Hi everyone! My name is Claire and I'm a new member. I live outside Phoenix and I'm a SAHM/housewife. My husband and I met when we were both flight attendants. He still flies, but I quit to stay home after my second child was born. We are from the east coast and that and flying has really influenced my style (or what I aspire to look like). I have first class taste on a coach budget...maybe a Greyhound bus budget, lol!

Now that I'm 45, I've decided I want to wear what I think is beautiful, even if it raises eyebrows. I live in the suburbs, and it is extremely casual here. I have decided I'm sick of cargo capris. This summer I'm rotating 4 casual skirts and a few dresses. This has caused a lot of comments from friends but I'm holding fast. The skirts are SO much cooler in our extreme heat and they make me feel just a little bit more feminine when I'm sweating like a pig.

I'm over 5'7" my weight is in the one-teens and I'm an inverted triangle. I love Audrey Hepburn style--slim pants, skirts and dresses with ballet flats, pearls, cardigans. I also love scarves and about 6 months ago I discovered casual fringed pashmina scarves. I have a bunch and I wear one every day. In the summer, my scarf is my "'wrap", or sweater alternative for cold air conditioning. It might just be in my purse, but I always have one with me and it makes me feel elegant, even if I'm wearing a T-shirt and a demin skirt. Fun! Can't wait to figure out how to post pictures.

Thanks for having me!

I am "new" but not really..I have been lurking for about 2 years now! I feel like I know you all! I am 42, live in N CA. I work from home & really miss dressing up for work & have really let my style get a little too casual. I am working on getting my "groove back" & having fun with fashion & style like I used to. I have learned so much from you all already & am happy to be here!

Hi all -
Thank you for creating such a supportive community.
I live in Portland OR and if I bought all my clothes at REI (they sell outdoor gear), I would never look out of place here. After a long health issue, I wanted a different look that is more "me" and less "I just left the gym".
I work from home, so there's no dress code and I want to be able to walk the dog without changing clothes. I ride my Dutch bike most days (no car). My friend told me I looked like Mary Poppins on it, and I think that's one of my favorite compliments.
I love all your inspiration discussions and I have upgraded my wardrobe but I think I need help with proper fit.
Again, what an amazing community - thank you all for being here!

Hi I'm Sylvia, 45 years old and blogging for the 40+ women community. I am Dutch but living in Singapore. My aim for my new site is to give style inspiration to 40+ women and tips on how to dress for your body type and to show that you can remain looking fabulous at that age.

I look forward to participating in this forum and I would also like to connect with other 40+ bloggers here in Singapore and around the world. So contact me if you want to meet up either IRL or here on the site or on my own site.

Greetings! I'm 50, and I'm not sure what my body type is--maybe you all can help me figure it out. I think I'm somewhere between hourglass and inverted triangle, because I have a strong, straight shoulder line but a fairly narrow pelvic structure.

My job is business casual, and I like to stay on the dressier end of that. My biggest fashion struggle is to be updated in appearance, but age appropriate. I don't want to look 70; but I don't want to look like I'm trying for 20. My second biggest struggle is to dress my petite (5'1"), short torso, inclined-to-look busty/chunky frame.

Greetings everyone. I'm a 25 year old freelance writer with a day job. I actually stumbled over this site last November when I was looking up business casual for some of my characters and just sort of started lurking.

I seem to be at this awkward transitioning age where things seem to be either too young or too old, so I have this challenge of finding things I like that blend smoothly. But it's not so much looking my age that concerns me (general consensus is that I look 18).

I have a tendency to gravitate towards bright colors and darker neutral tones, and I rather like stripes and plaid. Because I'm really not afraid to experiment with my clothing, I've been compared to Steven Tyler in the past, and I'm trying to put some kind of lid on that- not so much on the style, but on how to put it together.

Hi, I'm new, have been lurking for a while but this bit of cyberspace has such a positive energy I decided to join in. I live in Wales, UK. Sometimes I feel I know what I'm doing with clothes, sometimes not. I'm 48 and it gets confusing at times - what's age appropriate? how much does that matter? can I show my knees at nearly 50? wear a maxi skirt at 5' 3"? do skinny jeans really suit me? etc etc These age / height type issues, coupled with a small budget and chronic indecision, mean that finding things to wear is sometimes less than fun. Not always though - got a Topshop maxi last week, wore it to work with platform wedges and felt great, apart from when I tripped over it going upstairs - eeek!

Welcome!

Innerspace -- I am 5'4" and I have a maxi skirt. It has a back slit but I rotate the slit to the front so I can show a bit of leg. I am in my early 50s.

