One of my favourite topics to discuss and share on - if you aren't already in the Style Magic Facebook group get over there so you can get inspired and learn how to actualize that inspiration your life.
I think a very big misconception about style inspiration is that it comes from brands, influencers, and catwalks. If this is where you get inspiration and are feeling stuck with just wishing you could wear the things you see these people sharing, or only get to the point where you think it looks nice on them but don't think it would look nice on you or have no idea how you would wear it... This post is for you!
Style inspiration doesn't end at feeling inspired, and a large part of making your inspiration reality is where you're getting it from and connecting with whether or not it actually inspires you.
So today I am going to share all of my favourite places and ways to inspire your style AND how to know you genuinely like something, not just the way popular clothes or style look on other people.
So where does style inspiration come from?
The big answer is truly everywhere. We live on a beautiful planet, with amazing things happening all around us that we can choose to take inspiration from. Seeing fashion and style as art instead of just clothes or a necessity really helps expand what we believe is inspiring in terms of what we wear.
So I would highly recommend practising shifting your beliefs to seeing what you wear as an art form and way of expressing yourself in general.
On a more specific side of things though here are my favourite places to find inspiration:
Pinterest - clothes and not clothes (mood boards). I find inspiration here all the time because there are boards and photos and collages of vibes and aesthetics that speak to me and constantly inspire me. Some are simply outfits, other pins have no clothes in them and just create a vibe or a feeling that I want to recreate with my clothes.
Poetry / Books - Beautiful poetry inspires me and also helps me get in touch with my emotions, it often feels powerful for me which inspire my style. Books, specifically fantasy books, create entire magical worlds of exploration and inspiration from the way the characters are described to the places and spaces they take up. I find the characters and details of books very inspiring and they also remind me to be playful and infuse more magic into my style (one of my favourite things). The clothing in characters and places in the ACOTAR and Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Mass specifically come to mind.
Emotions - Using my emotions to inspire what I wear has been an incredible tool for getting dressed. I have learned how to channel my frustration, joy, sadness, and confidence into my clothes simply by asking myself which of my clothes align best with each emotion or supporting me in the experience of that emotion instead of running away from my emotions. I highly recommend the post about channeling your energy into your clothes if you want more information on this.
Nature - Our natural world hold so much beauty. From the colours, to the textures, shapes, and views. We can draw so much from simply reflecting on our favourite parts of the world, to the changing seasons. Examples like infusing the flow of the ocean into our clothes (choosing clothes with more flow). Wearing bright summer colours, or earthy fall colours. Flowers literally inspiring florals and so on.
My favourite TV / Movie characters - Because these characters aren't going to tell you to go buy what they are wearing it doesn't feel like they are selling it and makes it is easier to notice whether or not you like and are inspired rather than influenced. I also find that the character's character and wardrobe tend to align so if you are feeling drawn to it you may be similar to the character making it easier to find many outfit that could work for you and your style. I also find these outfits to be more unique and styled to the character instead of just clothes on a person. It inspires creativity and playfulness.
Remember, it can come from anywhere. The key is to notice when you feel inspired and see if you can take that inspiration and infuse it into your outfit, wardrobe, and style.
And this is how you'll know you genuinely feel inspired:
A fast way is to take an inspiring talk or even song and listen to it and as it plays notice the feeling in your body and identify it by asking these questions:
Where is this feeling in your body?
What colour is this feeling?
Is this feeling hard or soft?
Is this feeling fast or slow?
How does this feeling make you want to react?
Is this feeling inspiration? (Yes/No) If no, what is it? and continue to seek out what inspiration feels like for you.
Another approach is to just think of the last time you were inspired and ask those same questions.
If you want to simply find more joy, love, or peace instead of inspiration and use those emotions to inform your style you can switch those out for the feeling of inspiration too.
Once you know what that feels like in your body you'll be able to look for it everywhere else and focus in on whether you can take that inspiration and infuse it into your clothes.
Inspiration does not have to come from people you believe are well dressed or stylish.
In fact it should come from you connecting with the things that inspire you and asking yourself what aspects of it you can incorporate into your clothes so that you can wear them.
Happy styling!
Love & Trust Yourself