YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Mood boards

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Mood boards https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:38:01 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Angie on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034260 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 14:27:13 +0000 Angie 2034260@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sweet Brooklyn, your wardrobe is carefully thought out and beautifully curated ALREADY Brooklyn on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034181 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 10:58:47 +0000 Brooklyn 2034181@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks Lyn! I think the trick is to keep the boards under review and curated. None of mine have more than 50 photos and I am always editing and adding. It’s my fantasy wardrobe :) SF, it doesn’t surprise me that you are mostly intuitive. You have such a focussed style. I have read that about using 3 not 2 (and odd numbers not even). So much commonality between interior design and fashion. The idea of repeating colours for instance to make a room/outfit look attractive to the eye. And varying textures. I find that all really interesting. lyn67 on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034177 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 10:20:37 +0000 lyn67 2034177@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Love this post as all yours, Brooklyn! To answer our question-(as Angie): I used (and still do) to pin inspiration pics but then-but eventually  did nothing with my pins....:-((. I  continuously get distracted by so many visual inspiration that I cannot focus  on only one thing... Still,  my choices are mostly orbiting  around neutral and comfy but flattering work outfits and some hectic casuals.... I admire your boards and their perfect implementation so will come back and try to learn how you do it. Style Fan on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034169 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 09:18:14 +0000 Style Fan 2034169@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Brooklyn, your mood boards are beautiful to look at.  I love the peacock one.  They sound like great tools.  I am fascinated by how you see something that you like and then create outfits from that.   I have Pinterest boards but don`t really use them except to collect pictures.  I am probably an intuitive organized type.  I just know what colours work best for me.  I am the same with home décor.  For the use of space and proportions,  I have formulas in my head that I use.  For example, the number 3 is better than the number 2 for arranging objects and creating outfits .  I do this with gardening too.  That formula came from the golden mean.  I don't consciously think about this but I sometimes break it down when it isn't working the way I want. Brooklyn on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034165 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 08:14:35 +0000 Brooklyn 2034165@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Rachy, I had a feeling that you would be mostly intuitive. Your style is striking and unique. Gigi, that sounds really thorough. I am intrigued by a “texture” mood board. That’s got me thinking too! I use my mood boards in the same way as you - to keep me on the straight and narrow. A few years ago I had no real plan at all. I think I’m making fewer mistakes now that I have one. rachylou on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034155 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 06:08:53 +0000 rachylou 2034155@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I like to clip pics and save things to Pinterest. I look back at my clippings, but admittedly not my Pinterest boards. If I really want to buy something, I do have a Pin board for that... but otherwise it’s more an exercise in choosing this or that, seeing what’s out there, training my mind and eye, an in the moment thing. If something really strikes me, it will stick in my mind. Gigi on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034151 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 04:37:55 +0000 Gigi 2034151@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Love the pics in the blues mood board! Nice blues are really tough to find, IMO. I rarely see anything in an eye-catching shade of blue. I am a big fan of mood boards. I try to do them at least a couple of times per year. They help me focus my shopping so that I don't get distracted. I am on a pretty tight budget, so I want to buy things that will give me the most use. I use a photos program that came with my desktop computer, and I divide the albums up into several different categories (silhouette, color, pattern, texture, etc.). I then look through each album to see what shows up multiple times, and then I focus on buying those items, colors, etc. Doing a mood board helps me not get sidetracked when I'm having a hard time finding the right iteration of a particular item. For instance, I'm really wanting a pair of wide-leg, high-waisted cream cropped jeans, but after trying on several pairs, I still haven't found one that fits properly. Since I did a mood board, I know that this type of item is very important to me, so I will continue looking and not let myself get sidetracked buying something else that is easier to fit. Brooklyn on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034133 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 02:22:54 +0000 Brooklyn 2034133@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks