I am a lover of color and am a self proclaimed maximalist. I love a variety of silhouettes. I am so excited to incorporate culottes into my winter style for a fresh new silhouette. I can't imagine just relying on one or the other. I use style as my creative outlet and am very much a mood dresser and having variety in both color and silhouette sparks joy, so I will continue to celebrate both!

L'Abeille, I think I may be moving towards your model -- a slightly more limited colour palette with wide variety of silhouette. I think my palette is going to move towards grey, white, navy/ink, black, and pinks/fuchsia/ cranberry/ raspberry.

Karie, yes, you are one of our queens of eclectic!!!

ETA, cross posted, Tracey -- I definitely see you as a lover of both!!

My answer is both. I definitely have some favorite silhouettes. I play with silhouettes and change them up for variety. My fallbacks will always be pencil sheaths and pencil skirts, straight and skinny jeans, and simple knit tops. In terms of color, I have a lot of neutrals in my closet, but I love my colors too. In fact, I have a lot of color. So, both. Yes, both.

Umm Suz, that doesn't sound like much of a restriction from your current palette!

I'm with Sterling and Carter - I don't need to change my colours or silhouettes, at least not just for the sake of variety. I do change them though for

Weather/practicality/ comfort - no bootlegs in rain. No white bottom in the rain or certain days of the month. Any higher than 32 degrees C I will not be doing waist definition/ I like loose clothes at night

Fashion/fitting in - I tend to wear skinnies more with young people.

I try to make myself myself try current silhouettes sometimes to stay up to date, (a good reason to be on YLF) but I don't do it for an inherant desire for variety.

Also, having a fairly small budget by YLF standards, and low wardrobe turnover, means the whole "buy a whole outfit and footwear" to change silhouettes thing is more difficult,

And I tend to see fashion cycles as being an opportunity, some years, to buy the colours/ styles I like.

I do change eventually though, I realise as I type this - I go sick of empire waisted dresses with underbust gathering for example, although it is very practical for my summer.

Ha, ha L'Abeille, I guess that is correct, isn't it. Hmmm. More to ponder.

Anne, I think I, too, had little need for variety before I started reading YLF (and when I had a very tight budget.) I guess we make the best of whatever situation we are in. No point in pining after something that isn't sensible in our situation! But it is sensible to pay attention to practical needs, i.e. weather. (And I still do that -- a lot!)

I seem to have developed a greater need for variety and change as fashion has become a hobby. It is not just that I want to look acceptable in my environment; it's that I want to develop a personal style to the degree that I can.

Yep, I don't think fashion is my hobby exactly. I'm around YLF of course, but that's partly kind of remedial, because I'm not that good at it, and partly because Angie and everyone here (specially you, Suz) makes it such a good community.

When I do get a few spare hours my creativity comes out with cooking. DH cooks half the time, and is happy to just repeat known, easy recipes. I like experimenting and trying new ones!

I am a very happy wardrobe maximalist. I love to change up everything! I happily go from all black minimalist, to classic tailoring, to boho, to preppy and then retro. However, it must always be polished. I do not suit really relaxed clothing, as it just does not feel like me. I love texture - so fabrics like lace, cashmere, silk, velvet and chiffon speak to me.

Oh very interesting. I think I like to change silhouette best of all within the framework of what I can and cannot wear happily. So I would love to wear a waist belt, but am missing the waist so that's out. I tend to be mroe experimental on the bottom half because that is *usually* the easier part to fit. So I was all over culottes, cropped jeans and pants, harem styles you name it. But I am willing to try weird shapes on top too on the chance they will work. I will occasionally experiment with color - for example I have recently found that some warmer earthier shades don't kill me the way I had always assumed - but do revert back to blue, white, pink, and purple, which rarely fail me. I also love patterns sometimes but not always and flowing with those moods keep things interesting. In short, I will experiment with anything, but not everything twice.

Oh yes, I love changing up silhouettes! That is one reason I am excited for fall--I can pull my bootcuts out and change things up a bit. Summer is difficult for me as far as silhouettes go--the weather is so hot that you just kind of wear what you can tolerate. I'm on a shopping fast right now, but when I can shop again, it would be a great idea to buy something that will enable me to do something new and different with silhouette.

Very interesting question, and fascinating to read everyone's reactions. Although I have a relatively defined color / pattern palette, that's definitely where I find satisfaction in variety, instead of silhouette. I'll happily wear A-line dresses with a few types of necklines indefinitely, but will crave deep red or jewel tones if those elements haven't been incorporated into my outfits for several days. Also, jewelry and footwear provides me with a sense of variety.

