So late to this that I feel my thoughts will be repetitive. Lots of wisdom, kindness and fun!! Good luck Lisa- I also feel these pushes and pulls towards youth, minimalism, budget, fashion, lifestyle, climate.....

Sterling, thank you and good to know.

Lisap, you've learned something about yourself already:

• MOOD dresser
• You need variety but pinpoint where? Sounds like you want other types of neutrals. No more black.
• A MODERATE wardrobe. Small bores you, but big ovewhelms you and makes you feel bad about having too much stuff.
• Create complements
• Self Accept
• Focus on YOU, not others and how they relate back to you

• List the elements in an outfit that make you happy (My stab: neutrals, jewellery, structure, trendy shoes, make-up, something unexpected, sassy short hair....)

Practically:

• Keep on looking at what you have and what you like about these items or outfits. Dig deep - WHY do you like them?
• What do you want to project? Casual Chic, Sophistication, Professionalism, Polish, Creativity, Playfulness, Authority, (ALLURE - *big smile and wink*)
• Find the ways to build onto what you have. Take it one item category at a time.

Style starts and ends with a strong self of yourself. The more in tune you are with your feelings - the easier it is to create a style that makes you happy and evolves when you evolve.

I'm very late to this amazing thread. Lisa, I am sorry the "I hate my wardrobe" mood hit you, but glad for all these insightful, thoughtful comments, which I am going to bookmark for the next time the mood hits me-- which is likely to be tomorrow! I don't know about you, but I *always* find the transitional seasons tricky. I get all excited about the beautiful new things in the shops, but either I don't buy them, or don't buy the right complement to make a proper outfit, or do buy them but don't get to wear them because the weather won't cooperate, or I don't seem to have the right occasion. So, lo and behold, partway into the season, I end up in a dressing room, hot and sticky and feeling blah in my worst sweater while some young SA looks at me dubiously as if to suggest I need my head examined. Yeah. I have been there, too.

Winnipeg and Kingston transitional seasons tend to be so short, you know? And the clothes are the best!! I love love love spring clothes (but typically have all of about 2 weeks a year to wear them) and love love love love autumn (as distinct from winter) clothes...and typically have about 3 weeks to wear them. Does this ring a bell at all? There's a reason you have such a fantastic coat wardrobe, my friend. You are smart!!

Anyway. The advice you got sounds right on to me. (Light neutrals! texture and shine! consignment shops...with realistic expectations of that...and especially local designers -- great idea, Liz!!) But especially Angie's advice to accept yourself. Accept that you are a mood dresser (what's wrong with that? Aren't we all, to some extent?) Accept (maybe) that a teeny tiny wardrobe isn't for you? (In our climate, maybe what counts as "small" is different than what counts as small in a climate that stays the same all year?) Accept your own "commanding beauty" (gorgeous phrase, Viv!) and go with what makes you happy, as Angie said.

I suspect what appeals in that blogger is the appearance of energy and happiness. She's vibrant, yet she is making no secret of her age; she's energetic without being young. And she's having fun. Fun seems to have been in awfully short supply for a lot of us this past year, alas...for many reasons both personal and more general. Of course it appeals! No wonder!

Maybe the word "transition" is also relevant here. Somehow...for me, anyway, at this age...it seems harder to inject a sense of fun without looking like the dreaded "mutton dressed as lamb"....or a docent lady. Not that I have anything against docent ladies. But that kind of "arty" style doesn't feel authentic to everyone and it certainly doesn't strike me as your style.

Also, I suspect we all have days like the one that got you writing this post. I certainly do. Days when I think, if I have to wear that pair of jeans and sweater one more time, I'm going to scream. Sometimes that means it's time for a style evolution. And sometimes it means that I need a new pair of earrings, a haircut, or a good brisk walk to knock the cobwebs out of my head!

