Runway or Street style? - YouLookFab Forum

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Runway or Street style?

Runcarla

Veteran

It’s been eons since I bought a fashion magazine. (Not really. I have a UK ‘Red’ from last October.). I used to watch the different fashion week videos (especially Paris and Milan) for fashion inspo, but these days I’m more likely to scroll through the street style photos for styling ideas. Also, I’m less likely to scroll influencer sites, in favour of collecting styling ideas from retailers - especially designer colabs with High Street shops. Still using Pinterest, too. And of course - all things YLF!

Where are you getting your fashion inspo these days?

General

26 replies

Latest reply was from Joy

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I don’t really get “fashion inspo” from anywhere Carla. I get lots of fashion *knowledge* from YLF, Angie in particular of course but sometimes the rest of you too! I am following the beat of my own drum as far as what I choose to buy (limited, 14 pieces in 2023) or wear. But I suppose like Andrea in The Devil Wears Prada, my choices must be somewhat influenced by the runway as to what gets produced and then filtered down, like her “cerulean” top.
I had been getting our local fashion magazine called Fashion Quarterly on loyalty points and after grumping to myself about its content ever since the start of the pandemic I have decided I will not renew the subscription which has just run out. They have started more articles about sustainability but at the same time of course the mag is full of ads, and the editorial pieces are mostly done with Prada or Louis Vuitton pieces, probably in exchange for the advertising those brands do in there.
I do now pay extra for the fashion/food orientated online supplement to my Premium subscription to our main newspaper the NZ Herald.
I miss the days of glossy magazines that were actually inspirational and included items I would consider buying

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I still enjoy runway shows as a preview of what is to come. It is sort of an analytical challenge because it is not really a literal preview but I look for the common themes (like right now fur, fringe and ombre). I enjoy thinking of pieces I have or have seen from the past that these echo. Anyway, I also get inspo from YLF, street style, and lots of random things I see.

Irina

Veteran

Good question, Carla. Sometimes I see outfits on the streets of my city that inspire me. Sometimes it could be a random thing - like seeing a minimalist fashion show from the 90s. I usually not interested in copying an outfit but rather learning and understanding the mechanics of it.

Also, it may sound silly but my own wardrobe inspires me to play with my clothes and create new outfits. I spend considerable time on finding clothes I enjoy wearing. I wish I had more time and energy to do it often.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I’ve just thought about it some more Carla- I think most of my inspo is from retail windows/stores, but more for the kind of colours that are going to be available that year, and then maybe bring some of my few more vintage items back into circulation that I have been emotionally unable to edit out due to love of them- like my 1988 fuchsia Thai silk blouse which became a topper in 2023 at the nephew’s wedding. I knew that the colour and the puffed sleeves were back “in”, as it were. So although I don’t follow trends all that much, I do a bit for that reason.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

It's a bit of both/ and for me. I like to watch bits of the runway shows in the way that Jaime describes -- to see what the zeitgeist seems to be saying, and consider whether that is anything I might like to play with, and if so, how. But I also like those streetwear videos from various metropolitan centres like Stockholm and London and Paris. I can't really get inspired by much that I see on the streets of Victoria, although to be fair, the streets I see are suburban -- maybe if I lived downtown I would be having a different experience! But my main inspiration comes from Angie's blog and the forum and from retail -- more online spreads than windows, since I do so much online shopping.. I don't really follow any other fashion blogs or influencers, though I will occasionally follow up on links I see in LinkLove (here) and I do also once in a while watch a Trinny segment for fun. Oh, and I love the podcast Articles of Interest! But it is not so much inspirational as richly educational and fun.

pirouette

I love people watching for inspiration. I especially enjoy this when I travel. I visit a few European cities every year and watch what people are wearing. I especially look at people my size and height. I also enjoy looking at street style on line.

Dee

Veteran

I’ve never really watched fashion runway shows much and although I enjoy watching street style videos from Italy or London, they don’t really translate to my fashion environment and lifestyle. I also do not follow any Instagrammers, the fashion there seems too forced and again not realistic enough for me.

Most of my fashion inspiration comes from YLF which I’ve been following for over 14 years but which I only started participating in for the last year and a half. I also like using Pinterest to gather styling ideas and I do enjoy watching the odd YouTuber whenever I see a fashion video that catches my interest.

harmonica

Veteran

Great question! I don’t think I’m very mindful about where I get inspiration from. Usually I go with some kind of gut feeling or “mood dressing”, and adjust it to fit the social context (does not mean that I have to seamlessly fit in, but I find it respectful to kind of adjust).

