How to find inspiration that is actually helpful pt. I
On avoiding the pinterest doomscroll and the copy/paste syndrome
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We live in the era of pinterest boards, tiktok hauls, instagram ads and other social media where we're constantly being pushed "what's in and what's out", wishlists that change seasonaly and an endless amount of content to aspire to. Mass scale trends are perpetuated by mainstream media and top influencers and, after a period of time that grows shorter by the day, we can see its effects in āreal lifeā.
As you funnel this down to microinfluencers and an audience that is more interested in fashion than the general public, you see yourself inserted in your own algorythm-bred little internet bubble, where trends may not quite reach the people you see on the streets everyday, and what you see talked about online you might not see talked about elsewhere. Either way, you're being fed the same content as other thousands of people, simply in a smaller scale. Even if you never cross paths with them, you're being led to consume the same things, at the same places, at the same time.
You may, for example, have laughed at The Great Stanley Cup War of 2024, when people stormed Targets all around the US in search of the pink valentine's day limited edition, but as soon as you saw a couple creators wearing the Juju Vera shell pendant necklace you've been yearning for it. And there's no judgement at all here, I'm talking from experience. I've been there, and every now and again I find myself back there. You see people you admire or aspire to be alike in some way and it leads you to subcontiously think "well, if I get this, I'll be one step closerā.
Do you actually know what you like and what you want? Have you given yourself time and space to find out?
These are the questions I started asking myself a while back, after purchasing another "closet stapleā and still finding it hard to get dressed everyday. It made me stop and reflect on how my content consumption was affecting my actual consumption, and how they were both barring me from exploring my own personal taste and style.
I don't claim to have it all figured out. Taste is fluid, it changes and develops throughout our lifetime, but I believe I've developed the tools to help me along this process. Here's what I learned on how to find inspiration that might propell you to self-reflect, work with what you have and purchase things you'll actually wear and love.
1. Search for everything else
If I had to limit myself to one piece of advice it would be this: don't limit yourself to searching for outfit inspo. Actually, search for everything else. As fashion writer Lynn Yaegar said when asked in an interview for Vogue what is the best advice she'd ever gotten: ā[ā¦] if you're interested in fashion, learn about everything except fashion.ā
Search for interior design and architecture you might like, looks from film and TV characters, runway looks, celebrity shots from past decades, old magazine spreads, random photos of stuff and places. Look for juxtapositions of texture, fabrics, patterns and color you might like.
Pay attention to the things you enjoy. What artists do you admire? What kind of materials, colors and themes do they use and explore in their work? Where do they take inspiration from? What kind of music do you listen to? Explore the cultural movement your favorite artists are involved in and reflect on the feelings their art elicit from you.
Mix it all together and try to find common threads: silhouettes, color combinations, specific pieces and patterns... Somewhere in there is you and what you actually like. Not just some outfits you find cute, but actual taste that is yours. This is especially useful if you're coming from a place where you don't quite know what you like, or you do know but find it difficult to translate it into building outfits.
For example:
I've always been a fan of Lana del Rey. When I think about Lana's music, as well as her persona, I think of white lace, satin, jeans and leather in a mixture between a motorcycle-gang-americana vibe and an overall romantic, sensual and feminine aesthetic.
Recently, I had my self-mandated periodical rewatch of the Phantom of the Opera, a personal all-time obsession of mine, and I saw reflected there some of the same ideas: dramatic lace nightgowns, velvet and satin capes, leather gloves, puffy sleeves and perfectly tailored black suits.
I've been waching a lot of house tours from Homeworthy on Youtube in search of inspiration after moving into a new place, and it made me realize I really love the combination of purple/red tones, soft yellow and moss green and the juxtaposition between textures such as rafia, linen, lace and leather.
When scrolling through pinterest and random runway collections (here is the website I use), I found these patterns repeating themselves. I've been constantly drawn to satin dresses with lace details, crochet and lace juxtaposed over sharp, black elements, cotton/linnen paired with black leather shoes, rafia and crochet bags and so on.
At the same time, through experimentation, I've found that I feel too exposed when showing a lot of skin, or when combining more than one of what I consider a slinky, more sensual item. This means not every satin dress is for me, and I'm still looking for the right one. It also means I prefer pairing pieces such as lacy tops with more brute or relaxed items. Mixing all that together, I came up with these looksā¦
When you do search for outfit inspo, do so critically. Think of specific things you might want to see styleed by other people and pay atention to the details.
For example, a while back I realized I had 5 different white button-ups I barely wore, and whenever I decided to actually wear them I ended up uninspired and unsatisfied. So I went to pinterest, searched for white button up outfits and tirelessly scrolled through them, trying to pinpoint what drew me to the ones I liked and what made them different from the outfits I created.
This helped me realize a big part of why I could never feeel happy in a button-up is because I have kind of a long neck, and shirts with V necklines elongate it even more. In a lot of these outfits I liked, however, I found that there were things drawing attention away from the neckline, and that's what made it work for me.
To prevent this from getting too long, I'll end this week's post right here, but there's more where this came from. Part II is comming soon and I'm excited to keep talking about these tips!!
See you next time,
Beijinhoss xx