SYC: Week 2 - YouLookFab Forum

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SYC: Week 2

nemosmom

Veteran

Here are 4 outfits from this week. This week, the only challenge I set for myself was to try to incorporate older items into my outfits. I managed to do that for a couple of days (#1 is an olive hoodie I inherited from DH years ago; #2 is my happy yellow pea coat from 2009; #3-4 are my old rust skinnies that are starting to thin in the seat )

I am clearly a creature of habit; my olive sweater, black joggers, and moto jacket were worn nearly every other day. I love layering the moto under my camel coat, or over my Uniqlo puffer vest. I will make a point next week to force myself to reach for other things. Maybe.

I DO want to figure out why I tell myself I want variety, yet I keep wearing the same things over and over. I don’t mind repeats (obviously), but I really should wear the rest of my clothes. What gives??!

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30 replies

Latest reply was from cheryl

Cardiff girl

Veteran

You look like a Pinterest pic,all urban cool.l especially like #1 and #5.
I too have a wardrobe full of clothes but wear essentially the same things every day so I obviously crave variety to look at but when it comes to the sheer effort of wearing it,nope l stick with the tried and trusted.If you find out why we are like this.please let me know!

JAileen

Veteran

I really like 1. The olive is perfect for you, and I like the hoodie and matching shoes.

Helena

Veteran

First off, these look fab! I LOVE olive on you, and your earth tones look really good and on trend (and fab with your gorgeous hair). I especially love outfit 6, which has that perfect slouchy cool-girl ease to it.

I have a thought about your ponderings, and I could totally be projecting myself here, but I sense our brains work similarly in some ways, so it might be useful. A few years ago, I was on here fretting about colour ... vascillating between, "I want colour in my wardrobe", and "I'm only ever happy with my neutrals" ... to which Angie helpfully responded that maybe I like lots of neutrals, but sometimes I feel like colour; therefore, I could just wear colour on the days I feel like it, and neutrals the rest of the time. I distinctly recall her conclusion: "It's THAT simple." Duh. But I am such an either/or thinker by nature and love structure and clear rules, so this was quite a revelation in a way!

Might you are either/or'ing with outfit variety, when maybe you are a mostly uniform dresser would simply sometimes enjoys variety?

xx

Kate

Veteran

I too cling to certain combinations that I love—things that combine colors, silhouettes and comfort that make me feel great—even though I have a closet full of other options. Hmm. Food for thought here.

nemosmom

Veteran

Thanks, CG - I am planning to overthink it this weekend! Will report back!

Thank you, JAileen!

You are too kind, TG! And yes, I too sense our brains work similarly ! Maybe I *am* a mostly uniform dresser. Or, am I simply lazy? What rubs me about the whole thing is how much variety I own in my closet that goes unworn. I've made an effort to NOT dupe favorite pieces out of fear of splitting wears, when maybe I should have done just that? I get heart eyes over new/different pieces, then when I try to wear them, I feel weird/off. *sigh*

Kate - if you figure it out, let me know!

Anonymous

Outfits 2 and 3/4 are my favorite, you should have added a black leather belt in 3/4 to fill in the empty midsection and go with that jacket in the one outfit, it’s a little drab without one but the tuck look is very nice on you! The blue jeans and style equally match outfits 3/4.
As far as wearing repeat outfits, as you switch around different clothing per outfit it’s a great way to recycle your favorite clothing, and there’s nothing wrong with having favorites wear what you like Maybe you like a simple style and that’s ok!

Gretchen

Veteran

I hear you on wearing things over and over. I tend to do this as well. For me, I think part of it is being a more emotional dresser. It's raining, so I want comfy sweaters and full length jeans on repeat. Or I feel springy, let's break out the nautical jacket and wear it as a topper all week.

But I also like TG's comment as well - worth exploring!

slim cat

Veteran

I think I'm uniform dresser - saves time and energy. Ditto on what @Gretchen said about "emotional" dressing.
You look great in all your outfits - love #1,2 and 5.