Catherine -- welcome to the forum. When you are my age you will love that you look 7 years younger than you are!

KikiG -- this is a great place to learn about dressing your body type as well as learning what's age appropriate.

Sylvia -- I'm going to check out your website!

Fern and Annie -- I live in N. CA where there is a similar non-style style thing going on in the community. I might stick out for not dressing like this, even though I blend in well if I'm actually hiking.

Clearlyclaire -- love your name! Hoping to see more WIWs from you in skirts and pashmina.

Hi All, I'm glad there are women of all ages here! And I'm 52, so I'm glad there are others my age. I'm starting a small business & my work clothes will be a swim suit. (It's a swimming pool for dogs.) The rest of the time I pretty much wear jeans. I'm looking forward to learning from all of you how to add some polish to my outfits!

hello,am 18years old and i live in Africa,Ghana.I just typed in how to wear belts and i was given this site and oh my i got what i wanted and much more.Just want to say thank you Angie for this wonderful site to help ladies all over the world.I guess i have to tell some of my friends about this site.

Hi all! I am a 27 year old Australian girl on a quest to find my style! I am tired of standing in front of my wardrobe, staring at my mostly grey and blacck clothes and feeling uninspired. At the moment I would call my style practical, functional and classic. I feel like I dress older than I am, and that I look boring. I am a kindergarten teacher so I use the excuses of having to look professional, being able to move around for my clothing choices. It's time to shake things up!!

My aim is to build a functional fabulous wardrobe filled with clothes that I enjoy wearing and feel good in at work and play. I wish I could do this over night, but I know it will be a process. I'm going to start by sorting out the clothes I already have, then working out my body type and the best colours for me. I definitely want to bring some more colour into my clothing!

I look forward to participating in the forum and learning from you all

Hi I have been a lurker on YLF for years and today i decided to join as i spend quite a bit of time thinking about clothes and my wardrobe and not so much time actually fixing it. I hope to learn from others by participating in the forum. I am a SAHM in London, i visit the US regularly so I am able to shop on both sides of the pond. looking forward to using the style tips found at YLF.

Hi. I'm Nancy and I'm a petite (5'1"), size 2/4, 41 year old working wife living in the Washington, DC area with her hubby of almost 8 years. I work in a very conservative government field (hello DC) so I strive to bring out my personality somehow during the work day plus have fun at night. I'd like to think my style is classic with an edge (think a bit rock and roll).

Unfortunately we have no kids and due to years of trying, I've decided to concentrate on things that make me happy: fashion, music, exercise and lots and lots of shoes.

Since hubby has been unemployed, I consider myself a discount shopper but on occasion I do splurge on a expensive item that's hard to find. My go to stores: Ann Taylor / Loft and Banana Republic for their great classic pieces and their petite section, Anthropologie for a bit of whimsy, TJ Maxx's and Targets for lower end but good pieces, Ross for discount shoes, Zara /H&M for when I'm feeling a little Euro and a I'm feeling a little Euro these days. Ebay for all other items.

I feel like I don't have to spend money in expensive designer pieces knowing they won't fit me but if I do find something, I WILL buy it.

Anyway, can't wait to start looking at this great blog and ANGIE, I LOVE YOUR STYLE!!!

Hi all. I'm new here but have been browsing for a couple of weeks. My name is Christy and I live in the Midwest, USA. I'm a 44-year-old housewife who's been married for 20 years. I'm 5' 4" with what I think is a figure 8 hourglass but with a wide waist (shelf-style hips and bust and hips equal in inches with waist 8 inches smaller rather than 10). I'm currently a size 14, down from a 20, and hopefully heading even further down. I'm thoroughly enjoying being able to shop anywhere!

I enjoy shopping anywhere from the thrift store to Walmart to TJ Maxx to Macy's and beyond. I look forward to investing in a pair of premium-priced jeans and investment pieces once I lose all my weight, but for now it's thrifty stuff.

I don't know how to describe my style. I don't know if I have one, at least not a successful one.

Whoops... forgot to do this and jumped right into posting! Mea Culpa. I'm a transplanted New Yorker in Austin, Texas. I work in the entertainment field, I'm probably a rectangle with pear and triangle tendencies (ah you lucky hourglass gals), and I really, really love looking smart! I'm also an unabashed label snob who loves small designers and stalks ebay to find them.

Nice to meetcha!

Hello Ladies! My name is Paula and hail from North Dakota. Been married for 24 years to my sweet Kevin and have five children.... Elizabeth (17) Sam (13), Grace (11 with Down syndrome), Bella (6, Down syndrome) and Nole' (4, Down syndrome). We adopted Bella in 2009 from Ukraine when she was 4 1/2 years old and Nole' from Serbia this past March 2011 when he was 3. As you can tell, children, especially those with Down syndrome, are our passion in life.

