If you want a clearly defined personal style and a cohesive wardrobe to match; you might choose to declutter your clothes or start a capsule wardrobe. Either way, you need inspiration. Without knowing how you want to dress, you won't know what clothes to get rid of, or how to style the ones you keep.
I've been putting together seasonal capsule wardrobes since 2016. They help me to cycle through all the clothing in my wardrobe so everything gets worn. They also help me to dress is a way that's a true reflection of personal style. The tool that helps me to put together these capsules and create outfits from my existing wardrobe is Pinterest.
Creating style boards that collate outfit inspiration enables you to translate the style you enjoy into wearable outfits. These references images will help you to identify the outfit formulas, colour palettes, and staple items you're drawn to. You can then use these boards to develop your wardrobe, either by restyling the clothes you already own or making a few considered (hopefully thrifted) purchased.
These are my tips for finding style inspiration on Pinterest to help develop your personal style, and create wearable capsule wardrobes.
Create Style Boards (With Sections)
Decide what type of style board you're creating. Since I put together seasonal capsule wardrobes, I have separate boards for each season within a general style board. You could create boards for specific dress codes and occasions, or for certain items you want to create outfits from.
If you're looking for inspiration to style specific items, you could combine outfit inspiration with clothing from your own wardrobe. I have a board for my outfits put together using the items in my existing wardrobe. Splitting boards up in this way will make it easier to clarify your personal everyday style, as well as help create outfits for specific occasions or items in your wardrobe.
Pin From Active Accounts
Pinterest has a nasty habit of showing the same recycled style pins from years ago. It can make finding relevant style inspiration difficult, and discovering new pins can be frustrating. Populate your Pinterest feed with fresh pins by following active accounts pinning style inspiration and current outfits.
Follow specific brands whose style you enjoy. For example, I follow a lot of street style boards like Vogue and Harper's Bizarre. You could also follow specific brands whose clothes you wear.
Be Specific With Searches
Pinterest is a search engine. Make use of that search bar, and look up the style, outfits, and clothing items you want to see more of. Not only will you get more relevant pins this way, you'll teach the Pinterest algorithm what you want to see more of in the future. If you don't, it's likely you'll only ever see slender white models in trendy clothing.
To give you an idea of what a specific search looks like, I use terms such as 'midsized street style [current year]' or 'hourglass [style] outfits' to find relevant pins. Alternatively you could search for a specific item, such as 'camel coat petite [current year]' for relevant inspiration. If you don't search in this way, you'll end up seeing the same recycled pins over and over with no diversity in style or body type.
Pin, Then Edit
While creating my own seasonal style boards, I've realised it's easier to pin everything that catches my eye and then edit it later. If you don't pin something when you see it, it can be really difficult to find it again. I tend to dump any pins I like onto my general style board, and pin the relevant ones to my seasonal boards. I then go through and ruthlessly edit these boards when I notice a trend in the outfits.
It helps hone in on the exact style I'm going for that season. For instance, I quickly noticed I was pinning a lot of outfit inspiration to my Autumn style board that featured oversized coats, and statement totes. I went through and weeded out any pins that didn't fit in with the rest to create a cohesive board.
Use The 'More Ideas' Tab
Once you have pinned a decent amount of images (+30 or so), it's worth using the 'More Ideas' tab within your style boards. This will bring up related pins based on your existing preferences enabling you to populate your boards with more pins. It will also help teach the Pinterest algorithm what you want to see more of.
If there's a specific pin you really like, click on it and scroll down to see more images like it. This is another way of finding very specific outfit inspiration for your boards. Both these methods are incredibly useful for achieving a diverse Pinterest account.
Avoid 'Fantasy Dressing'
If your goal is to identify and improve your dress sense with a more cohesive style; you need to avoid pinning inspiration for a fantasy life (or body) you don't have. Be honest about the lifestyle and body you currently have, and only pin outfit inspiration that reflects a realistic way of dressing for your day-to-day life.
Aesthetically-pleasing outfits can be inspirational, and occasionally useful for highlighting colours, textures, and silhouettes you enjoy. But rarely do they reflect a realistic style choice. Pin these images in a separate section so they don't affect the cohesion of your personal style boards.
Don't Overlook Hair and Makeup
I keep things really simple when it comes to hair and makeup with a routine that rarely changes. So I have a rarely-updated hair styling and beauty board for collecting inspiration.
If hair and beauty is a big part of your daily outfits, it's a good idea to set up boards that cover this aspect of your personal style. Hairstyles, makeup, even nails can make a big difference to outfits, and even help make your existing wardrobe more wearable and in-keeping with your preferred style.
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