Anonymous

Love the yellow coat especially! If you're comfortable in your style, there's no need to change- if it aint broke don't fix it
I do encourage you to try the unworn things and wear them for a whole day. Either you'll decide they really should be in rotation or you'll realize why they've been orphaned. Next time you shop and are tempted by similar thing, in the need for "variety", you'll remember you already tried it!

Synne

Veteran

I envy you that mustard peacoat! YLF. Yes, I also wear the same items over and over (and joyfully so). Maybe I will try multiples of my favorites, maybe in other colours or so to change things up. Then all that remains is to figure out what will be wardrobe workhorses upfront... hm..

Runcarla

Veteran

The olive outfits are winners, and the silhouette of #5 is so sharp!

nemosmom

Veteran

Jess - I thought about a belt! The mid-rise on those jeans is low enough that I didn't really want to emphasize the waistband and visually shorten my legs more. I ended up wearing a patterned scarf and untucking the sweater instead.

Gretchen and slimcat - yes! I guess multiple days of running late plus cold weather could be part of the reason for repeats.

Suntiger and Synne - thank you! The peacoat keeps coming back into play. I will put it away for a year or two at a time, but I can't seem to make myself let it go. I'll challenge myself to wear the unworn next week.

Thank you Carla! I do love olive...

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Urban cool for sure! I love #1 and also enjoy the contrast with the preppier #2. You know your colours and wear them so well.

TG and Gretchen have hit on a few reasons I was going to offer for the "wanting variety yet not wearing variety" issue. Aside from those...I find I revert to favourite outfits especially in winter. The precise blend between practicality and style that works for me can be difficult to attain so I wear the same combinations again and again....and after a month, that's precisely when variety seems most attractive -- yet unless the weather cooperates I still can't manage to wear those other items!

The problem is less acute for me now in a more temperate climate but it's still real.

Another issue can be not having all the complements to make the "variety" work. Let's say your variety is in the form of a silhouette difference -- maybe you don't have the right pieces to put a full "favourite" outfit together. So take a look at outfits vs. items to see if that's the case.

kellygirl

Veteran

Agreeing with Suz on the Urban cool descriptor. You have such fab style. I love the subtle palette on you--it's understated but interesting. The little details like the footwear choices and fits add so much polish. YLF!

SarahD8

Veteran

You really have your color palette down pat! These all look great but I want to give a special shout-out to your yellow coat. What a great shade to lighten and brighten things up while still staying in the earth-tones realm that suits you so well.

Re: wanting variety but wearing the same things over and over -- for me I think there are two reasons. One is that I just don't know quite how to wear the "variety" item. (Solution: Outfit Lab.) Two is that I have limited possibilities for pairing with an item, and those potential pairings are "crowded" with other possibilities. For example suppose A, B, and C top all go best with X pants. So I never get a chance to wear A+X because I am always wearing X with B or C. (Solution: Careful analysis and very, very targeted purchasing. For example find another pair of pants that can serve the same purpose as X and go with A, B, and C.)

The second one seems very obvious but for me what stops an item from working in more combinations can be very subtle. Hence the need for careful analysis. I know you are up to the task! (From one over-analyzer to another xo)

ETA: I think this is also along the lines of what Suz is saying about a precise blend of practicality and style.

notsaf

Veteran

With love, I will be the one person to say that the yellow coat is my least favorite of these fab looks. The rest to my eye really add up to a coherent style, and the yellow is brighter, preppier, peppier and therefore not really in keeping with the rest of the mix. (But you know me! Contrast does not appeal to me as it does to others, and horses for courses!)

One way I think about variety is not visual but sensory. That is, I have multiple black crewneck pullovers, but one is jersey, another cashmere, another a chunky knit. I often wake up thinking not about wearing a different color, but about wearing a different *texture,* based on the weather, my mood, etc. It doesn't have to be black. Whatever the color palette, you might think about building in everyday variety through fabrication rather than visual impact. It's an element of dressing that's really only for ourselves, and I think it can be really powerful!

