Even better !

Yeah, I'd say 50s for sure.

I am with Lisa on this - she has a strong point of view and is speaking to people who share it, or people like me that appreciate a strong point of view even if they don't completely share it. She has definitely said 1/3 of the people listening to her reject her point of view and that is fine too. I think chill is useful as a modern way to say cool, without sounding like Fonzie (speaking of dating oneself). I love her socks with sandals and plan to try (my version of) it. And I am under the impression she is 55 .

Any thread where Fonzie gets mentioned is a good one.

I have enjoyed this thread and the others because I can see how this style suits and relates to others. I love Trinny but don’t share her style aesthetic totally either. It’s a bit of escapism too which I need right now.

I find it interesting but don’t feel I understood enough to totally avoid the skin sandwich. But I’m not concerned.
I did enjoy her clip today on buying trousers and I wish I had taken her advice earlier so I could have avoided ending up with countless skinny jeans. She talks about multiples of the same style of pant.

LaPed, so true about einen trying to say “take me seriously” AND “I’m not uptight” at the same time! I don’t feel comfortable in floods, and no matter what that dude says. I’m not comfortable with an extra slice of “bread” at my middle (ie midriff tops), and if it’s cold enough that I need socks, I’m going to wear closed shoes—they’re warmer. Right now I dress to be a happy blip. I tend to come across as too severe, so I’ll keep Amy in mind when I need to add more chill.

Ok, i finally made myself look her up. She has quite a thing with ankles & footwear! They are the topic of multiple videos. Janet’s strategy of matching socks to pants or footwear is one way Amy says to avoid the dreaded sandwich. I do wonder if being in Paris will open her up to the many different types of sandwiches out there; i think that’s what makes her metaphor confusing.

As for her tone, at one point (while dressing to go for falafel) she says “you want to be in fashion but not TOO in fashion; it’s just falafel”. I can’t decide if that’s the best thing she says or The Worst. It matches her chill vibe and tone of voice—the perfect amount of cool. But if you are studiously cool/chill/stylish, are you any of that at all, or just straining? (I realize the word “chill” hasn’t been cool at least since the abomination of “chillax” but what else to call it?) To me, letting it be seen that you are trying really hard to look carefree or chill or whatever variation on “I woke up like this” is the definition of the term “fashion victim”. All that effort spoils the fun.

I admit I only watched a few videos, but I’m not going to follow her. If your goal is to present yourself as fashion-forward and trendy, she’s great. My interest in fashion is not trying to show that I can follow trends. For me, it comes from a desire to understand how things are interpreted (by people in general), so I can project the image I want, which changes from time to time, and so I can predict how people might interpret what I’m wearing. I can see using her as a resource when I have an item I want to wear and I’m trying to figure out an updated way to use it. I did like her idea of thinking of items in your closet as tools, will use it to trying to create/project specific images.

Sorry, I find this totally hilarious. The goal: Do not look like a flat balogna sandwich on white bread, instead look like an overstuffed pastrami sandwich with all the fixings on rye! Yes, I totally understand! That’s obviously the better option both in the deli and in fashion!

I can totally relate to Laped’s point and might go a step further to venture a guess that her thought process has feminist underpinnings.

Staysfit—hahaha, brilliant!

*carries off falafel*

KInd of get it now, and that's why I always wear no contrast hosiery with my shoes and hems as a generaly rule (so black sheers with dark boots/loafers/sneaks/pumps and nude ones with the lighter ones) and I usually coordinate them with my hems, too. I only do show an occasional but very confident skin sandwich if I want to wear dark(balck) pants or midi maxi in summer. This is so rare, but then, I do obligatory show some skin (so ankle& to midcalf, which is more than a skin sandwich I think?) otherwise as a blonde dark hems overwhelm me in summer.

Sal, yes! I love Trinny and thoroughly enjoy watching her closet confessions. My style and body shape have almost nothing in common with hers (neon yellow! sequins! small boobs! LOL) but I get little tidbits about -- in Angie's words -- bossing my clothes around rather than letting them do the bossing.

