Hi all - I too, like Lena, began posting without a proper introduction and love tea. How about that? In fact, I'm enjoying a lovely cup right now. Tea and YLF, a relaxing Sunday morning if I ever heard one.

I am 30 and live in California with my husband, two cats, and two dogs. My husband and I are always working on home projects. I moved into his house when we got married and it has been quite a chore transitioning it from a bachelor pad. Current project, a deck in our backyard which is seriously bigger than my first apartment. Ha ha!

In addition to nesting, I enjoy all kinds of physical pursuits. As I mentioned on a previous post, I am currently training to compete in a powerlifting competition. I also do quite a bit of running.

For work, I am a lobbyist for a non-profit health organization. (I hope to be able to chat up our Governor someday about our joint interest in lifting heavy things. Ha!)

In terms of style, I tend toward the conservative. But I'm trying to break out and try new things. My husband is a musician, which introduces me to all kinds of creative folks who are so bold and courageous in their life and style choices. It's inspiring but often makes me feel like such a fuddy duddy. He played at the South by Southwest music festival this year, which is like hipster central. I felt so out of place!

I guess I get a bit of whiplash since I tend to live in two worlds. So I'm trying to find a style that will serve me well in both.

I enjoy the posts and the discussions. It's a fun community. Thanks, all!

P.S. - I love hats and scarves.

Welcome fellow tea drinking and animal loving Alecia! Nice to know we have someone “strong” on our forum. Keep us posted on the hat and scarf scene.

Welcome Lena and Alecia! Alecia, that sounds like such interesting hobby.

Lena, sorry I didn't answered you ballroom question earlier, I was going to leave for a trip but then my flight got canceled, so I'll try leaving again tomorrow. Well at least now I have time to do that. I like both standard and latin styles, but have a slight preference for standard. This probably came as a consequence of me (naturally) being better at it, and a friend of mine has a theory that if you're good at something, you'r going to like it, practice it more, become better and than like even more and so on. Kind of a self- feeding loop. But I like latin a lot too.

Btw, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have on anything regarding it, and please feel free to start a separate thread on this. And, since you mentioned that you are from Russia, I have to tall you that the ballroom competition scene in USA is heavily dominated by Russians and they seem to do very good . Must be some kind of natural inclination

Welcome to the forum Lena and Alecia!

Hooray, South X Southwest! That's in my neck of the woods, Alecia.

I'm so excited this thread is sticky now--much easier to find. Thanks Greg!

Oh, I have just noticed that this has become sticky! Thank you very much Greg and Angie!

Hi, Alecia, I also check YLF with a cup of tea. Today I was drinking smoky Thai green tea. Mmm.

Tanya, standard style has such beautiful lines. And the dancers have amazing control. When it's done well, it's so beautiful.

Hee, I know about all the Russians in ballroom. I'm not sure I have that gene but who knows, it may express itself later

Lena, you'll never know if you have the gene unless you try I am one of those who has no such gene, but enjoy it nevertheless even though I'll never have some high achievements.

I agree with you on beautiful lines in standard. Sometimes when I'm depressed, I watch youtube videos of Mirko & Alessia, they always cheer me up.

Greg's pleasure. I didn’t even know what sticky was .Thank goodness we have him.

Hi,

I'm Julie and I just realized I hadn't posted here either. I'm 46, a 5"3 1/2 pear (size 4 on top/6 on bottom) and live in Seattle with my husband of 20 years and my 2 boys age 15 & 10.

I have a cat (Misha) who is my constant companion around the house and my younger son has a turtle. We lost our beloved Golden, Whiskey in April and are just now starting to consider the thought of getting a new dog.

We moved here from California in 2001 and although my family is still in the Bay Area there isn't a day that I'm not grateful to be here in beautiful Seattle.
I've been working as a software project manager but am taking some time off to be with my boys and figure out what's next for me. It's exciting and a little scary.

I've always had a love/hate relationship with clothes and my figure - but I'm working on acceptance! This forum has been so helpful in terms of seeing how you all put things together and getting your input. Thanks again Angie for creating this site - it's really a gift!

I'm Alisha and I'm a shopping addict. Although most of the time I hate shopping lol.