PS: love that big camel coat on you and love your black-olive uniform!

kkards

Veteran

Nodding along with notsaf. It took me a long time to under that variety for me was a very small sliver. I didn’t really craze a lot of color, and my silhouette is pretty tight, but I did crave different textures and fabrics. I think I’m finally getting there.
Anyway l like what you worn, especially #1,2 & 5

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

SMASHING Easy Sporty Casual looks. You've got it down, nemosmom!

The palette of your wardrobe could not be more perfect with your beautiful red locks and complexion. Earth tones are magical on you.

Motos are fab for layering, aren't they. ROCK ON.

Sal

Veteran

Great set of looks!! I love 5 and 6. You do have a really effortless casual but put together style that I admire.

I do a similar thing - I think we do all have our favourites and then the pieces that we like, but we just don't want to wear as often. And as Sarah said, maybe they only go with one thing and that one thing goes with lots of others. I used to have lots of tops that went with straight jeans (but not other styles) - so if I only have one pair of straight jeans then those five tops might only get worn once every five weeks. My attached finds for tops are ones I genuinely like but are not workhorses at all. I think they are worth keeping but probably only get worn two or three times a season for various reasons.

I would take a look at the end of the month and think why you are forcing yourself to wear them or simply not wearing them. The ones that you genuinely love I would keep working on. The meh ones could be passed on.

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rachylou

Veteran

These are all fantastic. I love the layered coats.

Re variety: I like to repeat an idea for a few weeks and then I move on... so what I’m wondering is the time frame re your desire for variety...

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

These are all great looks and I am sorry your rust jeans are wearing thin! I agree with the thoughts above regarding the effort it takes to find an outfit that is both comfortable psychologically and physically - especially in winter! A new combination is always a bit of a risk and sometimes I don't have energy for that and maybe you don't either.

Anonymous

I noticed all these have color paired with black-grey, and was wondering how often you pair your most colorful items together?

According to Imogen, people with strong color contrast (many of us Autumns!) can wear strong color combinations. https://insideoutstyleblog.com.....inant.html

notsaf

Veteran

Suntiger, thanks for that link! This color vs. value contrast idea is interesting. The guidelines at the bottom of this page are really in keeping with how I, for one, dress intuitively, but it's so helpful to see them written out as a formula: https://insideoutstyleblog.com.....ocess.html.

nemosmom

Veteran

Thank you again, everyone for your kind words and comments.

I am wondering how much my footwear might play into it here - I tend to pick shoes FIRST in winter, and my feet are always cold. My two insulated pairs of shoes (the ones I reach for most) are olive or cognac. Maybe that's why I keep building olive or rust colored looks??

suntiger and notsaf - those are really interesting ways of looking at color! I always feel too "loud" in a lot of color. Maybe my dressing in neutrals is an attempt to avoid drawing attention to myself. Hmmm...

More thinking is needed...

Anonymous

I think the idea is that color reads as neutral on us (as long as it's in our light-dark and warm-cool value range of course)!

nemosmom

Veteran

suntiger - mayyyybe?!?! I feel like a clown in it, though.

Anonymous

Definitely no clown

Elizabeth P

Veteran

I'm disappointed to miss the photos, but I think this post has generated some great conversation. Definitely food for though as to why, with a bulging closet, the same things get reached for. I am intrigued with Cardiffgirls idea of the variety being somewhat satisfied with just looking at it, rather than actually wearing it.

Bonnie

Veteran

I saw your photos earlier but didn't get a chance to reply. I, too, have variety of tops and toppers but also choose the same things over and over. I think for me that some items are just more versatile and go with everything and others, although I like them and they seem to be flattering, just need the right top or bottom to make them work.

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