My Current Style Inspirations

Right now I have a fire in my belly for all things fashion. I’ve got a handful of bloggers who I look to to keep me on the right track, have my Pinterest method in place and know what I need to do whenever I’m having one of those ‘I have nothing to wear’ moods (SPOILER: Try on the entirety of my wardrobe and snap the hell out of it). I have a groove. I know what I like and what I don’t like. I don’t give a hoot about trends and I feel really darn chuffed with the current contents in my wardrobe. I feel like that’s partly down to me consciously trying to make better decisions and brush off bad purchasing habits (more on that in another post), but it’s also down to consuming a wealth of inspiration as I’ve finally worked out exactly where to find it…

Pinterest. For all its practical qualities and prettiness, does anyone else find Pinterest ridiculously clunky and un-sexy to use? It’s definitely something that I have to be in the right mood for, but once I’m there I can easily while away a good hour or two getting knee deep in style inspiration. Aside from the obvious ‘find a picture you like, see a related one, oh – and another related one, click on that board, yay – another related board‘ rabbit hole that can keep you entertained for days, I like to search for a particular item that I either have in my wardrobe, or would like to have in my wardrobe. That way I can see how different people have incorporated it into their outfits and think about how it would fit into mine. If it’s an item that I already have then I find that it’s helpful for coming up with new combinations and ways to wear it. Rabbit hole avoided. Kinda.

Shops. Sometimes it’s just nice to actually see clothes. Get a feel for them. Try them on. When I’m in the mood for this I head down to Our Daily Edit, which is basically my favourite place to shop for clothes in Brighton. They have a tonne of Skandi designers in there and it’s an independent place with amazing customer service and Instagram-worth decors. When I want to do the same but from the comfort of my own home, I like to have a little scroll on Net-a-Porter; not necessarily to eye up anything to buy, but just to see what items are new. I tend to find something I like and then click on it to see what items they’ve paired with the piece. The happy in-between spot for both these activities is to have a massive try-on session with items from your own wardrobe. I cannot stress how much this gives you a stylish kick up the backside. I think I’ll do a whole separate post on this and how I’ve been trying to flex my fashion muscle to create new and different outfits from bits I’ve had hanging around for yonks. Give it a go though – just put on some music and make sure you have a long-ish period of time free so you’re not in a rush.

Bloggers. This what gets my real creative juices flowing. Over the past year or so I’ve found a handful of girls who I feel each feed in to a particular facet of my own personal style. I like to stalk their Instagram feeds, scroll through their blogs, watch their videos or IG stories for more candid OOTD’s or to see how they suggest styling up particular items, then mush it all up – along with my Pinterest pins and shop-inspired musings – to create an idea of what I want my wardrobe and everyday style to look like. Shot From The Street is my favourite for her ability to mix high-end and high-street pieces and forever look so darn effortless and cool. Ropes of Holland has Skandi chic down and makes me want to buy a suit, like, yesterday. Brittany Bathgate is the Queen of clean lines and boxy cuts and I love the way that she wears oversized pieces in a flattering way. Finally I always check on what The Frugality’s got going on as she’s a fellow lover of leopard print and her pops of red, even make me want to dip my toe into colour. I KNOW! 

Photos by Lauren Shipley

SHOP MY CURRENT WARDROBE