Lisa, I am late in seeing your post and can't possibly add to all the wisdom that had been shared. But I just wanted to say that you are one of a handful of women that I "follow" here on YLF because I LOVE your sense of style- your clothes, your makeup, your shoes, your beautiful accessories, your hairstyle, and the way you put it all together has been an inspiration to me! I wish you all the best as you go forward with your style journey. I'm excited to see what you come up with!

Lots of great advice here.

You have never LOOKED boring. Quite the contrary. You are one of few people I have seen who always manage to look exciting in neutrals, thanks to your personal style, which exudes creativity, drama and individuality.

However, I support the idea of lightening up your darkest neutrals. I imagine that you would look especially great in neutrals like cream, camel, bronze, toffee, coffee, mahogany and pewter, as well as all shades of olive. Plus non-neutrals like peach, coral and violet/purple. And I guess you are one of the lucky ones on whom the classic brown-ish leopard print looks gorgeous.

As for jewellery, have you ever tried amber? It is beautiful, rustic, timeless and unique, and I bet it would look amazing with your personal colours.

I was sorry to read that you lost your veteran status, your finds, etc., and wonder how that could happen. (You don't need to answer if you find this too personal or off topic. I totally respect that you may have your reasons. But if you have any information to us newcomers about how to avoid such accidents--or whatever it was--that would be appreciated.)

I look forward to see how your style will evolve, and am convinced that you will continue to be a source of inspiration to us others.

Suz, thanks for the category "docent lady"! I know exactly what look you mean, and I think of it as the shadow style of my future self -- arty linen, lots of Eileen Fisher, quirky European leather shoes. Overlap with Lagenlook but more crafty accessories. I've seen this style with the quirkiness dialed up or down. Certainly not a negative descriptor -- but it turns out it's not actually my style, at least not now, and if I buy too much in this direction, I'll be displeased with my look.

Isn't it funny how we can each have these "near miss" styles that are almost but not quite ourselves? False positives, decoys, whatever you want to call it. I always think I wear rocker looks but it turns out I actually avoid ornamentation like buckles and studs. One classic biker jacket and a pair of motorcycle boots are as much as I should own in that direction.

Ok... that's a whole new thread: False Positives for style... My list is long... lol!

"We" (in the publishing industry world) have an inside joke about the look Greyscale describes above . It's a slippery slope my friends, and Suz knows all about it. I have given out a directive to my closest friends to take away my debit and credit cards if I start wearing linen kaftans and kooky /arty Euro shoes whilst owning a bookstore

The Cat - it was no accident, I did it on purpose. It's too long and uninteresting an explanation . I wrestle internally /ethically with the whole world of shopping and acquiring and also with body image . Sometime it gets the better of me. But back to the colour suggestions - I love your ideas and am already thinking ahead to what I might look for . Amber is a pretty stone, and not one I own. Good idea too. Thank you!

Thank you Lynette

Suz - thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Much appreciated, my friend. You're so right about these transitional seasons - never thought about how short Fall can be and unpredictable at that. Maybe I am feeling blasé about everything right now, and not just my wardrobe. I'm in a big transition with my work right now, have recently made a major change to my diet and lifestyle (quit alcohol completely) and am just totally out of sorts. Thanks for bringing it back into perspective. I still refuse to open the closet to a bigger wardrobe, because I only want to own what I can wear, and not be left with a bunch of stuff every other season or so that is hardly worn or not fitting or that I've changed my mind about. I give away WAY too much stuff as it is. My challenge will be to stop repeating the things I know how to buy (black sweaters and jeans) and buy other things instead. Am I the only one here who is so fickle about clothes? Many , many things in my closet I would never buy again if they were in front of me in a store. Most things, in fact. And lastly - about my temporary obsession with Chicover50 - yeah, I admit I want to be super fit and bouncing around in every weird outfit imaginable and having the time of my life. Who wouldn't ? Sigh. The mood dressing is probably the comment that hit me the most - and you're right: what is wrong with that? I thought the goal was to stick to a program and not be so flaky. Glad to hear it's not a requirement.