I used to read glossy magazines to keep up with the runway fashion shows. Nowadays I follow some street style accounts on Instagram and use google for street style inspiration. I’m afraid my attention span isn’t as it used to be. I really, really enjoy the over-the-top Harajuku street style for colour and volume inspiration. Classically flattering fits and styles are not doing it for me as it used to. I like Trinny Woodalls take on style and fashion, too. Of course, I love the breakdowns and perspectives Angie and the forum offer here on YLF. Always interesting, inspiring, informative and down to earth.

LaPed

Veteran

I've always been more of a people watcher than a magazine reader when it comes to fashion. And I do love a good, curated vintage shop for inspiration as well!

Olive Green

Veteran

Pinterest and YLF are mainstays. Bricks and mortar are a rare luxury.

Jules

Veteran

I have a hard time relating runway or high fashion editorial to my own style. I get Toronto Life Fashion for free and enjoy having it around to flip through, but I’d say it’s more for visual stimulation than direct inspiration. Occasionally they will feature an item in one of the shopping round-up collage- type pages that I will look up online and start following the brand on instagram.

As for ig influencers, it’s just recently that I’ve started following a handful and I do get some inspo there. I do follow certain brands (and get many targeted ads), and when considering an item but not sure about styling I will often go look up the brand’s ig to see if they have posted any styled pictures of it. But I’m also bored by certain styling hacks (for example GAP/ON will often choose an on-trend sneaker and style seemingly *everything* with that shoe for years - I’ve learned this may be kind of falsely appealing to me but uninteresting in actual execution.

I make a point of working at the downtown office so I can people watch in the PATH, and have gotten some specific style inspiration there. Going to art galleries and walking/shopping in trendy areas are great sources of street style inspiration that I don’t do enough of. When people say they are bored by the fashion around them my secret thought is that they need to get out more in different environments.

Ylf as a whole is a huge inspiration and I try to make that clear and specific in my outfit posts.

Jules

Veteran

Yesterday at the Eaton Centre I spoke to an SA at Oak + Fort who had a great outfit on - she was a petite person in a dramatically oversized blazer and very full and long wide leg jeans, worn with Adidas sambas (just the toe peaking out). Her hair was pulled back in a low bun and she had thick gold hoops in her ears. I felt the sleek hair and ‘dainty’ shoe added structure or reigned in the volume of the outfit. It made me reconsider sambas as a form of ‘pointy’ or ‘refined’ shoe to wear with voluminous pants - which is interesting because the same white/grey/black sambas are the exact shoes I currently find boring in GAP/ON stylings. I also loved that she was breaking a ‘rule’ some people may have around being petite and ‘overwhelmed’ by volume on volume looks. While I’m not petite I also fall into a category that some people may say isn’t ‘flattered’ by oversized clothes - but I love volume and very much don’t give a (expletive) about slimming or ‘flattering’ right now. So I could relate and appreciate her styling. I let her know I loved her outfit and I’m keeping an eye out for ‘my’ refined sneakers for spring.

cat2

Veteran

I like trend articles here and on W Magazine. I use them to figure out if I have anything that echoes the trend, and if I do, I dig it out for wear. E.g., I had a couple of peplum tops and a peplum jacket from the last time peplums were a thing, and pulled them out for wear. I also use the fashion trends to figure out what will be available in stores that I might like, like when one of my colors trends. I don’t follow influencers, they tend to be young and do micro trends and have a disposable fashion mindset that doesn’t resonate with me. And I hate watching videos for content, so I stick with short articles or posts about trends with examples.

Helena

Veteran

Great question ... I'm not sure I really know? YLF of course, and then probably influencers ... But the ones I follow are small and have similar lifestyles to mine, not the big ones. I do follow a few celebs, like Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox (90s girl lol) as well as Meghan Markle. Like Jenni I can't be ar*ed with magazines that are just million ads and no content. And I don't follow runways, I just get roundups from Angie, much easier

Runcarla

Veteran

@ Irina - what you describe is personal style!

@ Jules - I need a trip to the Big City in order to do some people watching.

