Hello and welcome to the 2nd part in the new series -
Establishing Your Wardrobe.
Make sure you've read part 1 - the why which will give you the first stepping stone to establishing your wardrobe. In the first part, you have 4 main questions to go through to work out what you want from your wardrobe before embarking on the next steps.
Step 2 is 'the inspiration'.
Finding inspiration can be a bit of a process, as you need to really take a look at what particular elements you're drawn to. It can be as simple as certain colour schemes, or a trouser with a certain fit, or items that can be neatly packed into a trend. Or it can be as complicated as a set of clothes that, on the surface, don't fit into any sort of box and you're not quite sure how they work together. When you look deep enough, there's usually common ground between them, but we need to put them all together and assess them first.
How to find your inspiration...
We're purely looking at our style here at a quite basic level, how we would like to look, what resonates with us the most. Ignoring your current wardrobe (to a degree) and taking notes on what we like and what sparks joy.
Note: It's also worth commenting that what you love does not have to follow the black blazer-white tshirt-straight leg jeans cookie cutter look that I've shown above, or what is often shown in these types of posts. That's just the style that I like! If you like rainbow colours or rich jewel tones or floaty dresses, you stick with that!
Step 1 - Create a Pinterest Board
I know, very basic, but something that really does work. I have a S/S board and a A/W board and I refer back to it almost every day. You can really narrow down what you like and find similarities between each image to create a good reflection of your style.
Using this, you can then mix and match between photos to create something unique, or take the concept of an outfit and pick out similar pieces in your wardrobe to recreate it.
Step 2 - Assess What You've Pinned
When you've pinned a few photos, take a look at each image and ask yourself why you've pinned it. Did you like one item? The whole outfit? The colour scheme?
When searching for images, think about what really draws you to that photo instead of adding something to your board for the sake of it or because you think the model is pretty. The idea here is to truly curate your style, so being honest with what you like is very important.
Step 3 - Make a List
Note (mental or physical) what you really loved and why you would like to have/wear similar out of the items you've pinned.
What items are you drawn to? Do you already have them? Do these items work year round? Could you layer them or use them for longer than a season?
Make a judgement about each photo or item and see whether it would actually work in your wardrobe.
Step 4 - Social Media Inspo
Follow social media accounts that reflect the style you're aiming for, rather than unattainable people who leave you feeling the need to shop or to spend unnecessary money or make you feel less than.
Social media can be a very good tool if you detach any negative emotion from the images you're seeing and use them purely as inspiration. Similarly to the Pinterest board, follow people that you genuinely resonate with rather than those who represent an idealised version of your life.
You can 'Save' images/videos to folders on Instagram and TikTok to look back on.
An example of my A/W Pinterest board:
Note how the images have a similar style, but are still individual. Using these elements, I can create dozens of outfits which makes getting dressed so much easier.
Questions to ask yourself:
Do you want to dress like that because you think the model looks good or because it could genuinely work for you?
Does this style practically fit into your life? Is it just a pipedream or would you actually wear it?
Is it sustainable and attainable? Can you see it lasting beyond a season?
Hopefully using the steps above, you'll be able to establish the style you like the look of purely on a visual level and then ask deeper questions on why you like that style and if it will practically fit into your every day life.
Looking back at Step 1 and asking 'why' should help here too, but we will be covering that more in Step 3: The Styling...
