I’m looking for outfit inspiration this spring, and where else to look but Pinterest!!
Pinterest is such a great tool for inspiration. The biggest thing I’ve learned with Pinterest is that it doesn’t have to be another source of building a shopping list. This is a great place to get new ideas to shop my closet.
So I did just that!
Below are outfits I saved on Pinterest and recreated with items I already had in my wardrobe. I thought going into this that there may have been some outfits that I had already tried to create before, but I was completely wrong! All of these are new combos I tried.
Let’s get into it!
1. Winery on a cool spring day
This very flowy and feminine outfit made me think of going to a nice winery on a spring day with a little chill in the air.
Here’s how I recreated it:
I wouldn’t say it’s my absolute favorite outfit but I hadn’t thought to pair this sweater with the skirt and it’s a great option for an appropriate occasion (thinking family events as my family dresses more conservatively).
I also could easily throw on more casual sandals or sneakers, which would make this outfit feel slightly more me.
2. Evening out in the city
This is great for any dressier skirt and sweater combo, which I love in fall, winter and early spring! Maybe date night or a nice family/friends dinner in the city or party, or honestly for work.
Here’s how I recreated it:
I love a good monochrome outfit. I didn’t have green shoes though and I’m not sure that I was loving the pop of silver at the bottom, but I tried it! I also just felt that the skinny shoes with this outfit felt too skinny for some reason. Maybe a chunkier heel or boot would be better. I also LOVE the color of this skirt but I do with it was slightly longer. Maxi skirt length tends to look better on me than midi length.
3. Casual cute day fit
I love this cute and casual look and have actually worn something very similar last summer.
So here’s how I recreated the look:
Last time I wore this top and dress combo, I wore it with chunky white socks and chunky sneakers, and I would’ve never thought to pair it with a clog. I’ll definitely add this as an option and also want to try socks with my birk sandals dupes.
4. Chic day Out
Lol the one pants outfit I have in this thread. I love how chic this look is and I’ve never tried a draped sweater look. It usually looks really preppy to me, and that’s not my style.
I don’t love how this outfit is playing together. If I had a darker/brighter shoe, it would feel a little more balanced. And/or maybe darker jeans. The top of my outfit is a little darker and feels heavy.
I like the option of a sweater of the shoulders, but I don’t like where the sleeves fall. It covers my waist, which I like to highlight with my body shape. I did try tying it in different ways around my shoulders/torso so that it wouldn’t loose my waist, but it wasn’t working with this sweater. Something to try with other sweaters and outfits though!
I don’t hate the look but I definitely need to keep working on some different options in my closet for a chic jeans and a top outfit.
5. Daytime city exploring
So cute, so comfy. This look really encompasses what I strive for in my style.
Here’s how I recreated the look:
I usually wear a fitted top with a skirt, and had never thought to try otherwise. My default uniform is a tighter top with looser bottoms. For as long as I can remember, I’ve know that baggy or too loose of shirts don’t look good on me. But I loved trying a shirt that wasn’t tight or completely fitted.
I would wear this outfit, but I wouldn’t say I completely fell in love with this exact look. This is definitely motivation to keep playing around in my closet. I think the right peplum or cinched waist top, that flows nicely into the shape of a skirt is something to experiment with. As I’m looking at the photo and typing this, I’m realizing that the length of the top is at play here. If my white shirt hit a little higher up on my torso, this may have been the outfit for me.
I would also love to see this look with a sneaker that isn’t as narrow as these white ones. Or maybe a different color. The white sandwiching this outfit is drawing my eyes to the shoes and I don’t like them enough here for that to happen.
6. Cool Girl Errands
This outfit is screaming to me “I just threw on what I had within reach and it turned out to be a good fit.” If that’s not the goal of my wardrobe, I don’t know what is.
Here’s how I recreated it:
I really didn’t think this was going to turn out well for me and my closet, but I was pleasantly surprised!
