From Inspo to Out-the-Door

Translating a Look and Making It Yours

Happy day, dear reader of mine!

Have you ever gotten lost down the Pinterest Rabbit Hole? You know… You go looking for say, a new recipe for chicken breasts, and the next thing you know two hours have gone by, everyone is hungry, but hey, you’ve got a ton of cute new outfit ideas pinned? It’s okay. Teachers call it teacher crack for a reason. I have a three-click rule. Once I click three times, I have to leave.

I was talking to a client the other day. She shared with me a board of looks she loves. She didn’t want to buy any new clothes (And certainly didn’t need to!) but was struggling to make the connection between her board and her wardrobe. She had been trying to copy the looks on her board (which only works if you have all the clothes in the pin) rather than using the pin as a jumping off point or inspiration for a new outfit. Let’s talk about the difference…

I copied this pin onto my Fall and Winter Inspo Boards… I love this look, slouchy casual, but not sloppy. Can I copy this? Not really. I don’t have frayed hem skinny jeans, or the high-heeled Mary Janes. The long blonde hair is definitely out! No round shades, or black satchel bag. I do have a grey blazer. Not a long boyfriend blazer like this one, but one with more structure.

Let’s look at the elements. Frayed denim, white tee, blazer, structured bag, Mary Jane shoes, short small pendant necklace, rough, relaxed hair, oversized watch, and dark shades.

Where to next? What do I have? I dig out a white tee from my out of season box, because my winter capsule white tops have a dressier vibe. I’ll let my hair air-dry for a less polished look than my usual. I have sparkly navy Mary Janes and frayed hem Levi’s 501’s. Here comes the rub… This all neutral outfit will wash me out; I need color, so I’ll grab my turquoise satchel, and tie on a neckerchief with turquoise polka dots. Those color choices are drawn from my oversized watch with a blue striped band.

Do I look like the youthful beauty in the inspirations shot? Nope! I can’t do the smirking come-hither smile. But seriously…

Does this outfit feel like me? Heck yeah! I love a jacket with jeans, and the white tee makes it more casual than a blouse would. I get my signature sparkle from the shoes, hoops, and disk necklace. So, I added a little color that’s not in the original. That’s how it works with inspiration! I’m not trying to replicate the look exactly. I’m taking the elements as a springboard, and making it mine.

If you want some more inspo to outfit examples, in this post, I use a color scheme I found in a pin and create a variety of looks from it!

Would this be an outfit I would have put together without the inspo? Probably not. Is it a favorite? Not immediately. But I definitely want to try this one again, maybe with some other tweaks! How about you? Where do you find outfit inspo? Is Pinterest a problem for you? Let me know in the comments below! Like I said above, I do love to hear from you…

Stylishly yours,

Thanks to Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish for hosting her Turning Heads Link-Up!

And another thank you to Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb for starting out the weekend with her #sharealllinkup party! I love a party!