WIW February - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

WIW February

notsaf

Veteran

I just posted my purchases/wears summary yesterday, but I was reminded by a lovely comment on another thread how helpful you all can be about outfit posts.

I have *terrible* lighting in the room where I dress, a very bad mirror, and a dark wardrobe, so I'm not sure if you can see anything at all, but here it goes.

I'm still interested in refining my wardrobe persona, so any trends you see would be helpful. I'm also interested in finding ways of expressing a "rough around the edges" (or downtown?) vibe without denim, and often coming up short. (I just find denim to be the most comfortable, supportive, and durable fabric to wear, and have trouble committing to a day wearing almost anything else on my lower body!) Suggestions welcome with thanks!

1: Semi-tucked oversized sweater (worn with booties, rather than slippers!): I loved this look; warm and comfortable
2, 5, 6, 7: My inky blue waterfall cardigan has been getting a ton of wear
3: All black with a pearl (following "one non-black" rule)
4/5, 6, 8/9, 10/11: New burgundy booties are getting a lot of wear as well
4: Outwear for #5
8: Outwear for #9
9: All black with red shoes ("one non-black")
10: Date night! (Doesn't look very different from everyday, except that the blouse has bell sleeves)
11: Outwear for #10 (You can see why I'm thinking about a longer strap for that bag...)
12: My trusty fedora, worn with 10/11 (added for Angie!)

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Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from notsaf

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Well I am not the best at putting into words a definition of style persona but I can tell you what I see from your photos.Minimalist,uncluttered silhouette,a lot of black but not a lot of RATE.You have quite a refined look at the moment .The person on the forum whose style most resembles yours is Torontogirl I would say.Both of you love a skinny bottom half ,dainty jewellery and not a great deal of bright colour.
You look lovely as you are.Are you hoping to add more RATE into your style or just looking to refine what you already have?

nemosmom

Veteran

Style personas are difficult for me to identify, but at first glance you come across as "urban classic with a twist". Every outfit looks very walk-friendly/practical (suitable for urban life) and your pieces skew classic, but with enough interest to add some fun. I am not sure how to add more RATE without denim - it is my go-to bottom, but am interested to see what others have to say. I love your hat!!

CarolS

Veteran

Love your outfits. Your style comes across as very easy -- nothing forced, nothing too much, nothing that's not needed. I love the whole "one thing not black" concept -- something I am working on as well. #1, 2, 10, 11, 12 are probably my favourites.

Sal

Veteran

I also love your look and style. I like them all but especially pic 9 and 11/12. Love the black pants and your hat. I do see your style as urban minimal modern (but you balance these things out - you are not super minimal or super urban but I see the influence.

Here are a few ideas that personify an urban look to me
- hats such as the fedora or a stylish beanie
- scarves - but not necessarily a silk scarf
- flat leather boots
- leather jackets or pants
- cross body bags

smittie

Veteran

Beautiful outfits. I especially like your fedora and burgundy boots. Well, I also like your black pointy boots.

I think “downtown” is a good word.
I like your dark colour palette.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

FABULOUS!

KILLER hat and scarves! #6 and #11 are my KILLER faves, and the burgundy boots are gorgeously smashing. I love how they liven things up in a subtle way. Perfect for you

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

#11/12 is perfection and the burgundy boots are just perfect to break up the black. The silhouette in #2 is also excellent on you. I would say Scandi minimalist professional maybe?

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

If you want the RATE look without jeans, could you try leather instead of denim?

Pleather may not work if you want comfort & overheat easily, but some slim trousers/ 'jeggings' in real leather would have less of that plastic shine & a more refined matte sheen instead. They could easily be dressed down with your cosy cream jumper or dressed up for date night with those patent booties.

Also, if you're looking for more refined, a burgundy fedora may be a good accessory to add on days that you want to dress in all black but with one non-black item that doesn't interfere with the lines of your clothing. My thinking is that your current camel/ mink one is fab, but a darker coloured one (that isn't black) may give you more options too!

rachylou

Veteran

I really love #9. It’s choice. Three pieces that don’t need anything else. A sophisticated casual classic is what I see.

notsaf

Veteran

Cardiff girl - It is tough to articulate these things, isn’t it? “Uncluttered” is a good one! That resonates with me: I like to keep things pretty simple, because, as they say, life is complicated. Thank you for the very kind complement! Regarding RATE, I was observing that that had come up in the forum in previous posts (about my summer style) so I suppose I am just mulling it over. I do think all the denim lends a bit of toughness/insouciance to my look that I like, but it has become a bit of a crutch!

Nemosmom - Ditto what I said above: so tough to articulate, but that you for trying! I like “urban classic with a twist,” but what’s the twist?! Denim is a real fall back, and I want to push myself to a least think about other things.

CarolIS - Thanks, the feeling is mutual! Balance is really something I think I try to find in dressing (and other areas of life): between formal and casual, feminine and masculine, pretty and tough, youthful and mature, etc. That can make it kind of hard to label what I’m looking for, I guess!

Sal - Thanks, and back at you! “Urban” pops up again, and is definitely accurate! I haven’t quite worked leather into my look: I find it kind of stiff and tend to prefer softer, mid-weight fabrics, but I really like the look of a pretty moto (for example) on others. Maybe I just haven’t found the right piece…

Smittie - Thanks so much. You have a great eye, so I appreciate the vote of confidence.

