Where do you get style inspiration?

[BabCNesbitt]

(Not a thread for those who developed their own sense of style at the age of 14 and are naturally stylish.)

Where do you look to to get inspiration for dressing well/interestingly/unfrumpily? Pre-DD, I lived/worked in London and just watched what other people were wearing when I was out and about. Now I'm living in a city where everyone seems to live in joggers and fleeces. Glossy magazines annoy me and all the usual blogs mentioned on here (School Gate Style, Does My Bum etc) seem to be a bit "identikit MC mother". Pinterest is like looking for a needle in a haystack - too much "Americans with glossy manes in gilets smiling at their feet and holding takeaway coffee".

Who do you look to for a bit of a kick up the arse when you realise you've been wearing the same skinny jeans and jumpers for two years ?

[carrie74]

I'm with you on the lack of inspiration since leaving London!

I actually find 40YO Bum quite a good source (in fact was scouring the inter webs last week for something she was wearing), as well as my Fashionable 40s (bought a TopShop denim dress she was wearing a few weeks ago).

I don't have much time to trawl shops or the internet, so I either stick with brands I know and trust (Me&Em, Gap, J Crew, occasionally Banana Republic), or find something a bit different from blogs, really.

I do like Pinterest for ideas on how to wear some of the items I do already have.

When I'm bored with my skinnies and jumpers, I'll make sure I'm accessorising to change it a bit, maybe buy a new necklace or scarf (although am losing a bit of love for the scarf, have to say), or go completely different, wearing dresses and skirts for a week.

[stripytees]

The Boden catalogue.

Well, sort of! I love looking through the catalogues and websites of brands I love for inspiration. I don't always end up buying lots of the clothes but it gives me ideas for how to put things together and sometimes things I haven't considered before. I also love looking at Instagram, either searching by tag or brands/bloggers I like.

[BabCNesbitt]

It's actually a planned night out in London that's sent me asking this!

I do like the look of the Boden catalogue, but it seems a little bit - safe? Maybe I need to give bloggers another try?

[SirPercyPilkington]

I tend to watch a lot of box sets and always notice what characters are wearing.
Bit of Googling usually helps me to find the shop/type of shop and then I can browse their website for ideas then look for a cheaper version on asos

[CambridgeBlue]

I get my inspiration from a mixture of blogs, Pinterest, following brands on social media and what people in real life e.g. at work are wearing. Sometimes that works in a reverse sort of way in that I'll get a good idea of how I don't want to look but how I do is often less clear!

[squoosh]

Chictopia and Lookbook are websites where users submit photos of their own outfits. There's every kind of style (including lots of fug) but at least it isn't just one blogger's taste.

[Lottapianos]

Great idea for a thread OP. I love doing fashion watch on the street / bus / Tube although I know that doesn't help you!

I don't do heels and I get loads of footwear inspiration from the enbrogue.com blog. That website has given me the confidence to ditch heels for good

I follow Lisa Eldridge and Sali Hughes' websites and pay attention to what they wear - I know they're not fashion people as such but both very stylish and roughly my age

I watch TV programs and look out for characters with interesting wardrobes e.g. Sharon Horgan's character in Catastrophe

[Lottapianos]

'Sometimes that works in a reverse sort of way in that I'll get a good idea of how I don't want to look '

Same here. I sometime see tops or trousers in shops and think 'oh gosh that's what X would wear - avoid!'

[BabCNesbitt]

Lotta, thanks for the enbrogue suggestion! I'm a heel hater too, so seeing how certain clothes look with flats is brilliant. And I've noticed what SH wears before, but never really filed it away in my mind as 'inspiration' - really, I'm back at Style 101 here.

CambridgeBlue I definitely do that! For hair, too - I've got a secret Pinterest board called 'Hairdon'ts' to show hairdressers so they know how I don't want to wind up looking!

SirPercy, have been mainly watching Deadwood and The Wire lately, neither of which have been great for fashion ideas Corsets aren't really my thing, you know?

[nooddsocksforme]

just googled 40yo bum!! results wernt fashion based

[Judydreamsofhorses]

I read a lot of magazines, look at people in the street - and will dash up to them to ask where they got something if I really love it! - and read some blogs. I also work five minutes away from a large shopping mall, so tend to wander round shops in my lunch break at least a couple of times a week - it's generally pretty quiet compared with the weekends so I can browse through new stock without feeling crowded.

[Judydreamsofhorses]

Oh, I also subscribe to The Pool - which both Sali Hughes and Lauren Laverne write for - which has good shopping features with a mix of price brackets.

[SirPercyPilkington]

What you on about OP, velvet corsets and sheriff stars are going to be so hot this autumn/winter



I forgot not all TV is set in the present day! D'oh!

[Lottapianos]

BabC, that blog gave me the confidence to ditch heels for good. I'm going to my sister's wedding in December and I will be wearing flats proudly - a year ago I know I would have been forcing myself into heels! Hannah Rochell who writes the blog is amazingly stylish and had a real masculine edge to her look. There's also an en brogue book which I bought on Amazon for about a fiver

[BabCNesbitt]

Oh, thanks for the reminder about The Pool! It's great!

[hookedonamoonagedaydream]

just googled 40yo bum!! results wernt fashion based I've just done the same!! I almost clicked on the first result out of habit stopped just in time.

[Happy36]

Queen Letizia (of Spain), Kate Moss, Carine Roitfeld, Olivia Palermo, SJP, Nicole Richie, Olson twins, Tilda Swinton, Diane Kruger, Inés De La Fressange, Taylor Swift, off-duty Angels - not exclusively but often these women wear things I like. My sister works in fashion and whilst we haven´t got the same taste I get some inspiration from her, and my mum (used to work in/with fashion). Also stylish friends, one in particular, who has similar taste to me but a much better figure.