Getting Inspired

I love looking through magazines, looking online, and observing different television shows to gather fashion inspiration. I don't think it's good to copy something verbatim but, I believe that getting inspired from images you see to polish your own look is perfectly fine. That is how your persona fashion evolves and continues to grow. I was doing some browsing this past week when I stumbled across a photo on Instyle.com entitled "Fave Jeans."

 I always like to challenge myself by taking a look I see and searching my closet to recreate a "similar" look. Instyle's "Fave Jeans" outfit consisted of a red blazer, light denim button up, rolled up relaxed fit denim jeans, leopard pumps, a blue clutch, a silver watch (with a brown leather band), and a string of pearls. I was able to recreate a look that resembled this look with an Ali twist! Check it out below.


SUNDAY'S BEST 
I wore this casual, yet chic look to church on Sunday. I love it because it is comfortable yet polished enough even for service. 

My look consists of a red blazer from Forever 21, a denim button up from Target, Supreme Curve ID jeans from Levi's, Vince Camuto leopard print booties, brown Snakeskin clutch from TJ Maxx (I think), a silver rope chain from Forever 21, and a silver Michael Kors watch from Macy's. You may say that my outfit doesn't exactly reflect Instyle's, but that is the whole point. I pulled this look just as a focal point or guideline to help me formulate a foundation.

I took my bit of inspiration one step further, keeping the same foundation (the red blazer, the denim shirt, and the dark denim jeans) to switch up the look a bit. For this second look, I took a page from Beyonce's book. Again, this look is a mere draw of inspiration not a photocopy!

As you can see Beyonce's look is very close to Instyle's original look. She swapped the denim shirt for a white blouse. She interchanged the leopard pumps for a leopard printed scarf, and some wedge boots, all while keeping the red blazer and dark denim jeans. Here is my interpretation of the look!

AFTER CHURCH FLOW
I chose to keep the basis of the outfit the same. I just changed the accessories to create a second look. 

I changed all my accessories to the following: Vintage Timberland Wheat Tie Up Boots (gift in high school), brown suede cross body bag from Old Navy (I've had it for more than 4 years), my leopard printed scarf is from Charlotte Russe, my gold men's watch is from Target, my my charm bracelet is from Juicy Couture, and my bronze earrings are from the Baltimore Flea Market.

I challenge you to begin to gather inspiration from images you see around you to rev up your style! Will you take the challenge?