Quickly logging in to say that I love how you "zag." Please don't let it stop you from posting or commenting. I LOVE your style and always feel like your comments are helpful. You are like Angie to me--you see things most of us miss. Did you start your blog? I've MIA for a bit.

Anna, I love your unique style and I honestly appreciate having the feedback from a very different set of eyes. I also feel like my style is sometimes a little bit out of the box (at least here on the forum and in my everyday life, if not in the blogosphere in general) although it is obviously very different from yours.

Anna, I've not read the other responses yet, but your unique view is exactly what makes your responses so valuable. You have a more sophisicated fashion sense that most of us don't but might aspire to have. It has been enriching to see your fashion evolve yet still be totally you.

Are you kidding me? I thought you were one of the "cool girls".

You have such a unique sense of style Anna - you're past your fashion PhD and I (because I don't want to single anyone out) am still in grade school. I echo the person up thread who says that a "that's cool" from you carries extra weight because of that very developed sense of style.

Be yourself. We appreciate you even if we don't dress like you.

Ok I have a lot to respond to, I read this thread while eating breakfast and on the bike at the gym on my iphone.
I will give a fully fleshed out response later because I have a billion errands to run. I really appreciate everyone's response.

I think it's just that you're a trendsetter. You certainly seem to have a firm handle on your style, and if you see things others don't, I think it's because you are a leader, not a follower.

I think you have a strong, unique aesthetic. Call it off kilter if you will or the leading edge of the curve, nonetheless I don't think you're an outsider at all. Mostly what I think is you're the purest, distilled form of what we're all all about here - fashion.

Or let me put it this way - I KNOW I've got off-kilter tastes. Downright eccentric. I love fashion too. And I also definitely water it down because I use clothes to do other things for me.

Anna, TBH I often feel the the very same way, and I'm not nearly as brave in my fashion as you are! It's one reason I've stopped posting as much.

Well, Anna, I am not that familiar with your style as I haven't seen that many of your WiW's. But regardless, you are free to make any comment you want on mine. I'm a big girl and can take constructive criticism or negative feedback.

Well, I ALWAYS look for your WIWs and I ALWAYS love your comments, feel free to point out what "could work better" as you have but not too often on my WIWs. You have a strong eye and are a true fashionista! I feel we are kindred spirits in that we wear uniforms for work and the WIWs we post are basically anything we want. I also agree that it can be frustrating that the office-appropriate types of looks get more attention and praise on YLF than others. (Mo has ranted about this and I agree.)

The other thing happening here is that it's getting busier and busier and, speaking for myself, it's really hard to keep up. Sometimes I barely see a WIW from a member with whom I am familiar. So I try to get to know the new members by commenting on their threads. I emailed Greg recently asking if there is a way to follow members to keep up with WIWs. I know I miss yours when I don't want to but life shows up. Aida suggested following people through the blog, that's a good thought.

That's funny that there seems to be quite a few of us commenting on this thread about not fitting in Everyone, please keep posting those WIWs and throw out those unique opinions. You are definitely not alone. I might be brave and start posting some of my more "out there" outfits, haha

I think the way to get more comments on outfits that aren't the usual is to post more of them! I for one love to see what's out there in the fringe, for inspiration and also to get used to the changes in style. Sometimes it takes time for my eye to get used to a new silhouette and it is so much better to see it on a real person instead of a model.

So please, post more!

Anna, I will join all the others to say how much I appreciate your perspectives. I certainly wouldn't wear most of your outfits (and I'm sure that's mutual) but I very much like getting a different perspective on things. I have a horror of echo chambers. And you notice things that so many other people don't.

You may have noticed that I recently asked about the future of waterfall or draped cardigans. A few days later, in another post, you mentioned that you were so over them. And there was my answer. ;o) I consider you something of a barometer, tells me when the weather is shifting.

