Reevaluating Style Goals - YouLookFab Forum

Hi, all! Between life goals not panning out quite as I hoped right now and living through a freaking pandemic, I'm starting over with my style goals for the remainder of the year and I figured I'd report in.

I'd like to focus on adding three colors: olive (I just can't get enough of it!), teal (see attached finds; I fell head over heels for the straw hat Angie posted and decided to look for shoes to bookend it), and, surprisingly, orange. I've had a wild card orange pashmina scarf for several years and I'm in the mood to add more bright orange, and I'm having a bit of an identity crisis over it.

I'm resisting the urge to make any major purchases until I know absolutely for sure where I will be working and how others dress there. I have enough business casual and formal outfits to get me through a couple of weeks either way, and tons of casual and smart casual options, too. I will address gaps after I've had time to seriously assess how my wardrobe holds up, and I will NOT go out and impulse buy things I end up not wearing, like I historically have when getting a new job. Not this time. Nope.

I want to get another pair or two of denim shorts for this summer because I've been living in the one pair I have. I've found that whereas in the past I liked them to go down to my knee, now I like them to hit my mid-thigh.

I WILL NOT BUY ANY JACKETS OR COATS, unless I find the HEWI trenchcoat of my dreams, which I've been holding out for for like a decade.

I will add more body art when the time comes. I got my first tattoo (!!!) in March, just before the quarantines started in the United States, and spend the first couple weeks caring for it. It's beautiful. I love it so much. I'm super ready for more, and I have so many ideas.

I will take more WIW photos to share with y'all! Certainly after I've moved into a new place sometime this summer where hopefully I will have some actual light, but hopefully sooner if I can drag myself outside during the day (I've been exercising at night to avoid people and heat).

I will have fun. I will not take any of this too seriously. I will wear what I want, when I want, and not worry if it doesn't fit my "aesthetic." I'm going to embrace the heck out of my eclectic tendencies and just roll with it and see where it takes me. It's 2020 and there are no rules. (Fellow folks with eclectic styles, pleeeease feel free to chime in with any advice for not getting overwhelmed by having a little TOO much variety, haha. I still want a cohesive sense of "Yeah, that's me" when I look at my wardrobe.)

Nordstrom

Halogen Colorblock Tweed Straw Panama Hat

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Nordstrom

SoftWalk St. Lucia Flat

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4 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Congratulations on graduating and entering the next stage with such a great attitude! I have a sort of eclectic style and I think the glue is I like this outfit. Trust your own taste and good luck!

rachylou

I find your colour interests very inspiring!

Jessikams

Ooh, I love what SHEVIA says: "the glue is, I like this outfit." I have totally eclectic taste and sometimes wonder if others think I am crazy....but then again in normal/ nonpandemic life I end up wearing yoga gear so much of the time (on my way to take or teach classes), maybe people think THAT is my style, unfortunately....

cindysmith

I have some pretty radical style shifts depending on my mood and the season. I used to have a major identity crisis every time, but now I've found a style moniker for myself that encapsulates them all (avenging angel). Having a style moniker has helped me stay focused and NOT buy every single thing that catches my eye.

Some days I look at my closet and wonder who the heck moved in with me without my knowledge. Prime example: I have leather leggings and shredded sweaters that live next to white tunics and white ankle boots. However, I can make both work for my RATE style by mixing and with accessories.

I was only able to stop purging each time my style shifted from dark to light by finally coming up with that style moniker. Weirdly (or not, if you're my mom and know how weird I am), the style moniker came to me during a discussion on this forum about what role we would each play in the zombie apocalypse LOL. Since then, I have been able to focus my buying and stop purging as much; and I've definitely been able to incorporate style shifts when the seasons (or my moods) change while still staying true to that amorphous concept of "myself". These days, my closet includes some definite nods to the 70s a la studio 54, the 90s heroin chic era, any era that embraced skinny jeans/cigarette pants, gospel hymns, dippin' dots ice cream colors, emo/goth, classics Americana like Hilfiger/JCrew/Ralph, and hungover rock star in Paris.

Not sure if any of this was helpful or not, but I'm glad you're just rolling with the changes in your style
Angie dies say that Do Your Own Thing is the prevailing trend these days

unfrumped

Those are great colors for summer ( and beyond).
I think there will be a lot of style shifts this year! If you have a large wardrobe then you may be able to SYC , set some things aside that don’t make sense now, mix items you might not usually, and get a sense of what feels more you.

nemosmom

You have the BEST attitude about wearing what you want, when you want! It truly is a time of DYOT, it seems. I love the colors you are focused on, too and am excited to follow your journey!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Congrats from me too! I love your attitude, and would like to see your tattoo

Yes to putting toppers on your "not allowed to buy" list. I find those boundaries vey helpful.

YES, to getting more pairs of denim shorts. Lots of sales around.

"I will have fun. I will not take any of this too seriously. I will wear what I want, when I want, and not worry if it doesn't fit my "aesthetic." I'm going to embrace the heck out of my eclectic tendencies and just roll with it and see where it takes me. It's 2020 and there are no rules"

= GO FOR IT!

Kaelyn

You are all wonderful. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

shevia - that's a good point--liking the outfit is definitely the most important thing.

rachylou - thank you! I'm trying to broaden my horizons a bit with color because I've always leaned more into dark neutrals and want to have some more variety.

Jessikams - ha, I so know what you mean. I tend to sink into my comfort clothes a lot, too.

cindysmith - I LOVE your style moniker. That's so original and so perfect for what you described. I'm pretty weird, too, and I appreciate the backstory for how you found it!

unfrumped - mixing things I usually wouldn't sounds like a great idea. I need to set aside some time for a good outfit creation day. I wouldn't say I have a LARGE wardrobe, but enough to shop my closet until I have a better idea of what I need more of.

nemosmom - I love living in the DYOT era for sure! Rules have never made much sense to me. I remember reading something about NEVER pairing blue and green in an outfit and deciding at that point to never, ever listen to fashion rules, ever again.

Angie - thank you so much for the validation and encouragement! I'm excited to see where I end up.

Since Angie asked, here's a picture of my tattoo, taken much earlier in the quarantine when my hair wasn't a hot mess yet.

It's a triskelion with three black roses on my right shoulder, and I love it!

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LOVE the tat!

slim cat

I think all your new fav colors will work beautifully with your fab tattoo .

Style Fan

Love your tattoo! I found having a style moniker helped guide me in my journey. I stopped worrying about others and started focusing on myself.

Becky

Color always speaks to me, and your choices of olive, teal, and orange sound amazing! I feel that a complement of items in a color as part of an outfit always give it that finished, cohesive look. I can't wait to see what you do with your colors!

Helena

Love your laid back and positive attitude and plans ... Inspiring!

Christina F.

Beautiful ink!

I love that hat as well. I got a tank top in a similar color. I think orange would be a smashing compliment.

Banana Republic

Linen Tank

The Cat

I just LOVE that hat and those shoes. Gorgeous styles and colour!

Your style goals sound sensible as well as fun.

UPDATE: the hat has arrived and it's my favorite now. It fits my large head quite well. The teal is a bit less bright in person than in the picture, but not by much. It's beautiful and I think it'll be quite a versatile piece. I'll post pictures once I have the shoes, too!

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