How has your style evolved? - YouLookFab Forum

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How has your style evolved?

devon7

(website)

I was going through my closet the other day and I realized how much my style has evolved, even just within the past year or two. I like my clothes to be much more fitted than before, and I also like my skirts to be narrower and shorter. I am getting some items tailored even though I am roughly the same size and weight. I just like a more fitted look now. I have also moved to a more sophisticated vibe and more toward black and gray and away from browns and earth tones. I also adore jewel tones and bright colors paired with my blacks and grays.

How has your style evolved within the past year or two?

Dressing

27 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

Queen Mum

Veteran

I found YLF 2 years ago and desperately tried to rock the whole edgy thing. Now I have settled into much more streamlined and sophisticated.
I too, am over brown and really into black. In fact, just today I counted 4 solid black dresses in my closet. And speaking of dresses...just a little over 2 years ago I had exactly TWO dresses in my closet. Now there are 18!!!
My style has definitely become dressier over the past year. I try to keep a balance between dressy and "stylishly casual" but I am seeing that lately my purchases have been in the more dressy camp.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Quite a bit ... like you; I've gone more towards a more fitted and sleek look, except I'm moving away from black and towards dark browns and oranges. I am definitely gravitating towards more brighter colour as well. No more pastels.

2 years ago, I used to have 1 work outfit I'd wear EVERY day to work. I'm so not kidding. I figured no one would notice.

Guess what.

They noticed.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

My color preference has really changed. I used to wear any and every color- warm,cool,bright or subdued. Now, I prefer muted colors, neutrals and earth tones. I'm also not as fond of metallics anymore, and I am quite enamored of lace.

krishnidoux

Veteran

Wearing accessories. Paying attention to them. I wear more scarves and earrings, for example, because now I carefully shop for them. Whereas before I relied on hand-me-downs and gifts (!!!). Needless to say, I didn't have much to chose from. No wonder they never did much for me.

I discovered lately how a scarf in a precise tone suiting your skin perfectly can replace makeup.

I am also finding that I try more things that are outside of my comfort zone, sometimes with very fortunate results. I dare to go against what I was brought up on. I was taught to dress up following one main goal: not to look fat (whether I was or not). Somehow I unconsciously had carried that over into my adult life. From reading this blog I became aware of how I was choosing my clothes. I am breaking out of it. I want to clothes to fit me, not my possible non fatness, and to reflect who I am, not to reflect "anything as long as it's a girl who is not fat".

I don't want to disappear!

I want to appear.

Does that make sense? Am I alone in this realization?

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I think I subconsciously always dressed to accentuate my figure, to the detriment of having any one particular style. Most of that is tied into my job serving drinks and the inevitable link between how you look and how much you make :/ Only since YLF did I start to think about what I want to portray as a whole. I also got the notion of buying things for a few seasons and that not everything will or should be in my closet for 10 years. More is not necessarily more. Accessories are ever evolving, as well. I was a one bag gal and only sterling silver jewelry. I have a few bags now and some statement and colorful jewelry, though I will always be on the minimal side, jewelry and bag-wise. Still evolving, especially since my climate/locale will change dramatically AGAIN this next season. Stay tuned for the next incarnation lol!

Kelly

(website)

I think for me, my style has evolved in that I am more deliberate about what I buy and how I put it together. In the past, I would buy random pieces that I liked to some degree, but I wouldn't always have any idea how to wear it. Now, I buy pieces that I love and give thought to how I wear it. I also, in the past, had tried to move away from black and into bright colors, and that just really didn't work because I really love black! I wear a lot of black, white, and jewel tones.

Probably the best thing that helped me in this respect was a book called "Style Statement" that a friend on another forum recommended. I didn't read the book, but she posted her process through it and I started going through the process based on what she had done. I still haven't finished it but it has helped me think about what things are "me" and why. It doesn't mean I don't try new things, but I can take trends or leave them.