I knew I’d like my black cropped buttoned shirt with the skirt, but I thought the black chunky boots would be too much. Maybe because they’re just peaking out that it really helps ground the look without overpowering it. Plus the heavy boots are a good juxtaposition to the light lacey skirt.
I was mostly surprised by the shacket. Two years ago when I first got it, I wore it a lot, and then I realized that it doesn’t look great on me – the shape, the color just don’t do anything to highlight my best features. Then it sat in my closet this past fall and winter. I think I even put it up on Facebook Marketplace since it had only been a year old, but no one snagged it. So I’m happy to have found some new life for it!
It specifically works with this outfit for two reasons:
(1) It plays off the same nude color in the skirt lining. So although this color is NOT a great color on me, it relates to the bottom half of my outfit, drawing the eye down instead of up to my face, where this color doesn’t have harmony.
(2) Black is also not the BEST color on me, so the nude color calms down the high contrast of this outfit. Once again, the nude color is not a focus because black is so prominent (you can really see the difference in the second photo where more of my black shirt is exposed). So the role of the jacket is to tone down the black, instead of being the main color or focus of the outfit.
That said, I would also like to try this look with a sneaker and probably without the jacket/potentially another shirt with less sleeve action as it warms up in spring.
7. Warm Day at a market
This look is obviously better for warm spring and summer, and I absolutely love it.
I think it’s adorable while keeping it cool with the accessories to prevent it from going too innocent/playful.
Here’s how I recreated it:
I absolutely love the way this look turned out and will absolutely be wearing this year as the weather warms.
I have actually tried this dress and vest combo before but hated how it looked. I think it’s because I had the vest buttoned up. But this vest hits a little too low on my waist to be flattering, so it looks much better left open.
I’m also so excited about this vest/dress combo because this dress is very open and laces up in the back, so I felt like I could only wear it on a hot day. AND because it’s a lace-up, backless dress, it’s not very supportive and depending on what I’m doing for the day, I don’t want it to feel like my boobs are popping out. I’ve been hesitant to wear it for certain occasions. The vest gives me a boost of confidence and an extra layer for warmth and coverage. PLUUUUS I extra love this dress because I bought it from a boutique about an hour before getting engaged in Laguna Beach😍 so it’s a special item for me and I’d love to wear it more.
One thing I would do differently with this outfit is change the accessories. I personally don’t like mixing dark brown and black when noticeable, and since they are the highest items of contrast in this outfit, it’s drawing my eye. If I had a fairy godmother to wave her wand, I would ask for kelly green sneakers and not black sunglasses.
Final thoughts
I absolutely loved this challenge to shop my closet and get a different perspective on existing items from Pinterest inspiration.
It really reiterated to me that if I had to define my style (inclusive of both my typical and my aspirational style) into a few words, it would be fun, comfy, chic, effortless. I loved styling some of my skirts and dresses in a more casual way to get more use out of them, especially since my aspirational style is mainly dresses and skirts for the everyday. I validated that I love the way I feel in flowy fabrics with a comfy flat or low heel shoe – all summed up in good style.
I highly recommend this exercise to all because I’m sure it’ll help create new outfits you never thought of – whether you end up liking them or not (at least you tried it out) – all without having to spend money! And for me, it doesn’t stop here. It got the juices flowing to try other new combos and styles together next time I’m experimenting in my closet.
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I can get in the habit of going only for my go-to outfit combos – recently it has a my chunky black boots with one specific pair of jeans and any top. But as we saw, I ended up liking the way my boots looked with one of my skirts, and now I know to try that again with other skirts/dresses!
I’m assuming this habit could come from a few things – rushing an outfit, brain exhaustion, not wanting to go through the mental load of an outfit not working, the list goes on – so I go with something I know looks good. But then, I feel like I’ve gotten all the use out of said items and think I need more options in my wardrobe because “I’ve already worn it too many times” in front of all my different friend/family groups.
That said, this exercise was extremely beneficial to remind me that as much as outfit formulas and go-to’s are wonderful, it’s important to not be limited by them.