Your [fashion] Game Changers - YouLookFab Forum

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Your [fashion] Game Changers

Mollymae

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

When I first started following the blogs and forums here, I knew what clothing appealed to my sense of style. In fact, I had a closet full of items that I loved, but I couldn't figure out how to make them work for me. I would pull out a skirt and think "I have nothing I can wear with this", even though I had no shortage of tops. As a consequence, I found myself wearing the same boring formulas over and over while most of my clothing sat untouched.
Then,YLF.
The following things were a complete revelation to me, and totally changed my ability to create outfits out of what I already had, and showed me how to shop smarter for what I needed:
1. Belts. Adding definition to my waistline on solid color dresses, keeping pants that are too big in the waist (but fit my hips and thighs) from creeping down through the day, creating an alternate [lower] waistline for a faux tuck...why oh why did I resist them do so long?
2. Faux tuck and a semi-tuck. Finally! A way to wear boyfriend jeans and slouchy track pants without feeling sloppy and like I am swimming in my clothes.
3. Drapey and fluid fabrics for tops. Less unflattering bunching around the midsection, comfortable, versatile to style.
4. Combing the above three to create a better silhouette on my super high waisted, full skirts. These were some of my favourite items, which never got worn before, because tucking made me look like a bell with a pair of boobs set on top, but most of my tops were too long to look right completely untucked.
5. Booties with boyfriend jeans or rolled jeans. Perfect transition into spring in a cool and rainy climate.
Thank you so much to Angie and all of the posters here who have shown me how to actually *wear* the clothes I like!

What are some of the best things you have taken away from this site?

Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from MsLuna

lyn67

Veteran

Happy for your revelations! I have had many along the years, too. I cannot even count them: accessorising(the scarves, the belts, the necklaces), layering and adding color (and texture) to my mostly neutral wardrobe are the main of them for sure.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

My game changers are: wearing looser fits, rolling and cuffing pants and jeans, learning proportions (such as tops and toppers for skirts are shorter than tops and toppers for pants), semi and half tucking, wearing booties with skirts and dresses, and just getting inspiration to try trends in a way that I would not have considered like cropped sweaters over a longer top and dressed up track pants.

cinnamon fern

Veteran

My game changer was paying way more attention to color:

(1) Wearing white! Pre-YLF I had always been afraid of white. I still do not have a lot of white - one pair of jeans, one pair of sandals, a thick cream sweater, and a bunch of white and cream shirts - but these items make it so much easier to get dressed. All my outfits of mixed dark neutrals look better with a bit of white in the mix. Plus, I've realized that my skin looks better with high contrast, so black and white is better than either on their own.

(2) Bookending my blonde hair with taupe, camel, and nude shoes. These go with everything and help lighten up my outfits.

(3) A restricted color palette. Black, grey, white/cream, camel/toffee, taupe, gold, ink blue as neutrals; various saturated pinks, reds, and oranges for color. This makes it easier to get dressed with a small wardrobe and there's no reason to have clothes in colors that I dislike (purple, green, yellow) or that don't look good on me (pastels).

Suzanne (ambergreen)

Veteran

Two of my faves are bookending and being more discerning about silhouettes.

Before, I would try to make outfits work just because I wanted to wear a certain palette of colors that day, but I've seen through YLF that the cut and silhouette of each item is crucial to how it plays with others. Now I don't fuss over not wearing "x" with "y" because "z" works really well with "y," and I'll get to wear "x" with something else another day. But to get to that point, I needed to acquire "z."

In other words, I've given myself permission to add pieces so I can build looks that work, and that makes me a lot happier than when I was trying to work with my quite limited earlier wardrobe. But I'm still not a big shopper; I add pretty slowly and economically.

kkards

Veteran

~paying attention to details. i'm still working on this...when to roll, how much to roll, how to semi tuck,
~changing small things can totaly change an outfit. swap a pair of neutral shoes for a colored pair, trade a typical blazer for moto style jacket
~TRY NEW THINGS. this can be a simple as mixing up what what i already own in a new way. or buying something outside my normal comfort zone

unfrumped

Veteran

Hi-lo tops; tapered legs; better pant lengths; showing ankles with shoes like loafers or oxfords; being more critical of fits in jackets and such (to wit, I have trouble finding jackets now!).
Trying new things for sure.

rachylou

Veteran

The silky blouse. I used to wear pretty much only knit tops, out of fear of the unflattering-on-me button down. And I also avoided them because of their delicacy and thinness. But I've become acclimated to their thin delicate nature and they've opened up a world of fashion for me. Yes

Susie

Veteran

-Knowing that it's ok to let my shoes and bags be my "drama" pieces!

-Slowly but surely moving past the impulse to buy something just because...and to focus on buying and wearing things that I love

-Hi low tops have been great for me. I really hope that style sticks around

-Semi and faux tucks have been a big help too

-Recognizing and articulating my preferences in terms of colors, patterns, fabrics and styles...adding some definition has helped me to focus on what is 'me' rather than wanting to try something because it looks nice on someone else

- the concept of "just flattering enough" - along with the abundance of options in fluid fits- has worked well for me and my desire for comfort

Suja

Veteran

Great thread. YLF has had a huge impact on my style. My most important takeaways are:

1) White!! I have always loved white but just didn't have much of it in my closet. It really does have a unique place as a bright and a neutral. I used to think of it as impractical but I now accept that white items have a lesser shelf life and budget accordingly. I can't get enough white right now.

