goldenpig

The Vince Camuto tube midi skirt has become my new Halogen seamed pencil skirt (which I have in red, yellow and green). So comfy, and good for work and MOTG. They're like potato chips--I can't stop at just one! I had one VC tube skirt that I bought last year that I wore even while pregnant, a black one (which I can't find at the moment unfortunately). When they were on sale this year I couldn't resist picking up 5 (!) more. Which one do you like best?
Same with this flowy Pleione mixed media blouse--had to get two solids and a print. When you find something that fits your style and lifestyle well, it's hard not to duplicate, or triplicate, or quintuplicate! The more, the merrier! Do you stock up in different colors/patterns too when you find an item you love?

Vince Camuto tube midi skirts in
1. Stripes
2. Lace print
3. Animal print
4. Red (only comes in petites)
5. Peacock blue
6. Black (don't know where this disappeared to)
Pleione mixed media blouses in
7. White
8. Pink
9. Navy pony print
Thanks for commenting!

S/O of Una's lemming wear thread:
What are the statement items you own, which as far as you know, no other YLF'er has (yet!) and are a signature part of your style? Like if someone were to see that item they'd instantly think of you? Can't wait to see what you come up with--I'll be nodding my head in agreement and saying that's so you! And feel free to pipe up if you do have any of these items--I love discovering YLF twins!

Coats, shoes/boots, purses or patterned items tend to be the most memorable statement items. Mostly copied these pics from my style (r)evolution thread, so apologies for the repeats! 
1. Ms. Scarlet--Chanel red French Riviera purse
2. Aquatalia Vavoom burgundy patent zipper rain boots
2-3. Kate Spade Melissa black ruffle trench and Jillian black and white polka dot dress
4-5. Kate Spade Japanese floral print--I know some of you have the trench or the dress, but I don't think anyone has as many pieces as me (sheath dress, trench liner, satchel, sneakers, iPad and laptop cases) or is wearing three or more pieces at the same time, haha! ;)
6. Alberto Makali peacock print tunic
7. Kate Spade turquoise Shelley pumps (I think some of you got the cobalt), Kate Spade turquoise High Line Leica clutch and Anthro Liquid Acres skirt
8. Tory Burch cobalt and rust skirt and Chie Mihara rust sandals
9. Kate Spade orange slice purse
10. Betsey Johnson burgundy quilted hearts satchel
11. Banana Republic Mad Men green and navy dress and clutch

I love this Pleione shirt so much I triplicated it (white, pink, and now this one). And I love the double dose of pony print!

ETA: Thanks AviaMariah! I love your moniker Urban Cowgirl and am adding it to the title. How fun!

Pleione navy horse print mixed media blouse
Leith leather skirt (aka saddle)
Sam Edelman Okala pony print heels
Jason Wu for Target purse (aka hay bale)
Alexis Bittar orange leopard pendant

I really enjoyed Annagybe's "golden circus elf" outfit (6) and thought I'd try doing a copycat with my VC striped tube skirt. Not an exact match to the fab original, but fun inspiration nonetheless--thanks Anna! I did horizontal instead of vertical stripes, skirt instead of pants, gold sandals instead of gold booties, and gold chain necklace instead of gold ball & chain necklace. I also don't know how to do such a tidy bun so I just did a messy twist with an alligator clip. But I still liked how the outfit came out. I wore it to work and am going to a mom's night out.

The Worishofer gold sandals I bought for about $38 on sale at DNA footwear (20% off with code SUMMER20, final sale)--thanks Rae for the recommendation! They were really comfy due to the anatomic footbed and I got lots of compliments on the shoes. Ha, people loved the orthopedic granny sandals! They're supposedly very cool with the celebrity crowd:
http://www.slate.com/articles/....._nana.html

I'm on Team Lemming Wear with my VC striped tube skirt and Spiegel jacket. I'm driving down the CPW surprisingly quickly on this jacket! How about you guys?
Thanks for commenting!

Spiegel black leather jacket
Vince Camuto studded black drapey tee
Vince Camuto black stripe midi tube skirt
Michael Kors black studded satchel
Worishofer gold sandals
Banana Republic gold chain necklace

I wore this Banana Republic Mad Men dress to work and got so many compliments on it. Pretty much everyone I saw--nurses, patients, etc. said they loved it, including older men who I wouldn't think would care about fashion as much. Even the Nordstrom SA when I went to return something asked me where I got it. I think people really loved the 60's print.

#1/2 is how I would have liked to wear it, with my ink blue snake pumps, but the heel is just too high to be practical for a full work day. Plus the heel is too spiky so I didn't feel as stable and was worried I would trip (I prefer sturdier chunkier heels). So I wore my Easy Spirit nude Mary Jane pumps instead. These are so old (at least 15 yrs) and chipped/peeling on the front and heel (8). I really need to replace them but they are so comfy, I can wear them all day even when on call so I keep and wear them a lot. I would love to find some replacement nude pumps so I can retire these, but only if they are as comfy as my current ones. And I don't know what to do with these blue snake pumps. I really should purge them, but irrationally I want to wait until I find a replacement ink blue snake Mary Jane pump with a lower chunkier heel. Which is a tall order! So in the meantime these pretty blue pumps are sitting on my shelf (I tell myself I am keeping them for date nights, which are few and far between).

