I think at the moment I'm just adding things with leather trim to every outfit. Lol. But I agree that shoes matter. And also colours. I have a pink suit that I'm de-prettifying with brown. Maybe I'll try a plaid next to make it less pretty.

Really enjoying this post.

I don't know if the word edgy is the only word, but I know I need to look for more ways to make something more "me" and more unexpected. Or maybe, unexpected for me!

While a single great piece in each outfit might do the most good, for the long run I'm really interested in feeling free-er to do small things or use common things in less expected ways or combinations. There's a big chance that that is more effort than I can muster, but I feel it's the road to style fun that has longevity and is not dependent on constant influx of new items, but is more creative.
Or, perhaps find a way for just one or 2 items to be worn more often --so I really liked Angie's pointing out eyewear and footwear.

Absolutely loved your explanations Greyscale and K.Period. Well done and thanks for sharing.

Wow - you are asking some very thought provoking questions recently! Enjoyed the variety of responses. Will be looking to see how this evolves for you this year.

(@Angie! I feel like I just got an A+. Yeah!)

Me too, K! And I really liked your explanation.

*chuckle*

@K and Greyscale: Well aren't you both hilarious and fabulous.

I love this thread! I'm going to have to digest in more detail when I have more time. But I agree that edge is very person specific. I want to add more edge to my outfits this year. But I don't have a speck of RATE in me and I don't feel right in outfits that are too masculine or hard edged. So I'm going for polished ladylike edgy, which sounds kind of ridiculous but that's what I aspire to! I've been adding more Vince and Helmut Lang, with more black and grey and asymmetric hems and bra straps. Some studs on my purses/shoes/accessories, but just a touch. A little bit of my shadow persona coming out to play.

What a GREAT thread. Thanks Gigi. I often wonder about this myself. I often think that my plain bob haircut makes everything non-edgy. But I don't have the guts to go "rad". : ) I also worry about age appropriateness.

A few years ago, I used to volunteer at an at-risk youth program. Most of the young men were either in gangs or trying to get out of a gang. One late night, I drove one of them home. He had me park around the corner because he didn't want anyone to see him with " a white woman with chin length hair and driving a Prius" ! LOL I continue to struggle with all three things. : )

I have been dying to chime here. Having been forced to tone it down for work, my edge is in hair, jewelry, specs and footwear. The gold spike necklace I sent to Rae, for instance. My wolverine skull necklace. The Gidigio boots. One or two out there pieces can be a signature look.

And I do think conservative can be edgy, if contrast is introduced . I feel edgy in my Theory suit because the Lanai cut is somehow both conservative and avant garde. I wish I could find more such pieces and pinpoint why they work this way. A conservative cut in an outré pattern or vice versa...?

Great topic - I am making this thread a favorite! Such a good read.

I'm really enjoying this thread!

Personally, I've always thought of edgy style only in its extreme version, with leather and studs and sharp, angular lines everywhere, and dismissed it as something that wouldn't ever work for my soft, shrimpy, mild-mannered self. But I'm wondering if a little bit of edginess might not actually work for me. In particular, since I tend toward RATE and am ridiculously obsessed with comfort and with clothes that don't feel overly fussy, some edginess might help my style read as more current and purposeful rather than just as kind of path-of-least-resistance. In particular, of the elements that people mentioned, I think draping and asymmetry, juxtaposition, and some edgier shoes and accessories might be good avenues for me to explore.

Goldenpig, I really like your edgier outfits! They keep sticking in my mind as great examples of combining edge with softer, more feminine looks. I may have to try a slightly RATE-ified version sometime.

I was innocently and happily reading this thread, wondering if I think of myself as edgy or have anything to say on this topic at all and then K. blew my mind by calling my style new wave. Well I am going to put that in my pipe and smoke it Period. (exclamation point)

LOL! Shevia, I hope you know that I meant that as the highest compliment. As in, you are like the super cool girl I wanted to be in high school, except transplanted to the present, perfectly age appropriate and somehow utterly current.

Are you kidding me K.(question mark) I am flattered like a pancake! As a utterly unpopular girl in high school, you couldn't have said a more stunning or lovely thing to me. (Sorry Gigi for the sidetrack.)

Shevia, I feel exactly the way K.Can does. I would happily learn at your feet. Or from your footwear.

K. Can, you are a total inspiration and model to me! Like you, I needed to add trendiness to my style to give it what I thought of as "edge." Interesting.

Greyscale, you are so darn cool. I am learning from your investment in the perfect pieces.

Love this thread -- thank you all!

Such an interesting thread! I don't think I have anything RATE about my style so for me adding edge to an outfit is to make it feel current by incorporating some trends which speak to me. Who would have thought that blush pink baggy trousers can add such edge to my summer style? This is a proof that blush pastel color can be as edgy as black, leather and studs for the right style and right person.:-)

This thread is fantastic. I'm trying to memorize every post! One of my big goals this year is to focus on adding edge to my outfits and to really work on figuring out what permutation of edge suits me best and feels most natural. Shoes, hair, belts and toppers are going to be key, I think. What I'm craving, I think, is a mix of UWP (Una, Rae, cciele, etc.), Anna's more minimal outfits, Greyscale's looks, a dash of cocolion's arty boho rocker vibe (especialyl in summer), and a swipe of Suz and Angie's delicious polish. Each outfit will probably skew more heavily in one direction or another depending on mood, weather, etc. I'm writing this off the top of my head so I probably forgot to mention a bunch of other lovely inspirational YLFers, for which I apologise profusely.