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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Dear Angie,

ironkurtin

Veteran

Thank you for helping me to love my wardrobe, buy only what I absolutely want and need, and removing my closet as a source of anxiety! I am so much happier with my clothes now. And a big tension between me and my husband has been appeased!

I think you should write a book.

xo

29 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

Sheila

Veteran

I second IK's motion regarding the book...guess I have always thought it was inevitable that such a wise, fashionable, articulate and kind woman would have publishers begging her to write a book. I mean...we would all buy several copies, right? One to keep, the others to give to our friends and family? Why it would be a guaranteed bestseller!!!

MsMary

Veteran

YES!!!

velvetychocolate

Veteran

I've often thought Angie should write a book. There should be a tv show too...or a documentary or movie featuring YLF'ers. Book first, then a movie.

Heather

Veteran

*standing ovation*

Lantana

Veteran

Hear hear to both: yes, thank you and yes, write that book.

Kate

Veteran

Hear hear! My closet has never been so small, and I've never been so happy with my clothes! Hooray for Angie, and all of YLF!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

IK, I'm humbled. Thanks for this thoughtful thread. I am *thrilled* that you feel happy about your wardrobe choices. It's music to my ears! And hubby's ears too, apparently

Thanks Kate, Lantana, Mary, Sheila, VC and Heather. Hugs to you all. Your kind words are very much appreciated.

We are very committed to making YLF the very best online resource for fashion and style. So tell us ladies, how would a book be different to what you already receive from YLF? I feel as though I write for the "YLF Book" each day. Think of how many volumes I have already written after almost 6 years of daily content! Would love to hear your thoughts.

MsMary

Veteran

That's a great question, Angie! You know what I think would be super interesting? A behind-the scenes tale about you and Greg and Rosie and your fab, fashionable lives as the proprietors of TLF!

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Can I be the naysayer about a book. One of the benefits about this site is that it is up to date and never static. A book once written is said and done. Styles, fashion change. Even as Angie has said classics change too. This site is dynamic, a book is not.

Deborah

Veteran

IK hear hear! Couldn't agree more. My wardrobe is smaller, my shopping has decreased and I have never been happier or more confident with my wardrobe choices. And while I totally agree with Anna's comments, if Angie was to write a book I would absolutely buy it, along with additional copies for all my girlfiends

Deborah

Veteran

Responding to Angie's question above... while most of us would have daily access to a computer via our desktops, phones and Ipads, some people enjoy browsing through a book. I have a book by Trinny & Susannah that is always out and I flick through it regularly. A book could be a great introduction to YLF. Perhaps something that covered the basics of good style ie. the things that don't change. For example thoughts and ideas on proportions, ppl, use of color etc. It could take the form of a little pocket book?? I could see myself gifting something like this to friends with a veiw to them then following up on the YLF site. My thoughts, for what they are worth:)

Amy

(website)

Veteran

I'm learning a lot from Angie and the other great members of YLF.

While I love the website, I'd love a book too. The website can be kept current, but there are some aspects to a book that I still love. A book can be a more structured experience for a reader. You start at a beginning and progress page by page through it. Most people's experience of websites is much more...helter-skelter.

I'd love to read about the process of improving a wardrobe from the very beginning (bra, specs, hair) to evaluating what's in your closet to first steps of shopping. It would be interesting to have stories about yourself, your clients, and YLFers interspersed. Body type discussions/examples, basic styles, team-this or that--perhaps it could have a workbook quality to it where the reader can fill in blanks or answer questions and then carry the handy guide with her to the store...

I have LOTS of ideas I'd like to see in a book, written by someone who knows what she's talking about---like you, Angie! I hope you'll do it someday.

As is the case with a lot of publications these days, the book and website would function as companions.

ironkurtin

Veteran

Angie, I think a book on your fashion philosophy - about the joy and fun of it - would be a very good idea. As I've said before, many dressing and fashion books are about how to avoid mistakes. They're about fear. One on how to ENJOY yourself is an entirely new approach. And timeless, I'd think.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

What Amy said It was just last night that I noticed "Three Coat Complement" on the blog while looking for something else. Suddenly, I thought, "Aha! No wonder I never have the right thing..." (currently only have two trench coats that fit - have a winter/wool coat on it's way, and now realize I need a more casual option.

Further - there are some books I ordered for my Kindle that I wish I hadn't - meaning, I wish I'd gotten the hardcover book. I ordered that makeup/skincare book by Paula Begoun over my Kindle, but it's annoying/difficult for me to find what I want to find, when I want to find it. Plus, I like to read outside, in the tub, in bed before going to sleep etc. In addition, there are certain books I refer to over and over again, and if you wrote a YLF book, your book would be one of the ones being referred to often.

There is a LOT of information on YLF, and it can sometimes be overwhelming and take awhile to sink in. A book would fix that in the sense that you can read it over and over again, and learn something new every time you glance through it.

