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What were your most important style lessons learned in 2011?

sarah

Veteran

What were your most important style lessons learned, style discoveries, or style epiphanies in 2011?

Mine were (both learned from Angie of course):

1) the power of bookending - especially bookending black bottoms with black in the upper half of an outfit and using light colored shoes to bookend my blond hair

2) the fun of owning (a few) stylish handbags

Over to you!

59 replies

Latest reply was from Astrid

Ginny

Veteran

Good topic Sarah, I would say mine was
#1- short hair just works for me and even short I can still change it and keep it fresh without growing it out!! and
#2 the power of the day dress!!! I always felt dresses were too dressy for my life but in reality they really work.!!
#3- shoes can be fun!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

GREAT topic, Sarah! And so nice to see you! I'd been missing you.

Style epiphanies:

1).The fundamental importance of the haircut.

2). I really CAN wear booties with a dress after all!

Style lessons:

1). I'd agree with you about bookending. I had never consciously thought about this but it REALLY helps make sense of some of my own outfit successes and failures!

2). Never sacrifice fit. Nothing matters more.

3.) Mix high and low (by which I mostly mean dressy and more casual). Every outfit where I do this feels more like "me."

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

1) There is nothing wrong with having a uniform.

2) If it doesn't fit, don't buy it!

3) Buy for now, not for the future (or the past).

4) Add something to tough up cute sweetness = interest!

5) Pencil skirts don't work for me; A-lines do!

6) A-lines are not for old women.

shipskitty

Veteran

1) The value of tailoring for better fit.

2) Cost per wear. Thinking about how a new item will work with other items and how much more (or how little) wear it will get.

DeniseP

Sarah and Suz,

I'm still puzzled about "bookending." If you have blonde hair, does that mean that you always wear light colored shoes? If you wear black bottoms, why do you need to wear black on the top, too?

Lyn,

Thanks for the reminder to buy for now... I've been guilty in the past of buying something that will fit if I lose "just five pounds." Translation? closet orphan.

Also, Lyn, would you mind giving an example of adding something tough to calm down sweetness? Is that like wearing denim with a silk blouse? Or leather skirt with satin top?

I read several articles on YLF about handbags, and that it's okay to carry the smaller crossbody bags. I love my smaller handbags -- the larger ones just wear me out!

Another thing that struck me -- Angie's preference for pant leg length is much longer than I've been wearing, and I will be ever mindful in the future when purchasing pants!

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Sure - I can give an example! It's like wearing doc martens with a skirt ... or wearing a moto jacket with a dress ... I'm still pretty girly girl, so my "tough" jacket is a sateen, but this is the only example I have in a picture on this computer, so here you go

I find wearing denim with something sweet and flowery works too... http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....r-brunch-d

And here's more of the same jacket in action; and my eyelet boots (they're Fossil, not Doc Martens) ... http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....in-a-while

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DeniseP

Thanks, Lyn!

You are cute as a button -- and seem to know your style!

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

LOL; it was a long process - YLF has been a great help! YOu should see how shlupy I was at the beginning!

Isabel

Veteran

There have been so many. The two with the most impact have been :

1. PPL
2. Color....I bought a teal bag, yellow shoes, fuschia skirt. It just makes me happy.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Something really new for me was the idea of tucking in anything - and following in the same vein - it's the idea that whatever our shape is, let it shine. I've been the queen of boxy polo shirts, oversized blouses and fleece jackets over the past several years, and I must say - even though I'm still plump - letting my shape show in my clothes a little bit is a whole lot better than boxiness (not sure if that's an actual word). Instead of trying like mad to cover everything up - I've learned that working with my shape and letting it be seen is the way to go. This isn't to say that I'd wear overly revealing clothing or anything - just that I really can wear a pencil skirt with something tucked in, and I really can wear a nice dress.

Even with a few extra pounds left to go, I have a nice shape! Shocking....(well, it is to me). In hindsight, I'm willing to bet that I had a nice shape 50 pounds ago too - just that I was too busy covering up.

