Post Your Personal Style Challenge (Week 11) - YouLookFab Forum

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Post Your Personal Style Challenge (Week 11)

El Cee

Veteran

Hi Everyone -- We are at Week 11 of our challenge thread -- can you believe it? -- so it is probably a good time to get a consensus as to whether or not we wish to continue through December.

If having this challenge thread is still helpful, I would be more than happy to continue with the weekly posts. As an alternate plan, we could run one more week (getting us to Week 12 as our finale/wrap up), then break for the remainder of December and the holidays. Perhaps we could then start a new challenge after the New Year... or even in February when a lot of us get incredibly bored with our seasonal closet. One other suggestion was to have a "Shop Your Closet" (SYC) support thread. I am open to all suggestions.

For those new to this: The "Post Your Personal Style Challenge" thread was an idea originally proposed by forum member Carter in her post: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....slide-long

Continuing with our weekly thread, here is your spot to post your own ongoing or brand new challenge(s) as well as to give updates and reports. Feel free to jump in at any time, even if you missed the last several postings. Your personal style challenge could be one that extends through the whole season or something that is of a more limited time frame (a month or even just a week or two to get you through the seasonal transition). Pictures of items from your challenge and "What I Wore" photos are, of course, most welcome but not required. Please also feel free to refer directly to your own separate challenge postings. Feel free to pop in and out as the mood strikes you and as time and energy allow.

For ideas of what other forum members are doing in terms of challenges check out Carter's initial thread (above) as well as our past weekly threads:

Week One: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....e-week-one
Week Two: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-2
Week Three: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-3
Week Four: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-4
Week Five: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-5
Week Six: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-6
Week Seven: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-7
Week Eight: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-8
Week Nine: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-9
Week Ten: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ge-week-10

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59 replies

Latest reply was from El Cee

Ledonna N.

Veteran

Bump

El Cee

Veteran

Ledonna -- You are ADORABLE!!! Love you girl!

My challenge for last week was this: To rotate my outfits so that I include at least 5 different "bottom silhouettes" each week. Sounds simple enough. What I did not take into consideration was that I would be spending at least 3 days at home cleaning and cooking in preparation for our "Day After Thanksgiving" party... and then a day cleaning up after said party. My usual "clean and prep" outfit is a tank top or short sleeved tee with comfy, roomy boyfriend jeans and flats. It was really a challenge to keep from going back to this same "stay-at-home" FFBO.

So -- for accountability purposes -- this is what I wore:
Wed. 11/23 -- Graphic Tee, Cuffed Boyfriend Jeans, Loafers (Yep -- the FFBO!)
Thu. 11/24 -- Knit Wrap Top, Bootcut Ponte Knit Yoga Pants, Ballet Flats
Fri. 11/25 -- Print Tunic Tank Top, Zip Cuff Cropped Cargo Pants, Loafers, Fleece Wrap Cardigan (mostly unworn -- I was HOT from cooking)
Sat. 11/26 -- Graphic Tee, Full-length Straight Leg Jeans, Clogs
Sun. 11/27 -- Sheer Boho Print Tunic/Tank Set, Flared Jeans, Mules
Mon. 11/28 -- Graphic Tee, Moto Jacket, Cuffed Boyfriend Jeans, Booties (variation of the FFBO)
Tues. 11/29 -- Knit Top, Culottes, Cropped Denim Jacket, Loafers
Today -- Knit Top, Knit Moto Jacket, Wide Leg Jeans, Booties

Success! But boy was it tough. That FFBO keeps calling me.

Anonymous

YAY. Week 11. The time did go fast. I have been incredibly happy with this challenge. I learned a lot about myself. If this challenge continues, great. If not, I am good about that too. Hence, no vote offered.

carter

Veteran

El Cee, you've really done a spectacular job of keeping this going. Even though I haven't had the time/internet access to participate as much as I'd like, I've so enjoyed reading about everyone else's challenges.

Although I haven't done any specific challenges the past couple weeks, I have been puttering around my wardrobe issues;-). Gretchen Rubin is doing a wardrobe analysis that I've been loosely following. I've learned a few things and purged another overflowing bag of things I'm just never going to wear.