I'm 5'7" a Racy Rectangle and 23 years old. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have a beautiful daughter named Aaliyah. I'm a stay at home mom at the moment till I find a new job that is.

My style is simple but edgey a Kate Moss, with some Gwen Stefanie kinda feel but I love colours. I always have to have a bright colour or metallic in the mix.

Favorite jeans: Guess
Favorite shoes: Heels, and peep toes look amazing but uncomfy, boots never look right, always in flats and my Nike Dunk Lows.
Favorite Trend for Fall 2008: 80s Rocker with a superhero twist and over the knee boots and Clash of the Colours.
Favorite Summer 2008 Accessory: Sunglasses
Purse contents: Vaseline hand and nail cream, iPhone, Canon SD800, Mundi Long Leather Wallet, Annabelle-Star Le Gloss LipShine in Bronze, my keys if I can remember them.

http://s42.photobucket.com/alb.....G_0256.jpg

http://s42.photobucket.com/alb.....alisha.jpg

http://s42.photobucket.com/alb.....gust01.jpg

I haven't properly introduced myself either! My ylf name should actually be Muñequita which roughly translates to baby doll in spanish. I don't know why my username doesn't come across right!

Back to me introducing myself... I grew up in the Caribbean but have a hispanic heritage, so my first language is Spanish. I love that many of the posters here have different cultural backgrounds. I came to the US to attend college and fell in love whilst studying. I have been married for almost 6 years now. We have no children yet, but we do have 2 cats. We have had them since the first year of our marriage and they have endured all of our military moves with us. They have been my only companions at times when we move to a new area and I don't know anyone and my husband is underway. My husband is a naval officer in the nuclear engineer program and we move roughly about every two years. We just moved to Virginia about 2 months ago actually! We are loving it here, especially the city we chose to live in which is Williamsburg. I am about to start school again in the spring and I am really looking forward to that.

Ok, so I am 5' 2" and very small framed. I don't constantly weigh myself, and I can't remember the last time I did so I should be a little over 100 lbs since all my old clothes still fit the same. I think I am a small hourglass because I have a smallish chest. My biggest dilemma is trying to dress in a way that elongates my figure and to look older. I am 27 and everyone always thinks I am younger.

Anyway, I have been frequenting ylf for more than a year now! I am just very shy and prefer to read about others than cast some light my way. I do love this site and I have learned so much from Angie! I love that the forum is getting more traffic now too because I get inspired by all of you that are braver than me in posting and asking questions! Reading the new blog on ylf is my favorite thing to do every morning while I eat cereal or drink my tea or coffee (I do both!). Thanks for this site Angie! I don't think I have ever told you that but I think of it every morning!

Welcome Alisha and Munequita! It is nice to see more new faces here.

Hi all,

I'm Lesley-Anne but feel free to call me LA. I've been a lurker at YLF for quite some time, but now I feel it's time to join in on some of the wonderful, supportive discussions going on here. (The fact that I am on vacation may have something to do with it).

I teach senior high English in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I'm 5'7", 175 lbs, and approaching 39 years of age. I've lost 20 pounds and hope to lose another 20; my belly is determined to stay, I fear. I recently decided it was time to project a more refined, purposeful, yet playful image to take me into my late 30's and 40's.

My first stop on this journey of transformation has been reading Angie's daily posts on YLF. Second, I picked up a copy of each and every one of the books in the sidebar on the YLF blog from the library and read them cover to cover. My personal favorite is "What you wear can change your life" by Trinny and Susannah. Third, I cleared my closet completely and got rid of all items that no longer fit or meet my goal. Finally I hit the shops armed with all the great advice from Angie, the books and all you folks on YFL.

Here are my three main goals while shopping:

1) Reduce default black shopping; experiment with new colour combinations
2) Stick to silhouettes I know work for me
3) Choose quality over quantity

I'm hoping that I can get some feedback on how to add a little dash to my outfits - I do need to work on getting a camera, however. I would like most of all to convey a sense of "joie de vivre" without breaking the bank. I'd like to keep my wardrobe simple, efficient but playful and at times dramatic. Is it possible?