Anna - don't you dare stop zagging while the rest of us are zigging. You are one of the reasons that I first joined this forum and began to participate - I want to dress like you -but I just don't have the lifestyle for it - and I'm probably too old! BUT, I love looking at your WIWs and I always hope that you will give me feedback on any outfits that I post, because I value your eye, as well as your aesthetic. I still chuckle to myself whenever I think back about 2 years ago when I posted several "old" blazer jackets, needing feedback on whether or not to keep - and your response to me was so funny and so direct and so spot on - you told me to "please take that jacket off and get rid of it right now." It was like you'd slapped me on the side of the head (gently!) and said "Good God woman - look at yourself! That's awful!" And, it just made me laugh. (I realize that that was my interpretation of what you were saying - but, it made sense to me!)
I can understand that you might feel like an outsider - because you're always "ahead" of the rest of us and I know that there are other blogs out there where your fashion sense and style would probably fit right in - but I really hope you don't think that because your style is out-of-the mainstream for YLF that you don't belong here - because you do.

Ceit -- YES! I want to log into YLF and see a *variety* of style viewpoints represented.

To anyone who has been hesitating to post opinions or WIWs that deviate from the usual, please, please contribute! I for one love to see anything that pushes outside of the "mainstream" whatever that may be. It keeps the forum a vibrant and ever-evolving place.

anna, you really should post your WIWs to your YLF blog...You need a blog, girl! then i can see all your outfits in one place. Please and thank you.

Ok I re-read this entire thread.
Traci and Jenava hit a couple of salient points. I realize that on here or in real life I'll never blend in. Never have, never will. I do want to belong. I love being a part of this community. Directly as a result of this forum I've met some people that have become real friends. I had a phone conservation with a guy who's life's goal was to fly around the country and see as many professional football games as possible in one long weekend. We never got to the date phase, ha ha. But I would love to fly around the country and meet many of you in person.
In real life I'm pretty direct and honest to the point of being blunt. I try and it's really hard sometimes to temper that on the forum. Most of you don't know me, and a lot is lost in the written word without tone and inflection. Sometimes I look at an outfit and all I want to say is "What fashion rock did you drag that outfit out from under?" So I bite my tongue and try to parse it down to the specifics that don't work for me. Sometimes I can't do it because well, I just don't like it. I don't have Angie's diplomacy and vision of seeing many styles. I don't understand why people want to be safe and boring in their styles. Life's too short in my opinion.
Thanks again for all your input. I'll keep soldiering on my whackadoodle way.

Jenava I just started my blog today

http://noscrubs.lookfab.com/po.....ss-formula

Yeah, you can't say that in response to someone's post! i know you know that people are at different comfort levels with fashion for many different reasons, and that's why you have to learn to give your feedback in a way that can be received well. Because I think you need to contribute...it's when you don't or feel you can't that you end up feeling like an outsider.

Glad to finally see your blog up. I did notice, BTW. (-:

Soooo...., what happens when you don't respond? Could that be a case of the " under the fashion rock " assessment?

Haha, just joking. I am brutally honest too... I have cleaned up my act a bit over the years but heck, I am still quite direct. Feel free to write any comments on my WIWs, though. I am actually quite intrigued. I might post an "Ask Anna" now

I actually start assignments with this little speech ( quoting self) : Please feel free to provide feedback without thinking of niceties. As a matter of fact, I get quite overwhelmed with trying to decipher what you really meant from how you said it... It's true.

I actually put honest feedback welcome on all of my WIWs, hoping that someone would suggest improvements. Many people might feel that way.

i prefer blunt criticism to a love fest. direct critiques without agenda is how i grow so i appreciate your perspective. whether you feel it or not, i'll bet many here are envious if your ability to push the fashion envelop and tour willingness not to be the norm, which is qualitatively different, i think, than not belonging. you belong here on ylf, but you may not always be the norm.

i really get the desire to belong and that ylf has enriched you. that my vision is different does not invalidate yours.

so..rock on!

Anna, I think people dressing "safe and boring" is as relative as being "off-kilter". What's safe and boring to you is WAY out of someone else's comfort zone. Lots of us appreciate you pushing style boundaries, but for some, that may be a learned attitude rather than innate. You have so much vision and such a wide frame of reference, so I'm a little puzzled that you feel you can't see other people's styles vis-a-vis their own journey. Or am I misunderstanding what you've said?