Similary, other sources of videos like Amy Smilovic or Carla Rockmore or whoever... simply give me ideas. I don't find them prescriptive or only relevant for trend-seekers. On the contrary, they help me think about styling new and old items in ways that support and evolve my *own* style. Hence my comment about happily taking or leaving bits and pieces from a bunch of sources. Sure, there might be trend-chasers who watch videos and immediately start copying an influencer's style, but that's one end of the spectrum. People who watch and scoff at everything they say are the other end of the spectrum. Here I am stuck in the middle with you, as the song says.

Oh, and I love the falafel comment. It's pretty apparent to me that she has a "you do you" attitude and is just sharing her perspective. And it is a reminder to keep this style stuff in perspective. Don't sweat it so hard. It's just falafel.

Late to this but the video made me chuckle. When I read the title I was thinking a skin sandwich was when these teens wear crop tops and the tummy shows - oops.

I actually like some skin at the ankle and don't mind if it's straight. Maybe because my ankles are thin (while the rest of me is not ) I don't know but I just find it easier to style. I also am one who doesn't find her attitude off putting. And like anything, I will pick and choose from her advice. I am not going to wear pumps with socks just because they are trendy. Or because someone tells me I should, hah.

Musing on this during my morning driving duties (and nothing new or brilliant here to be sure) ... this whole discussion really encapsulates the whole 'style vs. fashion' thing right? Fashion is art, and style is for real like, and the overlap between the two depends on preference and context:

- in Amy's case, she works in fashion; therefore, fashion and her personal style overlap almost completely, which makes total sense for her.
- for some people, fashion is not a consideration in their style; therefore, carry on and don't listen to the Amy's of the world! (and fashion's not a monolith anyway, so Amy or anyone else's take on it is just that - one person's take, albeit a very informed one).
- for I suspect many of us, fashion is *one* aspect of our style, and the degree to which it is important will be different for everyone. For myself, I like to be informed about fashion to I can incorporate some of it in subtle ways into my personal style ... so for example, I'm still wearing my same basic look, but my jeans are wider this season to reflect the movement of the fashion world. On the other hand, I will not wear socks with pumps because that particular fashion statement isn't really relevant to my personal style (but I admit I've been wearing visible socks with my Chelsea boots so there you go - bit like Miranda Priestley's speech about cerulean blue or whatever it was in Devil Wears Prada). For this group, Amy might be fun and provacative voice to consider (I think she is, anyway!)

Helena, i think the style vs fashion distinction encapsulates it well. My only question there is if one can have a personal style that follows fashion. By definition, fashion will change. Sometimes it will change in ways that feel natural for you and enhance what you’re looking for. Other times…no. An example for me, personally, is fashion sneakers, which seem like a no-brainer for my lifestyle, but have never felt “right” to me. Pointy-toed shoes have also extremely rarely felt like “me”. I get that they totally work for some people; that’s the point of personal style. But if you scorn the snip toes and almonds and rounded toes one year and then do an about-face and want to pitch all your pointy-toed shoes, then where is *your* style?

I get that our tastes evolve and our eye becomes accustomed to new things—indeed, “new and fresh” can be the most appealing part—but if you are *taking your direction* from fashion, then where are *you* in the mix? It sounds subtle, but I think there is a world of difference between following fashion and taking fashion into account in your style. That might be exactly what you just said with being informed about fashion so you can work it into your personal style, and I had to work through it because I’m slow, haha.

Personal style is naturally going to evolve due to what's available at retail/Fashion. Even if it's not intentionally evolving (keeping up with trends and such), clothes wear out. You can't buy what's not available, so you have to adapt. Even if you're buying most or all things used, it's still what trickled down from retail.

The other thing is that you're seeing the Fashion influences on the street or in the media. It's at least going to subconsciously influence what feels acceptable to wear.

Stag, I don't see it as an either/or thing. Of course one can have a personal style that follows fashion, but not slavishly. Again, we get to pick and choose.

Per your example: People who abandon one shoe style in favor of the trendy silhouette might be chasing trends and "fashion," but I don't see anyone like that on this forum. In fact, I can't think of anyone I've seen online who does that. I mostly see people abandon a shoe style because it's no longer workable for their foot health or comfort, or because their style is evolving. For example, I abandoned kitten heels years ago, despite them having a fashion moment, because they felt all wrong for my style. But sometimes a trend can kick-start an aspect of a person's style evolution. The lug-sole trend has played that kind of a role for me, as someone who is always looking for ways to ground an outfit with footwear and add a bit of toughness. I'll work it until it no longer feels right to me, which might be a couple of years from now, or it might be never.

