Sunday 9 December 2012

How to create a style board


If you've ever watched 'the secret', you would have heard about inspiration boards and might even already have one. Inspiration board, mood board, collage, dream board, whatever you like to call them, they are a great way to focus your attention and streamline your thoughts, creating a clear visual of what it is you want out of life. I've been a fan of making collages of my dreams and aspirations for years. It's become an integral part of my goal setting and I believe they've had a positive effect and are part of why I am doing what it is i am doing today. 

Over the weekend I've made some new goal boards as well as a style board, which I am going to use to inspire my personal style. I've used a collection of my favourite models, bloggers, celebrities and every day snaps of people dressed in a way that's connected with me, then simply cut and pinned them onto cork boards. I now have these boards hanging strategically around my apartment, in clear sight to inspire me over the holiday season.

With the holidays fast approaching, everyone is soon to have some well deserved time off. Creating a mood board during the holidays is a great way to refocus, as well as get creative and have some time to reflect on everything. Nothing is better than giving yourself a mini holiday style makeover, before you see everyone back at work in january!

Here are some tips for creating style boards. These can also be applied to inspiration boards and goal boards.

Only use images you love- Style boards are not something you make every week, let's be honest, who has the time! Choose images that you absolute LOVE, they need to really catch your eye. I look for outfits that look timeless and I know are wearable. Keep in mind these images don't just have to be of people, it could be a fabric swatch, hair style, a pair of shoes you saw in a catalogue, an image from our Style Me campaign complete with tips. It's all about choosing anything visual, that will inspire your style.

Make a wish list- Wish lists are great, just like the shopping list, write down the things or items you are wanting to add to your wardrobe. Currently on my wish list are some new nude heels I've found at Freelance in the centre (my old ones have seen better days) and a Christmas day outfit. Pinning your wish list to your board will remind you to save a few extra dollars towards those purchases.

Google, find, print- If you know who's style you're trying to emulate, then great. Choosing a particular style icon can be a great idea, especially if they are a celebrity or person with a public profile for the large array of images available on the web. Give your chosen person a google photo search, once you find something that inspires you, copy and paste them into a powerpoint presentation. From there you can print them out, cut them out and pin or paste them onto your boards. 

Quotes- If you 'Like' our Top Ryde City Facebook page, you would know i am super fond of styling quotes and fashion quotes. Yes, a picture tells a thousand words, but a strong quote can give you literal advice to apply to the way you dress. When choosing quotes, look for ones that really represent you and immediately strike a cord with you. They're not meant to be complicated, the best quotes are strong and simple.

Collect images- I'm not going to suggest you become a magazine horder like me, because it's not a fun habit to have. However i will suggest you choose your favourite pages, clippings, images from magazines, newspapers or any other reading material and tear them out for filing in a safe place. That way you are constantly collecting the best bits, allowing you to recycle the unnecessary.

For the online lover- The old school idea of cutting and pinning pieces of paper onto boards is not for everyone. Some people prefer to keep everything streamline and online. That's totally understandable. I am an online person myself, but personally I find the benefits of physically making style board and hanging them up to be more rewarding. If however you're hell bent on doing it online, there are loads of options, 'Pintrest' for instance, which is literally an online cork board community. Tumblr, which is a blogging photo collage site is another great option, or you can simply make a power point presentation of your style inspiration. 
In choosing to keep your boards virtual, I would caution that for them to be effective at bringing you inspiration, you need to see them daily for them to become an influential part of your life. 

TIP: Make your virtual board in power point and export it as a JPG, then save that picture as your desktop. This way it will always be in your sight, and never far from your mind.

Below are two of my personal mood boards/style boards to give you an idea of how they can be done as well as some of my favourite style quotes to kick off your inspiration. 
TIP- If you worried about not having enough images or lacking inspiration do a lap around the centre and grab all the latest catalogues and campaign from our retailers. 











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