Pinterest Fashion Inspiration

It's no secret that I'm not a fashionista. My wardrobe is mostly basics and solids without many bold patterns, stand out colors, or high end items to mix in. I like to look at 'Women's Fashion' on Pinterest, but to recreate many of the outfits I'd have to buy new wardrobe pieces and would likely feel uncomfortable being taken out of my jeans and tee-shirts.

I get excited when I see an outfit that I think I might actually be able to recreate cheaply and feel comfortable wearing. To remember these inspirational pins, I started a board which I call 'Fashion's I can actually make from my closet'.

The following post is my attempt to re-create my first 4 fashion pins, what worked, what didn't, and what I'll actually wear.


Red and Gray

Red and gray was the first outfit I tried to make. I had pinned this inspiration because I have crimson red shoes and a matching red cardigan. I also am fairly sure I never would have paired these items with gray on my own.

A literal interpretation                                          The Pinterest Inspiration                            Something a bit more wearable

My first mistake was trying to literally interpret the outfit (as shown on the left). I picked jeans that were more casual, like those in the pin, instead of accounting for the more formal nature of my shoes and cardigan. My second mistake was using a red belt that didn't match exactly just because I had a red belt. While the outfit isn't unwearable, it wasn't one that gave me confidence.

Because of this failure, I decided to use other pieces in my closet and try to save it. The first change was that I used dark wide-leg jeans instead of casual jeans. This instantly made the outfit feel more put together. The next item I changed was the belt. I went for a neutral color and a design I enjoy showing off a lot more. I also moved the belt to the outside of the cardigan because this feels more stylish to me. Lastly I added a larger statement necklace; while I don't accessorize a lot I do feel that bold accessories done right instantly make an outfit feel more put together. 

The Verdict; I doubt I'll ever wear the literal interpretation, I just didn't feel good in this outfit. I like the overall look of my alterations and would wear this to work on a casual Friday. I never would have put it together on my own, and will have to make an effort to remember it because its not what I think of when I get up each day.


Teal and Gray

My first fashion pin ever; Teal and Gray. I had the confidence that I could make this outfit because I have a lot of teal and gray wardrobe pieces, I have a teal purse (matching accessories are often something I lack), and I have gray sloughly boots (a large variety of shoes is also not something I have).

The Pinterest Inspiration            with           My literal interpretation

Once again, I did not like my literal interpretation.  The absence of a matching cardigan made the outfit feel unfinished. Also, I went for a boot cut jean, as shown in the inspiration, but didn't like them tucked in (left leg) or over the boots(right leg).

Pullover sweater                      Inverted colors

I came up with two fixes for this outfit. For both looks I changed to skinny jeans which I think look much better with the boots. (My skinny jeans were less than $10 from Forever 21. I thought of this as a great price to try out a piece of clothing I wasn't sure I'd like. Now, more than a year later, they are my favorite jeans.) I also kept the scarf for both looks just to have an accessory for a more complete look.

For the first outfit, I added a pullover sweater. This piece replaced the cardigan I didn't have and created a layered look which makes the outfit look more finished.

For the second look, I decided to invert the colors. As I said, I have a lot of teal and gray so why not use my gray outerwear pieces? I also added a bracelet that would stand out on the gray.

The Verdict; I will definitely wear both altered outfits. The inverted colors outfit is one that I'm pretty sure I've wore before and didn't need pinterest to inspire. I wear the same outfit switching out the tee-shirt color often. The pullover outfit I wore last week. I would typically wear white or black under the teal sweater, but I like the gray as a third option.



Blue and White
 
I pinned this outfit because the blue and white were very fresh looking to me. I also knew that I had at least one sweater this bold shade of blue.
 

The Pinterest Inspiration

The Literal                     The Pullover                         The Preppy

Although I had the blue pullover in mind when I first saw this look, I decided to start with the literal interpretation; blue jacket, white sweater, brown belt, brown boots. I had to really dig through the dredges of my closet to find a white shirt that wasn't a tee-shirt. What I found was a thin sweater that was a bit tight after having shrunk in the wash. It also had a tiny, faded ink stain from work. I really liked this overall look. The jacket helped hide the flaws in the sweater which had condemned it to the bottom of my closet.

Next I used the blue pullover I had intended for this look. I switched to a white tee-shirt and upped the statement of the belt by using a large decorative buckle. 

Finally, I had enjoyed the literal look so much, I decided to take it a step further. I changed the sweater out for a fresh white button down shirt. In order to show more of the white, I did something I'd never done before- rolled the jacket sleeves and popped out the white sleeves over them. I also added a long gold necklace. 

The Verdict; I loved all of these looks. The Preppy look is probably my surprise hit of this entire experiment. Finding something I like the look of so much excites to me to find other  button down/ jacket/ rolled sleeve looks I might be able to create from my existing clothes.


Sundress and Demin
Before finishing with my first four looks, I wanted to do something a bit fun and girlie. This was a pin I had choose because I had a navy blue sundress and brown wedge shoes (which don't get worn as often as they should).

The Pinterest Inspiration

My look

This was a pretty simple look to put together. The jacket I used is cut more like a blazer or a shirt than the traditional denim jacket. To make it more casual, I rolled the sleeves up.  I added a string of pearls as a wrap around bracelet. This was the first time I'd used this necklace as a bracelet and I really liked the look of it.

 The Verdict; Definitely wearable... now I just have to wait for spring.