Well, if I'm being truly honest with myself, I suppose I have to confess that I am pretty narrow-minded in terms of my "filter."
When I look at a fashion item, whether in a magazine, a catalogue, on a person I see out and about or on a YLF forum member, my mental process is such that I like something BECAUSE it appeals to my own aesthetic and I could imagine myself wearing it. I realize this narrow view would make me a bad stylist...but does it make me a bad person? For better or worse, I rarely find myself thinking "wow, that would be hideous on me but I nevertheless LOVE it on that person." Now, that's not to say I don't appreciate other styles or aesthetics or have any desire to impose MY look on others--variety is indeed the spice of life!--but we are talking here about what we LIKE on others. In my mind there's a distinct difference between respect/appreciation and liking/loving something.
As others have said, I try not to comment on looks that are far afield from my stylistic preferences (unless to comment on a more objective aspect such as fit).
I find it refreshing that many people here, Angie, in particular, are able to provide rave reviews of outfits that they wouldn't themselves wear.
Should I aspire to that or is it okay that I view things more narrowly? Ahh, the tricky normative question...

I have no problem admiring or liking something on someone else that I wouldn't wear. I suppose that I am very person-specific. My clothes must meet my lifestyle, my personality, and so on. So I love seeing others' lifestyle, personalities and proclivities. I rarely outright dislike something. On the flip side, there are things that I love that I wouldn't wear, too. I suppose that when I look at someone else's outfits, I don't think of them in terms of myself but rather on the "look".

Like many others have mentioned, I think my participation in YLF has broadened my style horizons to the point that I can appreciate someone else's look even if it is a far cry from my personal preferences more than ever before. That said, I don't think it is possible to ever be completely objective.

I do welcome honest feedback when I post photos, even comments like, "I don't like it, because it's just not my style." When I post photos, I think I'm looking for two things: 1) Does this outfit work? In other words, does it fit and flatter, and do the items work together? and 2) What do other people think of it? If I deeply felt something was "me," I might wear it anyway even if the majority of YLF respondents didn't like it. But for the most part, if an outfit was universally disliked, I probably wouldn't wear it.

@Gaylene: excellent quote! very true.

I'd like to think that I am fairly open to different looks, but I still have my own biases. It helps to be aware of my biases though when commenting on others' style. My friends have very different looks from my own, and I like on them what I see on them. I also experimented with different looks over the years before settling into what I'm comfortable with now. I'm still quite new to YLF, and when I comment here, I try to consider whether it works for them (usually YAY), and not whether it would work for me. For looks I'm not as familiar with, I leave the comments to others and try to learn from them.

The longer I read the blog and participate in the forum the more that filter opens up for me. Fashion should be fun is Angie's motto and I see why now. What I consider fun and appropriate for me will not be for someone else. I try to base my comments on the outfit. Sometime I can't identify what I like or dislike about something so I don't say anything.

I tend to look at fashion as art. There are beautiful, amazing, wonderous works of art that I would never want to own or hang in my house, because they simply aren't right for me. Most art I see and appreciate falls into this category. Fashion is the same, most of what I see and appreciate on other people are not really outfits/items that I expect to wear myself, but that is part of the enjoyment. I get to indulge in the experience of those outfits vicariously through the people who wear them well.

I haven't been on this forum for very long, but have tended to leave comments on outfits that are closer to my style, since I feel like I have some knowledge and experience with those looks. When it's far from my style, I tend to reserve comment even if I like what I'm seeing, because I feel like I don't really have anything informed to base my opinion on.

I might take fashion a little too seriously!

Interesting question and discussion! I think it is very, very difficult to separate one's personal aesthetics from their opinions; I agree it's possible to train oneself to have this separation but for some they will achieve better separation than others (which is perfectly fine!). I do feel that those who come to YLF may come with the desire to improve themselves, but will also have have their fashion filters expanded simply by participating in the forum community (whether it's a lot or a little); it's very hard not to

My filter is certainly far more open now than it was a year ago. I try hard to keep my filters as open as possible even when it's not easy, and am working at improving this daily. Participating on this forum has given me an excellent opportunity to work on getting that separation from my personal aesthetic, and thinking about how to help others improve outfits that aren't "my style" has not only helped further develop my fashion skills, but it also provided me incredible insight FOR my style (especially as I learn more about each person's individual aesthetic). Being here also allows me to enjoy so many stylings I am drawn to but aren't "me", which is just awesome.

And lastly, I truly appreciate the honest feedback given here, whether the posters do or don't share my tastes, and find this vastly more valuable than I would if I posted to a group who DO all share my tastes. Understanding those differences, seeing how others would tweak things even if it's something that would make the outfit "less me", provides fantastic insight to how others view me. And that is, after all, an important aspect of why I put effort into dressing myself well

Great question. I feel like I keep a pretty open mind and appreciate lots of looks on others that I can't wear or don't particularly even like. I certainly am willing to attempt just about anything. But I do have to be mindful of my own biases. The one that comes immediately to mind is cleavage - I have an irrational negative reaction to seeing cleavage on display.

