This post is inspired by Ledonna's amazing post sharing her style journey. I want to thank her for motivating me, so I could post my own story.

It was about 5 to 6 years back that I got particularly interested in fashion. At the time, I was coming to terms with my weight gain, learning to be more accepting of my curves. I was done feeling 'inadequate' and 'overweight', so I wanted to dress my body in clothes that were flattering for my figure.

Most body-type dressing advice I found told me to stick to a classic style to flatter my hourglass shape - pencil skirts and fitted dresses to accentuate my slim hips, V neck tops to minimize my bust and Blazers worn open to show off my slim waist, fit & flare dresses and sheath dresses in woven fabrics that didn't cling to lumps and bumps.

I followed the rules and created a new wardrobe that fit well and flattered my curves. I had little to no regard for the fact that I worked from home, lived a very casual lifestyle and rarely had occasions where I could actually wear such structured, formal clothes. In reality, I spend 90% of my time at home, and for that I wore yoga pants or shorts with tshirts. How I looked at home and how I looked when I stepped out could easily be mistaken for 2 different women. And as you can imagine, I was always the MOST overdressed person everywhere I went.

This didn't bother me much. I liked all the compliments I got. I liked the fact that my wardrobe was classy, polished and "perfect".

To be brutally honest, this wardrobe gave me more grief than it gave me joy. Yes, I looked and felt great when I was out. But only I knew of how many agonizing hours I spent standing in front of my wardrobe, trying to figure out just *how* or *where* to wear a particular dress or shoes. I had weekends to wear my fancy clothes because thats when I normally go out. And when the world dressed down, I dressed up.

My husband is a very supportive, evolved kind of human being. He never complained of my constant 'planning' and indulged me with 'outings' where I could wear all my pretty clothes. He always knew I was living a fantasy life on weekends, power-dressing when the world wears casuals, but he said nothing.

I still vividly remember the day he decided to speak up. We were going for a Sunday breakfast. It was 8:30am and I put on new trousers and blazer with high heels. I was also wearing pearls. He said "It's Sunday. Are you sure you want to be dressed like you're about to walk into a meeting?" I told him I was sure. Who knew I had no meetings to go to? I could be mistaken for a woman who was heading into a meeting post bfast...right?

Later that night I thought hard about this. Ofcourse, there is no harm in dressing up more than usual. But was it really me? While others may not know what my real lifestyle was and may not stare at me for being overdressed, I knew it. It started to bother me. A lot.

I also realised my life had no spontaneity because of this obsession I had with my fancy wardrobe. Everytime my husband wanted to take me to someplace he wanted to 'surprise' me with, I would throw a fit. I had to know where I was going....how else could I decide what to wear?! What if I could've worn that lovely dress with sky high heel sandals because we were going to an upscale restaurant or club where my outfit would be 'appropriate'? And what if I was just wearing jeans and a ratty top to such a place because I thought we were going to do something casual? It would've been a waste of 'occasion'....and I struggled enough to *create* opportunities to wear all my pretty clothes even once a year as it is!

This realization told me something was terribly wrong. I was not dressing for my real life. I was so attached to clothes that were all wrong for my real life. I also had no idea HOW to dress smartly for my REAL life....the life I spend at home....the life where we do a lot of fun, casual things like take the dogs to a park, go for a movie, have a glass of wine with friends at home. Shouldn't I be more concerned if I was truly happy with what I wore 90% of the time, rather than focusing on that 10%?

Soon afterwards, I joined YLF. And that's when I started to discover the real ME. I learned that fashion can be fun EVERYDAY. That it's ok to dress for comfort and still look polished, that you don't have to conform 100% to body type dressing rules in order to look and feel good.

YLF didn't just change my relationship with my wardrobe, it also changed my outlook towards my life. No longer was I afraid to make spontaneous plans or step out of the house without knowing exactly what I'd be doing and where I'd be going. I was happy with what I was wearing everyday, and it is my everyday life I shop for these days. I feel more comfortable in my skin. I feel like ME everyday.

I no longer buy fancy clothes I would like to wear to a 'party'; I have enough of those. Instead, everyday becomes a party because I feel confident and beautiful once I'm dressed for the day; happy to open the door to any opportunity that comes knocking.

This wouldn't have been possible without each and everyone of you stylish ladies here on YLF. All of you inspire me in your own unique way. And this would never have been possible without Angie. You guys mean more to me than I can say in words.

THANK YOU.