Hi All,

New member here and I wanted to say hello. I've been lurking awhile and really appreciate all the great advice on here, and enjoy seeing everyone's great styling. I wanted to wait to post till I had something to share, so I'd like to share some things that I've picked up from being here.

First, I figured out that I can actually have 2 different styles! I work in a conservative CPA office with older, wealthy clients, so I have to dress pretty conservatively. Which is fine, because I like and look good in a pencil skirt and some sort of untucked structured blouse or unlined jacket. Great.. got that covered! But I'm also really drawn to, hmmm.. let's call it safari style. Lots of long and loose linen, vintage style messenger bags, flat lace-up leather boots. Really almost menswear inspired. It occurred to me that I can dress one way at work, and another way on my off time. I'd always had a tendency to put my energy in to the work aspect, and just throw on whatever for my days off. Well, that has changed, and I'm enjoying exploring different ways of dressing.

Second, something I learned today that seems to work for me. Have your shorts/capris/clams, basically any pant/short that is not full-length, end at the same length that you find a skirt length flattering. From observation, I've learned that hemming my skirts (pencil as I'm a spoon/figure 8) just below the kneecap is the most flattering for me, as I have proportionally longer legs, especially the lower leg. Today I found a pair of, lets call them shorts, that fit close to the leg and end right where I hem a skirt. They look GOOD, and I'm not a big shorts or even pants fan.. but after thinking about it, I think it's because they land at a point where my leg naturally goes inward.

Third, for those that sew. I've sewn for close to 40 years and hate the whole pattern/test garment thing. If you have something ready to wear that you like, and assuming the fabric is not delicate, it's pretty easy to make a sewing pattern from an existing garment using that blue painters tape. You can find instructions online. I've done it several times, and it's worked well. You do need to have a similar weight/drape for the fabric of your new garment as the original. But you basically already have your trial garment in your closet, and I've found it to be a lot more rewarding, and less frustrating, in the end.

Again, thank you all for taking the time to post the WIW, purchases, suggestions, etc. It's been really fun and helpful to see both the struggles and solutions that we all have at one time or another with dressing, and I look forward to being a part of this community.