The other filter I have to admit (and this is not discussed much here, nor should it be) is financial. I sometimes have to remind myself that my budget may seem outrageous to some, and conversely that others have far more disposable income than I do.

I echo Sveta's response. I feel like the more time I spend here, the more open I am to different looks. I couldn't agree more with her example of TX Sarah. Sarah is supremely polished and stylish but there are very few outfits of hers that I would wear. The same goes for MaryK--I love her style, on her. Where I fail miserably is in my comments--I don't know how to comment except to express how I would wear it. I guess that is where my filter definitely kicks in.

I certainly have a filter and try to provide comments centered around outfit ideas that I would do if I wore the outfit to help out a WIW post. What I try NOT to do, is say I simply don't like an outfit without a reason. And this is hard when it is something I certainly would not wear. I am hoping as long as I state a reason why I would change something it comes across as helpful and not negative critique. Otherwise all I would ever say is "that's lovely" and that can get pretty boring. I find something that helps me the most, is when someone posts a lot of outfits and I get a feel of their style. Then I find I can think "more like them" and hopefully provide suggestions that are more on point for the WIW poster.

I started looking at fashion blogs 2 years ago. One blog I looked at was nothing special just normal office wear but she offered good tips and generally looked nice - then she went crazy and I stopped looking at that blog. She just looks like she puts anything together and maybe dresses in the dark ( or maybe looking for shock value) so I don't see the point.

Another blog I look at is a beautiful young woman that always looks amazing even when she dresses a bit eccentric. She at times also looks a little crazy and yet unlike the other women she always makes it work.

Then there was YLF... I always thought Angie looked so good no matter what she put together, even pants with dresses ( a look that I really dislike).

I have always been pretty open to differences, I don't have to like something to like it. But if it is a look that I'm not really fond of I'm definatly more critical, it has to be done to perfection for me to apprieciate it.

I think i can honestly say that if i don't really have this problem. I know that a lot of times my friends will bring up things in a store and try to make fun of them to me and i feel like i'm constantly...i dunno, maybe defending them? Pointing out body types that could pull it off and how? But i've also been pretty obessive with reading style blogs/magazines/etc. So even if i don't like it or it's something i wouldn't personally wear doesn't mean i don't have an appreciation for the thought and creativity that went into it. Diversity makes the world go round?

I don't think I have a filter but I definitely have a "horizon of fashion understanding" - to gently rip off from a famous continental philosopher. This means that my appreciation of fashion is of course prejudiced by my own fashion choices, but it is not necessarily constrained to what I would personally wear. It is always changing and expanding. I try to gain a better understanding of where others are coming from in their fashion choices and keep an open mind. That said, some fashion styles will also lie beyond my horizon of appreciation. In that case, I just keep my mouth shut.

Since I've lived through different fashion eras and worn a wide variety of styles, I hope that my filter is pretty broad. YLF has helped me to enjoy many styles on others I wouldn't wear myself. Now, if it don't care for an outfit, I feel that I probably haven't yet adjusted my eye to the look.

I'll be succinct: No.

Everyone has a filter. We all see the world through it. We can't help it. However, there are many outfits in magazines, on TV, in stores and on this forum that are not right for me, that I would not wear and are not my style but I can love them on others.

My eye does learn to adjust, and often when that happens a style that was formerly "love but not for me" might weasel its way in. Those drop crotch pants on All Saints are slowly going from WHAT??? to Maybe... for me. By fall perhaps they'll be Heck Yes!

Socks with sandals I don't think will ever happen for me but I do love the look on others. I'm mostly not sure how to execute it well with my existing wardrobe!

I too often think about this and how you Angie, as a professional, need this particular skill in order to understand and see all your clients in the framework in which they want to be seen. (Btw, thanks for making it clear why you don't not comment always )

I have two types of filters.

First one - what I would wear. This one is getting finer by each new day spent here and that to me is good news.

Second filter is about seeing other people's outfits, i.e. commenting "I like this" on the forum. I also approach that in two distinctive ways: one is if I personally like it and would wear it myself straight away - that is a no-brainer. Another approach is by trying to understand another person's aesthetics, style and effort put in, and seeing whether with those parameters I can still see things working. (Sorry, I can only express myself in techie terms sometimes).

I look at most things visible in terms of logical vs. instinctive dressing (as I have asked here before) and since I am Team Logical I need to know why some things work. Although, there are always exceptions that I can't understand, but still like. To sum it up, understanding other people's style although I'd never wear it, is part of becoming more style literate.