2) Fit matters so, so much. I guess this is obvious to some but I used to just reach for a medium and/or a size 8 and unless it was grossly off, I would buy it. Now, I understand my body type better, what flatters and what fits and showcases my best features.

3) With enough variety, the landscape of your wardrobe is interesting and versatile with less clothes. If I found something I liked, I used to get it in a bunch of colors. I am really trying to limit multiples these days and striving for variety.

4) 1-in/1-out has changed the way I think about clothes. It won't work for everyone but it really has helped me maintain a tidy closet, edit more frequently and ensure each purchase is improving my wardrobe.

5) Items which are not frequently worn such as evening bags or high heels can be used as closet decoration! I have fun just seeing my nice stuff and have added hooks so I can see my nice stuff.

6) I've moved over to Team Wear! If I don't wear it in the first two weeks of purchase, it gets returned.

7) I would also echo, try new things!

8) Figure out my style descriptors and evaluate whether each item I purchase fits those descriptors. Periodically revisit the descriptors. It is ok to make conscious decisions to deviate from the descriptors for fun and to try something new, as long as I understand that there is a risk that I'll get bored easily.

9) Have fun. Clothes shouldn't be stressful, if I'm not having fun, figure out why and correct it. I am currently working on doing more in-store shopping because returns from online were adding tasks to my busy life.

In summary, YLF has changed the way I think about clothes and even changed my life. Yay, YLF!

Mollymae

I love reading all the different things people have been inspired to try! It makes me realize how many I left off my first post It sounds so simple, but the concept of "just flattering enough" that Suz mentioned has helped me stretch my style boundaries and play with concepts that I would have avoided in the past. In the past, if an outfit felt like it wasn't working, I'd just scrap the whole idea and go with something safe. But seeing how people here use shoes, accessories, and toppers to change a look has definitely taught me that there are ways to play around with details that can completely change the overall look and feel of an outfit. Thank you ladies for being so inspiring!

Lyn D.

Veteran

Just one of the biggies would be deciding at home about K/R items by trying outfit ideas to see if they actually work and feel right.
This is huge because I used to pop new items straight into my closet, only to discover when it was too late to return that they were uncomfortable/NQR etc.

Gigi

Veteran

Love this thread! I'll have to come back and read others' responses.

I've learned so much from YLF, but I often don't realize how much I've learned, since it just kind of sinks in slowly, as you get practice trying things out. My game changers have been:

1. Low-rise pants plus belts. Like you, I am very short-waisted and have avoided tucking and wearing belts because they make me look like all hips and legs...kind of like an old man with his pants hiked up. :^) I discovered that if I wear low-rise pants, I can indeed tuck with a belt, because the low-rise lengthens my torso. Also, as you found too, the semituck lets you tuck without creating emphasis on a short torso.

2. Proportions. This has been a biggie for me. I actually learned more about this from books than YLF, but it's such a game changer that I needed to add it to the list. Proportions almost always help me "fix" my outfit when I feel frumpy or dumpy.

3. It's OK to be super-picky about finding exactly the thing you want. Unless there is an impending, important need in the near future, there is no need to settle.

4. It's OK for me to wear the style of clothes that feels like *me*, even if it's not "in style." The divergence of styles represented here makes me know that I'm OK, that I don't have to "fit in."

5. It's OK to mess up and buy something that turns out to be a style failure. I don't have to know everything about my own style up front. I learn just as much with the mess-ups as with the successes.

6. I should try things outside my comfort zone. I tried a pair of bootcut jeans at various fabbers' urging, sure that they wouldn't work. To my surprise, these jeans are perhaps my favorite pair of jeans now. :^)

I'm sure there's lots more if I thought about it!

rabbit

Veteran

Gigi what book did you read that really helped with proportion? I think I run into trouble there sometimes...

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I love all the tips & ideas I learn from Angie & everyone but the two biggest game changes for me are:

Learning to be PPP - patient picky and practical. I was hardly ever all three of these together before YLF.

Finding a community of like-minded women to talk to about style, fashion & life in general. It really did feel like coming home

DonnaF

Veteran

More adventurous color combos and hectic pattern mixing! It's made dressing so much more fun!

Gigi

Veteran

Rabbit, there was a section on proportions in The Triumph of Individual Style by Carla Mason Mathis and Helen Villa Connor. I think the book is kind of expensive (lots of reprints of artwork in it), so you might want to get it from your library or on interlibrary loan (that's what I did). It's not exhaustive (I still had some questions after reading it), but it gave me enough info to get started. The authors even say that you can include your hair as part of the proportions—for instance, if your hair is black and you wear a black shirt, you can consider the two combined as one "swath" of color.

rabbit

Veteran

Ah! Thanks Gigi, I will hunt it down at my library. Somehow I think trying to get it on audiobook (my usual method) will defeat the purpose

MsLuna

Veteran

Wrap dresses. That was the ultimate game changer for me. I've always been drawn to them but having apple tendencies made it difficult to find a good one... Until I posted two dresses that somehow had the right elements: a higher waistline (not empire), drape around the waist and 3/4 length sleeves. My dress options just expanded.