I'm wearing the matching green and navy BR Mad Men bracelet and I found this matching green and blue Mad Men clutch on eBay (4/5). It goes with the dress exactly (even has the same print in the lining). Of course I just had to get it! But I always carry so much stuff (wallet, phone, keys, lipstick, pen, papers, candy, camera) that I can never fit it all in to a clutch. I should stop buying clutches (I have a burgundy one that I never use, and ended up buying a burgundy satchel instead). Clutches look pretty, but are so impractical because they don't hold anything! So I ended up using my Jason Wu for Target straw purse with navy trim (6, forgot to get a pic with the dress). It bookends the nude pumps, but it's a cheap purse so it is starting to fray a little. I am thinking of buying a Kate Spade satchel in green and navy (7). Initially I saw it on sale at the Kate Spade website,  but I didn't get it because I was worried the colors wouldn't be an exact match so I went for the matching BR purse. But now I regret it--I should have gone for the bigger size purse even if it's not an exact color match. Now it's gone from the Kate Spade site, so I'd have to get it on eBay and it's a little more expensive (I'm sure they bought them on sale and are marking them up for a profit). I know I am being silly but you know how it is sometimes when you get an idea in your head and can't let go! Matchy Matchy me really wants shoes and a purse to match this dress that are practical! (If you happen to see any comfy nude or blue snake pumps, let me know!) Thanks for your comments!

It's not as wild as it sounds! The outfit was very comfy and stretchy, and fairly subdued for my usual style.

Halogen black knit moto
Ella Moss grey and black peacock feather print blouse
Vince Camuto peacock blue midi tube skirt
Peacock iPhone
WHBM black pendant
Michael Kors silver studded satchel
WHBM black pointy flats

Time flies when you're having fun! It's been two years now since I joined YLF, and I thought it would be fun to share my YLF story and show you my style evolution (or revolution, given how rapid and radical a change I went through!).

I joined YLF in Aug 2011, after I realized I should stop wearing fleece jackets and maternity clothes all the time, especially since my youngest was already 1.5! The rest of my wardrobe was mostly from the 90's, with a lot of mock neck tops, cardigan twinsets, and bias cut printed skirts (3-4). Other than maternity clothes, I had not bought any clothes in the last five years and very little in the last decade. I found YLF from an online mommy board--someone posted a link to Angie's NAS picks. I found the forum here and was instantly hooked!

No lurking here--I joined Team Dive and plunged right in! I went on a major wardrobe overhaul and bought a bunch of stuff at NAS and Anthro & elsewhere. Angie and all of you were so patient and helpful with all my many questions and endless K/R's. I learned my body type (apple) and how to flatter it. I learned about fit and obsessively tried on everything until I found the perfect version...I tried on at least 50 pairs of jeans to find the right size and fit. I was a serial orderer and returner. I was definitely picky and persistent (although not very patient!) I posted my before and after YLF pics. I traded in my red fleece jacket, mom jeans and Merrell mocs (1) for red corset trench, hot mama jeans and leopard heels (6). And instead of wearing a maternity top and jeans like I previously did for our anniversary dinner date (2), I upgraded to a Kate Spade polka dot dress and black trench coat for the symphony (7). I wore belts for the first time and learned that I liked fitted waists (8-9). And with Mrseccentric's and all of your help analyzing my new signature outfit from NAS (10), I developed a style persona--Demure Bombshell. I even developed a shadow persona with UWP/rocker chick looks (11, 12). But my primary style is still very polished and ladylike, with lots of fun prints (13-15). I developed a style rubric: Color or Contrast, Matchy Matchy, Patterned, Fitted and Flair. I purged my closet and honed my style while being inspired by all of your styles as well (I love doing copycat and twin days!) By the end of my first year here when I became a Veteran in Aug 2012, I felt confident in my style and with the state of my wardrobe. 

But just when I was feeling like I had finally reached Closet Nirvana and had a handle on dressing, then came a huge monkey wrench--I became pregnant with #3! I was really happy, but totally freaked out about losing my whole new wardrobe that I had just spent the last year cultivating. Plus I was trying to hide my growing tummy for the first trimester. Fortunately, what I had learned from dressing as an apple really helped me during pregnancy. Structure and waist definition (16, 17) really helped camouflage the growing bump. Pics 17 and 18 were actually taken on the same day at 11 weeks! I was still into matchy matchy (16) and bright colors (19-20).

I really enjoyed showcasing the bump during 2nd and 3rd trimesters (21-25). I was really lucky I could use so much of my non-maternity wardrobe by wearing the stretchier dresses and skirts and embracing a more body-con fit. I bought very few maternity pieces--mainly a few pairs of maternity jeans and a couple of maternity tops. Most of my purchases, like the peacock tunic, were non-maternity pieces I planned to continue wearing afterward. Postpartum dressing was another upheaval, and more adjustment as I started losing weight and dressing to camouflage the tummy again.