I like variety in both. I have tried to restrict myself in colour (the black and white idea) but I rebelled after a short time. At the moment I'm obsessed with red.

I also like to try new trends/different silhouettes and I love to have lots of options in my wardrobe to play with trends, for example I already had so many different tops to try with my cropped flares.

I will never be a minimalist and I will probably always have a stuffed wardrobe, although these days I tend to buy with more purpose, instead of just random impulse buying.

I tend to be quite boring with colour and tend to stick to neutrals etc. I have been a bit adventurous this year wearing looser trousers rather than slim pants.
Like Jenn and her toppers, I can get variety with scarves etc. The purpose of the inspiration pictures was to get ideas to mix it up abit.

What a fabulous thread! Every single post makes me squeal with pleasure. So much variety, so much insight, such richness! Thank you, Suz and everyone.

Pre-YLF I had a lot more variety in color and pattern, and it really didn't work for me: I had a few interesting outfits and piles of interesting wardrobe pieces that didn't know how to get along. I don't get much variety from color these days: I feel most me in a narrow neutral palette (but I, too, stock up whenever one of "my" neutrals or near-neutrals shows up on sales floors) with lots of variety in texture.

I tend to stay with a given silhouette --pretty much a uniform-- until I'm good and tired of it, and I am good and tired of long over lean right now.

I'm slowly, cautiously, planfully (did you know "planful" autocorrects to "playful"?) moving into wide leg trousers and culottes. Three bottoms, three pairs of boots, one sweater, and a lot of time playing in my closet. I have a lot more fun with fashion these days (thanks, Angie and all!) but I still refuse to get fussed over it.

What a good question. Definitely colour. Day in, day out, I'm really a uniform dresser when it comes to silhouette. The silhouette provides critical functionality. I also like having a consistent style (differentiating here from having Style), and I feel silhouette is the heavy lifter in this regard.

Suz -- sendng you love from North Carolina. How you always know the right things to say at the right time is beyond me.

Such a fascinating thread. I have to come back later to read every comment.

Sterling, what a sweet thing to say. I did think that the texture of that BR top was superb on you and must have made getting dressed quite fun.

Rachy, for sure - and especially on work days or dog walking times -- you need function above all!

Cerinda, thanks. I have noticed your eye (or is that touch) for texture. The textural variation must make some of your clothes a pleasure to wear. You look great in the new silhouette as well as the old one.

Sally, that makes sense -- the inspiration pics get us to notice details we might not otherwise pay attention to and to switch things up in small ways as a result.

Coco, I think you are a true eclectic and while the black and white phase was stunning on you. it seems as if it would not satisfy your love of pattern, in particular.

Penny, that is interesting. So you get variety from colour -- even if your variety is limited. I so know what you mean about craving something bright!!

Gigi, culottes for the win! With boots.

Shevia, you are one of our most experimental forum members with silhouette.

Bijou, that coat you recently posted is evidence of the virtues of maximalism!

Sharan, somehow we must have cross posted. I certainly know that feeling when the colours/ textures/ patterns work so well together but alas, the proportions are off!!

I'm late to this thread because I had to think about it. I'm still having problems defining what variety I need. My colors are somewhat varied but there's a lot of neutrals in my closet - especially black. I can wear the same silhouette all winter (skinnies, sweater, knee-high boots) and don't get bored. However, I'm easily bored if I wear the same pieces over and over and with my shoes. If I have enough pieces, even in the same silhouette, I'm happier.

I get bored of my shoes faster than anything but feel like I can't buy more of the same category. For example I was so sick of my black heeled sandals that I wore to work every week this summer. But then I talk myself out of another pair because I already have a nice pair of black heeled sandals. But, ugh, I was so bored of those sandals. Thank goodness the weather has gotten slightly cooler and I'm not limited to sandals anymore.

Sara, that's kind of inconvenient, isn't it, since footwear is pricey!

I get bored with the same footwear, too, so I know what you're saying. Mr. Suz thinks I'm a cousin of Imelda Marcos. I don't really have that many shoes, but that's probably only because I regularly retire the ones I've become bored with!!

Such a great thread. It's taken me a while to respond because I'm still pondering.

I don't think I get bored with color with easily. I can only think of two big changes I've made to my color palette, in my whole life: 1) my sophomore year of high school when I decided I could wear pink and still be a tomboy (I'd literally never worn a drop of pink until I was 15!) and 2) a slow shift away from browns and tans over the past decade or so. I'd just always assumed one must have some brown and tan in one's closet, because they're such "practical" colors, but then I realized that they are not happy colors for me and they were generating a fair amount of frustration because they didn't play nicely with the colors I do love. So, in with pink, out with brown, but other than that my colors have pretty much stayed the same.