Some of the things I've learned:

the majority of my wardrobe works for 3 seasons: either F/W/S or S/S/F. I also have small high Summer and "cold" Winter items that remain very necessary.
I like and *need* choice. And that's ok as long as I can afford it and store it.
Having accepted that, I still have more than I would like to have. I want to be able to wear the things I love often, yet I like the option to choose from many options. (Clearly I need to keep working on this.
Since we're going back and forth to the beach every weekend, and I have a dog in my lap for the drive, I still need clothes I don't *love* but look reasonable two days/week. The thought of her nails ripping a pair of pants I love or pulling a favorite sweater is just more than I can stand;-)
I have three primary uniforms that make me very happy: jeans with semi-tuck knit, long over lean and structured knit with slim bottoms. I don't need or want significant variation/choice outside these silhouettes. What I do want/need is choice within these silhouettes. For me, "splitting my wears" is exactly what I want. I love and constantly reach for my EF linen boat neck boxy sweaters. I have 3 colors. I would like 2-3 more. Changing the color is totally enough variation for me. I have leggings, slim knit pants, knit pants and ponte pants in black and gray. I wear and love them all. No one else may notice a difference, but I appreciate the choice. I have several sleeveless black tunic-length knits. I love and wear them all. All along I thought I was doing it wrong by bucking the "one and done" approach, but I was doing it right FOR ME all along.

If you continue the challenge threads, I will welcome them and do my best to participate. I would also totally be up for a "SYC First" thread. I don't really feel compelled to do an SYC period or year, but I do feel that an SYC First approach is the way I would like to go in 2017. Regardless, I will happily support and enjoy whatever you choose.

Anonymous

Hi Carter!!!!!

Brooklyn

Veteran

Popping in to say hi all! I am on holidays now and for the next couple of weeks, so no challenges for me. I plan to keep visiting the forum as time and internet connections permit, but I may be a bit scarce. El Cee, I am very impressed with the variety that you have in your wardrobe. And that you were able to use it. I fall into a pattern of wearing the same thing all the time when I am at home. I need to work on this. But not today

carter

Veteran

Hi, Sterling! I was reading earlier today about your current issues with black. I'm not sure if this will relate to you at all, but I have found that a change in classification has helped me overcome my own issues with navy/ink, olive, and burgundy. I can look at individual pieces in these shades and see a great neutral. But wearing these as neutrals really seems to be a no-go for me. I've come to classify them as "near neutrals" for me. I can wear them together and be happy. I can wear them with black, white, medium blue denim, or gray (my neutrals) and be happy, but I can't wear them with true "colors" like I can with the neutrals in my closet. So, I generally treat them as colors in my wardrobe and I'm much happier with them in the outfits I put together. As an aside, medium denim is totally a neutral for me, but dark and very light denim washes are "colors".

All this is not to say that you should reclassify black as a color in your wardrobe, but perhaps there's a slightly different perspective from which you can approach it. Maybe it's a grounding accent. Maybe it's there to provide the contrast you like with the rest of the outfit. Maybe you choose to wear it with only other neutrals or near neutrals for awhile (as some suggested with the ink and black combo). If you usually wear black on the bottom, try wearing it on top for a bit. Perhaps wear it with non-black leather accessories for awhile. I love black with tan, cognac or off-white belts, handbags and shoes.

Whatever you decide, I'll look forward to reading about it:-)

El Cee

Veteran

Brooklyn -- Enjoy your holiday! Your challenge for the next two weeks, if you choose to accept it, will be to relax and have a fabulous time.

Sterling -- The challenges (this one and the one you started last Winter/Spring) have been great for me as well. I have learned so much from the collective wisdom on YLF... and have had a lot of fun in the process.

Carter -- Thanking you for inspiring this challenge thread. I love your idea of an "SYC First" thread -- less restrictive. As much as I admire what Joy and Approprio did with their own past SYC personal challenges, I personally do not think I could go a full year without purchasing anything. But focusing more on what I already have (materially and otherwise) would be a very healthy way to start the New Year.

I love the nuggets of wisdom in your above "things I have learned" list. I too need "choice" in my wardrobe and am starting to come to accept that. It tickles me that you are developing a "traveling in the car with the dog" capsule. I have a similar one for when I help a petsitter friend from time to time... called my "Walking Big Happy Doggies in the Mud" capsule.

Staysfit

Veteran

This has been very inspirational. Even though I haven't posted much due to time constraints, injury, and an unexpected job loss (not a tragedy for me but very stressful for many, and a huge time bog), I have continued with my thought process. I have come up with plans for 2017, which was my revised goal, and I have been sorting out how to adhere to them. I have been perusing my closet to figure out what I need, what I want, and thinking about closet churn, etc. I have been sorting through ways of managing budgets, and even thinking about goal setting and if that is appropriate or not. I have looked at the science of goal setting, and learned some interesting information. I am not sure if I should post everything in this thread as an ongoing weekly thing, or if it should be a new thread? I haven't decided. The ideas were sparked here.

