Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.
It would not surprise me to hear that the majority of women have days when they can't find anything to wear. You know, it seems like nothing fits right, hangs right, looks right and you have clothes tossed all around your closet or room. I can attest to having many, many of those days. It's hard to feel confident when you don't feel like your outfit feels right and it can feel almost impossible to find something on one of those days. We can all benefit from some style inspiration and know-how sometimes. Here are my top tips when I'm feeling like I can't get an outfit together.
1. Use Pinterest as Your Guide for Style Inspiration
Pinterest is my number one go to when I'm looking to put together an outfit. Let's say you want to find something to wear with white jeans, just type "white jeans outfit" into the search and so many options will pop up. You most likely won't have the exact clothes that you see, but you might have something similar and it makes it so much easier to put something together when you see it being used. This is something that I use all the time for things like "how to wear jeans with ankle boots" "wide leg pants outfit" and "sweater with dress outfit".
2. YouTube is your bestfriend.
Have you ever wondered how to do a french tuck? Tie a fancy scarf? Youtube is definitely the place to find tutorials on pretty much anything you can think of. If you're lacking in confidence on how to style something, Youtube gives you the opportunity to try it out without anyone watching! I often use Youtube for hair styling tips too. Because you can have the perfect outfit but sometimes a bad hair day can just ruin it.
3. Check out Your Favourite Store Social Accounts.
I highly recommend Doree's Habit (LOL). Lots of times your local boutiques, even some of the big box stores, have try-on videos, photos of staff wearing outfits from the store, etc. It is a great resource to use when you're looking for some motivation and encouragement.
4. People watching....
Yes this one might be a little creepy, but hear me out. Have you ever seen people wearing super cute clothes when you've been people watching? And come on, everyone does it. Check out what they've used to put the outfit together. Blouse, jean, skirt, dress... what style of shoes are they wearing. You know they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.. it's not likely they'd ever know you were copying their style anyway!
5. Don't forget to accessorize!
Adding a necklace, a pair of earrings, a belt.. sometimes this is all it takes to make the outfit work. There have been a lot of times I don't like what I'm wearing until I add a pair of earrings. They are definitely my go to.
6. Build your outfits around colour
A big tip is to take out one of your favourite pieces, whether its a skirt, pants, or a top and pair it with complimentary colours. Don't worry so much about texture, patterns, etc. Take a look through your wardrobe and see what would work.
7. Shop your closet
I won't deny that this has been a hard one for me. I have TOO MANY CLOTHES! I know, how can that be???? I mean in I can't say that anyone has too many clothes but I have too many that I know I won't wear. They don't look good. They're the wrong size. They are old or outdated. So maybe the first thing I should've said was "clean out your closet of items your don't wear". If that is an issue for you, like it is for me, then that is where I would start. After you're done, take a look through the items you have in your closet and see what works. Is there another way you could use that tank in an outfit? Does it work with another cardigan? What is a piece you love that you can expand on? I will confess that this is not an easy one for me. I love new clothes. I love shopping for clothes at the store and not necessarily in my closet. But I have found new combinations and different ideas from seeing what I all ready have.
Styling Your Outfits
This is definitely not an exhaustive list on fashion and style inspiration but they are my top points that I use often when I'm trying to put together an outfit or decide how to style something. Sometimes in can come down to confidence of listening to your gut. If you don't feel comfortable in something it will show. So use my tips as much or as little as you need to. I'd love to hear from others on what they do for outfit inspiration.