Oh Angie - what would I do without you? When you aren't driving me crazy, I'm in awe of you Allure - snort. I'm printing out your last list and hanging it inside my closet door. Your list and characterizations are pretty dead on - which is remarkable considering we've never met !

I am TOTALLY a mood dresser. That is why I can't plan outfits in advance, except for trips or big events when I pretty much have to. For me, mood is often tied to weather... but not completely. So I have to have the outfit that fits mood AND weather, which in Canada turns out to be a big ask. Ha ha, who knew?

Another way that Angie is smart is that she never tells us to take away emotion from our dressing. Channel it, sure. Educate it, maybe. But never remove it. It's our moods and our strange loves and our no-nevers that really define our style, no?

Greyscale, I love that idea of the "false positive" or decoy style! And yes, the docent lady is one of mine...I think I might actually enjoy dressing that way 20 years from now and it might suit me then. But now it is all wrong for me, except for a few features -- some architecture, a few great accessories...

Lisa, I've not had much YLF time of late BUT I'm ready every update of this thread. Your questions really do bring out so much wit and wisdom from this forum.
Of course I think you look wonderful!
I do however, relate to being a bit bored at the moment. As smittie said
"Aso, I have a minimalist wardrobe (by American standards ;-)) and I definitely get bored. I still prefer this method to having too many clothes"—

This is a fascinating thread that I've been following with interest. I don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said. Fall (and to a lesser extent Spring) always cause me problems. I'm not good at dressing for the big temperature swings that are common here. It's the time of year when I'm least satisfied with my wardrobe.

*raises hand* May I enroll myself as another mood dresser? The Texas inverse of Suz and you, Lisa. (Instead of an endless winter, it's an endless summer.) But I'm totally a mood dresser. I can't plan ahead more than a day at a time; trip capsules are a stupidly hard challenge. Except in endless summer, the weather is SO varied it's hard to balance both that and mood. And even right now, when fall weather is getting started, I have no idea what to wear. I've been looking forward to cool weather since May, and now I don't know what to do with myself. Nothing feels right. It's a real thing! I accept that it's okay. And that a "small" wardrobe for personalities and climates like ours, may not be the same small as for someone else.

Oh Lisa, I haven't had time to comment the past few days (crunch time for me), but I had an "I'm bored" crisis just a few weeks ago, so I very much relate. I was really struck by smittie's comment above about acknowledging the occasional boredom with a smaller wardrobe and choosing to live with it. That's just so WISE. It's bizarre that sometimes my wardrobe feels incredibly limiting, and other days the same collection of clothes feels like an embarrassment of riches.

I join others in saying that the outfits you post here are FAR from boring, so I don't think you need to start over from scratch. You probably just need a seasonal refresher. I can't offer any advice better than Angie's, though. I understand the wisdom of her suggestion of adding a complement in a new color, but personally, that terrifies me a little. A complement in this color and a complement in that color and (in my mind) my wardrobe is suddenly an out-of-control mess. It works better if I think small and seasonally, and go in with the intent to wear the heck out of whatever new concept/color/statement I add....which may come back full-circle to creating that complement to give it the best chance of success.

Lisa, I haven't had time to comment either but I too relate to what you're saying, however, I find your WIWs so unboring, that it's hard for me to even think about a solution. You always look wonderful -- stylish without looking trendy. I too gravitate toward black and other dark neutrals and I was very interested in Brooklyn's ideas which would work for me too. I like color in small doses -- really only in accessories, but texture, shine, interesting design details, etc.. appeal to me a lot. Anyway, no particular advice -- honestly, your style seems so well developed, but I would guess that most of us have had bad moments in a dressing room.