People can take cues from "fashion" in their evolution without losing themselves. I see people here do it all the time. I think I'm a halfway decent example of that as well. I still wear items I enjoyed 10-15 years ago, but mix them in a new way with an eye toward how not only my own personal style is evolving, but also how the fashion of the moment is moving, to a certain degree. I don't want to look like I'm still dressing my 1990 or 2000 or 2010 self, even though I still like some things I liked back then.

Does this all make sense? Our style evolution doesn't happen in a vacuum -- we are influenced by trends whether we want to be or not.

SF, I think personal style would (or at least can) include the context or sub-culture in which one operates ... therefore for example with Amy, her context and sub-culture are the fashion world, so following fashion is a natural fit for her personal style, as it would be, for example, for people with an interest in fashion (their personal style would thus at least in part reflect their interest).

Also, like in the Devil Wears Prada scene, the truth is pretty much nobody within the 'personal style' world is truly disconnected from the fashion world, if only because somewhere, at some time, a 'fashion person' made a choice as to what items would be available for us to choose from. It's a Venn diagram; the only variable in my mind is the size of the overlap. Just my two cents though

Janet you summarized what I was trying to say much more eloquently

"Our style evolution doesn't happen in a vacuum -- we are influenced by trends whether we want to be or not."

Nailed it. x

I think the word chill is generally just a synonym for relax/relaxed that caught on at some point in some places and is now pretty widely used. Amy probably means something a bit more specific & visual when she translates that to her styling, which I assume will become clearer to me if I watch more content. For now I hear "effortless", more or less.
So far I see her content as geared to people who like her brand and style and want to understand/emulate it. It is not at all meant to be didactic to the general population and there's no need to take it personally. In fact if everyone adopted her look I am pretty sure she would move on pretty fast, lol!

Such a great discussion! I agree with Janet and Helena -- it's a Venn diagram. There's no way not to be influenced by fashion (even if it is the furthest thing from our minds) if we want to get dressed at all. Even those who make their own clothes according to vintage patterns are influenced by what colours and fabrics are available and what footwear and accessories they can source. All of that is fashion. So our style evolves, like it or not!

And yes -- it's also a spectrum of interest. Some people live exclusively (almost) in a fashion world. And some dip in as they can, or see fit, or enjoy.

I don't mind her tone or her attitude. She's funny and irreverent. I like parts of her aesthetic (though not all). Her advice isn't really directed at me (suburban person without much spare cash and a huge practical streak, lol). I can still pick up ideas for styling from her and others like her. It's all good.

Great discussion - loved reading it!!

Helena, I love the Cerulean Blue scene in that movie. You seem to interpret it very differently than I. To you, it seems to mean that we should all follow what Big Fashion says carefully. To me, that scene says that we all live in the same water, and as it changes, we adjust without needing to strain or make effort. My comment here, which you also seem to have misunderstood, was in response to the question upthread if we aren’t here for fashion direction, then what?

..

Interesting thread! I'm in the pro-Amy/Tibi camp, because I think she's funny and I appreciate her POV. That doesn't mean I am swallowing everything she's dishing out :), but I do enjoy what she has to say. I agree with Lisa that she is usually responding directly to people's DMs and requests to her--she is inundated by people wanting fashion and style advice (and business advice as well, since she is a successful independent business owner, no easy feat in the fashion world), and she is happy to give it.

Also, I feel compelled to add that her socks + sandals look is practical for her, since she finds it very comfortable and wears it indoors at her fashion biz (I think she commutes in sneakers, based on several videos I've seen plus a comment by Sarah, a Tibi stylist who appears in videos with her).

Jonesy, as i posted earlier, she’s fine with me. I have no problem with people giving free advice to me, or to anyone, as long as it isn’t assumed that I ought to follow her directions.

I guess I'm a skin-sandwich lover! Particularly when it comes to high-water pants and a little bare ankle... I'm always sad to give it up when cold weather rolls around. Ain't nothing in her video that will tell me it's wrong and make me give up my skin sandwiches.

That said, that video was hilarious and I am now following her.

Comedian moved to my thread