifting again as a means of getting out while the kids were in nursery school and quickly became overwhelmed with too much stuff. Now seven years later I have gone from being totally clueless about fashion and trends, to feeling clued in and having tons of fun with it all. But to answer your question, for me it was an evolution rather than revolution and one I hope continues in the years to come.  doubleh on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222669 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 01:57:12 +0000 doubleh 1222669@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks all!  I am TRYING to be slow and methodical, as I want to escalate to more investment pieces.   Sharon- yes, I am constantly in conflict between my approach and Angie's suggestions and other WIWs.  I need to put in writing my lifestyle requirements and determine the adjectives- I think it would help.  I probably won't ever get to spreadsheet status though. Peri- congrats on your initial success!  I have had purge regret often in the past, so I will probably binge first, as you suggested.  I hope the summer tide shifts for you soon! Unfrumped- I do have a holding zone- or "purgatory".  I'm not sure if this is helping me though, or just prolonging my indecision.  My winter clothes purgatory went into storage (dang wide leg pants coming back into style; might want them next year) when that was not the intention.  8 years of blogs are a lot to catch up on, but I am trying!  Thanks for the keywords. Carter- I can't believe you've only been around six months- you seem an old pro to me!  I want to bottle your "joie des vetements" and spritz in the dressing rooms.  I am okay with expensive, but less so with "expensive mistake". :) caro- thanks for the links- as I mentioned, it does get overwhelming searching archives, so I appreciate a nudge in the right direction.  I think my approach is similar to yours.  I did do a purge, but now I'm thinking that maybe old items might have worked if I tried new ways.  I will get there!  I will....right? :) DonnaF- glad to hear I am not alone!  I have taken a lot of photos (though stopped posting, despite my intention to do) and it does help.  I think the other general theme is to just forge ahead and be prepared to make mistakes...  I could get carried away once I think I've hit my stride too...:) Cindy S on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222664 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 01:49:07 +0000 Cindy S 1222664@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ So glad you asked this as I'm very new to the YLF community and am looking to define a new vision/version of my style - I'll be 55 this year and I'll also be heading back into an office job after some years working from home.  I'd like to move forward in a measured, intentional way but it's hard not to get carried away with all the great looks I'm finding here!  Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222659 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 01:33:53 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1222659@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I lurked for a while before actively participating, then I started with a few WIWs, just tiptoeing in. I spent a lot of time watching other people's photos and evaluations of items. I learned a lot by reading other people's K/R threads, the responses in them, and my own personal thoughts about the item or the styling. At that point I started getting rid of some truly ratty or unflattering stuff, and being more particular about fit. But then last year I threw a spanner in the works, as Angie would say, and lost 30 pounds, which meant that I had to get rid of 90% of my wardrobe whether I wanted to or not. So I did a lot of purging and a lot of buying (and a fair bit of returning) last year. This year I'm really focusing in on being more focused on my style, only buying >8/10s, and figuring out how to incorporate trends and 'shopping for fun' into my life and my budget. DonnaF on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222645 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 01:12:24 +0000 DonnaF 1222645@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I purged a lot, not really having done much shopping for nearly 20 years.  I also shopped a lot and made a lot of mistakes.  I find that some lessons are easier for me to apply than others, but putting them all together or figuring out why something becomes a workhorse and another piece does not is still a continuing project.  I wish I had more light in my place, as I feel those who take pictures of their outfits learn fastest and the most. Note:  I think a common pattern in this community is for folks to purchase quite a bit in the first year, learn from mistakes, purge again, and then slow down.  Ummm, I think I'm actually accelerating -- which is not good for my budget.  I DO reflect a bit more, lol.  carter on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222631 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 00:56:19 +0000 carter 1222631@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've been around right about 6 months. I came to YLF a couple months away from 50, bored to tears with dressing from my closet and totally ready for a change. I decided to completely remake my style/wardrobe for my 50th. Definitely purge/binge for me, but I was prepared for the outlay, and even though I have still made mistakes along the way, I don't regret any of it. I LOVE my closet now, and I'm focusing on a few additional tweaks. Yes, it's been expensive, but I'm okay with that. I feel great. I'm having fun. I look much more current than I did before. Taking it slow probably would have meant fewer mistakes, but patience is truly not one of my virtues. If I'm ready to do something, I'll just do it. Worth every penny (and countless minutes) to me to have dozens of great outfit options for anything that may come up. It's your journey. You should approach it however you think is best. Slow or fast...who cares if you still end up at awesome? Caro in Oz on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222607 Mon, 14 Apr 2014 00:07:48 +0000 Caro in Oz 1222607@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'd already done a fairly big purge before joining YLF but I was still unsure where I wanted to go with my style. Pinning inspirational outfits & Angie's 5 adjectives exercise really helped me to focus: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://youlookfab.com/2011/06/27/five-adjectives-to-define-your-style/"><a href="http://youlookfab.com/2011/06/" rel="nofollow">http://youlookfab.com/2011/06/</a>.....our-style/</a> So did posting my thoughts on the above exercise - the responses helped me to clarify & formulate a plan: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-journey-or-the-long-winding-road-wordy">http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....road-wordy</a> I realised I wanted fewer & better & I'm happy to take my time getting there unfrumped on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222595 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:48:20 +0000 unfrumped 1222595@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Holding zone. Can be good to let you " purge" your closet and stare at the remaining 10 things and get that sense of building from ground zero, and wear them with idea to add in style direction, but the holding zone is there for backup. You can go "shopping" there and re- test the item for K/ T while still on the lookout for new pieces. Look up the wardrobe challenge where Lisa uses an off closet as her " boutique". Also read all Angie's wardrobe Review and Edit posts. Peri on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222581 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:26:40 +0000 Peri 1222581@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I was purge/binge for winter because I was about 6 months in and winter is usually easy for me. I hadn't shopped much for years, I was tired of everything I had and I was having success at finding what I wanted. Unfortunately at the same time I purged most of summer, thinking I already knew what wasn't working, so many things were flat worn out and things I was tired of I was sure I wouldn't wear again. Now I'm in a bit of a bind because the stores are not cooperating with me and I'm just not finding things I like. So I would have to say summer clothes have been a bit purge/starve. Advice if you can...replace things before purging! Sharon on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222575 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:17:51 +0000 Sharon 1222575@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yeah, I gotta confess to binge/purge. The whole fashion thing was such a revelation to me that I wanted to try everything, with extremely mixed results. I think the two most valuable things I have done since are to define my lifestyle requirements and hone the "5 adjectives" to pin down my style goals. Then, when Angie posts about a new trend or a fabulous ensemble, I have a filter for whether it will work for me, rather than just thinking "That's awesome, I've gotta try it" doubleh on "Your first fab six months..." https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-first-fab-six-months#post-1222571 Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:09:41 +0000 doubleh 1222571@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Reaching out to some of you "lifers' for insight- or those of you who are YLF 201....do you remember when you first landed here and how you evolved in the first few months while this was all new and fresh, and how (when?) you eventually balanced out.   What were your goals?  Strategies?  How long do you think it took your actual wardrobe to catch up to your vision- or at least more in the direction of your vision? I started with SYC and made some headway before winter killed me.  Now with spring clothes, I am ready to purge a lot of my existing wardrobe to head in my newly realized style direction.  Of course, doing this all at once would be prohibitively costly and while I have strategized how to invest my clothing budget over time, my urge is to start all over.  Right.now.   Anyway, just curious how you all approached it: slowly and methodically, or purge/binge?