And here she admitted to changing shoes.

http://www.wild-muse.com/2013/12/pink.html

Anna, thanks for researching! So that puts me full circle into why should I look to such blogs for inspiration in my climate if they admittedly aren't even wearing that look in that climate? Pretty pictures in the end is all I get out of it.

EDIT: and I think I answered my own dilemma. I am not, and will never be, the target audience for the average blogger. I'm much too literal to 'take the inspiration'. This, incidentally, is why I don't read the high fashion mag sections either. On the same note, I enjoy watching Fashion Police on TV but most enjoy the everyday street style and glaze over at most of the red carpet looks. Again, because I. Just. Don't. Relate.

Anna, that boots outfit confuses me even more. Does she wear her Sorels and gloves indoors? That skirt and sweater certainly don't seem like outdoor wear in subzero weather-- even if she has an unusual tolerance for cold.

Janet, I could not agree with you more ! The outfits were so fantastic that wearing appropriate weather footwear would NOT have ruined it. Honestly, I also felt a bit squirmy because of the footwear.

With all that said, blogging is a bit like the Real Housewives or any reality show I suppose. After a while, to keep it interesting, it gets scripted and forced. Who would tune into : get up, make breakfast, get kids on bus, review budget, pay bills, buy Greek yogurt .......?

In fairness to the blogger, every shot was on a non-snow or icy surface. She also makes it clear that this blog is a creative outlet - often creativity is not practical . And many of us wrote on a recent blog , I Just Don't Get, that this trend of wearing shoes and dresses with no hose in the dead of winter is something we don't get. The blogger actually represents a subset of this year's polar vortex style : I regularly see men in sports shorts, women in capris or dresses AND flip flops and sandals in sub 20 degree weather. In fact the other night it was 15 degrees when I went to the pharmacy and I must have seen 10 - 15 people without coats!!!! It is a trend.....albeit a very impractical one. It reminds me of the knit beanies and hats that were the rage not too long ago, even on the beach in 90 degrees.

I actually knew someone who wore stilettos regularly in the snow in Boston. And she walked everywhere, admittedly slowly. I have to give her props for that. She claimed that they were very stable because the spiky heel acted as an ice pick!

I personally cannot do this (but then again I can't walk in stilettos even on perfect, dry, summer days so whatever) but it does not bother me to see bloggers dressed like this. I still find plenty else in her outfits to take inspiration from.

I've been to Russia more than once. A lot of Russian woman wear high heels year round. Admittedly they are boots in winter. And the sidewalks over there are not often well maintained.

In case you haven't seen it already, here's Alicia's comment. Probably worth a read:

http://youlookfab.com/2014/03/.....nt-1640998

Here's the relevant bit, including a reference to this thread:

As an overall response to some of the comments, all I can say is that I’m not blogging about how to dress for spending time out in the great outdoors. I don’t spend more than five minutes outside (for pictures), and I don’t walk anywhere. I live in a somewhat rural setting (not Anchorage) where there is no public transportation, so you have to drive everywhere. It seems as though people think I walk around in slushy snow all day long (pumps in snow forum). That’s definitely not the case. I transition from my snow boots to my heels and back again. Some may feel it’s disingenuous, and I’m okay with that. If you read my blog, then you know that I am very honest about wearing my snow boots and cleats during the winter time. Alaska isn’t a very fashion forward place, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t be fashionable. I’m okay with “looking completely out of place,” because wearing jeans and heels is in considered fairly normal anywhere else. I’ve adapted to my environment, but I won’t sacrifice being me simply because I live in Alaska. I hope that answers some of your questions. Thanks again for all of your input! Xx

I think the strong reaction to the post came because of the disappointment in a post where people were truly hoping to learn something about dressing stylishly for cold weather. Her outfits were impractical for the cold weather that most people deal with - walking through snow, slush, ice, salty sidewalks. If, as she says, she's in the car much of the time, she is avoiding the cold not dressing for it.

She has a great sense of style - but for more temperate weather.

I love Alicia's style but felt as others do about the footwear. However, I do understand that shoes are subbed for boots -- that is what I do when I go anywhere, really...although truthfully, most places I do are other people's houses, where you can't wear shoes indoors...so it's a bit of a dilemma.

I do understand what Emily's saying, though -- in many Canadian cities, if you work in an office building, you commute in your car, switch out your footwear, and never go outdoors all day in winter -- there are underground shopping malls and food courts galore and you can walk for miles without going outside!

My own environment is much different; I am walking everywhere when I'm not at home, in the slush, ice, snow and rain, so I need practical options that still look great.

Because I also agree with Gaylene -- people in my climate DIE of exposure, so it feels very acutely important to stay covered and warm.

Yes, Elle - I agree....

If you are not actually out in the cold, you're not dressing for it in the same way, although you do need layers (as Alicia beautifully demonstrates).