Shevia. I also pin some runway looks. Then I try to analyse specifically what attracts me to them. That was really helpful in developing my themes. Runcarla, thanks! I am very conscious that my colour preferences are out of sync with most forum members. But dark colours do make me happy The 1920s theme board sounds like a lot of fun. I think it goes well with the current trend for pleated skirts, yes? You could combine a pleated skirt with long semi fitted top for a drop waisted look. Already I am seeing that mood board in my head! And I have used my decor (but not fashion) mood boards exactly the way you describe ie have you got something like this? Unfortunately the answer here in small market Australia is usually “no”. Isabel, thanks! It’s interesting that you mention colour proportions and dark vs light. We talk a lot about outfit proportions here (in terms of figure flattery) but not so much about colour proportions (in terms of pleasing to the eye). I suspect that there are some rules around pleasing colour proportions that are similar to the golden ratio in architecture. For myself I’ve discovered: * 3 colours are definitely better than 2. * because I prefer darker colours it lifts the look if the third colour adds some element of lightness and contrast - white, tan, cognac, gold, silver are ideal. *patterns and jewellery are a good way to add the third (light) colour because (generally) I like a smaller proportion of “light” in my outfit. Cardiff girl, thanks! It’s great to feel in control of the style evolution process isn’t it? Maybe we should all share our mood boards! Jaime on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034108 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 01:03:09 +0000 Jaime 2034108@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ The combination of your mood pictures and actual outfits is an absolute visual delight to see. I am very inspired by your sense of clarity with your style and your stunning use of color. When I see an outfit I like I pin it on my pinterest board, and I love pinning favorite looks from fashion week but it is more like taking notes in school - the act of pinning is more useful than the board itself, at least for me. I do like looking when I am feeling particularly confused about who I am at the moment though! Brooklyn on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034095 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 00:18:42 +0000 Brooklyn 2034095@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks Suntiger - and for suggesting peacocks. Now googling “dark autumn” :) Bonnie, I think that’s right for me too. When I collect images on Pinterest I tend to just hoard them. It’s an effort to delete and move them to another board. When I use my phone it’s no effort at all. I think the more curated the mood board is, the more useful it is. Angie, that makes sense. You are a natural at this too! I want my wardrobe to be as curated and carefully planned as yours. I think I’m on my way but I’ve got a way to go yet. Brooklyn on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034092 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 00:10:31 +0000 Brooklyn 2034092@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks Jenni. I am trying to balance plan with emotion. I think this gives me some of both. I use the boards as much for outfit creation as for purchasing so I don’t feel like it’s resulted in any mistakes (yet!) Thanks Sally. The paint spatter pictures are photos I am thinking about purchasing for our home. So my mood boards are doing double duty, ha ha. Glad you are enjoying skirts. I find them much more versatile (and an easier fit) than dresses. I’ve gone off Pinterest for reasons similar to Angie but I think it’s a similar idea. Barbara Diane, I did that when I renovated my former house - kept a scrap book of images I took from magazines. I’m too lazy to do that now! Much easier to collect internet images. But it can lead to image overload. Sterling, YAY! Thanks for the enthusiasm :) Nemosmom, for colour combinations I find non-fashion pictures more helpful because I can focus just on the colours. In fashion pics there is so much more to take in than the colours - the silhouette, the fit, the textures, the shoes, the bag, the model’s colouring, even the surrounds. Anonymous on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034091 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 00:01:52 +0000 Anonymous 2034091@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Love your peacock mood board-outfits! I do mine in Word-"dark autumn inspirations" with my color schemes, then have some for my novel characters and settings too. Jenni NZ on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034048 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 20:16:19 +0000 Jenni NZ 2034048@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hi Brooklyn, these are great! I don’t do this, no. I used to get excited about themes from fashion magazines (I particularly remember 2015 when 70s-inspired looks filled them) but when I bought in those themes, feeling all happy and excited, I found I wasn’t wearing the heavily themed items enough. I still have some of those 2015 purchases and am struggling to get my wears out of them. I intend to edit some out soon probably. I think I have tempered what sings to me since then. It has to shout loudly not just sing! I am more cautious which does lose a little of the fun, but if the fun also gave a lot of bad feelings afterwards like waste of both money and the environmental impact of making the garment, then it wasn’t worth it to me emotionally. I suppose my large Styletread wish list does this in a small way just in the area of shoes, my favourite thing. I like the fact this gives you a plan. Sal on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034047 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 20:15:09 +0000 Sal 2034047@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What a good idea.  