That said, I have not taken care of myself in years. I grew up LOVING clothes, fashion, and trying to keep up on the latest trends (via Seventeen, Glamour...cuz we didn't have the internet way back then!) And, my mom always reminds me that when I was really little I always told her that I wanted to be a "gamourous" lady!

I love classic, elegant clothing, am pear-shaped. and have cleaned out my whole closet--I am excited to get going on establishing a wardrobe that fits my lifestyle.

Love this forum and Angie's blog and her style! One day I may post a picture, but right now you would only get to see me in black yoga pants and a Northface jacket.....See, I have a loooooooooong way to go and some shopping to do! Blessings, Paula

Hi,

I'm Ali, a thirty-something doctor and mother of a toddler living in NW England.
I stumbled across style blogs at about the time I fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes and have been trying to be more mindful of what I wear and how I wear it ever since.
Part of that has been taking pictures, which has really helped me focus on what works and what doesn't. Finding YLF will hopefully give me somewhere to post them!

I think my style is classic - put it this way, a Banana Republic opened in Manchester last week, and my bank account is quaking...

Hi. I'm Amy. I've been lurking for several months (tweeted once or twice w/Angie before my Twitter hiatus). Just decided to go ahead & introduce myself.

I'm 27, live in Tacoma, married & just had my first baby in May. I'm 5'3". I'm a web developer for a non-profit relief agency. I found this site because I suddenly don't know how to dress myself any more. I had just, in the last couple of years, become comfortable with my body shape (36, 28, 36 hourglass) and then everything went topsy turvy on me.

During my pregnancy, I felt like I was dressing a different woman every month. It was kind of fun, because it meant lots of trips to the local consignment shops to keep up with my changing body. Since I didn't gain a lot of "extra" weight, I guess I expected to just be able to fit back into my clothes in a couple of months, so I didn't really do any planning for a wardrobe overhaul. (Rookie mistake, I know.)

I haven't broken my tape measure back out because, quite frankly, I don't want to know & I don't think it matters. I'm comfortable with trying lots of things on (I don't shop for clothes online) to find the right fit. I spent too much time in high school worrying about the numbers. I do know that I'm up three (!!!) cup sizes since having the baby and none of my pre-baby shirts fit or are practical for breast feeding.

Let me frame my style in the teams I bat for.

Team Black - I love black. It works well for my pale, slightly olive skin tone & dark hair. I have tried branching out into the brown neutrals, but always find my self gravitating back to black. I've learned to mix grays in here & there, but black is my favorite.

Team Wear - I bought a new pair of shoes on my lunch break the other day & put them on in the parking lot. I have a couple of sore spots (hooray for breaking in new shoes), but they were super cute & I planned my outfit knowing I was going to switch shoes halfway through the day.

Team Minimal (clothes) & Maximal (jewellry) - I love me some bling, but I tend to keep my actual outfits & layers to a minimum. But I rarely leave the house with out earrings, necklace, watch & a couple of rings.

Team Jeans - I love bootcut & slightly flared jeans (in dark washes, almost black - see above). But I am trying to mix in some more leggings. I saw a couple of pairs the other day I might have to go back & pick up.

Finally, hands down, Team Thrift - I absolutely love the thrill of a treasure hunt for a good deal. I rarely spend less than three hours in my favorite thrift stores. I don't mind sewing on the occasional loose or missing button or making minor repairs as necessary.

That got a little longer than I expected, but I guess I've been saving all that up during my lurking.

Hi!
I'm Cacy and I'm 16 years old!
I study in high school and manage blog about fashion and style....
I'll publish it when I become active active member!
Anyway I love fashion,shopping,watching TV,surfing on the Internet,blogging,hanging out and having fun!
Now I have a lot for study and I just wanna relax

I hope we will have a lot of good time girls!

Hi I am a 40 year old mom of 2 boys and work OOTH full time -- lots of business meetings and business travel with customers. I recently lost 30 lbs. I am 5'10" and weigh 147 and am just maintaining now. Due to the weight loss I have been shifting my wardrobe. I have cleaned out my closet and added back some nice items. I would love to learn how to pull outfits together (separates). I am great when it comes to say a dress and a necklace but beyond that I struggle. Thanks for all the support so far and like this site a lot so far!

Well, hillview and I were recruited by the same person--thanks Goldenpig!
I'm Jen, I'm 5;1'' and a curvy hourglass (or Figure 8 shape).