Will have to come back in a bit to respond to others…

kellygirl

Veteran

I'm not sure where you work but your outfits look urban to me. The dark neutral palette, the silhouettes and fit. You look so fab in everything! I especially love the footwear choices--so stylish! LOVE the fedora. You should wear that often!!

notsaf

Veteran

Back again to catch up on your comments, thanks to all who have posted!

Angie - Love getting your killer faves! 6 and 11 feel very “me.” The boots really are proving a great way to break up the black. I’d love to wear them with white jeans if I weren’t so spill-prone…

Shevia - Wow thanks! What do you see as “Scandi” about my look? Not doubting it, just wanting to dig deeper.

Zaeobi - Thanks for the idea. I struggle with the texture of leather, which can be a but stiff (and I’m a comfort queen), but as I said to Sal, I think the right piece(s) might be really nice. Since I tend to favor longer toppers (i.e. not shorter moto-like shapes), maybe pants are the way to go: thanks for the suggestion.

Rachy - “Sophisticated casual classic” sounds good to me: thank you!!

notsaf

Veteran

Kellygirl - Yup, definitely an urban dweller here! No surprise it influences my style, but it's sometimes hard for me to put a finger on exactly how it does. Am I remembering that you look great in hats, too?

Mirjana

Veteran

Beautiful, mostly black and neutral but lively styled . My favorites are #6, #9 and with hat and scarf #11 and #12.

Anonymous

9 is my favorite too! I wouldn't call your style Rate, think urban minimalist works though. If you do want more Rate without denim, how about moto style leggings?

Runcarla

Veteran

I am late to respond, because I’ve been thinking since I read your post yesterday! So I assume you haven’t come ‘round to establishing a style persona or descriptor? Have you picked a WORD and COLOUR for the year? (Remember, the colour choice doesn’t dictate what you add to your wardrobe - it is more about how the colour makes you feel.)

I see a commonality with YLF’er Roxana who uses ‘urban luxe’ to describe her style. She uses much more colour than you do, but your outfits share a common modern urban sophistication, an elegant pared down aesthetic that is both modern classic and urban minimalist. I don’t see the romantic (except maybe the long hair), but there is a shadow dramatic.

Colour-wise, you seem to like dark, moody colours. Your palette reminds me of Jenn’s and Brooklyn’s wardrobes - which seem predominantly dark with black as the dominant neutral supported by cognac, cinnamon, wine, and teal.

I don’t see RATE in your photos, and jeans don’t necessarily = RATE either. ‘Downtown’ in a European city is also different than in a North American one, and ‘downtown’ daytime is different than night time. If you want to ‘toughen up’ your look, I would suggest a stompier boot or other lugged footwear, and a bulkier outer layer, like the thrifted sheepskin lined leather jacket nemosmom had refurbished.

However, I’m not sure I’ve fully understood your brief! This might seem to be coming from out of the blue, but do you need to be experimenting with texture that translates visually? Maybe a nubbly tweed, brocade, a shiny satin, leather or suede, vinyl, etc. while keeping the same silhouette?

Below - some random Pinterest street style photos that might inspire. Do any of them seem to be in a direction you care to go?

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notsaf

Veteran

Carla - Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! I'm not sure I understood exactly what I was asking for, either, but sometimes it's helpful just to throw things out there. Part of the question is how to maintain my "look" without relying so very much on denim. Thinking about adding bottoms in other textures but the same palette and silhouettes might be a way forward! You'll remember I was playing around with color at the beginning of the year, but I haven't yet come up with a key color for 2020. (For 2019, it ended up being camel, but that was only in hindsight.) If pushed, I think my word word be "balance"... Lots to think about!

notsaf

Veteran

Oh and thank you for the Pinterest ideas, as well! Of those, #6 is my immediate fave... because clearly I have a blue jeans problem!

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I feel you - I'm not a huge leather clothing fan myself, either. But I think the more expensive types of leather tend to be buttery soft. If you want to try it in trouser form but still be comfortable, I've seen a few mixed media styles that have a leather panel (or panels) at the front but are otherwise jersey or a comfortable stretchy material elsewhere.

Another alternative that may work for your style & comfort level are those silky cargo pants that seem to be in now:
https://www.johnlewis.com/mint.....n/p4161459 (this particular pair sold out, but you can click 'original product description' to see more photos of what I mean - the material elevates them a little from casual sweatpants but the cargo pockets stop them from looking too formal. I've seen some styles without a drawstring waistband, which may work better since you like longer tops).

I agree with Runcarla about playing with texture - a pair of corduroy, mixed media (like above) or even velvet trousers could work. But it's also possible that if it isn't broke, why fix it? Maybe you could just embrace the denim but play with different colours instead - how about a burgundy or camel pair of jeans instead?

Just throwing some ideas out there!

notsaf

Veteran

Part of the issue is that there are occasions -- perhaps once per week -- where I'd prefer not to wear denim, but where I don't have to dress up. I have great workwear based around denim (as you see here) and then some dressy things that I love for special presentations (dresses and suits). What I'd like is to get a bit more comfortable in the middle ground.

I work in a pretty conservative field, so wearing things like leather pants or satin joggers is not something I'm totally comfortable with (but maybe that's just my own imagination?). As it is, my fall-backs are black and navy ponte ankle pants, which are just not very exciting. Courdory, mixed media, and other textures might be things to explore. Also other not-quite-black dark neutrals. I really appreciate the suggestions!