In the past, for a while, I felt like I was "less" if I wasn't jumping on every new trend. There was a board I participated on that seemed to have conflicting messages regarding trends. But now, I know that some things I will try and some things I won't, and if I miss out, no big deal (especially where I live...nobody would know if it was a trend or not...)

I also have transitioned from a larger wardrobe with a lot of orphaned pieces to a smaller wardrobe of pieces I wear a lot in different ways.

Anonymous

I used to pride myself that I "wasn't afraid of color", but it turns out, color is afraid of me! The biggest change (and I'm still evolving) in my closet in the past year is the colors are much more subdued and more of the fabrics are natural.

I'm letting my hair turn silver, and right now it's brown, light brown and silver. While I could carry off brights before, I feel better now playing with texture and neutrals. Somehow the effect is more sophisticated on me.

yellowgirl

Regarding my style, I've gone from

not caring > caring > realizing how awful I truly looked > clueless about what to do > starting to put the pieces together > learning to dress myself appropriately > getting an inkling of what I want my style to be > just staring to figure out how to express it > catching a clue > starting to have fun

All in the last three months.

I have a long ways to go still.

Kari

Veteran

I'm much pickier about fit and quality. I wear knit tops less often (or mix in wovens more often.) I'm a bit more modest - my boyfriend commented that I'm wearing my tops a bit higher cut than I used to. I'm much more daring about mixing patterns or bright colors. I embrace my dresses and pencil skirts, and have basically eschewed non-denim pants from my wardrobe. I go for chunky/larger accessories over delicate pieces. I'm rarely without a necklace or earrings. I choose glasses over contacts more often. I choose medium to low heels over high heels or ballet flats much more often. I wear floral prints less often and choose polka dots much more frequently. I've gone from a casual girl who occasionally dipped her toes into dressiness to a lover of tailored, polished Mad Men style. I've revived my former love for wearing a watch every day.
And - best of all - I'm having fun more and more often while getting dressed rather than feeling like it's a chore. Yay!

taylor

Veteran

I am just reaffirming my LOVE for neutral outfits with EDGE...
Clean, bold, strong silhouette with uncomplicated pieces and bold accessories:) Impeccable fit is a must and no battling for position among my pieces...winners are clear in each outfit and there may be several:
This is what I strive for in my style journey:)

Kari

Veteran

"no battling for position among my pieces"...

I love that mantra, Taylor. I agree that you are impeccable at coming up with clean but always interesting outfits that just look like all of the pieces "play" well together rather than fighting or clashing.

taylor

Veteran

sweet Kari! thank you!

You are Mad Men beautifully Personified!!:)

Rachel

I'm still working out what my style is but I have noticed that I'm much pickier about the fit and quality of garments since finding YLF.

krishnidoux

Veteran

Yellowgirl, I love the way you chose to describe it. It describes the process well!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

"I don't want to disappear.

I want to appear."

Brilliant, krishnadoux!!!!

And yellowgirl, you sound as if you've already come a LONG way! I'm still in the "starting to put the pieces together" phase I think. Looking forward to the fun that awaits.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Very nice thoughts here

Jonesy

Veteran

My thoughts echo several others' here: I am much, much pickier about fit and quality. I don't like to settle anymore for just okay pieces.

Lynne

Veteran

I've had my hair cut shorter, and have stopped wearing my sunglasses on my head when they're not over my eyes, I'm wearing lipstick in preference to lipgloss, I've discovered jackets, and I am re-introducing some navy and black in my wardrobe after a long haitus. Fun thread :).

NK

(website)

Lynne, that's interesting because I'm now wearing lipgloss instead of lipstick like I have for the past 25 years!

I let my hair grow out after I realized I should do what I want instead of what I think society is telling me to do as a woman of my age.

I no longer wear jeans every single day year round, and I view what I wear more as an outfit instead of a top and a bottom.

If I like something, I try it on instead of talking myself out of it first, and I think I put more consideration into the things I buy, making sure they fit and are flattering.

