Sources of fashion inspiration... - YouLookFab Forum

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Sources of fashion inspiration...

Carla

Veteran

I used to be a big fashion magazine fan. Over time, and with age (I'm 54) I found some of my fave mags no longer inspired me or catered to my demographic.

I get a lot of inspiration from Internet blogs, but there is something to be said about holding a 'zine I your hand. Currently I'm a fan of 'Instyle'. And have dropped virtually all others in favour of it, and a couple of choice blogs.

Mags that cater to 20-30 year olds with swishy long locks, and creative jeans style just don't have the street cred for this mid century chic working in a conservative corporate environement.

So, where to see eye candy and get inspiration?

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Deborah

Veteran

I do still read Australian Marie Claire but it is getting less and less interesting to me:( I get most of my inspiration from blogs of real women who share a similar aesthetic as myself. And I have little to no tolerance for articles or blogs that proceed to tell me what 40+ women should be wearing lol. I am a little grumpy having read a blog article recently that was so critical of women over 40 wearing black. According to the expert who wrote the article, I would look much better if I dressed like a Christmas Tree:) I am all for individuality and women working out what works for them. Style is not prescriptive and seeing real women express themselves through their style is fabulous!

Mia

Veteran

I was reading magazines at the salon while having a pedicure yesterday and I searched them in vain for anyone close to my 50+ age until I came to Vogue magazine. Still only a couple of images there. I agree that it is nice to actually flip pages sometimes. I actually like the British mags and have a friend who brings me some from time to time. Tatler is fun and I like Hello! for some real "brain candy". If I splurge on a mag here in Canada it's usually InStyle, Bazaar, Vogue or Elle (American version).

Dimity

The same thing has happened to me with magazines no longer catering to my interests! Is this how older women become invisible?

The blog Highland Fashionista is a fun read, and I like the now defunct Academichic and Blue Hue Wonderland blogs. Australian Vogue is good, if rather unreal and unattainable; worth it when I can read it at the hairdresser or library. Australian Instyle isn't as interesting as the US version, and they charge nearly $20 for the US one here so NO! Beverly like Hills blog can be good but she posts sporadically.

I'm not keen on having someone who's just been out of kid clothes for five minutes suddenly set themselves up as an expert and tell me what I should or shouldn't be wearing, so that rules out a lot of the really big-name blogs for me. Sometimes they do actually have interesting perspectives, but I find they can lack depth and perspective that's more prevalent when the writer has life experience. And what is it about the huge number of blogs set up as businesses by young Latter Day Saints fashionistas? I can think of half a dozen right off the top of my head, and I don't even follow them and I'm not LDS.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

More is a great magazine catering to the 40+ but still interested in fashion crowd. I'm not quite 40 yet yet I subscribed anyway.

Anonymous

My Favourites are Elle, Instyle and Red. I just treat myself to one every few months.

Style Fan

Veteran

I use to read a lot of fashion magazines but not now. I find more interesting information on the internet for free. Of all the magazines out there In Style is the best. I read a few blogs that appeal to me (YLF, Imogen Lamport, Vivienne Files, a few others).

crutcher

Veteran

Even though Lucky is for a younger age group...I find really good ideas there and copy a lot...After that Instyle...

Anonymous

In Style and Lucky.

kkards

Veteran

another vote for InStyle…i think what i like is that often the fashion is not presented on an actual person, so its easier to imagine on all ages/body types. if i can, i also like to read the British version, so interesting to see the differences between the North American version.
lately i've also found MarieClare to be inspirational, as they tend to focus on more relatable fashion, although as you say, some of its geared for a much younger (i.e. club going) women.
People style magazine can be interesting, but not interesting enough to actually buy, but good to flip thru in the salon.
online, other than YLF, i'm usually checking in with style blogs that are less about the daily outfit and more about over all style and other things. Le Catch, and Girls of a Certain Age, and unefemme are my current favorites.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I haven't read the fashion mags except when I'm at the hair salon for decades. Until I joined YLF, I fear this showed, LOL.

To tell the truth, I get all the inspiration here. I tried Pinterest for a while but got irritated/ overwhelmed/ annoyed. I may go back to it. But for now, YLF is good. As Gaylene said on another thread, just be reading and looking here I imbibe so much about subtle details of styling that even the most casual outfits are way more pulled together than the majority I see around me. And I find the YLF challenges a fun way to keep myself on my toes. Una's 5 silhouettes challenge is really brilliant.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I also find other sources less than inspiring. I very occasionally pick up a fashion mag when I'm checking out at Target (like, maybe twice a year -- I get enough "substantial" magazines at home like Harper's and Mother Jones that I feel guilty spending precious magazine reading time and money on fashion mags!). But mostly I enjoy flipping through them at my hair salon.

