What originally brought you to YLF? - YouLookFab Forum

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What originally brought you to YLF?

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Curious what your motivating factor was in coming here? A special event you needed guidance on dressing for? Interpretation of fashion rules you had heard? Just a love of clothes and general poking around fashion blogs brought you here?

For my part, I was having an issue with the fashion over 40 rules, which just happened to coincide with a move across the country to a different climate the very week after my 40th birthday. So my closet needed some summer options and I was starting to really wonder if I was kidding myself that it was still okay to wear this or that . . . etc. Fast forward to searching "fashion over 40" on the internet and coming across a horrible collection of very matchy conservative examples that looked like either office or church lady wear to me, and wasn't applicable whatsoever to my life! Then I stumbled here somehow. Ta-da!!

I still hold that one's station in life is AS important as age in interpreting 'the rules', but this community feels more in tune with fashion as I understand and wear it day to day. I'm still feeling out how my new climate and age factors affect the style I'd finally honed back in the cold of the CA mountains. But I'm finding important revelations on fabrics, accesories beyond jewelry, and proportions. Things I should have but never thought too much about. Guess once I found a body skimming silhouette I declared it a victory and put it in the wardrobe. Done.

Anyway, now I'm rambling. Suffice to say I'm here and learning while still keeping true to my own style which is as, or more, important than a set of *rules*. Thanks for all the help so far and the welcoming attitude from all!

General

37 replies

Latest reply was from Dawn

Becky

Veteran

Several years ago my sister challenged me to dress in a more current and flattering manner. I realized she was right and set about trying to educate myself. I read countless fashion/style books and magazines and stumbled across dozens of blogs before I found YLF, which has been the single greatest factor in my style journey. I know my style has a long way to go, but I have come *such* a long way since then!

PalmFronds

Great question--just pure luck I think! I had been searching the web for articles on "fashionable mom" and "mom on the go" I think and this site kept coming up on the search. A few blog-reads later,and after my first outfit post(when I truly realized what an amazing social environment this is) I was hooked Even when I don't post, I read everyday that I can.

JewelryGirl

LOL - I stumbled across YLF as the 1st fashion blog I ever saw while searching on-line for shoes maybe if I'm remembering correctly & have been hooked ever since. I love the blog but it was really the forum that hooked me!

Elly

Veteran

I honestly can't remember, which is horrible since I am fairly new to YLF! I mean, I knew why I was looking, but I can't remember how I came across it.

I was (and am!) in the process of transitioning from a college wardrobe to something not quite professional, but more put together. I know a lot of people don't understand the need for this transition since I am not leaving the higher education system entirely, but I no longer feel comfortable meeting new people, ect. while wearing "college" gear. I recently passed up an opportunity (last-minute) to participate in a panel and meet people in my field in my new community (there will be other opportunities) because I did not feel comfortable going to the event in what I had been wearing that day.

I also have been feeling really negatively about my appearance in general because of changes brought on by a recent illness that I am having to adjust to. I feel like I have to put more effort into my appearance, but have less energy to do so. On top of that, I am single for the first time in 3 years.

I guess YLF is such a bright, happy place that makes fashion seem fun again.

Reneeb

Veteran

I was having severe back problems several herniated disc, bulging disc,scoliosis you name it I had it. Due to years of back problems I have gone from 5 "6 to 5 "2 and that has made my upper body very hard to properly fit in tops and jackets. Nothing I owned would fit and I could not go to the malls and shop due to pain. So I starting ordering online and nothing fit. So I turned to online fashion advice and lo and behold I found Angie. After reading the blog about 6 months I realised that I was a petite and that there were ways to dress other than a big tent over my body. I can now order online and it fits. But allot of the pieces are recommended by Angie. I guess I need to thank Angie. Thank you Angie for making my life better.

MsMary

Veteran

I had weight-loss surgery (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) in March and have lost almost 40 pounds so far. Just recently every single bit of clothing in my closet has officially gotten way too big and I needed to replace it all. I remembered seeing this blog in the past and came back and discovered the forums, and the rest is history!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for sharing, ladies.

Arwwwh, Renee. How kind. We are blessed to have very stylish you grace this forum. Thank YOU.

Becky, I'm humbled. You have been a YLF'er for years and it's great to see you participating again. We missed you.

Mo, super to have you onboard! Thanks for treating us to your style and believing in YLF.