Suz - YES. I have indeed sucked all the life and emotion out of my wardrobe. I am always so convinced that I need to be better at everything that I take it to the extreme at times, and take all of the fun out things. Today, in retaliation , I am wearing a navy sweatshirt with tiny pom poms all over it. No one called the cops, and I managed just fine

anne - me to. I think if I had to choose, I'd take a small wardrobe and risk being mad at it once in awhile, over a closet full of stuff that doesn't get worn much.

sara - good point about the temperature swings. Even up here, it's the norm in spring and fall, and when I think about it, I never quite feel put together during those weeks. Always a hot mess.

Ginger - it's not quite winter here all year long But yes, mood dressing plus 4 seasons = need for a few more clothes. $$.

Jenn - you and I share the exact same brain and wardrobe philosophy. I too am terrified of too many complements - lol. Too many decisions to make.

jill58- thanks for the kind words, and yes, adding texture, shine, etc rather than a bunch of kooky colour may be a better solution for me. As long as the texture and shine is not in more gray or black

Lisa, I'm back late in this conversation.
To pick up from your one-minute on-the-spot outfits:
The cinema outfit: I purposely chose imagining going to the movies precisely because this is when comfort is the first thing that comes to mind and eclipses all else. Since you had expressed a longing for comfort in your style, I was curious to know how comfort translates for you. So I see you are similar to me, and pick leggings that will keep legs warm with a soft but "sheathing" effect (English is not my first language). You want comfortable feet that let you run and you seem to feel better in a darker color top. I think you should keep this in mind in building new outfits.
Here is my suggestion: try black leggings and a cute, dark colour silk tee as a base. With this on, you are comfortable. Then you can think of topping layers that will let you move freely: a flowing skirt, a tunic, or even hot pants/ high waist shorts... add some jewelry, to balance the look, so not to seem overwhelmed, but keep flat footwear, such as cute, clean tennis shoes. Add a topper, it could be cropped, to create contrast with the piece underneath, or oversized, to match it. It's just a suggestion, but I also read your grievance. There certainly is a great outcome to this temporary distress. Can't wait for it!

I don't find your style boring, but if you feel so -no help!

This struck with me, too. I sometimes feel the same: "I can quite happily tell everyone else what to do, but I don't seem to be able to practice what I know and have learned" and that " I have many nice (..) quality things, but they are all versions of one another." So, will study the comments later for the cure.

ETA: Are you a creative person, Lisa? Is dressing for the day one of the few or the only creative outlet for you in your life? Think deeper and maybe this can explain your feelings. I think it is one of my possible reasons, which unfortunately cannot help at, yet. But for you, what about dressing others for a hobby or even part of living??

Sorry for being so late to comment on this Lisa, I've been swamped both at home and work, and finding time to comment properly is difficult. But I want to.

First, add me to the (many) people that think you DO have a great sense of style. You really do. I think you could make a paper bag look stylish. But that doesn't mean that you aren't allowed to be bored!

You mentioned sometime ago, somewhere, that you had lost some weight, so I was really hoping that would have helped bring you our of your funk, but it doesn't seem to have. I hope you do feel a bit better about your body now though, as that was driving you nuts.

You have mentioned several times in this post that you want to have a smaller wardrobe. However... I'm not convinced that this is a solution for YOU. This:
"In striving to cut back on wasteful purchases, and to keep a tighter closet, I have sucked all of the fun out of my closet" really struck a chord with me. I think it is extremely difficult (not impossible, just takes a ton of time and work) to have a small, interesting closet. I notice this whenever I play with packing capsules, or just capsules in general... the clothes I choose are versatile, not fun. They are the essentials, the backdrops. Clothes that are "interesting" don't make the cut... yet I'm not interested in getting rid of them. Thus my larger wardrobe.

So perhaps you need to add in some great statement pieces, that will add back that sense of fun for you. Or perhaps, if small is really what you want, you need more time (and work) to figure out exactly how to pull some statement pieces (and what they might be) into your cohesive set of clothing.