Now at 5 months out, I'm within 5 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight and can pretty much fit into everything again. But even though I'm back into my old clothes, I'm finding that I'm still evolving. Some of my latest outfits have been looser, more relaxed, and ALLGO (a little less going on) (26, 29, 30) than my usual fitted, hyper matchy, ALGO style (27-28). I used to think that at some point my wardrobe would be finished once I plugged all the wardrobe holes. Now I know that that isn't how things work, and that it's a constant process of style evolution. I'm happy that I get to continue to be creative with my wardrobe and have fun with fashion! Looking forward to what the coming year brings! Thanks Angie and thanks to all of you for all your help and advice and encouragement and inspiration!

1-5. Pre-YLF
6-10. Right after joining YLF--Aug 2011
11-15.  Year 1 favorites
16-20. One year Veteran--Aug 2012 (1st trimester)
21-25. Year 2 favorites--2nd/3rd trimester
26-30. Two year veteran--Aug 2013

You all know my style is usually quite ALGO and matchy matchy, so this ultrasimple outfit is quite a radical departure for me. No bright colors. No high contrast. No patterns. Only one piece of simple jewelry. Not only is the lack of color and pattern atypical for me, but so is the silhouette--loose fitting blouse and slouchy boyfriend jeans, belted with a semi tuck. My style is usually fitted and ladylike and usually don't wear tomboyish outfits like this. My one nod to my typical style is the matchy matchy silver studded purse and belt.

This simple outfit felt perfect for a warm end-of-summer day. (I am not sure that the black leather jacket really goes with this outfit, but I needed something to keep me warm in the city.) Previously I would have felt that this outfit is too boring to post, but now I'm starting to feel like exploring my ALLGO (a little less going on) side, and I have to admit it feels refreshing! My house is such a mess, we have way too much stuff and I can never get it organized--I feel the need to do a radical purge. And my life is so busy and chaotic, that sometimes a little simplicity is calming.

What do you think of my not-me-but-maybe-new-me outfit? Bonus pics of the family day out. Thanks for your comments!

Pleione white mixed media blouse
Kut from the Kloth Catherine slim boyfriend jeans
Clarks nude wedge sandals
Michael Kors silver studded satchel
WHBM silver studded belt
Tommy Bahama circle necklace aka teething ring (DS2 spent all day grabbing this necklace and chomping on it!)

Recently I wore a red snake blouse and leather pencil skirt to work (8). Here is the MOTG version, with burgundy snakeskin skinny jeans and the Spiegel black leather jacket. (Five month old DS2 can sit now, but just for a few seconds before toppling over--makes it tough to snap WIW's, LOL!) I was trying to decide which shirt to wear with it. DD wanted me to wear my Missoni floral blouse, but that was too much pattern mixing for even me, so I went with a plain black tee. Well, OK, it does have studs on the shoulder (6). I did wear the snakeskin blouse and snakeskin skinnies together before (9), but I find that I'm starting to simplify my outfits a bit more lately. I don't know that I'll completely forsake ALGO for minimalism. There's still quite a bit of ALGO matchy matchy going on with the silver purse and sneaks; the studs on the shoulder, purse and sneakers; and the burgundy snakeskin bracelet and jeans. Still trying to find that balance that feels right to me...maybe exploring ALLGO (a little less going on) might be fun for a change!

Spiegel black draped leather jacket
Vince Camuto black studded T shirt
AG burgundy snakeskin skinnies
WHBM black pendant and burgundy snakeskin bracelet
Skechers grey snakeskin studded wedge sneakers

Ahoy, mateys! Waving at Suz, who looked so striking in the Vince Camuto tube skirt with the bold stripes. I was originally going to keep the black one with thin white stripes as it was more subdued (I thought the wide stripes might be too crazy looking on me), but after seeing how amazing she looked, I had to go for it myself! Thanks Suz for the inspiration!

I wanted to pair a peplum top with the skirt (like Suz did in 4). I recently bought a black and white striped peplum top from J Crew and thought it would be fun to pair the thinner stripe top with the wider striped skirt. For accessories I went with pattern mixing with polka dots. And of course I couldn't have just one set of dots so I went with my purse, necklace, and a new iPhone case! Then I added a black and white bracelet from Forever21. The triangular shapes of the bracelet remind me of a ship's signal flags. And the points are echoed in the lapel of the moto jacket and the pointy shoes. The stripes and dots pattern combination makes me think of a ship signalling SOS in Morse Code:
· · · – – – · · ·
And the flag shown in 5 (just like my bracelet) means Man Overboard. Perfect! I love themey dressing!

Avast! Here are some bonus nautical sayings--fun read on the meaning of popular nautical phrases.
Thanks for weighing in! Full steam ahead!
Nautical Natalie

Halogen knit moto jacket, J Crew striped peplum top, Vince Camuto striped midi tube skirt, WHBM necklace, Forever21 bracelet, Marc Jacobs Dotty purse, WHBM black flats