El Cee

Veteran

Staysfit -- Sorry for all you have been through this season and hope things are improving for you. Sounds as if you have been doing a lot of advance strategizing. I think that is often the best method for tackling wardrobe and budget management concerns. I would LOVE to hear your musings on the "science of goal setting". We would probably all benefit from what you have learned on that subject. I think that would be a terrific topic for a separate post as I would not want others to miss out on it if they are not following our group challenge thread. But we should definitely include a link to your post on here.

Carter -- Our posts crossed last night, so I am returning to comment on your musings and discoveries about colors vs. neutrals. Reading what you just wrote on that subject was a "lightbulb moment" for me. I think that I have a similar response to yours with regard to shades that others might see (and wear) as neutrals. I have always had difficulty using shades of brown, olive, burgundy/merlot or navy/ink as base neutrals. I do not routinely pair these shades with what I see as "true colors". I always feel more comfortable adding one of my more grounding neutrals to the mix -- which are exactly the same as your neutrals: black, gray, white and denim blue. I also agree with you that the very darkwash, non-distressed jeans fall into that ink/navy category and I find that I treat them as a "color" rather than a "neutral". I need to ponder this more. It is certainly very interesting how we all respond so differently to color.

carter

Veteran

El Cee, what did you learn from wearing all those silhouettes in the same week? Do you prefer one (other than the ffbo) over the others? Did you have any struggles coming up with the rest of each outfit? Also, did you pick each one in the morning, or did you pick them all at the start of the week? So interesting that we have the same thoughts on colors/neutrals! I wasn't sure that would make sense to anyone;-)

Staysfit, I am fascinated by all the things you've been thinking about. I would love to see a post on your process and thoughts/conclusions.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

El Cee, first of all, a huge thank you and congrats for keeping this going so well. I've been scarce the past few weeks due to family and work issues but I so appreciate the effort and consideration you have given to everyone here! And I do think the first several weeks of this challenge helped me organize my fall wardrobe and enjoy it to the fullest.

I'm not really doing a specific challenge now, but I do make a conscious effort when I'm going out to wear the new and interesting silhouettes, and I'm considering what items I still need to make them work more seamlessly for me.

On the subject of the FFB and sticking to one silhouette (that might bore you over time -- if you're like me) -- I do this exact thing. But what I've learned is this. I do benefit from the FFB at home because it's most convenient for doing household tasks, etc. (My FFB is like yours -- slim BFs with a sweater or shirt and slippers). Yet I crave silhouette variety. So I wear the FFB at home and simply change into a different silhouette for going out. It works brilliantly.

Carter, I'm also of the view that black (or other neutrals) can be reclassified as a colour -- that's what I do. Black is a kind of "grounding accent" for me, although now with grey hair it may move more into the neutral category again.

I would love to do a "SYC First" challenge -- that's an interesting way of putting it. I'm also interested in your analysis. I must look that up.

Staysfit, I am so sorry you've been dealing with so much chaos and difficulty -- it sounds overwhelming! I would LOVE to hear what you've been learning about goal -setting. Tis the time of year!!

El Cee

Veteran

Carter -- Oh Noz! -- you are making me think! Actually, that is a really good thing. I tend to be more intuitive than analytical, but I really do need to take more time to examine my feelings about dressing. As an emotional dresser, I am averse to selecting an outfit the night before as I need to go with what I am feeling at the moment... but I do have a good sense of what works well together within my own closet and have done a lot of experimenting with silhouettes and capsules. (For instance -- I know what tops go best with my culottes: either my wrap style or knot front knit tops or slightly cropped blouses/tops.) Suz just hit the nail on the head regarding my preferred at-home FFBO -- it is all about comfort and movement and, for me, not overheating. I am at the eternal summer phase of life. Hence the baggy rolled or cuffed boyfriends, loose knit top, flats and no socks. My favorite silhouette for this time of year is a tunic or short dress over flared jeans -- but it is not the best for puttering around the house as the ensemble really screams for heels or wedges.