I think I'm somewhat stodgy about silhouettes, too. Like Rachy, I demand practicality. No extended sleeves for me. I did bellbottoms in middle school, when it was cool to walk all over your hems and get them nice and shredded -- not doing flares again any time soon; maybe one dressy pair at some point. I like the idea of oversized, but rarely love it on me. I only do bodycon for certain types of gear (bike shorts, running tights), never for town clothes. I pretty much live in tailored fits with a dose of fluid -- and in really hot weather, fluid fits with a dose of tailored. It doesn't take a lot of change for me to feel like I'm wearing something new. A turtleneck sweater with bootcut jeans is, to me, a world apart from a v-neck sweater with boyfriend jeans -- but it's the same formula. I can take the same dress, pair it with flats or with tall boots, and feel like two different people.

Like Jenn and others, I also rely on layers for variety: I like sweaters, sweater vests, cardigans, blazers, jackets, hoodies, puffers, thick flannel and wool shirt-jacs. Scarves, hats, arm- and leg-warmers. Are fuzzy earmuffs coming back as a trend anytime soon? I definitely feel like my cold-weather wardrobe has more variety than my hot-weather wardrobe. I need to start collecting sun hats and linen scarves, I guess.
The only thing I get bored with is my hair. Color change doesn't do it for me though -- it's gotta be silhouette change. I love drastic haircuts.

Ooh, that's a great reminder of how important hair is to our overall style, La Pedestrienne. I would agree that it offers a lot of that sense of change and verve!!

Definitely silhouette for me, but you could have guessed that, I'm sure, despite the fact that I rarely post pictures.

I wear black, various shades of grey, various shades of denim blue, navy, army green, brown, burgundy/aubergine, white and sometimes red or hot pink. Very occasionally, pale blue. All my jackets and coats are black except one (which is brown), although they vary hugely in shape, fabric and style.

I had to laugh at the footwear remarks Suz and Sara.... men don't get footwear. My husband thinks i have too many shoes but i don't really. I mentioned in another thread my niece saying .." men don't understand how one single ankle boot can't be expected to go with all your outfits ". I have made a decision on footwear that that is where I'm going to splurge from now on as the comfort and quality makes such a difference and they completely upgrade an outfit. Bags are another thing I haven’t thought about before but will in the future.

I definitely need colour variety, I also need to have some silhouette variety to not get bored, but perhaps not as much as I thought I needed, because I'm thinking of the amount of times that I wear ankle pants of varying colours and patterns...a lot is the answer! But I'm nodding along with everyone talking of getting shoe boredom easily. I think I'm getting that way myself.

Nodding along with the shoe boredom. Especially since I make comfort a priority - it feels that it limits my choices as there are only so many brands I can walk in for a whole day (which is my criteria).

Suz- Do you wear deep emerald green? It seems like it would be a great color for you. I love to wear it and I also love to wear a deep cool pink and raspberry. I bought three knit tees from Loft recently in those exact colors. They had sort of a boatneck, I couldn't find them online to link - this is one time I shopped in person.

Colour is always my priority: my palette remains constant, but I love playing with different colour combos within that palette.
Silhouettes are more of a challenge, not least because of budget considerations, but this is an area I'd like to work on. We'll see.

Thank you Suz for starting this thread and for the comment about my wearing jeans.

Fascinating thread! Suz you are spot on about my love of both color and silhouette changeup; and even within a silhouette I enjoy changing up proportions. But like you, simply changing a "skinnies+blouse" outfit from tucked to untucked is NOT enough to keep me from getting bored.

(Of course I also like loads of pattern, texture and shine/sparkle, too! Definitely not a minimalist, heh.)

And like Tanya, I don't just wear all kinds of crazy things. I DO actually tend to stick to certain attributes, you know, usually the ones that are flattering. Same with colors; I definitely have preferences for certain ranges, I just happen to wear many different kinds. Interestingly enough my colors are becoming a bit more limited. There's still a lot of them, though!

Totally feel you on the wintery weather restrictions in this regard!
That's part of the reason I enjoy summer dressing more (do realize I'm
in the minority on that; I also don't rely often on "third pieces" nor
wear a lot in the way of accessories, which helps). Also this: "I seem to have developed a greater need for variety and change as fashion has become a hobby." YES. Same here. I'm OK with that ^^

Una, for the record I'm still an IT And still short. Turtleneck with swishy widelegs is doable, though for myself I would need heels AND hair up. Perhaps you need wide legs that flare just a bit at the hems to balance the shoulder?