I'm here because I am stuck in a rut and have very little fashion sense. I haven't the slightest idea how to pull an outfit together and don't have a lot of great pieces to mix and match. I also get frustrated trying to find clothes that fit me!

So, my first step is going to be going to Nordstroms tomorrow to look for some new jeans. I'm also on the hunt for some tall boots.

I work in an elementary school as a counselor, so no need for high powered outfits. I'm definetly Team Jeans if I can dress them up a bit! I'd also say that i'm a bargain hunter. We have two young kids at home and that eats up a lot of income!

I welcome any and all help! Thanks everyone!

Hello all!

I am working on developing my own style and I'm looking forward to the process. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

I'm Kacie and I'm a 26-year-old homemaker, mother of 2 little ones.

I'm 5'10" and slim, but straight. Not many curves to my figure. I am thankful for retailers that cater to tall women, not only for pants but for shirts! Just like "petite" women have a different proportion, so do tall women and it's great to be able to buy shirts that are actually long enough in both length and sleeve.

I am trying to figure out which colors suit me best and I am going to post something in the forum to hopefully help figure that out.

My favorite fall/winter uniform is: cardigan/jacket + T + scarf + jeans + belt + fun flat shoe.

I don't wear jewelry except for my wedding ring (white gold) and occasionally I like to wear pearl stud earrings. I also prefer to not carry a handbag most of the time, so my accessories of scarf, belt and shoe need to really work for me.

I have been so encouraged by Angie's blog and I thought it was time to join you all in the forum.

Hi everyone! Another Goldenpig recruit here, LOL! I'm a 36-year-old mom of two boys, and while I've always been attentive re: my appearance, I never really did much about it. Over the past year, I've discovered that I can look and feel great with very little effort. This has opened up a whole new world!

I'm 5'7, at least 20 pounds overweight, and very, very pear-shaped. My belly still looks a bit pregnant despite my youngest being 2. I'm too lazy to do anything about it, so I focus on finding clothing that works with my body as is. I have an "odd" problem in that I often think I look better than I probably do! I'm glad it's not the other way around, LOL.

My former outfit was t-shirt, cardigan, jeans or dark pants. I've done a LOT of shopping over the past few weeks, and have picked up some pieces I normally would not have looked at. I'm SO EXCITED at the changes! Now I'm getting impatient for the cooler weather to start so that I can wear my new things!

Welcome PG and everyone else Well clearly the thinking you look better than you (think you) do is working. You exude natural confidence and control in your pics and it makes you totally own your look. I love it and am taking mental notes to follow suit.

I guess I might as well introduce myself. I don't normally do that on forums because I'm a bit of a forum hoor and don't know if I'll stick around to begin with. But I've been here for a few months now.

I finally subscribed to Angie's blog so I will be reading more there too! I tend to fixate on forums and forget to read the blog unless someone posts about it here! There was a lovely article about pear-shaped women recently.

I'm the most pear-y pear I've ever met or seen. My main interests are dressing in a way that flatters my figure and colouring, wearing stuff that's practical enough to tend children, run for a bus or bust a move, and getting some thrill of uniqueness or fantasy from my outfits. I've always had a hard time looking polished (and keeping up with the washing!) so the looks in my head can be quite far from what I actually wear.

I have 2 boys and one is on my lap as I type (he's nearly 3, the other is 8).

Thankyou Angie, Greg and all the YLFers for making this a wonderful resource - and playground! ♥

Hi everyone! Yet another Goldenpig recruit here I'm a 27 year old WOHM of an 18 month old. I recently lost 50lbs and am probably the skinniest I've ever been since I was a kid. I still have another 20 or so pounds to lose, but who knows when that will happen. Most of my clothes have been donated at this point, so I'm trying to strategically build a new wardrobe that has some personality and makes me feel great.

I love black and I probably wear too much of it, so I'm trying to integrate some more colors into my wardrobe. I'm also a little bit afraid of prints, so help me out there too! My biggest concern is trying to buy pieces that can transition from work (casual office) to home (casual with toddler!) so I don't have to purchase two wardrobes. I have a considerable bust, a slight waist that's becoming more obvious as I lose weight, fairly narrow hips and a flat butt. Hoping to get the courage to take some pics with tight fitting clothes to get some input on my body type (inverted triangle, maybe?). I'm excited to be here!

Hi everybody! My name is Jane, I live in Yorkshire in the UK & found the ylf website following a minor crisis after hitting 40 earlier this year!! I'm interested in re-finding my fashion vibe and dressing to suit my new shape. After quitting smoking I've put on some weight & am a curvy UK 14/16. I think I maybe an hourglass with pear-ish tendencies. I'd also like to look more polished - I always seem to look a bit too rough around the edges & am hoping to pick up loads of tips & advice. Not quite ready to post pictures yet though, eek, that's a scary thought just now!

