Where do you look for inspiration?

[Libertymae]

A friend of mine the other day, who always looks stylish without trying too hard, says she looks to Reece Witherspoon as her inspiration. She does look a bit like her, slim, same colouring etc.

I often feel a bit lost sartorially speaking, and struggle with the balance between not dressing like a 50 year old frump, not dressing exactly like everyone else (lots of boden/white stuff around these parts), and not looking like a tarty mutton dressed as lamb.

I'm mid 30s, a size 14-16 hourglass, with big boobs and a bit of a tummy, blonde and blue eyed. I am no where near as good looking as Holly Willoughby but that kind of thing - and, although I'm actually not a big fan of the clothes she wears, she is the only person in the media that I can think of that I might be able to get some inspiration from.

So, it got me thinking, where do you all look for inspiration? And have you got any suggestions that would help me please?? :)

I read alot of clothes blogs and take the best bits from them. If nothing else they encourage me to think about putting outfits together and encourage me to try things on in shops that i might not have considered but by seeing how they can be styled on others and how that fits in with my wardrobe.

Which clothes blogs would you recommend?

I don't know much about blogs but I can recommend Pinterest. You can just join, search for clothes you already have (e.g. "blue jacket") and get squillions of images...then just find some you like and start "following" people whose style you like

I have several really stylish friends and I love talking about clothes and style with them. No big budgets, just great eyes. If I see a friend or acquaintance wearing something lovely that I covet, I ask them where it's from, and in some cases (if the person in question lives in a different country for example) ask them if they'd mind if I got the same piece. People are always delighted to be asked.
I get loads of inspiration from this board too.

Here, blogs and Pinterest mostly. I used to read a lot of fashion magazines but I find most of the clothes either way too pricey or completely impractical.

I find having a Pinterest board of looks/items I love a massive help when shopping, it means I know what I'm looking for and don't buy things that won't go with the rest of my wardrobe.

Having a look in mind (and that might be a celebrity or a blogger or someone you know in real life) is useful too - when you're shopping you can ask yourself 'would x wear this?' and it helps you narrow down what will work for you. You can also do it the other way with looks you don't want to achieve eg 'would wear this?' and if the answer's yes, steer clear!

Blogs are really useful for getting ideas but some of them are a bit mundane (I don't need to be shown how to wear skinny jeans, ballet pumps and a scarf) and they all buy tons of clothes - neither my budget or my wardrobe are big enough to keep up!

I will have a look at pinterest, and would also love some links to blogs you would recommend. Particularly for those at the ahem curvier end of the spectrum.

I get ideas from blogs and from my favourite shops' websites. I also people-watch whenever I'm out and about.

I got a lot of useful information about body shape, colouring, style etc from www.insideoutstyleblog.com/, although her recent posts are not quite as interesting as some of the older archives.

I love www.puttingmetogether.com/ for her suggestions on how to build a wardrobe, mix colours etc (again, click through the archives).

And www.maitaispicturebook.com/ is my inspiration for how to be chic with a very basic capsule wardrobe (and lots of silk scarves)

People watching, Pinterest and here. I used to buy magazines but don't bother anymore as you can just get much more ideas online. I did follow some blogs but became disillusioned with most of them but they are definately a useful resource.

Thanks vitaminC for those blogs, I will look. Are they uk or american?

QueenCadbury, i used to look in mags too, but the models are always stick thin, the nicest clothes are way outside my budget and they suggested the most unpractical solutions I can think of. One really memorable makeover was an article in which they gave a brand new mum a daytime look of white jeans, a pearly pink silk top and heels. Perfect!

The first one is Australian, the second one US and the third one is British living in France, I believe.