MaryK, are you accusing Team RATE of poor grooming?

LOL.

Yes.

Yes, I am.

Apparently.

I may have to re-think this whole thing...

Fashion today makes it easier than ever to be Bohemian on Tuesday and Classic on Wednesday. Depending on my day timer, I'm comfortable with either, but I'll admit that when I'm going Classic, I tend to tease my hair a little more, truck slightly more dramatic eyes and counter the suit jacket with tall peek-a-toe heels so it won't come off as too uptight. But even as I write that, it cracks me up that we are (I am!) scrutinizing our fashion to such a degree lest some passerby get the wrong impression of who we really are!

Jean, following Angie's definition I would put you up there with Kate Moss....a poster girl for Team Deliberately Unpolished (Team DUP!).....I'm thinking of your gorgeous frayed edge blazzer with Doc Martens pic - it's one of my alltime favourite YLF wiws because it appeals to my inner DUP girl!

I'm team Unpolished because I'm afraid of looking like I'm trying too hard, but when I get more confidence in myself and learn a bit more I'll be glad to change team

Ok, if our team choice is based on style goal rather than style reality, I'm 100 per cent on team polished. Looking rough around the edges has no appeal for me. Nor do I wish to look too stuffy, particularly in some casual contexts, but I believe it's possible to look put together without being overdressed. The fact that some YLF veterans believe I actually carry off my polish ambition is very validating. So, yeah, I'm joiing the ranks of Team Polish officially.

Well if Kate Moss is captain of team RATE my jaw always drops when she scrubs up for fashion week. Rock chick to angel via the salon is fab. I still think I'm neither one extreme or the other but aim for a natural polish.

Bumping because this was an interesting re-read in light of all the recent discussions on style statements!

I don't think I read it the first time but I'm definetly RATE

Um, look how many posts are on this thread. Number 99......

And I am not on Team RATE; however, I want to be Una's 100. xx

And I'm post #100...

I'm definitely RATE: I can't be bothered to iron, straighten my hair, wear makeup, do my nails, or anything else like that.

Oops, I'm 101

I haven't even made it to upgrading hair and makeup yet -- I'm just trying to iron my clothes better (going for the Italian look) and good posture! That should cover me for either team

Can we be barely polished around the edges? I don't paint the nails or fuss with the hair but I am fastidious about other things - eyelashes being perfectly separated, seams running straight, laces laying flat, tucking being even and so on . . . maybe I'm just team sloppy OCD!

Polish, polish, polish. No question. But never overdone, I hope. I try to keep in shape and take care of my skin and nails, which makes achieving my desired polished result a bit easier.

Simple hairstyle that is not high maintenance (well, there is a color issue to consider), but I'm not a scrunched or sprayer.
Short unpolished nails. I don't think polish requires polish, necessarily.
Makeup daily, but with a light touch.
Clothing choices that tend to be simple, but with an increasing focus on fewer, higher quality items

All of this contributes to a polished end result that is comfortable for me.

I wrote a blog post about this yesterday. Will post next week

Sorry, what is RATE!?

ETA: Okay, I'm slow. Rough Around The Edges! Count me in : )

Can't wait for the blog post!!

Oooh, can't wait to see your blog post, Angie!

Thanks for bumping this, Una - I hadn't seen it before. I think I'd fall onto team polish, but not stuffy. I, too, and looking forward to reading Angie's blog on this!

May I be scruffily polished?

Alicat I'm with you, I place myself 50-50 on team RATE and team POP I'd been saying "polished but not TOO polished" but I like your term, "scruffily polished" better!

Have you ever noticed on some makeover shows the people look worse after they've been all polished up? I notice this especially when they makeover someone with a natural beauty or who has a single striking feature. It's like all the gloss and polish and refinement draw a big spotlight on that one feature and make it appear like a flaw, when it looked like an asset when they were more natural looking.

The biggest example I remember of this was a WNTW with a lady with a gap between her teeth. With her wild hair and unpolished face, it fit her perfectly. It was one of the things that made her interesting and there was a great balance in her features. When she was all done up, it became this glaring flaw.

Is this what people are talking about when they say they "can't pull off polished"? or do they mean more about the time and upkeep?

I, apparently, am Team Polished, whether I like or not.
All my life I have heard, "Oh you are always so dressed up," and "You just look so put together all the time" and even, "You look like you just stepped off a band box" (yeah, that was an old dude told me that, heh heh).
Even when I TRY to do the RATE or Rock Chick thing, I hear those comments.
I guess for me, it's either Polished or total slob.
I don't think it has to do with me being bigger, although I DO notice that total slob comes quicker now that I am larger!
My mother was the same way. In jeans and a sweatshirt she looked like a black haired Grace Kelley. Posh by nature, I guess.

I aspire to be part of Team Polished - and often "polished" is used as a descriptor for my style. However, I end up very ragged around the edges. I spill things on myself, I get hangnails, my face gets greasy, my glasses get smudged, my hair loses its shape, I fall and bang into things and get bruises and cut my knees/ankles while I'm shaving... halfway through the day, I'm a big haggard.