I've gotten a lot of inspiration from Kari, from Kristen (Low Fat Dressing), Angie, NK (When Life Hands You a Pear), Michelle (Eyeronic), MaryK, Texas Sarah (Daily Sophisticate), Ornella, Amyreh (LowCarbHighStyle), Janet and many others.

sarah

Veteran

Great thoughts, ladies! I agree wholeheartedly about the importance of fit - I've learned that lesson this year, too.

Denise, terrific questions! Here is a great blog post about bookending black trousers. For example, in #1, I did not bookend the black, and the outfit looks very bottom heavy. In #2, I did bookend the black boots, and the outfit is much more balanced.

As for shoes and blonds, no, it's not necessary for blonds to always bookend their hair (see #2) but it can be a very effective way of pulling an outfit together. For example, in 3, 4, 5, and 6, I've bookended my hair with my shoes, which adds balance to the outfits.

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Anonymous

I think one of my first lessons was to buy for my dominant season. I was still thinking like a person who lived in a cold climate and had to get my head on straight.

Next, I learned to buy clothes for my actual life, not my *fantasy* life. Just this afternoon I had a metalic evening dress in my hand and had to talk myself down from that one!

Now I'm working on adding more casual/edgy/androgynous pieces to keep make my feminine style a little more interesting. This whole juxtapostition thing is difficult for me so it may take me all of 2012 to figure it out!

Great question Sarah! Thanks for starting this thread!

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Style lessons:

1. Proper PPL.
2. Dress the body I have now.

Style epiphanies:

1. I can tuck.
2. Wearing a belt CAN work for a petite apple.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Probably that simple doesn't have to be boring and that silhouettes that aren't super form fitting can still complement my hourglass shape if the clothing drapes well.

Sona

Veteran

I would say my biggest one is buy for the body you have today and that no two bodies are alike even if they have the same proportions somewhat. I also did a major closet purge this December and sold/donated anything that made me unhappy or didn't make me feel fab. If it 'feels fab' and that could mean you like the silhouette or you like the fabric or whatever then you will wear it again and again. But if a sweater dress always makes you feel fat and itchy no matter what the cut or the material then I am not meant to wear sweater dresses. More lighter weight tunics for me with layering!

DeniseP

Sarah!
Thanks for the visuals! It is amazing when you see these photos side by side, and what a difference bookending makes! Now, I will have to practice this too!

Clearlyclaire,
You are too funny! I laugh b/c I do the same thing, with anything that glitters. I was looking at some beautiful evening clutches recently, and had to ask myself, just where do you think you'll be going with that?

Oh, what in the world is juxtaposition? I would like to learn about that, too!

sarah

Veteran

Sona and VelvetyChocolate - I love that you are both feeling more comfortable with your bodies and dressing the bodies you have. That is SUCH a fab lesson to have learned.

Sounds like tucking and PPL were big lessone for a lot of people in 2011.

Denise, I think that juxtaposition is pairing items that have contrasting vibes, like feminine and masculine (e.g., lace and leather or girlish and moto). But others should chime in on that one. It's a bit what lyn is after, as well, with her adding tough to sweet.

Isabel - I'm with you about color. That's another one for me, too. Hooray for color!!!!!!

nancylee

Veteran

Another vote for the power of bookending, Sarah. I now own more light-colored shoes/boots than I ever have for just this purpose.

I also learned how to take baby steps out of my comfort zone, incorporate trends (fur vest, booties), and inject a little more fun into my looks.

Kyle

Veteran

1. Just because something looks good on someone else does not mean it will look good on me.

2. Just because I like something does not mean it is right for me.

3. Simpler is better (for me).

4. Trends are fun, but don't invest in them.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

My head is SPINNING from reading your incredible thoughts. WOW!! I loved reading them!

My most important style lesson of 2011: The power of classic pieces.

Great thread, Sarah! I am humbled to have infected you with my handbag disease.

soobee

Veteran

The most important thing Angie taught me in 2011 was *structured* clothing

sarah

Veteran

That's interesting, Angie. I was wondering what yours would be.

Kyle - all of those could have been mine, as well.

Soobee - hooray for structure!

Nancy - you, Suz, and I need to form some sort of blond bookending learners club : )

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Definitely sign me up for the blonde bookending club! I need lessons from you and Nancy and Angie, Sarah! You are all experts at it. Add Morethanbeige to that list, too. She's got it down.