Also, a lot of people dress to blend in, rather than to stand out, or as you have said yourself, because they want to belong (I'm not talking here but rather out in the real world). I will never blend in either, at least where I live, but like you I've learned to embrace it and still find ways to feel part of various social groups.

I always want honest feedback. That's why I'm here. At the same time, I don't think that honesty = tactless and that's one of the reasons I appreciate this forum so much.
xo

Anna-I haven't read the comments because I just have a few minutes and I wanted to comment. You have a unique style that I couldn't pull off but I love it on you. I often show my youngest daughter your pictures because she loves the pieces you find.
When you comment on my WIW's I always feel like I have done something right.

Please don't stop being you!

You made a very helpful comment on one of my threads. I am certainly part of the "under the rock" club yet welcome your comments and/or suggestions. Even if it's a little out there for a timid someone like me (which yours was not) it may just plant that seed to try something different than usual down the road.

I think that is your challenge in the position you hold, Anna. As an outlier, you operate in a different zone than a lot of the people on this board, and your comfort in embracing looks is going to be different than someone who is just testing the waters. So trying to perceive the other side of the coin might help your frustration. I don't think people are willfully choosing to look dated or out of style or whatever.

I believe you wear a uniform at work? So your time off work is your chance to play with looks and fashion. It's your hobby, I would say? I don't wear a uniform at work, and while my department is pretty laid back, I can't wear a lot of looks like that ones you sport. They are way too out there for my office. Also, someone like MaryK, who has a lot of fun with fashion, no question, is still somewhat contstrained by her work environment. But I certainly can be inspired by how you put some of your outfits together.

I think this forum is made up of many different stakeholders, who all want to get different things out of participating here. So some people might want to be pushed out of their comfort zone, or experiment with "crazy" looks, while others just want to look decent and covered and appropriate, and aren't as concerned with "style" or developing a rubric or being cutting edge.

So, to wrap up this novel, I (and if I may speak for others) really do appreciate your eye, aesthetic, and honesty. If I may be candid though, I do find it off-putting when your views are expressed in frustration. But I have no constructive advice to offer on how to change that, as it is something I struggle with every day...I am not a patient person, and I tend to overreact.

I appreciate diverse opinions as long as they're posted in a respectful manner.

Re reading my earlier comment, I wanted to clarify something. I pretty much assumed that we operate under the premise of respect, being the community that we are. I hope I did not come off as inflammatory. On another note, I guess it is hard for you to understand the environment limitation for the majority of us here, hence the frustration. In that sense, our daily outfits are our version of your uniform.

As a fellow uniform wearer, I also use my wardrobe to freely express 'me' on my time.
I understand we are all on different journeys, and at varying places in those journeys. But there is no denying the sheer majority number of those on the similar path of mommy bouncing back from post baby schlumpdom, and the droves of office bound ladies trying to keep a sense of themselves while adhering to dress codes and the like.
I can count on one hand the number of posters who have mentioned wearing a uniform to work. We are for sure a minority.

I get that people have limitations within their environment and personal comfort levels. I believe in dressing appropriately for the situation. This is why I got in to a sartorial snit when I've seen track pants and cargo shorts at the opera.
During my clinical externship I had to dress professionally. I wore dress pants and button down shirts. So it's not like I haven't been there.
I was attempting to be honest in my thought processes in my earlier statement. I guess I was too honest. In my comments on other outfits or items I try to temper my choice of words depending on how well I know the poster. I still remember when a forum member told me point blank "I don't like your style". The way it was said was in no way helpful or even insightful and pretty much downright hurtful. This was on a thread where I was asking about something style related. It added nothing to the discussion. I would hope I'd never do that because there is no point. If something is truly something that I can't appreciate because it's outside my style filter then I don't comment.

What is needed here is for us to have an agreement to disagree sometimes. Everyone should feel free to comment in a way that expresses her views even if they don't align with anyone else's without feeling put down or disrespected...I think we all need to work on being better at this.

That said, if you post a photo of yourself in an outfit you absolutely should be prepared to take feedback with a grain of salt. Everyone has an opinion, but YOU are the one wearing the outfit, so yours is the only one that really matters. It's not fair to get offended by someone's opinion if you asked for opinions!