Suz -- You are so right. My FFBO is all about comfort. I like wearing something that feels like PJ's but that I would not be embarrassed to be seen in -- and am always fearing the slide back into the bad habit of living in sweats and loungewear. I never had this issue when I worked from an office. Like you, I get very bored with a silhouette after a while -- so I frequently feel the pull to mix it up. Experimenting with new silhouettes is really good for me as it gets me out of self-imposed ruts. Like you, I will be wearing more of these newer silhouettes on days when I will be leaving the house. I would also like to find more "boyfriend jeans equivalents" -- something as comfy with a slightly different shape. I just got a pair of cropped cuffed cargo joggers from Express earlier in the season. I wish I could duplicate these in a few colors -- but they only come in olive. I will be keeping my eye out for similar styles.

olive cargo zip cuff jogger pants

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Suz

(website)

Veteran

Those look like a good option, El Cee! And you understand the FFB needs exactly -- for me it is the very same. Has to be comfort yet presentable enough for the UPS man.

I am much like you with the intuitive dressing, by the way. I have to choose the day of. And a lot depends on weather and planned activities.

Anonymous

I too would love to hear about goal setting. This topic is so intriguing I might need to go out and do my own research!

I continue the SYC challenge and am on day 26. (I cheated an itty bitty bit, but let's not talk about that ;-))

Joy

Veteran

El Cee, thank you for keeping this going. Last week I was going to take stock of my winter things. I organized hats and gloves and pulled out the scarves that I wear with coats.
Probably more of my winter things need replacing than I thought. I figured out that I need to avoid boat neck knits. They gape awkwardly under toppers on me, probably because of a small bust.
As far as December, my personal challenge is to wear as much of my holiday capsule possible because I know from the past that I will be done with bling and holiday colors after December. Below are a couple of photos that I managed this week. I am wearing more boots and booties but not heavy sweaters much yet. Layered long sleeved tops seem the right level of warmth.

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texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Hi everyone! Good to read about your challenges or your thoughts on challenges and goals, etc.

I don't really have a challenge this week in particular, but I've realized for me, regular rotation has become more important because after clearing out so many boxes of no longer worn clothes over the past couple of years I don't want to end up with a similar situation again. I much prefer to be "in control" of my closet and not have a lot of mistakes hanging around. I want to wear the things I own often enough to justify buying them in the first place.

After sorting all my tops by color, it has been a lot easier for me to choose what I want to wear in the morning since I am so mood oriented when it comes to colors.
I sort patterns based on the dominate color of the pattern.

Now, once I know the color I want, I pick based on the silhouette and weather appropriateness for the day.

I'm getting better about choosing specifics like which jeans work best with which tops for me, as well as with which shoes/belts, etc. Having some limiting factors works for me in that way - for instance, I wear a lot of jeans (limiting) but they are in various styles and washes - skinny, BF, faded, straight, etc.

Over the past year or two I've worked on adding a summer/fall/winter version of many of my favorite top colors - which for me is limiting in a good way. I know I love navy for example so I have quite a few options in sleeveless, short sleeved, long sleeved or sweaters in navy. Same goes for a few other favorite colors. I also like to further that by having a very casual option in each color as well as slightly less casual options.

My fashion goals for 2017 include refining this "system" even more - shopping a bit less, figuring out how to add more structure to my summer outfits and improving my shoe storage so I can better see what I have when getting dressed. I wouldn't mind adding some better fitting white jeans and white denim shorts to my closet but so far I have not found the right ones. I feel like I want them to be slim fitting because that helps me feel more structured with a looser fitting top.

carter

Veteran

El Cee...right there with you stuck in eternal Summer;-)

Anonymous

Sigh. Also stuck in eternal summer. I had to turn the air conditioner on yesterday to knock back the humidity. At least, I learned to shop for my climate. I no longer lust after heavy sweaters and huge scarfs to envelop me. That was one hard lesson for me. I am not as bitter as I was previous years.

Smittie -- GOOD JOB. Shopping your own closet can be instructional.

Sending seasons greetings to Texstyle, Carter, Joy, Smittie, Suz, El Cee, Staysfit, LeDonna, and Brooklyn.

Joyce B

Veteran

You ladies are lucky, it's getting cold here and I would love Summer again...

Anonymous

I didn't have a challenge this week, but then I saw this illustration from Janice at the Vivienne Files. I am going to use her example to map out my wardrobe in terms of Cool-Warm and Dressy-Casual. I already have an idea of what I will find, but it I like visuals.

I am also preparing a box for the Goodwill. I always make a big donation every December.

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approprio

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for keeping up the good work!

Style Lab is ongoing, got a new post out today. The silhouette review helped create a few new outfits and debug some old ones. Next post I will have a look at colour palettes.

Dressing from the bench was successful when I found new ways with old pieces, self defeating when I realised I was repeating things I'd done years ago. I'll try to make a habit of it throughout the season so I can assess the viability of certain items, but it's unworkable on a daily basis.

