A Fresh Beginning! First WIW...thoughts?

Hi everyone! Quick history about me. After retiring from the military in 2011 and becoming a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom, I spent most of 2012 purging/rebuilding my wardrobe and restyling myself (hair/make-up in my 40's!). Have been learning a lot and finally feel I'm at a good "jumping off point"...i.e., clothes in the closet fit properly/are comfortable, are in right colors, good repair and appropriate for my lifestyle. Goals for this year are to keep learning, refine my look, add color/pattern and some fun to my wardrobe, and to wear/use what I own (I'm usually on team "shop/find" vice team "wear"...looking to change that). I'm also having some fun "paying it forward" as I'm getting to play novice stylist with a few friends who were looking to make some wardrobe/lifestyle changes as well (fun, fun, fun!). To that end, I'm going to try and post the occassional WIW photo for constructive comment. Would love input on what I'm doing right, what isn't working so good, and ideas about how I can refine my look. I've got a pretty basic "uniform" right now...skinny jeans, boots, a top, and a scarf/pendant work well for my lifestyle, so you're likely to see lots of renditions of that. Thanks in advance for your advice and many blessings in the New Year! P.S. It is sooooo true that the almighty "X pose" for pictures does make you look trimmer

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13 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

Hi Teri and welcome. Your lifestyle changes must have provided some wardrobe challenges but it sounds like you have mastered them. I look forward to your WIW posts.

rute

so simple and yet so stylish! Love!

Karie

(website)

The boots and the scarf look so nice paired with the denim. I am going to have to try the X pose!

Anonymous

Love too. Very trendy

Mental note to self: try X pose

TraceyLiz65

I too am a homeschooling(started last year) mom in my 40's. I am am on a weight loss journey and started a blog four months ago...

I like your outfit.. the two shades of denim and addition off the the leopard scarf add just the right amount of interest. The scarf ties in nicely with the boot color...

Welcome, Teri. I love your outfit! The beautiful boots look great with your hair and scarf. The column of blue makes a slimming vertical line. I wouldn't change a thing.

Transcona Shannon

Welcome to the forum Teri! Sounds like you've gone through a ton of changes in the recent past but have reached a good point in your wardrobe and understanding what you need for your lifestyle. Based on this fab outfit, I'm looking forward to seeing more!

catherine

You look very polished and confident, and you have the denim-on-denim thing nailed perfectly.

Love those jeans and boots on you! Welcome!

(I'm also a homeschooling mom)

teri

Hi.... I'm also a Teri

love your outfit

Great outfit Teri! I love how the caramel tones in your scarf echo your hair color. The boots too! Your jeans and shirt fit so well and create a wonderful column of color. If you were heading out the door, would you pop a blazer over this? I'm just wondering what wonderful things you have in that closet of yours. Can't wait to see more of your posts!

Beth Ann

Welcome to YLF, Teri. I think this forum will be a terrific place to help you refine your style and goals and keep moving forward. It sounds (and looks) like you've made a lot of positive choices already!

Your denim on denim is fabulous, here. Perfect fits, and warmth in the scarf and the gorgeous boots. I like Claire's idea of a jacket topper (unless its too warm) and I'd encourage you to check the archives for the technique that allows you to "scrunch" rather than roll the sleeves. I think both Angie and YLFer Rae (someone correct me if I'm wrong) posted on this. This method preserves the cuff and is a fun alternative to rolling.

I'd encourage you post WIW pretty regularly in the beginning. The better the forum starts to know you style, the more helpful they/we can be encouraging and making specific suggestions. I love it when someone says....."What about pairing those pants with your fabulous leather jacket?"

Suz

There, I learned something -- I never knew about the X pose! But I'll bet you look trim anyway! Love your scarf and the way it echoes the tones in your hair. And welcome!

Teri

Active Member

A blazer and the scrunched vice rolled sleeves are great ideas. I'm slim on the "magical third piece" i.e., blazers, etc. Current wardrobe is pretty two-piece (jeans and top) centric. I'm not yet comfortable with layering because I always feel "stuffed" and a little dough-boyish. I think the third piece will be a good place for me to add color and interest, so I'm looking to develop that area in 2013. Will also check out the scrunched sleeve piece...sounds more interesting than the traditional roll. Thanks for the kind words and the excellent recommendations.

kimlee

Welcome, Terri! I love the look you've put together. It is fun, stylish, and perfect for a lifestyle such as yours. I agree with Claire that popping a blazer over this would add additional visual interest.

Amy

You look so polished! Love your smile too

rachylou

Welcome, Teri! Very neat and trim! And nicely done with the denim on denim! That's not necessarily easy. The weight of the fabrics have to complement each other, color can't be too matchy...

Teri: Just popping back on the thread to say that I've been working on making my third pieces more lightweight than most. Mostly because I run warm, even in Chicago winters, and because I don't like extra bulk either. One of my favorite pieces is a menswear style vest, which would look great with your denim on denim.

Ginkgo

A great MOTG outfit, and you've got the fit and proportions nailed!

A vest! Didn't consider that...thanks Beth Ann!

Niefern

I always thought that denim bottom + denim top was not a good idea, but you actually look great. The scarf and boots are making it all work really well I think.

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