Those paint or oil splatter photos are gorgeous.  I can see the execution in your outfits.  I think you have a good eye for colour - it is subtle and unexpected but always elegant. Love the teal skirt too - I am loving skirts this year and have five skirts in total now!!! I do have pinterest boards and use them sporadically.  I get inspiration from blogs, advertising, the forum and street style occasionally.  Not so much around here - more when away for the weekend. Barbara Diane on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034030 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:25:42 +0000 Barbara Diane 2034030@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What a beautiful inspiration and execution. I tend to cut out jewelry and occasionally outfit inspiration pictures. Anonymous on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2034005 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:18:49 +0000 Anonymous 2034005@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I loved, LOVED this post.  Your images were icing on the cake.   nemosmom on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033999 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:11:06 +0000 nemosmom 2033999@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <div>Ooh, what a neat idea to include color inspiration, too. I am certainly NOT intuitive when it comes to creating successful combinations....</div><div> </div><div>I save outfit photos in an inspiration folder on my phone, and I have a pinterest board for house remodel stuff, but it never occurred to me to do include inspiration derived from non-fashion resources. Thank you for sharing your methodology, Brooklyn! Your looks are always SUPER cool. </div> Bonnie on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033981 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 17:27:20 +0000 Bonnie 2033981@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I love your outfits and really liked reading about your method of making style choices. I usually try to use the colors in a painting I like and use as my palette inspiration. Your method goes beyond colors and includes mood.  I made an actual mood board with my photos and magazine pictures that I liked last year. It was not fashion themed but goals for 2018. It's surprising how many of them were realized including a move to the coast. I hung it up in my closet and saw it daily. Maybe I should make a fashion themed board. I have Pinterest boards but they don't seem to inspire me as much as the board I made did. Maybe it's that when you have a limited space you make better choices. Angie on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033942 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 14:32:23 +0000 Angie 2033942@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I loved seeing the peacock inspiration best of all Brooklyn, and you've dressed the inspirations beautifully as always. I love the glitz and shine of your jewellery. I can't pick a fave! You have KILLER style, full stop.  To answer our question: I used to pin so called inspiration pics years ago, but did nothing with my pins. I completely get how it can be of value to someone else, though. When you're in the Rag Trade, you're inspired all the time, so it's hard to pinpoint where the stimuli starts and finishes, IYKWIM.  Generally, my style is inspired by four main things: <ul> <li>my feelings and emotions</li> <li>street style in my favourite cities</li> <li>things that are real like people, settings, circumstances</li> <li>very, very occasionally, a colour combination in a catalogue or show</li> </ul> Carla on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033938 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 14:21:53 +0000 Carla 2033938@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I used to cut pictures out of magazines and paste them into a notebook that I would bring with me when I went shopping. If an SA asked to help me, I could flip open the book, show the image, and ask: "do you have anything like this?" So many of my favourite magazines have gone out of print. I miss them. I keep several Pinterest boards, however they and my phone pictures skew heavily to flowers and garden design! To support my fashion voyage I have boards for HAIR and STYLE that I edit regularly and keep to around 50 images. My inspiration is probably a little more literal, though. I have a board called COPY THIS for outfit inspiration and one for FANTASY FASHION which itches the scratch for things that aren't practical but are gorgeous to look at (mostly period costume, sari, kimono, red carpet.). I do love the 1920's and am playing with a 'Lady Edith does 2020' concept to see if I can evolve my style. The blue/peacock colour story is a brilliant evolution for your fashion journey. It also seems a little more 'hopeful/optimistic'' (?) than capsules based on black. I think the colours suit your colouring and actually make your hair look like one of the golden elements. Anonymous on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033927 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 13:48:10 +0000 Anonymous 2033927@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Fascinating to see the inspirations and outfits side by side. I tend to get not much farther than color and maybe proportions myself, which is fine for my lifestyle but I admire your lovely, polished appearance. I can see that using images can influence more subtle decisions, like wether you integrate print, and the ratio of dark to light. I can be a little too intent on reinventing the wheel sometimes but I can see that your methodical thinking is assisting your creativity. It was really generous of you to share this. Anonymous on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033924 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 13:39:12 +0000 Anonymous 2033924@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ OMG!  