Visiting my formal clothes - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Visiting my formal clothes

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I had an unexpected chunk of free time today, so I decided to visit my formal clothes in their guest room closet, despite my unwashed hair and undone face. Anybody else doing this?

I tried a lot of stuff on, and it was gratifying to see that things are fitting and I still like everything! Some items belonged to my mom, some go waaay back to cheap sparkly outfits for grad school parties.

When I look at this closet I think “why do I have so MUCH??!?” but in normal life I actually do need to attend a lot of events. It’s just that there are no events now, so the clothes seem like such a waste of space! And the shoes….man, I hardly ever wear shoes anymore.

It was fun to visit these things and imagine a time when I can wear them again. Not so fun: now I have to put it all away again….

This post has 7 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Dressing

58 replies

Latest reply was from Jessikams

Runcarla

Veteran

Box up #7 and send it my way!

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

I knew that outfit reminded me of someone! It’s YOU Runcarla!

Runcarla

Veteran

Actually, I did play dress up about 6 months ago!

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

kellygirl

Veteran

These are so much fun!! I can’t pick a fave but hope that you get to break them out again soon!

Bijou

Veteran

Yesss!

Although I am generally far more lazy and try wearing a pair of fabulous shoes at my desk whilst working from home rather than a complete outfit.

You look wonderful in all of these, the bed shot at the end is too funny. All are spectacular and true to your style of looking edgy and elegant at the same time, with particular love for photos #2 and #7 above. I think you could get away with #4 in a regular day with the platform loafers.

My crazy desk shoes are in Finds below. I will need to get a bit of practice walking in heels again before I attempt to wear them out of the house again.

View Info

View Info

View Info

Brooklyn

Veteran

Are those brocade boots in 3? I have a bad case of the wantsies!

Sadly, I find myself doing this quite often. I am trying to find ways to wear my nicer clothes everyday but for some things it’s just not possible. (Brocade boots for instance.)

These are fab pieces on you and you are right to hang onto them. We’ll get there.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Purple tiered skirt please!
I recently had cause to wear many of my nicer outfits and I loved it. I don’t know if/when I will ever wear my fanciest outfits again.
Taking out and trying on clothes is way more fun than hanging them back up.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

Bijou, your shoes!!!!! I love that you just GO FOR IT. You have no fear of fashion, and it really pays off for you. My desk shoes are…socks. Or plastic slides. Or (shudder) both.

Brooklyn, they are brocade boots! Cheap years ago from Kenneth Cole. And they have solved many a fashion conundrum for me. I always used to get frustrated that formal music-season events are often in the wintertime, but ladies’ formal shoes are usually high-heeled sandals. My feet get so cold! So I decided to try “formal boots” and it works great.

BD, the purple skirt was a Zara final sale, last one in the store kind of a thing. I don’t really wear purple but I could not resist the shine.

slim cat

Veteran

Gorgeous things - looks great on you !

Minaminu

Veteran

All fab, particularly the final outfit! i am glad to see that there are other people yearning to dress for a different lifestyle. Bijou, I may borrow your idea and wear a pair of shoes that has been on hold during the pandemic

View Info

rachylou

Veteran

Fantastic pieces. *Sigh.*

lyn67

Veteran

Oh, wow, such a fun formal capsule you have, especially love 2&3!!!!! very edgy nr.6, too WOW-WOW-WOW!! Now show your formal capsule all fabbers........ pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeas......

Preppy Pear

Veteran

@lyn67, what formal capsule, lol.

Wow! Well, I’ll take 5 for me! Your gowns and skirts are fantastic. Very, very cool. Love the styling in 4. Thanks for posting these!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

My favorite part of your style is the way you dress for formal events. The usual way is so formulaic and boring. This feels like a little behind-the-scenes glance at the elements before the magic happens.

Brocade boots—why not wear them the way you would a brocade jacket, with some jeans or other “tougher” items, maybe a mini? Can we see them and the skirt in 3 up close? Maybe the pieces in 7 too?

Lyn67, start a thread

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

Loving the excitement out there! I guess we are all hungry for excuses to wear these clothes!

Thanks for the kind words, all. SF, here are more detailed photos. The blue sparkle skirt was bought in mainland China’s equivalent to Forever 21 or something like that—incredibly cheap, all plastic, but that’s fine with me for “party clothes” as they don’t need to stand up to frequent use.

