Kkards, you nailed it! "And realizing what brought us is a unique as each of us, but what kept us is each other (and Of course Angie)"

I saw Angie mentioned in the NYT over ten years ago. I remember staying up late that first night going through all the blog posts. It was truly life changing to finally understand how to dress well.

Thanks for starting this thread, April! I just checked and I signed up 13 years, 9 months ago. I really can't remember how I ended up here, but I was amazed (and continue to be amazed) at how positive and kind the forum is, led by Angie's example, of course.

Someone in the local American Sewing Guild chapter told me about the blog. Our chapter is focused on garment sewing, and this woman said she thought I would enjoy the blog. According to my profile, I joined 12 years and 4 months ago. A while after following the blog, I started looking at the forum. Eventually I got up the nerve to post a WIW. While I'm still an ASG member, I rarely attend meetings anymore, but I look at YLF most days!

In 2007 or 2008 I googled "how to organize your closet" ... and here I am. I was immediately fascinated, became an avid reader but since the idea of being on the internet made me nervous I signed up only in 2016.
I have no words to express how much I love this place and how grateful I am to Angie and all her staff for creating it.
Kkards - well said!
April - brava for asking!

It was the mom on the go outfit formulas for me ... I was refreshing my style as my babies because school kids! And of course stayed because of Angie and the lovely community here!

*happy dance*

!

Being 10 years older than the moms of my daughter's friends I was feeling very frumpy and I needed help. I was 49 yo. I've never enjoyed shopping but Angie and all of you made it easy! NAS, Finds, Outfit Fridays were all so very helpful! I've never posted a picture but have commented on posts from time to time. As I approach my 60th birthday in September, my 24 yo daughter is on her own. I've made peace with my gray hair and the fact I am no longer young. I have found a love of shoes, white blouses, smallish bags and scarves. I dress for me rather than worry about what others think. I am counting my blessings and I can say Angie and all of you are on my list.

Probably Already Pretty, Inside Out Style Blog, or Recovering Shopaholic. I lurked for a long time too before joining. I guess I originally joined 7 years ago- pretty sure it was after starting my current job.

I have written about this in the past. In brief I experienced multiple losses one year, of both family members and Friends. (My uncle, my aunt, my great aunt, my stepfather, my brother in law, a local colleague and friend, and a dear childhood friend). The last was my childhood friend who had a glioblastoma (brain tumor). I had never paid much attention to my wardrobe or fashion prior to these losses because I lived in scrubs and then was focused on my children (one had special needs). I decided to do something very selfish and indulgent and to learn more about fashion and style. My first attempts, on my own led to a bloated and uncoordinated wardrobe. I found YLF when I was looking up body shapes and how to dress them. That was about 10 years ago and I’ve been a fan of Angie’s and the lovely YLF forum continuously since then. This forum has been a great distraction from grief and stress and also has helped boost my confidence and style. I have less time to post recently yet I try to read and keep up.

I found YLF from Googling about dealing with the loss of a beloved pet and found that my dog Dana died the same day that Angie lost a beloved Yorkie. Reading all the posts of sympathy and love, consoled that I too had given my pet a good life, helped me on a dark day. I was blown away by this beautiful and supportive forum. I then read the posts about fashion and thought "I've found my people."

April- appreciate that you started this conversation. Fun to walk down memory lane with ylfers. I joined over 11 years ago, but started reading the blog awhile earlier. I don’t remember how I was lucky enough to find it, but was perusing fashion sites after a significant weight loss. The kids were up and out, my elder care duties weren’t at their peak and I was eager to optimize my casual wardrobe. I read a few other blogs out of curiosity, but wasn’t interested in corporate style and fresh off the runway options. A wardrobe that offered the chance to feel put together for my lifestyle and made getting dressed a breeze was what was needed. Little did I know the possibilities of a welcoming, informative community like ylf. The wardrobe assembly and maintenance has been a work in progress, as styles and needs have changed. The community has expanded, yet retained its warm tone.

I now have the tools I need to be a more thoughtful consumer while having fun with fashion. Thank you, Angie, Inge, and Greg, as well as fellow fabbers.

