Creating an inspiration board - YouLookFab Forum

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Creating an inspiration board

Gigi

Veteran

I like to make electronic inspiration boards when I am feeling kind of "stuck" in my style, to see what new stuff appeals to me. To find raw material to look through, I usually google phrases such as "street style paris fall 2018" or "fashion bloggers fall 2018." Then I click on "Images" in Google so that it becomes an image search, and I wade through the pics.

This works reasonably well, but it is still labor intensive. For those of you who create electronic inspiration boards, do you have particular sources you go to to find fodder for your boards?

17 replies

Latest reply was from Stylevore

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Yes I use Pinterest,not original but quick!

rachylou

Veteran

I search Google and Pinterest too. And I like to look at certain shop sites... Farfetch, Moda Operandi, Bona Drag, ASOS. But mostly I get a bee in my bonnet and do an engine search.

Liesbeth

Veteran

Pinterest itself. I have in the past visited the outfit archives of blogs I like knowing it would get me more results that I actually like. At the same time, I've found this can easily lead to me forgetting I actually need to translate her style into my own (need, climate, body ...) and not just copy.

Helena

Veteran

Yep, another Pinterest girl here, purely because of ease. Might do this today actually, would be interesting to do a fresh one!

nemosmom

Veteran

I search Google and Pinterest, too. If there is a piece in my closet I like but have trouble using in an outfit I will search things like, "how to wear X", "X outfit ideas", or "style X" and can usually find some ideas. Very time consuming.

Brooklyn

Veteran

Aside from the above, I use Vogue runway pics quite a bit.

I also use google to search for colour combinations that interest me eg purple + teal. You then get lots of different pictures (not just fashion) eg home decor but that can be quite helpful to me when thinking about colour schemes.

anchie

Veteran

I am probably not a visual person- I never use inspiration boards and I have hard time noticing details which I think is the most important to be able to translate inspiration into your look.
But I am very curious to know how others use this boards.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

I use Pinterest, and I search themes that interest me. Some are extremely specific, such as 1930s style, or Dita Von Teese Street Style. Some are broader, like Dieselpunk or Mermaids.

A helpful exercise I’ve recently done, is to create a closet curation board, where I pulled together pictures off my assorted boards, but only of outfits I can specifically create and would wear out the door right now (weather permitting; it’s very hot in Atlanta this week).

That board has kept me very focused in my shopping and dressing - I can pull it right up on my phone when I can’t decide what to wear, or if I should buy something.

L'Abeille

Veteran

I've used Pinterest for this.

The blog mgetsdressed.com, which I linked to for last week's Link Love, has a lot to say about how to make and use an inspiration board. She uses google for images, as some of you do. She points out something I had never thought of: a lot of Pinterest images are stuck in 2013. Because people just keep pinning what they see there. This explains the surfeit of skinny jeans and huge scarves with a messy bun on top.

Gigi

Veteran

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this process is labor intensive. I thought maybe other people had some kind of shortcut, lol.

I really detest Pinterest, so I haven't used it in quite a while. I take snapshots of stuff I like (screen shots) and then pull them into my computer's photo program. It works quite well for me.

I did decide to go to Instagram last night to follow a blogger I like. I got lots of inspiration there to add to my board.

Style Fan

Veteran

What L'Abeille said makes sense. When I go to Pinterest I keep seeing the same Pins over and over. I stopped using it.
I haven't created an inspiration board. I really need to work on my computer skills. I don't have a clue how to do one. I would use real paper and glue. (goes and hides in the 1990s)

lyn67

Veteran

I just save all inspirational picties I like in my own folders pro different distinct features so I can find them when interested.

Runcarla

Veteran

I've done paper and glue - but with fewer magazine choices, not so much anymore. Pinterest nowadays, but agree with l'abeille about glut of old info. Adding 2019 or seeking out pins of runway seasons can keep things modern. I do what LBD does as well and have an aspirational style board and a 'copy this' board as well as a fantasy fashion board. The first I edit to 50 images. The CC board is styling ideas for items I own. The fantasy board is saris, kimono, designer, historical, and costume. I have a hair inspo board that I edit to 50 images as well.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

What Anchie said. There are different ways of “seeing” and lots of what looks like details to me, so i crop them out are details that make the thing what it is. I tried asking how to do this not too long after I joined here. You’re welcome to look up the thread. The responses I got were well-intentioned and may’ve been quite good if I had a clue of how to see that way/what people were talking about.

Gretchen

Veteran

This is why I like Angie’s outfit formula posts. I can see what might be inspiring and save 1-2 pictures for future reference.

I agree Pinterest feels repetitive or dated. I still follow Corporate Fashionista, but don’t check in much. This is where I miss Polyvore. It really worked for pulling inspiration boards together.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

LOL Style Fan! I just use Google searches but don’t save anything. Essentially I might post here on YLF if I had a Big Idea.

Stylevore

(website)

You can also create boards on http://www.stylevore.com, this is the best alternative of pinterest for fashion lovers. This website is completely dedicated to outfit ideas, so you can easily browse bunch of fashion ideas here.