Where do you find inspiration for your own personal style? Most of us (even stylists) don’t draw from an endless well of creativity and therefore must look outside of our own ideas to gain some fresh inspiration.
How do you do that, you ask? The resources are endless.
1. Start with clothes you already own. What are your favorite pieces? Not the ones you wear the most, but the clothes you’re still so excited about. For me, I have a yellow ruffled top with a grey satin ribbon belt that I adore. I’ve probably only worn it three times, but just looking at it makes me so happy! What items do you have that are like that? Once you’ve determined what they are, write down why they’re your favorites. For me and my yellow top, it’s the romantic ruffles paired with the gloomy grey. I love that combination. So, that’s a good place for me to begin: romantic items with a little edge.
Maybe I’d get a dark grey tank with a sweet half-bow detail:
half-bow tank via nordstrom.com
and pair it with some fingerless leather gloves and my knit motorcycle jacket to toughen it up.
2. Imitation is the best form of flattery. Whose style to you admire? It should go without saying that buying their exact same sweater, jacket, boots, etc. isn’t flattering in any way and shouldn’t be done. However, you can draw some ideas from them. Personally, I pay attention to people who are extra-proficient at mixing prints and try to figure out the fundamentals of what they do so I can replicate their ideas (not their exact look!) within my own wardrobe.
some successfully mixed prints
3. Watch a movie or some good TV. Yeah, yeah, yeah everyone’s inspired by Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O., Marilyn Monroe, and all the other icons. But there are countless other stylish characters that go unnoticed and under-appreciated. When I think back on movies I like, most of them I love for the clothes. Do you pay attention to character wardrobes? They can provide a wealth of ideas for you! I love Penelope Cruz’s wardrobe from her role in Vicky Christina Barcelona. The epitome of gypsy summer chic (but no cigarette for me, thanks)
The inimitable Ms. Cruz in character
Satin and suede fringe? I wouldn’t have paired those on my own.
4. Just pick a trend. When nothing is right, nothing is good enough, nothing has the “wow” factor: just pick a trend. I did this. I picked animal print. It’s everywhere, it’s a trend that goes on forever, and I don’t have much of it. All of a sudden I started noticing zebra-patterned beading, and embossed-leopard flats (or even better, the yellow flats below!). I started putting it together with stuff I already owned: “I could wear these flats with tights and that striped mini-skirt. I could wear that tank under a blazer with the sleeves rolled up and some bold ankle boots. I could wear….” and on and on.
Jimmy Choo flats via saksfifthavenue.com
Sometimes all you need is a push. It might not even feel like the right direction at first, but you have to force it a little. You’ll end up with a whole new look you would have never tried before!