Do you know what I mean? When you read a book, and then read it again later on - don't you find you learn or discover something new each time? Your book would be a seriously excellent reference - because you have so much to teach people. You have so much wisdom and experience to share that it might take TWO books. Maybe three.

Another (off topic) example of why I like books is that I sometimes get people asking me for advice on diet related stuff, because I've lost weight. I have a ton of different diet/health books, and I like being able to pull a book off my bookshelf, and find exactly the perfect quote for the person asking and their situation at the time. I know where to look, and it's because I can keep reading these things again and again. For example, a friend bemoans how difficult it is to stick to a healthy eating plan around the holidays, and I can pull "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" and zero-in on the section where the authors talk about success requiring being both systematic and flexible.

If my Mom were to say that she can't figure out why she never has the right coat, I'd be able to look up "coats" in the YLF book and say, "Mom, do you have a trench, a smart coat and a casual parka?"

While I love the site, I would absolutely buy the hardcover of any book you'd come up with, and as Amy says - the site and book would be companions to each other.

A book would be nicer than little scraps of paper around my desk with things like, "Trench, Smart, Parka." Yes, that's scribbled onto a piece of graph paper right next to my keyboard. <--I want a book!

Does that help?

I tend to read books like this over and over again and learn something new each time. I don't always do that with websites or Kindle books. I don't do it with magazines either.

Hope this convinces you

Mochi

Veteran

I skipped over the comments so pardon me if I'm echoing things that have already been said.

I would also absolutely buy the book.

What's great about blogs is their immediacy. "Sale at Nordstrom--go!" "Here's this great boot that just came out for people with smaller calves." Etc. Everything is up to the minute. You don't have that advantage with a book.

A book's strength is in its organization and focused, condensed dissemination of information.

The difficulty of using a blog, especially one that's got loads of archived posts, is simply that even with a search engine, the information is scattered everywhere. If I want to know whether and how someone petite can pull off wearing ballet flats, I can punch in those terms, and if I'm lucky, something will come up, and probably it will. But it will be a meandering search at best.

Admittedly, I haven't read too many fashion blogs. Or read that many fashion books. (The ones I have read, and own, are The Pocket Stylist, The Lucky Shopping Manual, Brenda Kinsel's Fashion Makeover, How to Have Style by Isaac Mizrahi and Ready 2 Dress, which I think was the prototype for Susannah and Trinny's original TV show. They all have their different strengths.)

Blogs and books are like apples and oranges, but what I feel is this blog's and Angie's strength (beyond the dialogue between us and Angie, which can't happen in a book, obviously), is her completely thorough understanding of basic style principles overall as well as for different body types, not to mention her own completely wonderful personal style, and respect for others' personal vision for their style. Of course with her background as a buyer and thorough knowledge of sourcing things, she is a shopping expert too, and maybe to a degree some of that wouldn't get dated even in a book (though boutiques and companies do go under).

As I am writing the above, the thought came to me: wouldn't it be fun to read a book which followed a personal stylist and a few of her clients through the process of finding their own style and dealing with their unique challenges? Maybe as one or two chapters in an overall manual.

Incidentally, one thing that always frustrates me with these other books is they'll give an example of what to do if you're short...or plus-sized...or top-heavy...Well, what if you're ALL of those? LOL, but in a way it's not funny!

Oh well, I'm a writer and wannabe editor, but these are just a few thoughts. It's amazing how many people I've seen (this is in the food blogging world, but I'm sure it could carry over into other areas) who started as unknowns with blogs and ended up with publishing deals. Angie would absolutely be considered qualified.

Oh, I wanted to add that photos, photos, photos are really important. I do like The Pocket Stylist a lot but it suffers from not enough visual explanations of a lot of terms that are not obvious to me. I can go and look them up online, but it slows down the whole process.

Well, enough rambling...and if Angie does write a book, I can say that she will be disappearing from here for a while (books are huge undertakings), but it would be a fantastic compendium and resource for anyone who wants to elevate their style. But if she's happy with her current baby (YLF), that's awesome too!

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I am afraid I am in minority here and agree with Anna: I like the blog and forum much more than I would like a book! It is more current and dynamic. If you read some older Angie's posts you can see how she is evolving with the trends, extending her body type guidelines, re-invents outfit formulas. I can find everything quickly here thanks to the search features - something which is hard to do with the book. I also enjoy very much the suspense of waiting for the next day blog, every day something new and very often quite unexpected.
I am not saying that book is a bad idea: I would buy it and give it as a gift to women in my life. What I am trying to say is that Angie makes much bigger impact with the blog than with the book and if I had to choose I would choose blog hands down.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

If I had to choose - I'd choose blog too...but, I'd still love a book

rae

(website)

Veteran

Hm, I'm with Anna... I fell as though books often come across as The Final Word on topics like fashion. It would reach a specific audience of non-computer savvy ladies, but I much prefer the way the website deals with each trend as it arises, each season's worth of offerings as they emerge, and the ever-changing landscape of brand quality. The recommendations made in a book would be out-of-date very quickly. Just my opinion.

