I am SO excited to have my cousin, Emily, guest posting on the blog today. She is my fashion inspiration and has killer taste. We love to shop together and sometimes she picks some clothes out that I would never even consider, but she will buy it and ALWAYS makes it work. For the inspiration contest, she sent me not one, but FIVE pictures, so I figured I’d let her share her brilliant fashion mind with you all. Enjoy!
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I have to admit that I have an 3″ binder filled with “inspiration photos” gleaned from (mostly Lucky) magazines so participating in this challenge wasn’t much of a challenge. It did seem to me that this was unnecessarily challenging for some though. It shouldn’t be and it needn’t be.
Inspiration photos are there to help you be more yourself.They can help you wear clothes you like in a style you like.
If you’re like me, you shop, you buy things you like. Now you have a closet of clothes you like, but don’t always wear as much as you would like or as you would like. For me, inspiration photos aren’t about what I want to buy, it is about how to put together what I’ve already bought.
Go through magazines, take note at the mall, see how things are put together. It can be the piece itself (I have a kimono styled top I don’t know how to style), a color combination (what can I wear with my turquoise skinnies besides white, black or grey?), the proportion (full-cut bottoms, bell sleeved tops), or just the vibe (sleek modern, flowy bohemian, menswear classic). You can use the inspiration as a pure template, or as a jumping off point. Play with color, play with pattern, play with proportion. You can use the inspiration pictures to help you step out of your comfort zone, or to just be more productive and creative within your comfort zone.
If I have an event to dress for (for these purposes an event can mean anything from MOPS to Christmas Eve dinner; I am a working mother of three so, really, getting dressed is in and of itself, an event!), staring at my closet wondering what to wear doesn’t always take me very far. I feel frustrated with how much I have and how little of it I wear.
In comes my inspiration binder. Flip through the sections (I have it divided into edgy, ladlylike, evening/holiday, and casual to help my perusing) and see a lovely full lace skirt with opaque colored tights and a round toe heel. Bam! I have all the necessary elements to evoke this lovely ladylike ensemble. Done!
As a side note, I have found that when I shop for specific items to recreate looks I see, I tend not to wear them as much. It’s like I am trying to be someone else, taking on their style. But when I look at the pictures to help me use what I already have in new ways, I find a great sense of satisfaction in wearing something that feels like me without having to spend more money.
Try it. You might just rediscover and be able to repurpose some pieces that you thought were headed for the Goodwill pile. Actually, I have two piles; my Goodwill pile and my Rena pile. I would say close to a third of what I see in her pics is a hand-me-down from me. I am a reformed shopaholic and so now I treasure my inspiration binder even more – making old things new is a great way to keep from acquiring more new!
Maybe Rena would prefer that I not use my binder so much. Ha!
And just to show that you’re never too young to be excited about fashion, Emily’s daughter, Ava, got in on the fun!
Happy Friday! 🙂
The Girl With The Smile 
Well done Emily!
Hey, Emily – I like the idea about the binder. Since I buy a lot of components separately it would be difficult for me to repurpose the pieces to come up with different looks. But, my suggestion on putting colors together in an unpredictable way would be to buy a color wheel and use it when you look for complimenting colors. With turquoise I think the right shade/hue of orange would work. Opposites on the color wheel are complimentary. Yellows and oranges can be tricky because they turn either reddish or yellowish which can really make a huge difference. I appreciate the ideas.
A.Christine