Having said all that, her style is hugely inspirational for me for my autumn, EARLY winter, and early spring looks. So thanks for that, Inge, Angie, and Alicia!

Right, Suz, I think expectations and context have a lot to do with it. For some reason I was looking for a "how to"--so even if less bundled up when indoors, maybe something about how one has to make those adaptations and how to pick styles for transitioning, or layering. For example, haha, it became harder this year to create stylish layers when the base sweater layers became oversized --maybe that's why you drape a coat over your shoulders! (Partly kidding, as I know for a photo you want to try to show all parts of the outfit, rather than be buttoned to the chin.) And the % time or "dominant season" changed, as mentioned in the introduction, so maybe that's a big part of the change--not so much polar-proof outfits but a wardrobe shift to a much higher % of warmer clothes in general, which can require a big new investment.

I totally agree, Suz, that Alicia's style could be quite applicable for our transitional seasons. Mo also has a good point that maybe some of us are just too practical to see her outfits as inspirational cold weather dressing. Maybe part of the reaction is because so many of us feel frustrated by the practicalities of living in our environments in our own quest to be fashionable, especially at this time of the year.

I love her style!! But its obviously very important to stay safe which she does as she says. Everything out there on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt

For my climate .... sans the coats ... I will take it

Gah, I can't remember the name of the blog for the life of me, but there was a blogger some years back who put up an excellent tutorial of how she got to work in her fabulous, feminine ensembles (via public transit, as I recall!) without freezing. She was a gorgeous redhead and it involved ski pants. Does this ring a bell for anyone?

I accept that settings for photoshoots are random... but I kill for outfits that work for real life. I'm not gonna wear purple, green and yellow polka dots ever to the office, certainly not with a furry magenta stole and spike heels.

I mean, I would to sashay around the town square and meet my rich uncle for tea and viennoiserie, but those days are long gone. Long gone.

Emily, that was Kasmira of WhatIWore2Day, I think!

Thank you, Ceit! It certainly was. I was thinking Carmina? Or Carmela? Kasmira. Of course.
http://whatiwore2day.blogspot......dling.html <-- if anyone is interested. This stuck with me because it is both practical and adorable.

For me, the appeal of bloggers is that they are 'real' people wearing real clothes for real life. Not models, just people with jobs, kids, messy kitchens or whatever, who are managing to look nice while doing the same things I do. It is always great to see practical looks that I can copy or that inspire me. Anyone can look good on an unlimited budget if they never have to *do* anything, but I expect blogs to be more practical. (Not commenting on the featured blog, just in general...)

Mo, I agree with all of your comments! I don't live in the snow, so I barely gave the referenced site a look-over. Rather, my pet peeve is bloggers in San Francisco with >2-in heels or camisoles. Seriously, no, I don't think that is practical for 5 minutes, let alone for a whole day!

I find the WIW posts here on YLF more inspiring than those on any other blog.

Wow, I'm quite taken aback by the strong reaction to the post. I loved loved loved her photos... And I didn't really give the pumps in snow thing more than a quick thought, until I got to the comments. Maybe that is because I don't live in a snowy climate and get excited if there is a hint of sleet in our winter. What I saw was great inspiration for layering, great use of colour and amazing lips. Did I mention how divine I think her lips are?

I've been out and about all day, so couldn't chime in earlier. Angie, thanks so much for copying Alicia's response here. As some of you have also pointed out, it does make sense to me that you would switch out shoes and/or wear different types of shoes -- and sometimes shed a few layers too -- when you spend most of your time indoors.

Also, and I mentioned this in my comment on the blog post as well: I would like to add that we can only feature six outfits in each posts, and it goes without saying that six outfits certainly don't "tell a complete style story". Do hop on over to Alicia's blog to browse the rest of her outfits -- or check out her pinboard where they are all collected in one place -- to get a more complete grasp of our blogger's fab style.

ETA: with each description I link back to the original blog post in which the bloggers are wearing a specific outfit. There you can always find the date (season) an outfit was worn, and often more info on individual items too.

Jules: In her blog post Alicia mentions that it had been raining cats and dogs all day, hence the umbrella. The sun came out just before the photos, and Alicia decided to use her big umbrella as a fun prop. I liked it

High five, Hil!-) I agree 100% about Alicia's lips and fab choice of lipstick colours. They really are part of her outfits, aren't they.

I love her use of her color, her lips are amazing, and she's clearly having fun with fashion!

I browse a lot of fashion blogs and have seen hundreds of pumps in snow this winter. My injured feet keep me in sneaks and oxfords these days - no pumps! - so I'm used to mentally changing out the footwear in fashion photos. I like all the outfits that Inge chose to spotlight - interesting colors, textures, proportions! - but even they might be frumpy if Alicia were wearing my shoes. (Mo, my closet would be more cohesive if I weren't so good at "taking inspiration" from different sources. I wish I could limit my choices and commit to a style direction.)