I love mood boards. There is no better way, in my opinion, to coalesce a style.   Your style is always so well defined.  Your mood boards certainly work for you.   Cardiff girl on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033920 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 13:28:49 +0000 Cardiff girl 2033920@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have lots of Pinterest boards on which I pin things that I like.Recently I have been through them and marked down any common and reoccurring themes.l have found this useful because although I pick things our intuitively ,it’s also a good idea to be able to articulate in ones own mind what You like.l find that this helps when I m attracted to things that don’t really fit with my overall aspirations for my wardrobe. I love your inspiration photos,a lot of fashion designers do this when planning a new collection so it seems eminently sensible for you to do it when planning your wardrobe. Brooklyn on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033918 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:12:54 +0000 Brooklyn 2033918@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks MJ. I knew you’d be intuitive. You’re a natural at this. Brooklyn on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033917 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:12:01 +0000 Brooklyn 2033917@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Janet, yes, I am working on that too. Particularly the like something on someone else thing. Also, I am trying to be a lot more disciplined about introducing new colours. You see I have a “dusky pink” album with all of 4 inspiration photos in it. I am finding myself very attracted to dusky pink lately but I’m determined to have a lot more workable/attractive-to-me colour combinations in my visual inspiration album before I even think about buying something in that colour. Mirjana on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033915 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:10:52 +0000 Mirjana 2033915@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I like your way of inspiration. Great outfits, as always Brooklyn. I don't do anything like this, mostly I am intuitive, or some color inspired me , as I like the colors. Janet on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033914 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:03:20 +0000 Janet 2033914@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I really like the way you use these visual and organizational methods for your inspirations. I don’t do anything like this in a formal way when it comes to wardrobe (I do a more of this when it comes to interior design). As an artist, I think I do it by habit in my head. This is why, for the most part, I’m good at choosing things while shopping that integrate nicely into my existing wardrobe. But I miss sometimes when I simply *like* a pattern or color scheme and engage in a little wishful thinking. I’ve gotten better at realizing when something is better off admired in a store or on someone else and not on me personally. Brooklyn on "Mood boards" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/mood-boards#post-2033912 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 11:49:50 +0000 Brooklyn 2033912@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hi all I am increasingly relying on mood boards to guide my style choices. I think this is a development of my focus on style “themes”. I used to use Pinterest but now I just take photos of things that interest me and keep them on my phone in different albums. I use them for both fashion and home decorating purposes (I am currently re-decorating). For fashion, my mood boards tend to fall into the following categories: *colour combinations *theme or vibe (which I’ve talked about before) *specific fashion looks or ideas that I find interesting (eg I have one for jewellery ideas). I find the colour based boards particularly helpful as I am colour mix challenged. Colour combination ideas do not come to me naturally. I use the colour based boards mostly for outfit creation purposes. To demonstrate I thought I’d share some of the pics from my “blues” mood board. It’s based on one of my current colour interests - combining blue, green and gold. Suntiger suggested I call it my “peacock” mood board I’ve shared some of the photos before. I really study the inspiration pics and use them to put outfits together. I can’t tell you how helpful I’ve found it. If I’m thinking about buying something, I generally take a photo of it and see how (and if) it fits into my various mood boards. It’s a great filtering tool. Do you use mood boards for style purposes? If not, is there some other tool you use for inspiration or are you strictly intuitive? How do you find the images that inspire you? Pics 1-2 some of my current mood boards Pics 3-17 part of my “blues” mood board.