Then and Now - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Then and Now

Bijou

Veteran

It is fun to see style evolutions. I joined YLF about 5 years ago and immediately it helped me embrace colour. Prior to YLF my wardrobe very neutral, with black being my neutral of choice. I had lots of fun dressing in my teens and university years, but when I graduated and became an accountant, I thought I needed to dress very conservatively to be taken seriously. To a certain extent, that was the case. Accounting firms are very conservative and were even more so in the 1990s.

Like many others on the forum - the pre YLF photos were fine. Nothing offensive - but bland and definitely NOT fun. Thanks to Angie and all forum members for the friendship and guidance on my style journey.

Picture 1 (pre YLF) - 2007 - on holiday wearing a black blazer (from one of my work suits) dark wash jeans and a white t-shirt.
Picture 2 (pre YLF) 2011 - on holiday - jeans, black jacket boots
Picture 3 (YLF days) 2016 - YLF influence evident, wearing colour!
Picture 4 2017 - casual westie walk, when I started wearing light coloured footwear
Picture 5 2018 - cocktail dress for birthday celebration (back in black)
Picture 6 2019 - embracing midi dresses
Picture 7 2019 - a favourite work suit
Picture 8 2019 - casual run around outfit and what I wore on Christmas eve, out to lunch with my son.

This post has 8 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Dressing

30 replies

Latest reply was from Bijou

rachylou

Veteran

Bijou! Please don’t be upset when I say... ohmigosh, #1 is a horror of perfectly OK. I’m sorry! I’m a bad person! ETA: ok ok. Very bad. But 6 is soooo beautiful. You are sooo beautiful. #1 is like a very nice disguise...

JAileen

Veteran

You’ve really honed your style over the years. You've gone from whatever to really fab.

Bonnie

Veteran

Love your new colorful styles.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Bijou, this is amazing! You have always been beautiful, of course, and nothing can change that. But those early outfits are missing all your pizzazz and movie-star charisma! Add some colour, let the hair wave a bit, and WOW! You look wonderful in both your dressy and more casual outfits and look how has DS grown!!!

karen13

Veteran

What a treat! Always gorgeous, but now your style shines so brightly. And shows your personality.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

What a difference embracing colour has made to your look!You looked fine before but now you look amazing,so glam and so confident.

slim cat

Veteran

Love dresses on you - fav #3,5,6 and of course #7 - stunning work suit.
That dress in #6 is gorgeous on you - could be your best color ( want to steal your cherry shoes - kidding/not able to do heels ).

kkards

Veteran

#1 &#6 are like cousins, clearly related and yet different. Love how you’ve evolved your look and honed your core style.

BlueJay

Veteran

Ha! Laughing because I've been to some of those accounting/law conferences and it's a sea of black and grey (even now).

I love all the pictures once you joined YLF. haha! It's fun to see the evolution of your style and to see your DS grow up through photos.

Also, how wonderful you got to see a Banksy!

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I think of you as always having been colorful.

If there’s one thing the YLF (mostly) sisterhood gives us all, it’s the confidence to know our own self worth and not confuse that with a need to be dull in our looks just to let our other talents shine.

Anonymous

Wow- such a difference! I'm so used to you being bright and moviestar-ish!

Bijou

Veteran

Rachy - thank you! I must admit that to be taken seriously at work, I dressed in a very dull and boring way and that even spilled over to my casual style. #1 is a horror and just shows that there is hope for us all!

JAileen - I am definitely having more fun with fashion now - there was no FUN at all in how I dressed previously (but I did indulge in dressing up DS).

Bonnie - it is amazing what a difference colour makes. My aqua dress would look entirely different if it was in black.

Suz - the hair really makes me laugh, I spent so much time straightening my hair. My poor Mum, she constantly was telling me to embrace the waves in my hair and also to wear colour. Luckily I found YLF and did so prior to her death, I eventually listened to her good advice.

Karen13 - I think that is the gift that Angie gives to us, is to dress to show our personality. Previously I would rebel from my strict uniform and buy something quite outrageous that did not work for my personal style because it was too much of a wildcard.

Cardiff Girl - thank you, I really enjoy my wardrobe so much now.