The burgundy skirt is a lovely glossy technical fabric, from COS. The burgundy silk pussy bow blouse, inherited from mom.

This post has 4 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Thanks! What a good eye and good styling imagination you have. All those pieces have great sheen, but I can’t say as the blue is anything I’d pick out as special, and I wouldn’t think to do anything fancy with the second either. Your creativity brings them both to life. Your mom’s iconic statement blouse is lovely. I bet she’d be happy to see you wear it. Does the skirt in 7 have a panel that just matches the blouse? Then there’s those boots! Those boots rock. I’d be wearing them all the time! My pretend brocade boots are mere shadow of them, but I love what they add to an outfit. These would do that, squared. Paging (& paging & paging—why can’t we change this in urls!) through finds for them, I came across the “I wish” boots that I didn’t get because I don’t have the life for them, but I wish.

Seychelles Offstage Boot

View Info

Top Pick

5

Michael Antonio Jazzi Ankle Boot

View Info

Top Pick

5

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

Thanks SF. The blouse is so very very Blanca (my mom) that it took me a while to feel that I had permission to wear it, if that makes sense. But the fabric is gorgeous, slippery and thick. I think the “skirt panel” that you saw in the photo was just a piece of the blouse’s necktie, trailing down.

And the boots! Multicolored footwear is SO useful!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I hear you on your mom’s blouse. I’m planning to shop my mom’s closet when we visit them soon, and I know it will be tricky to see the pieces in any way other than how she wore them.

Aquamarine

Veteran

Wow, gorgeous and fun pieces. Kind of jealous you had places to go to justify wearing such nice things BC. My life is pretty boring lol.

I’ve tried on a few of my dressier items, just to see if they still fit in case life suddenly changes. One potential dress-up event in October was just cancelled, thanks to Delta…sigh.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

Oh, Aqua, I’m sorry to hear about your canceled event. What a disappointment!

Anonymous

*intercepts box meant for RC*
Love the fun dressy clothes! Hopefully you can wear them again soon!

The Cat

Veteran

The dress in #2 looks versatile--I suppose it could easily be dressed down for less-than-formal occasions. And the same could be said about parts of the fun, interesting outfit in #3.

#7 is beautiful--I well understand why you keep it, and I hope you get an opportunity to wear it again soon.

I, too, have recently visited my "formal closet"--and decided to keep everything with the possible exception of a suit which needs further evaluation when I have more time and feel relaxed.

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

Cat, suits will be a challenge to fit into after home lockdowns……too much peanut brittle for those tight suit pants, at my house!

CarolS

Veteran

Wow! What a great collection of pieces, and styled with such panache! Thanks for sharing!

always trying

Veteran

I think it pays to keep what you like and what fits. With seperates you can always add something new.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh how fun! I did review my holding zone, which contains my pieces that do not translate at all into normal wear, last year during the stretch of time at home. I got rid of a few things that I was highly unlikely to fit into or wear again.

I don’t have an extensive fancy wear collection so sometimes it’s a little bit of a reach when an occasion comes up, but I usually make it work from my own closet. I’m just happy I got an occasion to rewear the fabulous full length red ball gown I got for an inaugural ball in 2009 — for another ball in 2019! Our friend is running for mayor again so I’m hoping for another celebration, but I guess I’ll need to wear something different next time, LOL.

This post has 2 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

nuancedream

Veteran

I visit my very, very small collection of fun, dressy clothes on a periodic basis to let them know I haven't forgotten them. It's just kind of hard not having any idea when I might have an occasion to wear them again.

cat2

Veteran

How fun! I went through my collection and got rid of a couple of pairs of heels that were desperation purchases, that always felt too high, but kept everything else that fit or is within a size. We had been dressing up and getting high end take out for our at-home celebrations, like birthday, anniversary, etc. We were actually able to book in at three of our favorite restaurants for outside tables for our birthdays and anniversary this summer! I think Covid Overdressed should be a dress code for events this year, I think we are all dying to really pull out all the stops.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Yes l ve played dress up too with my nice stuff and also wondered why l had it.l think that lve got truly institutionalised by covid and can’t remember going out in nice stuff in the before times.However l do think that you could wear the sequin skirt outfit now as it’s such a cool dress down look and like Runcarla l love #7 ,so dramatically elegant!

12