Two of my favourite items purchased for fall are:

1) Miz Mooz "Amber" boots in brown (at Nordstrom) - sorry I don't know how to add live links here yet.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/29.....1&P=1

2) and Banana Republic ribbed cardigan in ubud red

http://www.bananarepublic.com/.....pid=588256

I look forward to my forum experience. Cheers for now! -LA

How wonderful! The links added, as if by magic. Cheers. - LA

I too never introduced myself, or if I have, it was so long ago that I don't remember it! I have been a long time reader of YLF. I have gleaned a lot of info. off this site; thank you, Angie!

About me: I'm nearing 30. I'm a teacher. I'm married to a musician, and we live in California.

Alecia, we have quite a few similarities, but my husband and I only have one dog. I know what you mean about finding a style that will serve you in both worlds-- whenever we are at an industry event, I most definitely feel fuddy duddy. And I too like tea! Peppermint tea is my standby favorite, but I have a great collection in my cupboard.

I use YLF most to inspire me to stay interested in my wardrobe and work wear because, while I love fashion, I can quickly become absorbed in my work and neglect my appearance. I want to be chic while I work hard, and all of you inspire me to do so!

Amy29 - Welcome. How fun to "know" another person on the forum with a similar lifestyle. We'll have to make sure to compare notes. It's funny that you and I have such similiar circumstances. I was just thinking the other day after reading some of your posts that we seemed to be on a similiar wavelength. This explains it.

Hi LA, amy29! Welcome to the forum (officially).

Hi - I too have been posting without properly introducing myself. For shame!

My name is Laura, I am 43 and live just outside Chicago with my husband and two sons, 5 and 2. I am 5'3" and usually wear a 6P - sometimes smaller on top, so that probably makes me a pear, which also happens to be my favorite fruit ...

I am a writer by profession, just part-time right now while the boys are young, and clothes are one of my creative outlets at the moments because I am in a fallow period, writing-wise. My fav stores are Nordstrom, Benetton, JCrew, ATLoft (their cuts are really perfect for my body shape), and I have to confess that back in the day when I was single and had some disposable income, I developed a pretty good Hermes scarf collection along with a few other luxury items I treasure to this day!

We moved recently and I was forced to discover interior decorating as another creative outlet - I was never too interested in it, but discovered that decorating your house really worked on some of the same principles as dressing, but the stakes are much higher if you make a mistake, as are the prices!!

As I get older I find it's fun to think of all facets of your daily life as an opportunity to be creative - from how you dress to what you cook to what color your walls are. Hmmm, that might be fodder for an essay ...

Thank you Angie, for this super-fun forum and helping me think through my clothes in a new way and getting me to branch out into skinny jeans!

Hi all - this is MarinK - I am a newbie - just joined tonight - so glad my "sister" Silklin told me about this site! I am another southern girl - born & raised in Texas - married a crazed cowboy from Arkansas & we now call the southwest corner of the state our home. We have two "sons"...Tex & Trav - they are 4 & 11 - both are red & white Pembroke Welsh Corgis... hubby & i both ride horses & we raise cattle...(now I know some of you are wondering whether i am on the right site or not - cowgirls & this type of fashion - do they mix??) but this is left over from rodeo queen & beauty pageant days way back in college so i have always been a fan of clothes & the ways to wear them & i do love to know what the current fashion trends are & yes i do love to try new looks & put different pieces together....even if the doggies are sometimes the only ones to see me! But i'm glad to be here & have really enjoyed reading some of the comments - i have a dress that i'll have to post on here & ask advice on - i loved it the moment i saw it - but cannot seem to find "how" i need to put it together on me for a night out - maybe to the theatre or dinner? So hi to all - glad to see such a great site with so much really good advice!

Hi everyone,

I am a long-time lurker (sounds so sinister) who is finally coming out of hiding. I actually discovered this site last fall when I was pregnant and though I am still fighting to get rid of the baby belly, I am ready to look fab!

A little about me - I am 35, an engineer by training & worked in R&D for a number of years although I am currently in graduate school. I was born in India but have lived in the U.S. for almost all of my life, growing up on the east coast. I have lived all over the states since graduating from college - NY, CA, CO, GA and have been in the Northeast (CT) for the last 5 years. I have two rambunctious sons - an almost 5 year old and an 8 month old who keep me on my toes. My husband is from Europe so we travel there every year and it's great being able to compare trends.

