ETA: Yipes! Apparently I'm in the mood for writing epics. Thanks for bearing with me.
Una--that Suzy Chin dress is pretty spectacular! It wouldn't work on my body or lifestyle, but the ink blot print (not so much the magenta striped belt thingy down at the hips) is one I'd love to wear. It minus the belt thingy plus booties is something I'd absolutely wear to the right event.
goldenpig--You're sweet! Yes, the outfits are very different from Rae's and Una's, aren't they? I think an arty/tough/streamlined trifecta is what I might be craving, with emphasis falling more heavily on one or two of those three elements depending on my mood, the weather, and whatever other factors are in play that day.
Gaylene, that Edun collection is beautiful. I wouldn't/couldn't wear any of the individual items, but the prints and, as yuo said, the interplay of hard and soft, urban and earthy is very appealing.
Jayne, what a good idea. I'm going to do that (make outfits using things I own). I'm OK with doing totally aspirational outfits as well to help me develop my eye, though, becausethe hope is I'll be able to put some of those items into my closet when I finish losing weight and am ready to do more buying. I'm pretty sure a moto jacket, a blazer and some studded booties and shoes will be the main things I buy for now.
MsKatieKat, thanks for the encouragement! I've spent most of my life afraid of dressing the way I really want to, due to years of painful experiences of being teased mercilessly in school. As a result I've always dressed in a way that's designed not to attract attention--and felt dull and blah as a result. Like, I'm already worried about what the reaction of my mommy friends would be if I wore those studded booties to the playground. WHY? It's really time for me to get over that.
Diana-- those second two outfits you posted are on the right track--similar but not quite the same as what I have in mind. Thanks for sharing! I've looked at Audi's blog in the past and just checked it out again. I like maybe a quarter of her outfits and would wear maybe 10% of them. The rest of the time her style is a little too "much" for me. Looking through it is a good exercise in figuring out what I do and don't like, though, because some of the looks are so close to being what I want. In general I prefer fewer and/or sleeker and/or simpler elements that get most of their punch from cut and color. If doing patterns I'd do one, max two, if one of the patterns was stripes or dots. I don't like things like lace or beading or ruffles at all.
Ramya, if you come up with a good name, let me know. I want to copy them too! LOL. I just need the money and the ability to get the pieces in Canada.
Rae, good point about more descriptors equalling less narrow. However, right now I really have no parameters at all and my closet reflects that, so even ten descriptors is better than "Hey, I like that in some theoretical way that may have nothing at all to do with me and everything to do with what my neighbor/a JCrew catalogue model/an imaginary person in my head/an Anthropologie salesclerk with the opposite body type to me/a character in a book/or whomever was wearing"--I think.
Vix, I'm definitely open to using Arty + Studded + Overlap as three distinct but equally workable and appealing style personas. Everything you wrote was really helpful and I think it could work for me. I was just looking at that thread of yours yesterday, in fact. I like your description--"strong color and abstract floral pieces with fairly streamlined neutrals." Add in some tough elements like buckles, zippers, studs and leather, and a touch of boho/"ethnic" influence and that might be pretty much it!
Suz, I thought about the boho angle and it's something I continue to feel drawn to, experiement with, and never quite succeed at or feel good in unless it's in small doses. I think my curvy size 10-ish body and short choppy hair just don't work with full-on boho. I feel out of sorts and sloppy. But yesterday I wore a loose Battenburg lace tank from Free People, RATE skinnies, and Dansko cognac wedge sandals and felt good (forgot to take a pic so no clue if I actually *looked* good!). It was right at the very edge of my boho comfort zone. The skinny jeans streamlined it enough to make it feel "me", and the accessories were minimal (bangles). I enjoy looks like that once every week or two, mosty in the summer. Definitely not an everyday style for me, though. Boho elements? Yes, I can definitely see that. And a big YES to everything else you wrote! I'm an hourglass and need to work with that.
What is Kibbe?
Una, I'll have to stalk more of Diana's pics. I've admired Greenglove for years! She has such a wonderful style that suits her perfectly.
