Style Inspiration: Where To Find It & How To Put It Into Practice

It’s a question that crops up a lot in my DM’s – where the hell do you find style inspiration?! So I thought today I’d dissect the answer for you because quite honestly inspiration is right in front of us every single day and it’s easy to soak it up, but not so easy to work out exactly how to apply it your own style, especially without feeling the need to buy a whole new outfit. So here’s my advice…

WHERE TO FIND IT

In real life. Styling inspiration is often sitting on your front door. I know it’s a bit ‘I saw Regina George wearing army pants and flip-flops’, but more often than not the people you surround yourself with are your biggest influences. But don’t just limit it to family, friends and peers, keep your eyes peeled when you’re out an about and window-shop next time you’re in town. Plus whenever I’m scrolling online retailers I always find cool ways to wear things. I screengrab them whenever I find them and save them in a folder on my desktop.

Instagram. For me this the platform where I find the most styling inspiration. IG have made it really easy to do thanks to the save feature (although the same can’t be said for stories currently, so I tend to screen grab those and save them in a folder on my phone), and whenever I wake up and have no idea what to wear, it’s the first place I head. Not sure where to start? Here are some accounts i love: @charlotteemilysanders, @imogenstyling, @sam.preston_, @samgrayer_, @pollyvsayer, @louisahatt, @laurawikke, @lindseyholland_, @abimarvel and I loooove the @raeyofficial account.

Pinterest. It’s an incredible platform to find outfit inspiration. I tend to find what I want there quickest when I search an exact clothing item. So for example, maybe I want to find more ways to way my beige trench, I search for exactly that and am served thousands of images with a huge variety of styling ideas. Whereas Instagram might be better for general styling muses and creating more of a moodboard, Pinterest is where I head when I want to find more ways to wear what I already have.

HOW TO PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Shop your wardrobe. Before feeling the need to add anything new into your wardrobe, see what you have already. There’s a high chance that you’ll own a least an item or two that’s similar to some of the pieces in the outfits you’ve found. Really have a dig around and use it as a chance to tackle some wardrobe maintenance whilst you’re at it. Come across a bobbly jumper? Get out that de-bobbler you’ve been meaning to use. Or a trouser that’s got a button loose at the top? Mend it. Make sure that 100% of your wardrobe is fully functional and ready to wear.

Look beyond the colour. Found a picture with a beige trench coat that you love the fit of, but you only have a navy one? THAT’S COOL. Look beyond the colour, the fabrics and the fit and instead zoom out to look at the tones and the silhouettes. Perhaps the wearer has paired the beige trench with a contrasting black base of clothing? So why not try the same with your navy trench and pair it with a contrasting beige base of clothing. Instead try to find patterns in terms of shapes and colour palettes in the images you’ve found and apply those to what you already have. So IGNORE: exact colours, lengths, fit and fabrics, and instead FOCUS on: colour palettes and tones, silhouettes and shapes and why you enjoy the outfit, to create your own outfit formula.

Log it. I always mention it, but I find some of my most favourite outfits when I’ve carved out an hour at the weekend to have a little fashion show. Have a play around and don’t be disheartened when an outfit doesn’t work immediately. Sometimes the undertones clash, the fit just doesn’t balance out and you might find that you don’t have a bag that goes with it – but 9 times out of 10 there is a little tweak that can change it up and make you feel more comfortable. When I feel like I’ve got it just right, I snap a picture on my phone and save it to an ‘outfits’ folder for future reference, so next time I’m feeling uninspired I know just where to head…

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Photos by Mark Newton