Outfit Inspiration Tools

Today’s Fashion Attire:  Today I’m wearing a fitted white tee (White House Black Market Outlet $10), dark wash boot cut jeans with white stitching (Ross $15), Chinese Laundry short black motorcycle boots (Ross $12) black leather belt (Gap Outlet $14). I accessorized with long beaded necklaces, a bangle and multiple bracelets.

Outfit Justification:  I saw a picture of an outfit on Facebook over the weekend and I wanted to duplicate it.  This was my attempt.

Outfit Inspiration Tools:

Even the most versatile fashionista hits a style rut.  If you have spent any significant time with me, you know that I have a very large wardrobe. I love clothes. I love shopping. I’m very good at shopping.  Actually, I’m a little too good at shopping. I’m grateful that I have a very large closet in our apartment.  But despite all that, I have on multiple occasions looked in my closet and uttered the words “I have nothing to wear!”  This is a false statement. It’s not that I don’t have anything to wear it’s that when it comes to getting dress, I’m not inspired to wear something.  As a result I feel less than fabulous. Usually this involves some sort of meltdown.  (The meltdowns usually occur when something doesn’t fit, let’s just call it a fat day). The thing is I can put together an outfit. I do it all the time when I’m shopping. But somehow I’m never inspired when dressing in the morning or going out for the evening. And then I’m at a loss when I’m trying to do this in my own home.

Two inventions have been helping resolve my plight. One is the “Dresses” page on Facebook. The second is Pinterest. If you’re friends with me on Facebook, and if I’m in your newsfeed, you’ll see me occasionally like an outfit on this page called Dresses.  Quisha, my hairstylist extraordinaire, was the one who introduced me to this page.  The page is created by some person who lives in Egypt.  The gist of the page is that post pictures of complete outfits.  And even though the page is called Dresses, it doesn’t only feature dresses.  They should change the name to Outfits.  The pictures include the outfit, shoes, purses, and other assorted accessories. Sometimes it includes fragrances and nail polish. Sometimes it includes something random like a Starbucks coffee cup…yes that’s weird.   Not every outfit is fantastic. Some of them are either darn right tacky, or just too hoochified for my liking. But what I like about this particular page is that there isn’t usually a body in the clothes.  We’re not associating an outfit with some rail thin model.  You can imagine yourself in the outfit and not the person they pictured. Sometimes they have a person in there, but most of the time not.  What I don’t love is that they don’t include where to buy something or how much it costs.  Oh well it helps the person to use their own imagination as to where someone can find an item.  And in my case, I can usually look in my closet for something similar.

Pinterest is also another great source for ideas on a lot of things. In case you hadn’t heard, Pinterest is another social media website that is basically electronic scrapbooking.  You login to the site, there’s a feed from everyone you’re following and the boards you’re following.  And you can like things, or you can just repin them to your own board. My friend Natalie has been inspired by the hairstyles on there, and tried them on herself.  I find myself pinning stuff left and right. And recently I’ve been using the app on my phone to show people pieces of my Pinup Girl wardrobe when I’m out and about.  Often times there’s the  same kind of feed of outfits on Pinterest, and I’m pin them thinking I’m going to try find something in my closet that looks like what they put together.  So it’s another source.

I have to say, having these lovely little tools to help me put an outfit together is pretty cool. I still have my fashion magazines, like InStyle, for inspiration as well, but having these new little tools brings a certain coolness to copying someone else.  And I have to say I have a major sense of accomplishment by being able to successfully duplicate one of these outfits.  Today, I’ve received a few compliments on my outfit, well the jewelry.  I’ve been pretty sick with the flu all week and weekend and coming back to compliments has helped me feel a little better.  So I count that as a fabulous success.  I’m including a picture of the page from Dresses, I copied, and a picture of me in the outfit.