A new season has arrived, and with it the recurring feeling that I have no idea what I like to wear and how I want to dress. Of course, I get a fall Pinterest board going. But, as I learned earlier this year while completing the viral 75 Hard Style challenge (no new clothes for 75 days, take an outfit pic every day, don’t go to the internet for inspiration) with about 75% success, Pinterest pins don’t actually help you (me) get dressed. I sometimes step out of my morning shower feeling ready to put together an Outfit, but if I go to Pinterest (or Instagram, or screenshots, or whatever) for ideas, I’m more likely to feel overwhelmed than inspired. This is, I think, because I might have pinned an image for any number of reasons which are now forgotten to me—because I wanted to buy that specific pair of shoes, or because I liked the styling of that sweater & vest together, or because it gave me an idea for how to wear the denim skirt I already have. Or, subconsciously, my attraction to the image might have had more to do with the subject’s bone structure, or hair, or the European cobblestone street in the background than it did with the actual outfit. I could initially love a photo’s vibe and Pin it enthusiastically, but when I look at it from a slight remove I may realize I actually would never wear any part of the outfit I was so drawn to.
Moodboarding in the way I typically do it is fun. But perhaps it’s not that helpful unless you have a ultraspecific idea of what you’re asking from your images. Recently I’ve come across two seemingly competing models of moodboarding, which I will henceforth refer to as the hyperliteral and the nonliteral models.
The hyperliteral moodboard
This model is taken from Lili Leaser of Homebody, who recently published the excellent piece All it takes is one. Borrowing an idea from interior design Youtuber Caroline Winkler, she suggests compiling a board of ten images “that you wouldn’t change anything about. [Winkler] referred to this exercise as creating a ‘North Star’, or a reference you can always go back to when considering a purchase.”
Immediately upon reading I knew I would undertake this exercise. I began to comb through my phone screenshots and Pinterest pins. It surprised me that in this sea of images, it was actually difficult for me to find 10 outfits that I felt I would wear exactly as-is. But here’s what I came up with.
(Yes I cheated a little: those three images with their borders touching are, I decided, basically the same outfit, so I’m counting this as one outfit with three subtypes. And I love every single subtype, like, so much.)
Some elements I can see I’m drawn to after compiling this moodboard:
interesting shapes: barrel pants, mini shorts, oversized tops
classic neutral pieces
pops of color, especially in shoes/jewelry/bags (red, chartreuse, cobalt)
layers on layers, duh
statement jewelry
stripes!
Some things I learned about myself:
I tend to think of myself as a maximalist, but these outfits are more understated than I would expect. I do think that reflects where I’m going with my style lately. I find it hard to combine a lot of colors in my outfits in ways that feel exactly ME; I think this moodboard is true to my style in that the bulk of the outfits are mainly neutral, but incorporate some slightly wacky elements. Walking the tightrope between classic/wacky is *key* for me.
I really like loafers with socks! I already knew this, but now it’s really obvious. I just think I’ll always be wearing loafers with socks. Also, lots of ballet flats!
Shapes. I don’t see a single fitted shape here, especially in the top. This also reflects accurately what I’m reaching for in my closet. It’s possible being 4 months postpartum has something to do with it. I am pretty comfortable baring almost my entire leg, but I want nothing to do with a form-fitting top right now, maybe not ever.
Multiple images on this board (and even more from the longlist) came from the same few Instagram accounts. I already knew I loved these ladies, but having chosen these images helps me zero in on whose accounts I can revisit when I’m in the inspiration-gathering phases of life. (@thedillonstore, @natacatcat, @dancingkind, and @monpetitchuchu on Instagram are all-killer-no-filler accounts in my book.)
The nonliteral moodboard
The idea behind the nonliteral moodboard is that it’s all about vibes and ideas—it should have nothing, or at least very little, that you can actually add to cart. This idea comes from Glenn Mae at Trash Panic, who writes in Trying Not To Fall For It:
You will not find your way out of the personal-style-confusion-corn-maze until you throw the very-literal-niche-aesthetic mood board out the window and stop (I beg of you) asking, “where’s the skirt from?” in the comments.
I agree with this so hard! (One time I did annoyingly implore a TikTok follow to tell me the brand of her top—a light-wash denim baseball-jersey-shaped top with toggle closures!—but it was 90s Coldwater Creek, and finding the exact top on eBay was highly satisfying. I had no doubt this top was extremely ME so I sprang for it without hesitation.)
Anyway: these are mostly outfits you can’t wear; they’re not even outfits. This model ends up focusing me on textures, pattern combinations, color combinations, and accessorizing concepts.
In Glenn Mae’s words:
I find more often than not, gathering a collection of images that merely showcase literal tangible things simply feeds the insatiable gremlin that lurks within us, rather than sparking self discovery, growth and individuality with a tasteful side of conscious, pre-meditated consumerism.
I am on very intimate terms with the aforementioned insatiable gremlin! This exercise was surprisingly difficult too—it’s hard to get into the mode of appreciating a vibe rather than admiring an item/set of items. To be fair, I compiled this collection of images after selecting my ten perfect fits. It’s possible that I would have come up with something quite different had I started with this one: many of these images do reflect specific styles I’ve been consciously lusting after for this season. (It would be fun to try doing this exercise in a way that’s even more geared toward bringing things up from the subconscious, but that would be a longer project, since to find stuff on Pinterest you do generally have to type in a search term.)
Things I’m into based on this moodboard:
victorian vibes (neck-high lace, Gibson girl hair, puff sleeves)
a pileup of jewels
primary colors + neutrals (hey, pretty much the same color scheme I noticed above)
Argyle & stripes!
If I were to distill the essence of this moodboard into a single outfit, I think I’d end up with a voluminous white lacy top, a brown fringe suede jacket, a big striped textured red and white bag, some olive trousers, cobalt blue ballet flats, a chaotic bun and a stack of chunky silver necklaces. Would wear that 100%.
Compare and contrast
So which moodboard method will I ultimately employ going forward? Perhaps unsurprisingly, I found both illuminating and useful in different ways.
Both models are centered around building a sense of personal style that is resistant to a barrage of advertisements and trends. In my experience, the literal board was most useful in identifying what outfit shapes I’m drawn to. Looking at this moodboard clarifies for me why I don’t often reach for many of the items I have in my closet, even if there is something (a color or pattern) I truly love about them: I probably don’t like their fit or shape. I also have several pieces of clothing that are technically comfortable, but I just don’t feel COOL in them because their shapes are kind of basic. When considering a purchase in the future, I’m realizing, shape should be probably the first element I look for, since it’s the most make-or-break element of a clothing item for me. And since an outfit’s shape is something that depends on the body wearing it, it makes sense that it needs a literal illustration—a full-body photo of a person—in order to be apprehended.
The nonliteral moodboard seems most useful in helping me figure out how to dress up the shape in a way I like. Looking at this board is where I see textures, accessories, and juxtapositions that speak to me. An interesting shape is an outfit’s foundation; without this element in place I don’t feel comfortable. But without a few wackier elements on top I don’t feel totally myself. The wacky elements are the things that can be more loosely inspired—a color combination from a table setting, or close-up of a texture does the trick. It also strikes me that these are the things that are most easily thrifted, while the structural components of an outfit must be more painstakingly hunted down, whether from new or secondhand sources.
If you try these, I’d love to know what you learn about your style. <3