Hello To All,

I'm Rebeca and I discovered YLF about a month ago and have been lurking ever since. My daughter says I'm obsessed, which means I fit right in with this crowd, doesn't it?

I've always felt pretty comfortable with fashion and knowing more or less what suits me. But lately I've been trolling the web for tips to go from my old style of just not making fashion faux pas to consistently rocking it, every day. When I stumbled upon YLF and Angie I felt like I had finally found what I was looking for: solid advice, clear recommendations, helpful tips, and a realistic fashion aesthetic, not just pictures of what the particular blogger wore that day. I mean, I love seeing the creative and outlandish outfits some bloggers are cooking up, but that doesn't help me get dressed every day.

I'm 45 years old, only 4'11.5", so you know I have fashion challenges right there. I'm pretty hourglass-shaped, but not too big in the bust. I'm Latina, so I do have a round butt that poses extra challenges, but I'm not really a pear, I don't think, because my hips aren't that wide and my shoulders are.

I work as a partner in a marketing consulting firm so I do a lot of traveling and need to look nice for work, professional but with a creative vibe. Then, when I'm not on the road, I'm working from home or a local cafe and just trying to make jeans and other comfy, casual clothes look nice.

I've been married for 21 years to Prince Charming, and have an awesome 14 year old daughter and 10 year old son. Besides working and living with these fabulous people, I make jewelry, knit, garden and lift weights.

I look forward to sharing the fun of fashion with you all!

Rebeca

So I have decide to come out of the lurker closet and show myself. Found this blog after the Seattle Times write-up a few weeks ago, WOW, love the feedback and the looks getting posted.

My stats: wife of almost 9 years, mother of two boys ages 4 and 6 and we live in Washington State just northeast of Seattle. I read one of Angie's posts about "surrendering the waistline" and it resonated with me and made me realize that I have surrendered my waistline for probably over a decade and I'm motivated to get it back! I am 5'9", size 12ish and I think I'm an hourglass w/apple being secondary, I guess. My wardrobe has been dictated by employment since 2000 where I rocked the conservative accountant twin-set w/slacks and sensible shoes look. I then added a whole wardrobe of long skirts and conservative tops as required by my orthodox jewish employer. Then the pendulum swung totally opposite at my next gig which was basically flip-flops/chucks and hoodies (these millenials have set a new bar for casual!). So now I am unemployed (hopefully briefly) and feelin' the need to get back to the drawing board with fashion. Needing some sparkle, some pizazz, some glam and also experimenting with some RATE looks. I'm trying to get out of my usual matchy-matchy rut (twin-sets be gone!) and am enjoying putting different pieces together, 15 pieces of flair is what I'm after! OK, maybe not 15 but I am finding some amazing deals at thrift stores and it is motivating me to find great pieces. I might even try black w/brown or black w/navy [GASP]. I seriously didn't think that was allowed but when I see it done here on YLF it opens up new possibilities. Now, if only I could find a faux fur vest that didn't make me look like a wooly mammoth.

Let's see, hobbies. . .did I mention I have two little boys? Besides fashion, I like books, art, architecture, music, and LOVE interior design. I am active in my church community and my son's school. Someone asked me the other day what I was passionate about as we were discussing career paths and I said "shopping," now to find a way to get paid for that!

Hi, I'm Maggie, a SAHM of 2. I'm tired of my kids having the better wardrobe, and decided it's time to shop for me. I stumbled across YLF through GP's posts on BBB. I've been wearing black tops and jeans for far too long,and need the injection of color and style. I was feeling guilty about buying for myself, since I don't work outside of home and had no need of dressing up. But I just recently went to an out-of-state wedding, and had to look decent for a whole week! Well, it was amazing how great I felt after some makeup and some new clothes. So I want to keep it up. And here I am.

Looking forward to being part of this community!

Hi! I'm another GoldenPig recruit I'm a early 30s mom of 2. I'm 5 months post partum now and while I can kind of fit into my old stuff it doesn't fit well. And I don't like it I have never been that into fashion but I'm having so much more fun with it and I like the confidence boost it gives me.

I tend to be WAY too casual on the weekends and live in flip flops. I do okay with work but we moved to casual everyday and I definitely need to step things up a notch.

I'm 5'3" and I have no idea how much I weigh but it's about 10 lbs more than I would like. However, I want to dress my body now so I can feel good about myself!