Style thoughts for 2020 - YouLookFab Forum

I have come a long way since signing up here almost two years ago. In one of my earlier posts (https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....g-to-dress) I quoted Yellowgirl and her thoughts on her style journey:

"My style is evolving from
"not caring >
caring >
realizing how awful I truly looked >
clueless about what to do >
starting to put the pieces together >
learning to dress myself appropriately >
getting an inkling of what I want my style to be >
just staring to figure out how to express it >
catching a clue >
starting to have fun".

A year ago I placed my self between "clueless about what to do" and "starting to put the pieces together".
Now I'd say I have reached the "just staring to figure out how to express it" phase

I am having fun and feeling good about the direction my wardrobe and style is going.

But I had a little wake-up call this weekend. I am spending A LOT of money and spending way to much time browsing and ordering/returning. This is a time consuming and expensive hobby! I will hit the brakes on the shopping next year, inspired by you a amazing fabbers who does no-shop and slow-shop.
This post is more to keep my self accountable, than anything else. Thanks for reading! All thoughts welcome

6 years ago

slim cat

Veteran

I think most of us go through the same journey - I'm at "caring/figuring out what to do/starting to put pieces together" ( I have wardrobe that works for now but maybe not so much in the near future - I want change ).
Spending money and time on shopping/looking - happens to everyone I think from time to time. I'd do "wish lists", put things into "bag" on-line - then think for a while and maybe delete the whole thing - it works sometimes. But you already know all this - it's tempting. Resist the temptation .I went to the park yesterday instead of shopping/errands - just to forget the stuff and see some late fall colors.

Cardiff girl

Interesting to hear your thoughts on your style journey.l think that they will resonate with a lot of people on the forum so thank you for sharing.

Jenn

(website)

This journey definitely resonates with me, Here's to a great 2020.

deb

Yes, it is a process. Stopping the addition of new clothing items with give you a chance to determine what items are truly your style and those that do not quite fit in.

Style Fan

It is definitely a process. I did not become a slow and careful shopper overnight.

Jaime

I think between every line I would put the refrain "realizing how awful I truly looked, getting over myself, having fun". Thanks for sharing!

Carla

I’m a slow learner. It took me 5 years, but the past 18 months have been really good for me. I’ve generally been a slow shopper and a budget fashionista. I’ve had to pause and DO THE WORK to figure out my fashion persona/style monikers, etc. I skirted around this the first 4 years and just couldn’t get things right. When I buckled down and did the work, the benefits started to roll in. One of the most important exercises I did was to break down how I spent my time. I literally broke down a week (168 hours) to figure out how I spent my time, and then sorted my wardrobe priorities accordingly. It is much easier to evolve your style once you’ve got a solid platform based on who you are and how you want to project yourself in the life you actually lead.

rachylou

I think that’s an official stage: Realisation one can stop buying now (!)

And yes, this is another stage: Realisation one should not buy until one has given it a good think.

This one was incredibly useful to me. Shop, but not buy, to see what the options were, if the idea really stuck, etc.

Sal

Interesting thoughts. And good to realise how far you have come and what the next step is.

I am not shopping for clothing for me at the moment after finding and adding quite a lot since September. I feel really well set up and time to put on the brakes......

Jenni NZ

For me the work started about a year before YLF- which I joined almost 3 years ago. I started reading the Recovering Shopaholic blog first, in 2016, but came onto YLF which was recommended there, as just stopping buying wasn’t going to work long term. Working out what kind of things I want to wear the most and buying proportionately, like Runcarla above, is so helpful. Otherwise I kept buying cute tops and thinking “I could wear that out to dinner”- but life doesn’t only consist of going out to dinner! Sometimes I wish it did

lyn67

I went through all stages (maybe still have to work on the last few:-))- but thanks to YLF and Angie- for a few years now I cannot be pushed out of the last stage....and steadily having FUN!!!:-)

nemosmom

Your journey (and previous post from last year) really resonate for me, too! I am still trying to sort myself out, but I feel like I have come a long way.

cindysmith

I've been here about two years now, and I finally have my wardrobe at a place where I don't NEED anything in my wardrobe.
Don't beat yourself up for having so much fun with this style thing. It's GOOD that it's fun for you, just like it's good that it's fun for me. See, even now, with me feeling like I have almost more than I need, I still like to add pieces here and there. I allow myself to have a bit of fun with it, I just try and limit myself to thrift and consignment to lessen my environmental impact and ease the strain on my credit cards.
Having been around this Fab place for a couple of years, I have also been able to figure out my style moniker. Oddly enough, I came to my style moniker while having an off-topic-type discussion about the zombie apocalypse. I have been able to reconcile all the different facets of the seemingly disparate things I like to wear, and refine my wardrobe so that they actually all work together better than they used to. These days, when I'm shopping, it's easier to say no to things I know I'll like and wear for a while, which helps me to only bring home things I know I'll love and wear to death.
Because I do wear clothes to death with my very rural lifestyle. Since work doesn't allow any creative freedom with clothes (very strict, very black dress code), I no longer keep two separate types of clothes in my closet; now, it's all fair game, and I wear the 'nice' stuff all the time. I don't 'save' the good stuff, because even then it all still dies so I might as well enjoy it while it lasts because life is too short.
Life is also too short to beat myself up over things like a hobby wardrobe collection. At least it's not an antique or exotic car collection, right?

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Do a good wardrobe edit and review, and take it from there.

Anonymous

Big yes to what Runcarla said! Not just your life activities, but climate as well. I used to buy a lot for mild weather, which is only a couple weeks of the year- and often rainy. Those pieces sat unworn most of the year. Ditto anything that can't be worn to work. I just need a couple pieces in those categories, not 20. My wardrobe size is about the same, but its more functional.

Synne

Ooh, thanks for your insghts and thoughts on this! Will read thoroughly and reply when I have more than a spare minute (runs after toddler).

I think this site has given me inspiration as well as finding I helped inspire and help others too (win/win!) The fact I found a place to open up about my style freely and ask questions has been a step forward to a new year!

Bijou

Synne, it took me quite a bit of time to modify my style once I became a mother. As a working woman without children, I had it all figured out - as soon as I became a Mum - well those fussy silk blouses and sharp tailored suits no longer fit or worked on me. How on earn can you chase down a todder in stilettos? The answer was to ditch them and wear flats, a shame it took a few rolled ankles for me to learn that lesson!

It takes time, relax and enjoy the journey. We are never there yet stylistically because fashion and style preferences change. No sooner than I have a perfect set of pointy toed shoes, square toes take my fancy. This is a hobby to help you be more mindful in developing you own style. I am now far more relaxed about trends and only pick and choose those that work for me. Anything that seems like I need to make a bit effort to incorporate into my wardrobe unless it is a BIG LOVE - I can pass on and enjoy on other forum members.

Helena

Synne, this is a great breakdown of the process. And yes, even the best hobbies need boundaries - and this can be quite an obsessive one! Here's to 2020, looking forward to following your style journey!

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