I found Angie and YLF in 2008, although I can't recall exactly how. I do remember I was trying to define/redefine my personal style in a time dominated by skinny jeans, 8" pant rises, and an over abundance of black at retail. I was so thrilled to meet Angie at a YLF meetup at the Queen Mary tea room in Seattle and participate in a clothing swap way back in 2008. While I followed YLF over the next decade, I was pretty quiet on the forum. I didn't resume commenting with any regularity until late 2019. With my mother's passing and the start of the pandemic, YLF became a significant part of my daily routine not just for the fabulous style pearls of wisdom. YLF is where I get inspiration, food for thought, and humor from an incredible group of fabbers, some of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting in person.

I joined YLF over ten years ago while on vacation in Florida. I don't remember how I found the blog, but I posted a WIW immediately—no lurking. The responses I received were lovely. There were also comments about my outfit, such as bookending and structure. I had no idea what that meant. This opened a whole new world for me.
YLF has been an amazing place to learn about fashion, but the best part has been the warmth and connection to others.

I joined YLF over a dozen years ago after lurking for a few months. It was just before DD was to graduate from high school and leave the nest. I felt that I could then dress for me and not worry about embarrassing her and sticking out as an older mom. I had no clue about what was on trend or not -- which is actually not a motivating factor for me, but as an Enneagram 5, I like to know.

I have stayed because Angie has made this such a welcoming community with acceptance of many ways to dress, many ages, no edicts, and I could go on and on. This is the only blog and forum I follow.

So interesting to hear other people's experiences - thanks for starting this thread!

I believe I found YLF from another blog (Already Pretty or Wardrobe Oxygen?) I had been reading for a few years already before making a forum account.... and then forgetting the password

I returned to the YLF forum around the time I moved to Brazil - my suitcase went missing, so I had to start from scratch in an entirely foreign country. Talk about baptism by fire, lol!

Well, my profile says I joined 16 years and 2 months ago! Wow. I found out about Angie via a styling video posted on someone else's blog...two women in Seattle where I lived at the time. Don't recall their names at all. But Angie impressed me with her expertise and easy manner. I joined the forum right away. I learned so much from YLF. Though I'd always had fun with fashion and shopped at the thrift and second hand stores in my eclectic neighborhood, Angie helped me learn more about fit and to elevate my choices. I have dipped in and out of visiting and participating here over the years. Other things grabbed my attention I suppose. But I always appreciate coming back when I do. Angie and Greg have made a very welcoming and well behaved corner of the internet, which is rare indeed. Thank you both for that, and for everyone else who participates here with such grace.

I only joined Forum about 14yrs and 8months ago but found Angie on the blog earlier somewhere in 2007-when I turned milestone of 40yrs old with all my local friends (parents of my DD's) were all 5-7-10yrs younger (and dressing much more casual and younger!) than me. Clothes and fashion was always my creative outlet but all my work contacts, my best girlfriends and my 2 very well dressed and groomed SIL (both 10yrs older)were already abroad at that time. I was born a city girl but after college and postgrad I started working at a company in suburbs/rural area -which was very strange to all I was used to back then (in 1995) and suddenly had no other person of my age and position to take inspiration for dressing and feeling great at my age (neither for work as an executive in an office or casuals).
Loved reading about all the stories here. I so remember Angie's early posts (shopping the white Ann Taylor shirt, for ex), the NYFWs, blogs about styling clients (picties included back then)-and of course I was mesmerized by her head to toe colorfull vivid style including hair and her lovely persona!
I lurked quite a few months and then I braved into posting my own wiw's-which at the very beginning had all a flash instead of my face(for privacy:-)) and were always taken on a diagonal setting (still are:-)) as I only have very small space in front of my mirror for taking head to toe selfies).
I remember Michelle and her fab cruise capsule so very well- my first style crushes here Shiny, QueenMum, Rae, ClearyClaire, Mo, Greenglove, Inge, Transcona Shannon....and many more of You who are fortunatelly still joining the YLF wonderful Forum- and I even learned to recognize the person posting just seeing small thums of a wiw pictie on the Forum without reading names or looking to faces!:-)).
Thank You All for contributing to my daily dose of feeling fab and worth of changing ideas on my lifetime hobby!

It was Angie's karaoke nights.

If you haven't heard the Dutch version of Thunderstruck with two Yorkshire terriers doing back-up, you're really missing out !

Cee thanks for LOL!

I think it was 2006 or 2007 and I think I was googling body types. I would come across YLF in searches, and after a while I read all of it, and loved the Ask Angie session. Wardrobe wise, I was adjusting to being a sahm, who tended towards, small wardrobe, and when the forum started, appreciated the help of Angie and everyone in making the transition to that stage of life.