You Look Fab, Girl!


I am a recovering moo-moo wearer.

You know, baggy but very comfortable dresses? It is hard to imagine, but once upon a time, they were even in style. My dresses were kind of cute and I wore the heck out of them, but I “came to” one day and forced myself to remove them from my closet.

About that same time, I discovered Angie and You Look Fab.

This great website includes informational articles written by Angie, a fashion stylist in Seattle, and a forum where members post pictures of their outfits and ask for fashion advice. This is one of the sites I go to daily for information and inspiration.

I was so excited when I learned that a Chicago area meet-up was in the works and I was determined to attend!

We met at the Magnolia Bakery on State Street last Saturday morning. Brad is busy getting ready for the field and couldn’t leave on Friday, so that meant we had to get up at 4:00 in the morning to arrive on time.

Cute decor at Magnolia Bakery! Yummy cupcakes!

I snapped just a few pictures before my camera failed me. Grrr. After tea, we shopped, had lunch together, and shopped some more. It was fun!

Since I don’t have lots of pictures of our day, I thought I would share 10 lessons Angie has taught me.

1. Fashion isn’t just for city people. I can have fun with clothes even in my little community.

2. Looking good doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Cute clothes are available at every price point and T. J. Maxx is now one of my favorite stores.

3. It does make sense to pay more for items I will wear often. I now think about CPW, cost per wear, and I am not afraid to slap down more money for jeans since I wear them frequently.

4. Proportions can make or break an outfit. I now have a full length mirror on the back of our closet door so that I don’t have to stand on top of the toilet to try to see my entire outfit in the bathroom mirror.

5.  Proper Pants length is a BIG deal-at least in the fashion world. Our pants should come almost to the floor to help us look our best. Once you become aware of this, it becomes shockingly evident that it is true.

6. Angie and Oprah both taught me that a good bra-fitting is worth the time.

7. Having capsule wardrobes for different aspects of my life makes getting dressed easier. I am still working on this. I really don’t need to have a ton of clothes to be able to have a great wardrobe if I plan ahead when shopping.

8. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Just because something looks unattractive on a hangar doesn’t mean it won’t look good on an actual person.

9. Nordstrom isn’t just for rich people. They have great sales twice a year and the customer service is wonderful.

10. Getting dressed can be fun!

Brandon and Lindsay and Cathy, Lindsay’s sister, joined us for the weekend, making it even better!

I wish Cathy was in the picture, too. Darn!

Thank you, Angie, for making time for some of your groupies this weekend! And thank you to Brad for taking me to Chicago when you are busy, busy, busy. I appreciate it!

Now, please tell me…..Who inspires your style?

Hugs!