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

Great stories girls! I love reading how we all came to be here!

I was in a state of desperation - I knew my style needed drastic help, and for the past 6 months I had been trying desperately to find a source of information, inspiration and help, that I connected with and felt was relevant to me and my lifestyle.

Well, somehow, I found Angie's blog, loved what I read, and then discovered the forum - as soon as I read a few posts I knew this was the exact kind of place I was looking for, so signed up very shortly after and the rest, as they say, is history!

Louise

Veteran

I came here by accident, I was looking for ways to wear a mustard colour cardi, the cardi has long since bitten the dust (way too big) and I've developed a YLF addiction x

Claudia

Veteran

I stumbled upon Angie's blog (there was no member forum at the time) when I was Googling info about age appropriate dressing. Having entered my forties, I felt I needed to make some changes. I think on that day I was primarily searching for skirt and dress hem length opinion. I then spent hours reading Angie's blog and learning things I hadn't even thought about fashion and absorbing all this great information about styling.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I'm really enjoying reading about everyone's 'backstories' as well. Thanks for sharing! And it's humbling as well to realize it isn't always such a lighthearted thing that brings some of us here. Brings me back to what someone once told me about cutting people some slack - they may be dealing with a lot more than you assume!

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

I was googling for something about clothes. I can't remember what. I do remember the feeling of having discovered a treasure trove when I landed on the YLF page. Finally, here were all the answers to the questions I had and also the questions I never knew I had.

marianna

Veteran

I was searching for comfortable flats, when I accidentally stumbled upon Angie's expertise. The rest is history!

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

I don't remember the specific google search that got me here, I just remember it was a stroke of pure luck that landed me on Angie's blog. I spent a good couple of hours reading through the various posts and was really impressed by the practical information presented here, but I really got excited when I saw the forum. I had often expressed a wish for an internet community where I could pose fashion questions, either on general trends or specific outfits and purchases, without feeling judged. Thanks to Angie and Greg, I found it and have been a hard-core YLF booster ever since!

teri

Veteran

I had googled white jean jacket trends or something like that and found an old blog post.

Srujana

Veteran

I was blog hopping through fashion blogs and somehow landed here. I lurked for awhile and then realized that this was an incredibly warm, supportive, intellectual and at times hilarious group of people...and I wanted in!

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

Like Srujana, I was blog hopping too. I turned 40 this year and decided it's time I tried to look more pulled together.

I started out reading Angie's blog and just browsed the forum. Can't remember what made me decide to actually post!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

My Boss had taken a week off work and by day five I had completed all my jobs, I was idling the morning away on the web when I entered the search 'can blonds wear yellow?' and Angie's blog was number one with Google. I then spent a couple of hours reading the blog before discovering the forum, I answered there and then a thread by jewelrygirl (sp?) about adding edge to your outfits.

But the reason I stayed? At that time I had two children 6months and 23months and practically 80% of my wardrobe was maternity clothing or too big. I was so overwhelmed at the prospect of starting from scratch. I wanted to look stylish and felt I used to look stylish but I needed a no nonsense, practical and very stylish guru (plus forum) to help me on the way.

Lisa

Veteran

I had come back from a trip to Europe and was looking for more examples of "european style" to copy. I just love the dressed up yet effortless beauty look I saw during my trip. YLF came up in a google search and I feel in love with the blog. It took me longer to even start reading the forum, but once I observed how helpful everyone was (and nice) I jumped in.

Anonymous

I was online looking for proper fit on sheath dresses or something like that. I started reading the blog and forum and realized that I wanted to be part of it.

Manda

I came across YLF not long after Angie started the blog in 2006. I was searching for advice on jacket fitting in particular, a trench coat. It was my first really big ticket purchase ever and I was struggling with what fitted right. I found some tips on the blog and also ventured to ask Angie a few questions. A series of email exchanges (with a few photos) later, Angie, from the the other side of the world had helped me purchase my trench coat. I am forever grateful for that kindness from a "virtual" stranger.

Since then, I've been a quiet observer apart from a few forum posts in 2008 to help with the finishing touches for an outfit to wear to a wedding.

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Oh, I like this thread!

I finally realised at the end of last year that I was frustrated with looking and feeling like I lacked style and polish with my outfits. Having (finally!) just ended a cycle of either being pregnant or breastfeeding for 6 years, I had totally and utterly neglected myself and had totally lost my style groove. Entering my mid 30's did not help either as all of a sudden, for the first time, I was starting to question what styles of clothing was appropriate for someone my age. I also didn't have a clue as to what trends to avoid and what trends to embrace.

