Wow. I'm incredibly humbled by your comments regarding my style Katie. Thank you so much for your kind words

I'm in love with your Pinterest board and actually have a few of those outfits/pieces on mine too!

For me, surrendering my waist was a huge deal. I've always tried to emphasize it since I really don't have much of a natural waist. But surrendering it with structure elsewhere in the outfit is now my go-to strategy. Like you, the voluminous top over the tube skirt is a summer staple.

EF used to be more "fuddy duddy" but now I find quite a few of her pieces to be on the edgier side. And once you combine edgy footwear and a great handbag, the outfit is completely modern.

I love the direction you're heading Katie (well...of course I would!) and look forward to seeing more

I'm so sorry I keep resurrecting this thread! I keep getting very interesting feedback from you ladies that I can' they'll but continue discussion! I'm really loving the thought process behind this!

@Ornella: the reason why I ask myself whether or not this is just a phase is because I'm fickle. I am a bit of a moody person (haha!) and was a notorious mood dresser when I was younger. I'd go modern classic to bohemian to goth to Sporty Spice in a matter of a week. I kid you not. And then, I'd be left with nothing to wear! When I built a more "classic" wardrobe, I wasn't happy either. It was too much maintenance for me: ironing, dry cleaning, etc... And all the fussing I had to do with a head-to-toe tailored look.the fuss factor is what broke it for me, and this was also prevalent when I journaled my outfits the last two months. Comfort and fussiness/high maintenance wardrobes are just not for me. I also discovered that I need edge and some "romantic" elements - which this new style satisfies by combining structure (usually jackets) and drape. I just wonder if I will eventually get bored of this style. So far, so good though. Touches all aspects if what I want to convey about my personality.

I really like your advice of buying slowly and carefully. With such a tiny wardrobe, it's challenging to just go into the store and get something so that I have more to wear. I learned from hundreds of dollars of purchasing mistakes in the last 2 months that it really is worthwhile to shop around and wait until I can find a piece that works well with everything in my existing wardrobe. I started doing that recently.

@Shannon: you have an amazing sense of style and you truly inspire me

I'm so glad you like my board I constantly add to it when I find something

Waist-surrendering is such a new concept for me and it's amazing how changing very minor things in an outfit can really polish up the look. For instance, because I'm busty, I have to consider necklines when choosing voluminous tops. I tend to go for scoop and v-necks though I wear boat necks on kimono tops. Also - where the top ends is important. I've been ending my tops on the high hip but layer a longer slimmer top under when wearing slim pants!

The big thing I really struggle with is pants. I've been gaining weight and I'm coming to the point where I'm ready to give up on pants that just squish I to the belly. I still love the look of jeans so I don't want to give them up but boy is it hard to find jeans/pants for my apple-tendency waistline thank goodness for those EF slouchy pants! I find that EF elastic waist pants don't dig and yet they still seem to stay up (I hope). It's magic!

Thanks for being so encouraging Shannon!