I also occasionally check out a few blogs, but I've been less and less inspired by them as time goes on and I feel more secure in my own style. When I first discovered YLF and style blogs in general, about four years ago (that long?!), I started bookmarking every style blog I found and copied all kinds of ideas. Well, I've moved on from a lot of those things I tried -- for me, many ended up being too busy, too twee, too something...

I have a hard time finding any fashion blogs now that really speak to me as far as outfit inspiration. It's really hard for me to embrace a gorgeous, size 2, 20-something woman as a style icon for me. It just ends up making me feel bad about myself because I have an unfortunate tendency to compare -- my brain immediately goes to, "Well, of course she looks fab in that! But translate that to my imperfect middle-aged body and it would be frump city!" I know that's my issue, but I'm better off avoiding the trigger. There are some good "older" not-so-modelesque bloggers, but I only infrequently find myself moved to inspiration by even them. I'm on Pinterest, but the problem there remains the same -- I mostly pin for interesting items that I would then mix in my own way, if I were to acquire them. Or for totally aspirational looks for my fantasy life.

So, yeah, this is a long-winded way of agreeing with you -- I don't find a heck of a lot of inspiration outside of YLF. Is it weird that more of my inspiration is coming from inside me these days?

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I buy magazines when I am travelling and need to read on a plane. I used to find Lucky had a lot of good articles but not so much the last year or two. InStyle is still high on my list of options when perusing the shelves. I find many of the other fashion magazines to be too "out there" for me and I am unable to take the pics and translate them to my life or lifestyle.

I have found a few blogs that I find interesting and sometimes inspire new outfits and I have used the ensembles on YLF as well as the WIWs as inspiration.

lyndalou

I find that Harper's Bazaar has some great ideas for women that are 40+, and More magazine does as well. I agree with all of you who are no longer inspired by the old go-to's like Vogue; it can be tricky to find places to get new ideas. Thank goodness for YLF. I get a lot out of reading all of your posts and pics.

Deb

Veteran

There was a time when I bought magazines, but like many, I stopped long ago. It seems more relevant to use the internet. I spend an hour or so at the salon each week and my hairdresser always has the latest Marie Claire, In Style, Harpers Bazaar and Vogue, which I enjoy while I relax at the salon. I find some inspiration in these magazines and I follow a handful of European and American bloggers and several Australian bloggers on Bloglovin. Of these bloggers, there are a couple who have a style very close to my own. Sometimes Melbourne street style or fashion parades or window dressings inspire me too but often I am able to find my own inspiration.

approprio

(website)

Veteran

I really like the biannual mags The Gentlewoman and AnOther Magazine. Both are really quite grown up, with plenty of art and culture to go along with the eye candy. Admittedly quite high fashion, but always good for edgy styling and interesting ideas.

Unfortunately, these are both British publications, so they might be hard to find where you are.

Peri

Veteran

I like to read magazines, but I've never shopped a look from one. Times I've tried, the item was long sold out.

My main...only?...real fashion inspiration is from this board. I'm not sure I'd know what I liked at all if it wasn't for seeing everyone's WIWs and figuring out if I could do the look, or wanted to. Yay YLF!

L'Abeille

Veteran

I'm of your vintage, Carla, and there was a day when I got most of my inspiration from fashion mags. They would tell me what was coming in, and how to wear it, how to put pieces together. That stopped working a long time ago, and I don't think it has anything to do with age. Now all the covers and the main articles, even in the really high end fashion mags, are all about what the celebrities are wearing. How is this in any way relevant or applicable to my own life? And the fashion layouts are often posed in such arty ways that you can't see things like how the proportions of the skirt and footwear look.

For a while I was following some of the fashion mag-related websites, InStyle being the most useful, because they would break the new season down into trends in a way that made sense to me. The print mags did too little of that.

Then, I discovered fashion bloggers, and more particularly over-40 fashion bloggers, and I was thrilled to be able to see real women wearing real clothes in their real lives. And then I found YouLookFab, and now most of my inspiration comes from here. Angie does all the hard work, and you fab ladies provide feedback and ideas.

I do use Pinterest for outfit inspiration as well. At first it was all skinny young things in minis and skinny jeans... but then I started to follow a couple of pinners if one outfit really caught my eye, and now my feed is full of pins that dress the way I aspire too, so I get a lot of inspiration about how to mix items I have.

Anonymous

I must be out of touch. I don't read fashion magazines and dislike online bloggers who tell me what older women should and should not wear.