After a Year on YLF... - YouLookFab Forum

I know I have been a bit of a lurker lately - I have some WIWs burning a hole in my hard drive and will definitely post them soon! In the mean time, here are a lot of words. You've been warned.

It's been about a year since I started participating actively in YLF. It started with a giant closet cleanout and a good hard look at how I actually dress and how I want to look. (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....-manifesto)

I am paying much closer attention to choosing things that I like, work with what I have, fit well, and are practical for my lifestyle. I think this has resulted in a great improvement. It is easy to choose my outfit each morning and I usually feel great in what I am wearing.

Here are some of the goals I set last year that I think I achieved:
1. Wear brights (even though frankly they scare me): I have a handful of jewel-toned pieces that have worked their way into regular rotation. Check!
2. Accept my bag-laziness and be a seasonal bag switcher: I took this a step further and carried my black hobo bag for most of the summer, after failing to find a spring bag I like. I donated several bags I do not use. I added a teal hobo and clutch to my handbag capsule in the spirit of #1, and do use them reasonably often.
3. Accept my shoe-covetousness, wear heels more often because I love them: This was an easy one. I have embraced wearing high heels to work. I think I shied away from them before due to a lack of confidence.
4. Look for fun footwear that does not give me blisters: I added three pairs of booties to my winter footwear capsule, all of them comfortable and interesting. I also consigned/ebayed/donated several pairs of spring shoes that were not working for me, and hope to replenish with better choices for spring 2013.
5. Be willing to spend a little more on better quality things: I still avoid paying full price for things I know will be on sale in the near future (Looking at you, Banana Republic) and I am okay with that. On the flipside, however, I have avoided the dirt-cheap with quality to match pieces that made up the bulk of my discards, and have been choosing nicer items more carefully (most of the time).

Here are my goals for this year:
1. Shop carefully from a list: This is a holdover from last year. I have not done as well at this as I would like. I have made some unplanned purchases that turned out to be poor decisions.
2. Continue to edit out things that don't make me feel like my best self: I am using Stylitics and a hidden holding zone to track the things I like and wear and weed out the things I don’t like, but I still find it hard to let go. Onward and upward!
3. Trust my gut in terms of fit: I regret the items I am initially wary of fit-wise 90% of the time. Smarten up, self!
4. Keep buying colour: It isn’t as scary as I thought! I am hoping to add a dress, pair of flats, and possibly trousers in non-neutral shades to my wardrobe this spring. I have several printed pieces in neutral shades that I think will play nicely with colour.
5. Quit buying cream: Cream sweaters and tops have no place in my wardrobe. I find them difficult to match and always feel better in pure, crisp white. Not only am I going to quit buying cream pieces, I am not going to force myself to make the ones I have work. I will wear them with the pieces I have that they work with, and that is that.

And the big one for me: Come up with style goals as opposed to just shopping goals for spring!
I feel like my style lacks personality. I have put together a pinterest board and shopping list, but I would like to give some thought to my wardrobe as a personal statement rather than just a collection of aesthetically pleasing items.
So many of you ladies seem to have a lovely and distinct sense of style. How do you make your looks feel like “you”? Or is it enough to just like the way you look in the mirror, and trust that the rest will follow?

Finally, thank you so much to everyone who has shared insight, input, inspiration and encouragement. This the most intelligent, thoughtful, caring, constructive and frankly addictive online community I have ever been a part of. Cheers to YLF!

13 years ago

Anonymous

what an insightful post. I think you have shown that determination and organization do pay off, in fashion too. Congrats to you!

biscuitsmom

Veteran

What a great post! I strongly disagree with you about your style lacking personality, though I think your WIWs have always shown a very put-together lady. I really admire the way you put your goals down on paper and wish you the best of luck acheiving all of them. I think you're doing great! I wish I were as far along as you.... thanks for putting into words what I need to do, also

(website)

Sounds like a great first year!! To be honest, things didn't *really* come together, as far as knowing what exact style felt quintessentially me, until far into the second year here. There is the figuring your fit and proportion issues, hurdling the quality vs quantity issue, trying out enough trends to be current, but to also know what truly isn't you, and on and on.
The Style Statement and rubric exercises helped me. It wasn't easy at first, but it was worthwhile in the end. I had the added difficulty of trying to see how my FL and Tahoe wardrobes could share similar properties.
I also found that what you leave out is as (or more) important thasn what you add to your closet. It's a distilling down of your tastes, essentially. You'll get there! You are well on your way.

Suz

Great job, Emily! And congratulations on all you have achieved thus far! I think you are making great strides; I've seen a big improvement since you began and much more (well-placed and deserved) confidence! You look great in teal! And you are also shopping much more purposefully than in the past.

Ingunn

I loved reading your post! A lot of great insight here. I'm also looking forward to seeing your WIWs, from what I recall you have a distinct and great style indeed.

rachylou

I like your specificity, Em. That means everything is doable (!!)

I am wondering if, perhaps, you'd rather amp the strength of your style statement as opposed to adding personality... just a thought. You do have a kind of Midwestern plainness going on, but it's very distinctive and noticeable. Trust me on this, as a person deep in Clown Land... erm, California Style ;>

jayne

Super insights! And I recognize alot from my own first year. Brights, quality, limits and a style. I think you do have style although maybe you don't have it defined. I find having a definition helps alot in the choice making process. Like they say, you have to know the rules to break them, you have to know your style first before you can know how to expand on it, right? I figure that is how Angie picks what new items that are outside her current style she can add in and enjoy, taking a step in a new direction without taking a leap.

Tina.b

You've achieved so much in one year Emily, I'm thoroughly impressed. I look forward to watching your style continue to progress.

Caro in Oz

It sounds like you really know where you are going Emily. I enjoyed reading this a the original post.

For me Pinterest has been a real eye-opener. I've "allowed" myself to pin everything I love - regardless of cost or whether I'd actually wear it. This has set new standards for me when I go shopping.

The other thing that has been so helpful is Angie's PPP - I've tried on so many coats (we are coming into autumn) in the past I would have bought at least one of them but now I see they aren't what I want:)

Aida

Fabulous reflections Emily, thank you for sharing! It sounds like you did a good job on your goals over the last year, I am impressed. In response to developing "personal" style, I think it's a mix of things. Part of it is, as you said, "like the way you look in the mirror, and trust that the rest will follow" because confidence is a huge part of it. And the other part is to understand what it is you like and how you can achieve that. We all approach that second one differently; some can go off instinct, some can look at inspiration photos and sense an overarching style, some need to sit and write and really analyze, some just need to experiment with different things.... So for your goals, you'll likely need to figure out which approach will be best for you

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