Denise, I think Sarah's explanation and visuals do a better job of explaining than I could. I never realized that all black on the bottom and nothing dark up top would make me look unbalanced. Now I get it (though I don't always have the right pieces to do too much about it!)

It's so great to read others' lessons and epiphanies. Nodding along with most of you. Claire, I'm still working on buying for my actual life, too. Darn, those sparkly dresses sure are appealing, aren't they?

Deborah

Veteran

Great thread Sarah:)

I think one of the most significant things I have learned relates to footwear.
Bookending was a very new concept to me. I realized that for many years I have unwittingly bookended my huge collection of black shoes with black on my upper body, but I had never considered lighter shoes against my blonde hair! As a result I started wearing shoes that have been in my wardrobe for quite a few years but had remained unworn, in particular my cream and white flats.

I was then encouraged to try (shock horror) coloured (red) and patterned (animal print & handbags) flats.

For a girl who has worn almost nothing but black footwear for longer than I care to mention, this has been a very significant change to my wardrobe. And I am very grateful to Angie, and all of you for showing me how to do this.

As an aside, over the weekend a girlfriend and her family came to stay for NYE and she was flicking though my outfit photos on my phone (she is close friends and one of a few girlfriends with a interest in fashion) and she commented on her much my stye has developed over the past year and referenced the amount of color she was seeing and my more recent shoe choices... I took it as a huge compliment and shared with her the huge impact YLF has had on me:)

Debora

Veteran

Thanks for starting this thread, Sarah! So many great lessons here. I've read the responses through twice and am so in awe of everyone's perceptiveness. An important lesson that I have learned is:

It is so worth it to me to invest more in particular items. My feet have gotten extremely fussy as I've gotten older and I've found that I need to buy a better quality shoe in order to keep my feet happy. .

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

Lessons learned:
1. That knee high boots are supposed to be fitted at the calves
2. How to dress an apple shape
3. The importance of waist definition with tucking and belts
4. Figured out my style persona--demure bombshell
5. Less is more and classic does not mean boring
6. Things that look killer on others don't always look good on you
7. Stores with generous return policies are your friend (which helps with #6!)
8. Only keep clothes in your closet that make you feel fab--don't settle! (Probably the most important lesson this year for me!)

Amy

(website)

Veteran

Interesting thread! I am noting that I need to learn about bookending, because that's not something I've given any thought to in the past. During the past few months, I've learned:

1. Proper pants length. All of my pants were too short. By a lot. Yikes!
2. I can wear belts.
3. I can wear funky draped skirts, e.g. hitched skirts
4. I should leave hair coloring to the professionals. hahahaha
5.I've learned a little bit about proportions and contrast when planning outfits with dress pants. I still have a lot more to learn about that though.

sarah

Veteran

Ladies, I am enjoying this SO much!

Yes, Suz, by all means let's sign up Deborah and Morethanbeige - we can all learn from each other!

Deborah - I used to have only black (or brown) footwear, as well, and now I realize I struggle to wear it effectively. It's been so fun watching your style journey into experimenting with color and bookending shoes.

Natalie - "demure bombshell" - I love it!

Amy - I'm going to be letting out some pant hems in the next couple of days ; )

Debora - I see that in your style - I'm thinking about those lovely NAS boots you picked up, and how perfect they are on you!

Traci

Veteran

1. The power and ease of frocks.
2. Book ending allowed me to bring black shoes back into my wardrobe. Speaking of that, this year, through analyzing outfits ad nauseum online, I started bringing black back into my wardrobe. Mixing black with other neutrals has been liberating.
3. This year I've developed somewhat of a color palette to my wardrobe. I've learned to mix colors in a way I never would have had the nerve to do before.
4. Layering. I've always been mystified by layering and through copycatting, I'm finally getting it. I always thought only super thin girls could wear layers because they added bulk.
5. The difference a modest heel can make in how an outfit looks. I had to wear flats for a period after I discovered how much better I feel with 2-3 inches of lift and I felt like my entire wardrobe aged by 15 years!

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