Mochi

Veteran

I think as long as they were style principles, which shouldn't change, there's no risk of being dated.

That said, while other fashion authors may and probably do have blogs, there's no comparison to this blog in terms of volume of posts and activity. It would pretty much be an either/or endeavor, at least temporarily.

Lisa

Veteran

I like the blog style because it's updated regularly and interactive. A book would be nice when I was just starting out, because all the basics would be in one spot. Until I knew what to search for, it was a bunch of random browsing to come across the information that affected my style. A book would organize this for me.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

This has been GREAT information and I thank you all for your astute thoughts and lovely encouragement!

Thanks for the kind words, Mochi

IK, I like your thinking.

Greg and I are on Anna, Sveta and Rae's wavelength here as we feel just the way they do. (Trust me, we have been thinking about the book thing for years and do not say this without an awful amount of pre-thought). Style books *do* date, and the one's with real life photographs are the weakest in my humble opinion. Personally, I think that Kendall Farr was very wise to stick to sketches. Her books look the least dated.

That being said, there is an ENORMOUS amount of info on YLF and it needs some sort of structure in order to make it feel like a book (to Amy and Velvety's point). Greg and I have a few ideas and there is work in progress.

ironkurtin

Veteran

Books and blogs are very different. I didn't mean to suggest one would replace the other. A book is a very specific standalone, which addresses a quite directed topic at length. It's like the difference between a movie and a TV show.

I still think basing it on a philosophy/ approach is the winner. I read a fair rumber of fashion blogs and so many of them are like, Quit whining! Wear this, dummy! Dang, this that or the other is ugly! Shoot, look what this fool wore!

That doesn't happen here, and I do think if Angie can document this approach in a compiled manner - never mind if the fashion in the book dates, that is the joy of analogue media - it would make a good book.

ironkurtin

Veteran

And also, I don't want the book idea to overshadow my honest and heartfelt appreciation for how this blog has helped me!

It's just, I used to work in publishing, and acquisirion of book ideas is something I guess you just don't shed. No pressure! Honest!

Anonymous

I love books but I feel like YLF is a "living book". Whatever Angie and Greg decide will be fine with me. I'm excited that they keep figuring out more and more incredible ways of making the website even better!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What a great conversation! But I feel as if I'm at a tennis match and I want both players to win! I LOVE this blog and website—love the immediacy, the community, the responsiveness of the format. But as a writer, I also love books, and think they fill a different need, and like many of the rest of you, I would buy a book if one existed. But a book couldn't take the place of the blog and forum.

I love the idea of a book that somehow conveys Angie's "have fun" philosophy and I also like the idea of sharing particular style journeys of real people. The book could also serve as a kind of roadmap to the blog.

Either way, Angie, I would like to add my voice to the chorus saying thank you for this marvellous resource and community! Great thread, IK.

nancylee

Veteran

I completely understand your concern about a book becoming dated, Angie. Although I still think it would be great if you wrote one (and I'd buy one for sure), the fluidity and interactiveness of the YLF blog is incredibly unique and helpful. It's not static like books and magazines, which gives it a very special niche in the fashion advice world.

Yay YLF!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I echo your statements IK, Angie has a unique voice and Greg has given her the perfect platform. Go Team Cox! YLF is both up to date and a style encyclopedia.

The thing which I love about books is precisely how they date, they are a perfect record of a time, when the fashion fades and the zeitgeist moves on you are left with a voice and a message. I just love the idea of someone stumbling across a YLF book in a dusty old book store, years from now (because lets face it all books will be antiques)and deciphering how Angie's wise words are relevant to their life now.

For this reason Angie, if you do ever revisit the book idea, I think the book should be a memento of a time you wish frozen for posterity.

Isis

Veteran

I LOVE books. But I don't think I would get anywhere near as much useful information in a book as I do from this site.

What I love about the YLF website is that it has a snippet that I can digest in about 20 minutes and think about all day. And the next day there is another snippet.

For me, I actually can't imagine that a book would be anywhere near as useful as the website. I tend to consume books in one sitting, and then set them aside. Here can read a short topical subject on the blog, AND one can post a question and get a fast answer or opinion. I really think it is through interaction, repetition and small bits of information spread out over time that one learns the most.....and YLF has all of that..... YLF rocks!

rachylou

Veteran

Books are for when the grid goes down! I'd love to have the MOTG formulas and so forth collected. But I have to admit, I don't know where the book business is going these days. Everyone is publishing, but there are no books in the bookstore!