I also tidied up my hanging space, which was very satisfying. Everything fits as long as I double up pants and jackets on a single hanger.

I failed to hem the pants I promised to hem last week.

Sisi

Veteran

First of all I also want to thank you, El Cee, for all your work! And it seems that you are very successful with your challenge.

My challenge (wear less pants/more dresses in Autumn) goes on with ups and downs. Recently the weather turned mild again, so I am wearing again my Summer dresses with a woolen pullover on top. I would like to continue this challenge through Winter because I am really fed up with pants. But I still have to figure out a way to wear a dress and survive freezing temperatures.

Joy

Veteran

Came back to read more posts in this thread. Carter I identify with so much you said from thinking of neutrals as colors (I also need to consider intensity and tones of those neutrals like any other color. Neutrals can skew warm or cool too.) to most of the closet being worn for 3 seasons with a small capsule for hottest summer and coldest winter. Therefore endless summer and a long polar vortex causes boredom and need for more clothing to extend the capsule into another season.
Texstyle, I like the idea of sorting tops by color. I want to hang them in the closet that way and be sure that tops have toppers that work with them to extend the seasons. What do you do with prints like black and white stripes or a gingham check?

Joy

Veteran

Sterling, I like the Vivian Files visual. Let us know how that works out for you. I could see this exercise identifying wardrobe holes that could help items work for more seasons as long as one is disciplined enough to stick to chosen colors or neutrals.
Sisi, about dresses, I dressed for warmth today in a sweater dress over a long-sleeved lace tee and tights with OTK suede boots and wool socks. It will be a day of sitting in cold hospital rooms where I always freeze. In winter sweater dresses are great, especially with tall boots over socks and maybe a warm scarf or long cardi. I suspect Angie's ensemble of a warm tunic and heavy leggings would work as well.

bj1111

Veteran

El Cee, this is a labor and thank you for all the individual comments. I learn as much from each other's observations as enacting my challenge.

And an unspoken challenge met! Finally have a pair of winter proof dressy boots --suede wedge boots from aquatalia. I have a back up "fashion" boot but the jury is out on the weatherproof-ness (-itude? )

El Cee

Veteran

Suz -- Yes. I, too, dress for the UPS man... the lucky guy! You are on the mark that variable weather is a big reason that some of us cannot fully plan our outfits the night before. I live in Connecticut and we can never be too sure what conditions to expect. Mark Twain was right when he said “If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.”

Smittie -- Congrats for your success with SYC. I am a firm believer that a little "cheating" should be allowed. It is sort of like having that occasional piece of chocolate cake... need to do it every so often.

Joy -- What is it about boat necks? I had to purge all mine for the same reason -- too much gaping... and I am big busted. Go figure! I also had the constant problem of bra straps showing. So, yeah... no more boat necks for me either. That is fun that you are pulling out your holiday capsule and putting it into action. I will be doing that early this next week.

El Cee

Veteran

Texstyle -- I love your system of sorting wardrobe items by color... and of sorting patterned items using dominant shade. That would make it so much easier for us "mood dressers" to make our daily selections. I, too, spend most of my time in jeans as I have an ultra-casual lifestyle. You are right that it might be "limiting" if there were not so many different denim styles and silhouettes to choose from. Haven't yet set my own style goals for 2017 -- but I really like your idea of finding ways to incorporate more structure in your summer wardrobe. I always feel so sloppy in the hot weather... so I will be looking forward to hearing your ideas on this subject.

Sterling -- Like you, I love "The Vivienne Files" and especially how Janice maps out these kind of details. Her visuals, like the one you just showed, are so helpful. This is also why I look forward to Angie's Friday ensembles. I like seeing things laid out in an easy visual format.

El Cee

Veteran

Approprio -- I am enjoying following your Style Lab threads and love the way you analyze things. I am envious of your ability to use both left and right brain thinking in this process. Your silhouettes are ALL fabulous -- plenty of variety and interest.

For those who haven't seen the recent Style Lab IV: Silhouettes post, here is a link: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ilhouettes

Sisi -- Glad you got a bit of a reprieve on the cold weather and that you can go back to wearing some of your dresses. I think layering is really the key here to staying warm enough. I love dresses too and wear them often in Winter... mostly sweater dresses with tall boots. Sometimes I wear them over skinny jeans or slim ponte pants to add extra warmth.

bj1111 -- Congrats on your new purchase! I hear that Aquatalia boots are fabulous... and truly waterproof. I will be interested to hear how your suede ones hold up with snow and slush. I am always nervous about suede in winter.

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