Sona

Veteran

Five years ago I had my daughter. A very complicated pregnancy and ongoing medical and mental health issues that persisted into postpartum resulted in me totally losing interest in what I wore or how I looked. I still wore maternity panes, one pari of lane bryant slacks and had a functional crossbody handbag that was just downright ugly. Then I lost my father unexpectedly in 2009. That changed everything. He told me in the week before he died that one first had to look after oneself before one could look after others (well). 65 lbs of weight loss later my initial style change was buy everything in sight because it FIT!
Now its more about undertsanding my body and that without plastic surgery ( which I cannot afford and puts my husband into a panic that I will die !!) I will always have a muffin top from post weight loss belly. So its more about finding what looks good on me, joining YLF and asking for fashion advice, taking pics, buying less but buying better ( quality and fit). Eating a good diet, exercising and dressing well are things I aim to do to put myself first- treating my body as a temple raher than a garbage bin- wearing rags, eating junk and being too busy taking care of someone or something else to take care of me. So my style journey is really a lifestyle journey of caring for myself better.

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

Quite a bit! When i first started taking pictures of my outfits, 3 years ago i was all about bright, contrast and color, color, color. Oh and super girly. And i hardly ever wore black. Now i'm really into texture, mixing tough with girly, darker color palette and accessorizing really plays a big part in all my outfits.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

As with others, I wear more accessories now (which is not hard because I hardly wore any, except shoes which are kinda required in most cases). I also wear pencil skirts a lot more and a-line skirts less. I think I was pretty good about fit and sizing already but I am probably a bit better with PPL adherence thanks to Angie's insistence.

Kristine

Veteran

It's changed a lot! I found one of my first photos here, from January 2010, and couldn't believe the changes. I've cut my hair rather dramatically (curly past the shoulders to a chin length bob). I definitely like a more polished style, more structured jackets, accessories, skirts and dresses. I wear black and grey more than I used to, but I also use strong colors more.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I wear more black and gray, too, and I'm opting for more fitted clothing than before. I wear skirts waaaay more often than I did even two years ago, and even occasionally a day dress. I still love my jeans, but I'm wearing skinnies and cigarette styles where I used to wear flares, bootcuts and wide legs. I think this is partly because I discovered that the slimmer cuts actually suit my boyish figure better than wide legs. I still wear bootcuts sometimes, but for some reason I always feel more stylish with narrower pants.

Oh, and skirts/narrow pants show off your shoes, too, which is something I'm really into at the moment.

April

Veteran

I think my habits have evolved more than my style, though that is coming along as well. Habits used to include never buying anything until something fell apart, living in gearish items, panicking when any sort of event came up because I -- literally -- had nothing to wear, never wearing accessories, etc. The usual frump failings.

Now I think of my wardrobe as something I continually nurture.

As far as style, the main difference for me is that now I try to actually DRESS to match my tastes. I still like many of the same things I would have said I liked five years ago, but five years ago, I would do one of the following:

1. admire things and not buy them
2. buy things and not wear them
3. wear things and not like the effect because something was off (the shoes, or the fit, or the accessories).

I've gotten better at actually dressing the way I want to look.

MsMary

Veteran

OMG, in the past two years my style has done a complete turnaround! Although I have always liked nice clothes, two years ago I was in a navy-gray-or-black-suit-and-skin-toned-pantyhose rut for work, and a raggedy-jeans-and-worn-out-tee rut on the weekends. And because I weighed 60 pounds more than I do now, I had a very limited wardrobe -- I hated shopping because nothing fit or looked decent on me. I was also firmly on Team One Purse At A Time.

How things change! I don't think I own any matching suits any more, I wear a ton of bright colors, I have beautiful casual clothes, and I change out my handbag every day to coordinate with my outfit. And oh my goodness how I love clothes shopping now! LOL

Really the biggest change is that I have absolutely internalized Angie's Number One Rule: Have fun with fashion!!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

LOL, Mary K. I am trying to imagine YOU as a one-purse-at-a-time gal. There may be hope yet that I, too, will become a bag lady! That little vintage Coach number was just the start...