I keep forgetting that I can download magazines for free from my library on the Libby app. (BTW, I learned that my local library gets credit for any book or periodical I download on the Libby library app, which is free!)

@ Jaime - I find the runway shows very hard to parse out. Even articles on runway trends aren’t always consistent. It’s hard work - art and science, IYKWIM.

Sal

Veteran

For me it’s a mix of

- YLF - both Angie’s style and other outfits from the forum
- Instagram and YouTube - Justine Le Conte does some great summaries and there are a couple of creators I enjoy even if their style is different to mine.
- TV and film - sometimes I feel very inspired by a show -Mad Men, The White Lotus season 2 etc.
- street style - which is mostly at events. We are going to a concert this weekend and there will be some inspo there or if I go a restaurant or party with friends etc. Not all my friends are into clothes but I have some who are extremely stylish and I love seeing their outfits.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for the shoutouts

To answer your question Carla, I'm inspired by EVERYTHING. Subconsciously, it ALL penetrates my psyche and becomes part of a big frame of reference that I apply to what I have in my wardrobe. (It's how I guide clients and help people on my forum too).

Really relate to what Irina said about being most inspired with what is in my own wardrobe. I LOVE MY STUFF!

As for runway shows - I have to watch them, but do not enjoy it anymore. I enjoy what all sorts of retailers and shop windows are doing sooooo much more.

I'm always interested by how people dress around me, wherever I am. Since I travel a fair bit - THAT is my biggest style education. Global osmosis enriches my style life, and there is no substitute.

And last, I'm very inspired by people who are older than me - (I'm 53) - in every way, and not just how they dress!!!

Roberta

Veteran

These days my inspiration comes almost entirely from You Look Fab! I used to really enjoy magazines and catalogs, but I see very few of them now. When I do like an outfit in a catalog, I don't quite trust it, because of course it's on a beautiful model who's probably 4 inches taller than me and 40 pounds lighter. I feel like I get a much more interesting and natural perspective by looking at real women in their real wardrobes.

I love to look at what people are wearing when I travel , but most of my time is spent in a rather uninspired fashion environment. I still enjoy looking at the runway shows, but they don't really provide much inspiration for me. It's just pleasant to look at beautifully made clothes. I look at Pinterest occasionally for color combinations but that's about it.

April

Veteran

I watch what LMA and his hipster Brooklyn creatives are wearing, I ask for their input when I'm unsure, I look to the people they revere (Chloe Sevigny; Kim Hastreiter) and in the end, I do it my way.

Sloper

Veteran

I do love street style coverage in Vogue online, and NY Times. Technically I guess that is not really street style - more like “what people wore to go to or hang out in front of fashion show venues.”

Also, I follow a few designers and fashion-oriented individuals on Instagram - and the algorithm means one thing leads to another, so I’m always finding new ways of putting things together, new makers, etc.

I haven’t looked at too many runway shows lately, but I enjoy seeing the editorials that certain retailers (Matches, etc.) post on their sites.

slim cat

Veteran

Some websites and YLF of course, interesting people on the streets, a bit of scrolling of the pictures of the runway shows - barely a fraction of what it used to be. Sometimes Korean shows or even Korean Boy bands - lol.

rachylou

Veteran

I can’t even find a magazine stand with fashion mags. It’s all YLF and Pinterest.

RobinF

Veteran

I would say I get most inspiration here at YLF of course! I also follow some blogs and on Instagram with certain similarities to me - whether age, size but especially just if they have a style that I like.

Anonymous

YLF is my main fashion source, but will look at sites like Who What Wear too. Occasionally I'm inspired by things I see on the street, but mainly I just see what's available or get an idea in my head and DMOT.

nuancedream

Veteran

It's hard for me to pin down all my fashion inspirations. YLF, my mother, film noir, 60s girl groups like the Ronettes, Soul Train during the 70s, Pinterest, Sabra Johnson of My Style is My Brand, and the ladies featured in Advanced Style. The list keeps growing. I also get plenty of inspiration just seeing people on the streets of Seattle. I was in a thrift store yesterday and was wowed by some of the looks the men were sporting! I'm also at a point in my life where I'm inspired by what's in my wardrobe and creating interesting outfits that make me happy.

Joy

Veteran

Japanese street style videos. I have learned that these people keep up on fashion. No one bothers with fashion here in my neighborhood. So I have gradually not cared much either but still get dressed in regular clothes.