I'm going to post in the body type forum next but I believe that I am an apple or possibly an inverted triangle body shape, which is challenging on a petite frame (I'm only 5'1). Now that I am done having kids (hopefully no oops babies in my future), I am looking toward the next phase of my life and trying to define myself, partially through my fashion choices.

I have always been fairly conservative - mostly shopping at Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, the Gap and J.Crew. I have an addiction to wearing black which I am trying to break - my eye always seems to be drawn to it!!! I also like to mix it up with some ethnic pieces although many of my Indian tunic style tops don't seem to fit in the bust right now since I am still breastfeeding. When I was younger, I used to mostly wear dresses & skirts which sort of faded as I started working since my work environment required pants. Now, I'm slowly reintroducing skirts & dresses to my wardrobe and I love it!

This site has really helped me rethink so many of my choices. I have really become addicted to reading Angie's blog and have been trying to keep up with the posts in the forum as well. The ladies on this site are amazing and I look forward to getting to know you. Angie, a personal thank you for your dedication to maintaining this site and for all the amazing advice.

Shana

Welcome aboard Shana! We are thrilled to have your participation and can’t wait to hear all about you and your style.

Greg and I (that’s hubby and me), thank you for the compliment. Greg does an outstanding job of maintaining the site in his spare time. I’m the cheeky voice that tries not to give him grief.

Hello! I have been reading YLF for a few weeks and and finally decided to join the forum.

I am 31 and live in Ohio with my husband of 9 years. It's just the two of us right now - no kids or pets. I was born in India, but I have lived in the US since I was three years old. I currently work as an IT Analyst for a telecom company and my husband is an HVAC technician.

I have always been interested in makeup and fashion, and my style has been evolving over the years. The past several years, I have been trying to transition from younger, college wear into items that are more professional. I would describe my style as classic, simple and feminine. I like to shop at stores like The Limited, The Gap and Express. I haven't really tried out any high end or designer brands yet.

I am only 5'0", but luckily I have never had too much trouble finding clothes. I have found a lot of places have petite and short lenghts in pants. I have also started wearing regular length pants with higher heels to achieve PPL.

The dress code at my work is very relaxed, but I try to dress "smart casual". Most of my co-workers dress extremely casually and I often find myself the most "dressed up" person in the office. I don't mind, because I find that I feel more conident and productive when I am dressed well. I feel like when I look good, I feel good. My husband has to wear a uniform to work 5 days a week, so I'm glad I don't have to do that!

Even from just reading this site, I have started to make changes in how I dress - the biggest one being with how dress for going out and running errands. I always try to dress well for work, but now I find myself being more conscious of what I wear when I am not at work.

I have learned so much from reading this website. Thanks to Angie and all the wonderful woman that post here. Everyone is so lovely and supportive. I have started taking some pictures of what I wear and I hope to post some pictures in the future. I am really excited about getting more involved on this site. I look forward to getting to know everyone better!

Welcome Violet! We can’t wait to meet you “in person” on the forum. Cheers to you and your style

I just jumped right in to posting and didn't properly introduce myself. I am currently a graduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle. I am in a Ph.D. program in history. Grad school is my version of a mid-life crisis. When I turned 40, I decided that it was now or never if I really wanted to get a Ph.D. -- so here I am! I spent the last 12 years working for cultural non-profits mostly in Seattle, although I spent 18 months in Phoenix (and couldn't stand the heat).

I like to hike in the summer and cross-country ski in the winter. I'm a mystery novel addict -- although I don't do much reading for pleasure these days. I really enjoy listening to live music and try to get out at least once a month to one of the local venues to hear a favorite band or try a new one. I also spend time with friends -- whether we are hanging out at home or having a night on the town. I don't have family locally so I make sure I surround myself with a great circle of friends.