Slim Cat - dresses are definitely my favourite wardrobe items - although on the weekend, jeans are so practical. I agree that the colour of my dress in #6 is my best colour, it is a shame that I find it so rarely.

KKards - #1 and #6 are very similar and yet I feel quite different in them. Maybe it is the pink heels that kept it feeling fun.

BlueJay - yes, the accounting world is a sea of black, navy and grey suits.

UmmLila - wearing the uniform of others made me feel less authentic. Dressing to please and suit myself has paradoxically enhanced my work performance too.

Suntiger - I much prefer how I dress now too, which is fun because I am fine with getting older.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

What a fun and fabulous evolution! #7 is amazing. Your little boy is growing up fast!

Gigi

Veteran

So fun to see your style evolution! Your later outfits have so much more character. They show a bit of a playful side. Definitely a change from the all-black work-inspired wardrobe!

Bijou

Veteran

Shevia - my son is such a lovely child, but he is getting close to the tween years! I am bracing myself for those changes.

Gigi - I don't know why I wore so much black. It was just an easy default. I have always admired women who can wear their black wardrobes in a stylish way.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Always pretty, playful, glam, fashionable and having fun with fashion. You inspire us all!

Puppy almost steals the show

Liesbeth

Veteran

Hard to believe that you once had a neutral heavy wardrobe! Of course you looked great in those classic clothes too, yet way more 'under the radar' so to speak. I'm curious: did your co-workers ever remark on your style evolution or did it go so gradually it wasn't as spectacular as these pictures show?

Aquamarine

Veteran

Such an evolution...like a different person entirely. Of course you were always beautiful but you glow now, in color! Amazing.

taylor

Veteran

I think you are beautiful in #1 and in every photo❤️

Joy

Veteran

What a difference. #1 and2 look like camouflage compared to later when your true colors came out.

kellygirl

Veteran

Thanks for sharing!! You give us all hope! I can totally relate to 1–I didn’t look much different in my early days at work when I thought I had to look a certain way to be taken seriously! You have only become more beautiful and self assured in your style! Love how your personality comes through now!!

Bijou

Veteran

Angie - in real life puppy always steals the show, she is a complete extrovert and loves meeting people. DS is her biggest fan, they are both devoted to each other.

Liesbeth - I changed jobs not long after joining YLF so my current co-workers think this is the way I have always dressed. My friends who have known me for a long time laugh about how I always wore black and remark about how much better I look now.

Aquamarine - it does feel like an evolution. I did have a few colourful pieces, like a raspberry velvet jacket - but for the most part, I wore neutrals and always with a black bag and shoes.

Taylor - thank you that is very kind. I think I looked fine, but as Liesbeth said, just kept under the radar.

Joy - I found being a young woman, it was hard to be taken seriously as a professional. I did camouflage to blend in with my co-workers.

Kellygirl - its funny that it has taken me sooo long to eventually find my style. However maybe that is the joy of middle age that you can reinvent yourself.

Mirjana

Veteran

Bijou, you are divine. Yes you evolved your style, quite normally. I adore #6 and #7 , you look amazing, sooo elegant.

RobinF

Veteran

What a fun evolution! I love the blue dress the most, such a fabulous color on you!

nuancedream

Veteran

What an amazing style evolution you have documented, Bijou! DS is growing up so fast! I am crushing over that blue midi dress. The suit in photo # 7 is stunning and you look so elegant. Of course, you can never go wrong with an adorable Westie as an accessory!

Bijou

Veteran

Mirjana - you are one of my style icons. Thanks for posting your WIWs, you always look so pulled together and elegant, even wearing a sling.

Robin F - I love the blue dress too, it is a shame that the colour is not more readily available. I will be very happy if it comes back into fashion.

Nuancedream - you are right, Westies are the best and most fun accessory.

Sal

Veteran

I always love your style Bijou and admire your positive and fun spirit. Thanks for sharing your evolution.

Bijou

Veteran

Sal I always enjoy seeing what you wear too, especially since we are in opposite season to the Northern Hemisphere forum members. Of course, seeing what is coming up style-wise is always a treat.

Style Fan

Veteran

Bijou, you look gorgeous in everything but that turquoise outfit steals the show. What fun to look back and see the changes.

12