I just looked through a lot of her blog, and for me I already found two outfits that I like and can copy.

I think her outfits and mix of color is fun and inspired at moments, but I didn't read them as having anything to do with her specific environment, and that's fine. Props to her for following her creative passion in a less than ideal (and understanding) setting -- it takes courage and she has created some great looks.

Unlike the featured blogger, most pinterest pins make make my eyes glaze over. A tiny twenty-something in spike heels standing next to architecture and looking stylish although not particularly individual.

Actually it's the sartorialist's photos that got me to start being a little interested in fashion, partly because the people in them are 'in their setting' they are really going to work or shopping, or smoking on the corner, and partly because they all look like individuals.

For example his photos outside Fashion Week show fashionable people coping with a snow storm in the moment: http://www.thesartorialist.com.....y-morning/

He has several other crowd photos from fashion week where the weather was less extreme and there were a few less practical shoes, but I thought this was great because it was so REAL.

I've attached some of his other 'real people/cold weather' photos below that I liked. (I'm not sure if I should repost them or just link). Credit to: http://www.thesartorialist.com/

Mo, I completely agree! When I saw the pic of her in the ankle strap shoes and went to her blog, the date on the pic was from Feb. Now there's no way I could wear those shoes in Feb. where I live, so I'm sure wearing them in Alaska in Feb. would be even worse. I couldn't even wear them indoors as my feet would still freeze. More power to her if she can do it, but I hope she at least wore stockings!

Maybe I'm just too practical

I really like her style and the shoes didn't bother me. If I thought about it (which I didn't), I would probably have assumed that she only has short distances from the car into a building etc.
I live in Colorado and many people here seem very fashion-forward and wear seasonally confused shoes (and other items)
Like our mailman who, on a recent snowy day, wore a hooded puffer jacket with shorts, thick socks and sandals

I also saw couple of her outfits I'd like to copy. Minus the bold lip -- sadly, I look awful in bold lip color.

Mo, i started my blog back in 2009 and the overall issue you bring up became a hot-button issue right away. Now, personally i am thrilled beyond reason that we have all types of people wearing all types of things. I would evaporate of boredom if we all were the same! I say people should wear, photograph and post on their blogs whatever they durn well please. Full. Stop.

However, it doesn't take long as a blogger to see what drives traffic: new, color, variety, pretty pictures taken with expensive cameras, trends, currently available consumer items, brand names, conventional figure flattery. Invert all the items in the previous list and you have my own style interests (bar the expensive camera - i'll not turn that one down!). I like to repeat items and outfits (with subtle variations) out of a smallish, neutral based wardrobe many of which pieces i've sewn myself. I like to keep my favorite pieces for years and wear them often. I like to play around with different shapes which may or may not reflect traditional ideas of figure flattery or even the body beneath. (see pic)

These types of ideas about style and dressing are more difficult to convey on a blog format, and frankly they require more precise writing and reading. But the largest part of the blog audience wants new, trendy, colorful content and it's hard as a blogger to resist that attraction. I know numbers will jump as soon as i post a look with cheerful color in it, but that's not how i like to dress. Numbers drop when i repeat items, but - ?

Where i personally see the 'trouble' or at least a real frustration is in people who don't have the skills and experience (yet) to make the leap from inspiration to an outfit that works for their real life. That type of content is hard to come by, mostly because it takes time, thought, energy and experience to produce. That's why Angie is such a gem and why we all keep coming back here to YLF - we get the inspiration and the training (i don't know what else to call it! education?) in how to work that inspiration in our own closets and on our own bodies. You're not born knowing how to do this, you learn it like any other skill.

In my own blog, I decided early on to just post what i really wore (heehee, including barefoot in our summers!) and explore and develop my "in real life" style, and do my best to learn how to express this in an interesting way. I don't get huge numbers and don't get gifts of clothes, shoes, etc. but then i figure my readers don't either so there ya go. I do have some very faithful, incredibly thoughtful readers and commenters. They truly blow me away!

So i'd say if you find blogs or posts that speak to your own real life style concerns, reach out and let that person know how much you appreciate it! It takes time and thought to put that type of material together, and most people do it for free. If you want to see more, show those ladies some love!!!

This includes ladies here on YLF, natch and have fun! steph

I wasn't much bothered by her wearing pumps in the snow; I thought she was wearing an indoor look (with open coat) but photographing it outside, because her blog is about maintaining her sense of style in Alaska. Sort of like her market brand is Alaska and it differentiates her from other bloggers who are all posing on city streets or with city skylines.

There's a Canadian blogger named Lisa (can't remember the name of her blog - Lisa something or other) who also poses in pumps and ankle pants in the snow. Her shots are always outdoors.