I've always tried to look nice but never really thought about style and fashion--or even what truly looked best on me. When I left my job and started graduate school, I realized that I had no casual clothes other than jeans with t-shirts or sweatshirts. I wanted to figure out a way to be casual for campus, have a sense of style and be appropriate for my age. I think I found this website through a Seattle Times article about fashion stylists. I learned a lot just by reading the daily blogs by Angie over the last year and then discovered the forum. You all have been a great help in my on-going wardrobe and style makeover!

Hi everyone! Like many of you, I've been reading YLF for a while and am now getting into posting. I'm working on my PhD in organizational communication at the University of Texas at Austin and I'm co-founder of a software company - Appozite - that makes products that help people find cool stuff. So I love to shop and am interested in all things fashion and style.

I'm still developing my own style, but I've always been a jeans and tshirt kind of person. I love high heels and cute dresses, but I tend to dress fairly casually on a daily basis. For my home, I like contemporary decor with lots of color. I love the modern, simple look.

Anyway, I'm very excited to be here! I've already learned a lot from reading everyone's posts and the blog, so I can't wait to get involved more in forum conversations.

Hi!

I found this site after spending a month in the UK and googling "european style". Coming from a super casual ski resort town in north Idaho I oohed and ahhed the fashion I saw over there. I desperately wanted to learn more and somehow adopt it as my own. Despite my good teeth, clean nails and fresh scrubbed American complexion I felt like a fish out of water in my chinos, Danskos and Patagonia parka. When getting dressed up to go out on the town one night while over there I asked my sister-in-law (with whom we were staying) to help me pick out something appropriate for the evening. She fell to the floor in fits of laughter at the "dress clothes" I had packed in my suitcase. Even my 65 year old hard core Glaswegian mother-in-law who sees no wrong in me couldn't suppress her amusement at my cluelessness.

That was well over a year ago and I'm happy to say I've come along way but still have lots of questions. I've always LOVED LOVED clothes and fashion. As a little girl I would just dress and redress Barbie, never bothering with a narrative or storyline. Also played for hours with Fashion Plates (anybody else remember those?). In the 90's I was pretty savvy and always hooking compliments and friends were always seeking and taking my advice. I had a strong sense of personal style & always looked good and I knew it. The last years of college were pretty intense for me, financially and otherwise so clothes became less important. After college I moved to po-dunk Montana where my husband had a thriving business and I sold real estate in the boonies. This is where the Danskos come in. They were easy to slip on and off so I could go from the office to snowshoeing 40 acre parcel lines with clients. Then we had our now 4 year old son and my slim figure turned very soft and big until he was 18 mos. During that time we moved to Ugg-ville Idaho and I resorted to khaki pants and a rainbow in the same stye Gap tee because I didn't know how to dress my new bumpy figure.

I went to Scotland to visit my in-laws and realized I had really let a passion of mine die. The shops over there are AMAZING and being a part of it all really stirred something that had been buried. Back home I found YLF and I really love it. Thank you all so much for doing this. I am finding my inner personal style again and it feels great.

Looking forward to chatting with you all!

I know my post was long but I want to add the following:

I'm 32 years old

I'm 5'4" and my figure is best described as asian although I'm not asian. I have delicate features and my torso is a bit long, my legs are a bit short, my bottom is flat and my shoulders are very square. I think I'm a rectange shape but I'll find out for sure soon when I post a photo in the "what's your body type" section.

My personal style is somewhat eclectic. I wear a lot of flowy, wide pants and can carry them off well but I'm not boho or romantic at all. I like a classic base with flowy items to soften it.

I have been a SAHM in every sense of the word for the past 4 years but I do a lot of grown-up only events too.

I never officially welcomed Amy29, Laura65, LA, aj, Jennmonroe, Paige and MarinK. My goodness! This forum is going gang busters. I can’t wait to see more of your style shortly.

aj – you didn’t mention you were local! We’re planning another YLF forum get together. Let me know if you’d like to participate.

Welcome everybody! The forum is going crazy Angie!

jenmonroe, I'm an undergrad at UT (although I'm 27 for the record).

Paige, what town in Idaho are you from? I'm from Boise originally.

Wow, I have slacked off in keeping up with this thread. Welcome to everyone who has introduced themselves on page six! I'm so happy to see so many people stepping out of the shadows and making themselves known. Everyone has something to offer someone else.