Spring Style Moodboard
And the real (and fictional) women who inspire it.
I spent an idle hour on Pinterest this morning trying to distill my thoughts on spring style. I find this to be a useful exercise as the season’s change and we are all inundated with the newest trends and must-haves. Case in point - are colorful sneakers right for me or is the messaging just the loudest?
I begin by doing what I call a ‘stream of consciousness scroll’ - letting things jump out at me quickly and saving anything I like as I go. Don’t overthink this part - you can edit later. Next, I might search a few key terms based on new pieces I’ve bought or trends I’m interested in. This time I searched ‘knee length skirt outfit’ and ‘90s celebrity street style’.
From there, I look to my muses. The handful of people (both real and fictional) that I gravitate towards for style inspiration. Many of them unchanged for decades now. Case in point - Jenny Walton, who acts as a sort of north star for the ladylike cool that I'm working to cultivate in my own approach to dressing. When I look at street style photos of her over the years, she doesn't ever feel tied to a specific trend or year. She always looks like herself. So ‘Jenny Walton spring outfits’ gets a search and a scroll.
Other points of inspiration include Ashley Olsen (2008-2015 specifically), Sarah Jessica Parker and Caroline Bessette-Kennedy's street style in the late 90s, Leandra Cohen (on her most restrained days), Kate Moss and Alexa Chung (when they lean classic rather than bohemian), and in a fictional sartorial search; Rachel Green at work, Carrie Bradshaw on a date and Julia Roberts late 90s -early 00s in almost any role. The point isn’t to copy any of their style exactly, but rather draw upon the general essence and then translate that into my own language. Or closet rather.
Once I’ve got a couple dozen photos saved, I lay them out into a visual moodboard (I use Canva). Seeing them all together helps me weed out any real outliers and find common threads. Plus, I can identify similar pieces that I already own and could style in new ways vs. gaps in my wardrobe that I might like to fill this season. Instantly I was struck by the fact that these images are very 'separates' forward. Unlike past years when a lot of my wardrobe was dominated by dresses, I find myself drawn towards great jeans/trousers, well cut vests and jackets and hero skirts lately. Mostly solid colors with a few well placed prints. Accessories that add interest - a cool belt, unexpected bag or that corsage pin on Leandra I can’t stop thinking about. And - no real surprise here - not a colorful sneaker in site! Kitten heels, ballet flats and boots.
I’m happily looking at a visual representation of seasonal freshness, that still very much feels true to how I want to show up in the world. Modern yet fairly timeless (at least 4 of these photos are from the late 90s), ladylike without being too girly/femme, and polished without giving the appearance of trying too hard.
Now for the fun part - here are a few of the pieces I’m eyeing for spring that would feel right at home on my moodboard:
These green suede ballet flats with a small block heel - picture with jeans or a great full skirt.
These ivory Bermuda shorts - on sale for just $40. Would be great with a belt and navy crewneck sweater.
This khaki and black embellished skirt. So chic with a black cropped strapless top and barely there sandals.
These denim pinstripe wide-leg cuffed jeans - a nice alternative to a basic jean, just add a white crewneck or a cardigan and brooch (á la Leandra) and you’ve got an outfit.
I love this warm red skirt and matching vest - I’d wear it together for work, just the skirt with a halter top for date night or just the vest with relaxed jeans on the weekend.
Would love to hear if you give this exercise a try!