I didn't have a huge amount of spare cash on hand, but out of desperation signed up to a supposed online fashion stylist (and paid some money too I might add to my now disgust) to give me some advice and point me in the right direction stylewise. Let's just say I was pretty unimpressed by the advice I received.

After a month or two, I decided to look elsewhere, because I felt there surely had to be some good advice out there somewhere in cyberworld, so I started googling random terms to do with looking fabulous like "style" "how to dress" etc. Lo and behold, Angie's blog came up top of the list. One short click and my little obsession commenced.

I actually lurked on the forum for quite a few months [Hello other lurkers out there! :-)]before I had the courage to start posting and was absolutely blown away by the kind support and advice the forum members offered from the first day I started posting.

I may still have a long way to go, but the difference in how I look and feel about myself (appearance wise) from day one to now is absolutely phenomenal. I am utterly grateful to Angie and Greg and everyone on here who contributes to this fabulous forum.

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

Hmmm, I don't really remember anymore! I think it was just about two years ago; that's about when I started taking photos of my outfits for the first time (so says my collection in iPhoto!). I assume it was from clicking through fashion blogs and someone linked to Angie's blog, maybe about body shape? Then I found the forum, which at the time was buzzing with "vets" like Nicole, Shiny (oh how I loved Shiny's weekly outfit recaps), Kyle, San, Laura, Kendra, Tanya, Joy, and many others (edit: the Texas girls, OMG! and Inge, and Jean, and everyone's names and faces are rushing into my memory now). I remember Alecia and I were about in the same boat, new to the whole idea of having our work clothes not just be constricting, boring "uniforms", and taking super-dark and blurry outfits in desperation, LOL! I learned so much from Angie and all the stylish ladies, in particular realizing that there isn't just ONE way to be stylish, there are thousands! What works for one of us might not work for the other, but we are each stylish in our own way. That gave me the confidence to try all of this for myself, and to stretch myself in new ways. And I haven't looked back!

Laura

(website)

Veteran

This is a fun thread!

I was cruising around style and mommy blogs, looking for something but I didn't know what, and I was reading "A mom in red high heels" because she used to do a great MOTG dressing feature called "seen at the playground." She'd describe fab outfits other moms were wearing. Anyway, she linked to YLF, I popped over here and was hooked immediately. I recognized that YLF was unlike anything I'd ever seen online, fashion or not, and that Angie had a special voice and a gift. That was it for me!

April

Veteran

What brought me to YLF originally was... cluelessness. After years as a grad student and mom, my wardrobe was exceedingly terrible. When I started working full time, I knew I had to do something to prevent getting dressed every morning from being a trauma.

I had started reading Wardrobe Oxygen, which linked me here. I devoured all the blog posts and then wandered onto the Forum. I still remember the first photo post I saw: it was Patience, gathering opinions on two leather jackets. It seemed so wonderful to me that people were posting photos and getting input.

Took me a while to create a log-in, and even longer to post any photos of my own. But the good advice and positive vibe have kept me here.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Wow. I'm in utter awe. This is one of my favourite threads to date and am marking it so!

I guess one of the things that REALLY pulls my heart strings is how there are readers who have been around since 2006 - and are still reading.

Thank you for your invaluable support. YLF would not be what it is without you. HUGS!

Queen Mum

Veteran

I think I originally found YLF through a link at Onechicmama

Beth

Veteran

I was just bored with my closet. After years of building a classic (read: booooring) work wardrobe, I realized that not only could I wear all these things at 90 years old, but I'd completely lost the sense of fun with fashion that I had when I was younger. I looked fine, but I sure didn't look very interesting and I knew I could do better.

I'd looked at a few fashion sites over the years but they seemed to be obsessed with labels and copying ultra-trendy looks. Then I found YLF through a link on another website and here it was: an intelligent, stylish, on-trend haven with room for individual personality and style. I just love it here. I've not met a kinder, more giving group and the most fabulous Head Cheerleader.

Mae

April brought me here two summers ago. It's the great information and amazing support network that has kept me here. YLF is such a wonderful resource and a supportive, safe community. Thank you, Angie and Greg! And thank you April for introducing me!
Great thread, Mo!

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