Be Inspired to Create Outfits by Shopping Your Closet

Last week, I posted a blog with five outfit collages and said this:

Here are a few stylish outfit ideas that you can probably recreate in some way with pieces you already own. These are great examples of how to put pieces together to create outfits that are impactful, stylish, and—even more importantly—might include similar items that you have in the depths of your closet.

Later that afternoon, I decided to try to recreate my version of these outfits from my own closet and here is what I came up with. Keep in mind that I said “inspiration”, not copying the exact outfit.

Outfit #1

I used color and pattern as my inspiration. I don’t own a tan leather skirt, but I do have a beautiful blazer that I purchased at least 20 years ago (this one is somewhat similar and gorgeous). I decided to put the tan on top along with a leopard blouse by Equipment. I added a Gucci belt, (less expensive) black jeans from Loft (mixing high and low) and over-the-knee boots from Stuart Weitzman (similar). The blazer has been hanging in my closet for years and for some reason, I have never been able to part with it…now I’m so glad I didn’t. After putting this outfit together, I came up with several other ways to wear it, so stay tuned for that post!

Outfit #2

I’ll admit that I really want a green faux fur jacket, but I haven’t bought one yet so…I used a brown one from several years ago by Velvet. I actually have a top that is almost identical to the one in the collage, but it didn’t look right under the coat, so I substituted a snakeskin blouse from Cabi. I added flare jeans and black booties. I don’t wear flares much anymore and I’m going to revisit that because I really like them and I think they make my legs look longer. This outfit is easy to recreate, but without collage inspiration, I probably would have put on the predictable skinny jeans.

Outfit #3

The only plaid pants I own right now are red and very much Christmas attire so I decided on these snakeskin pants (similar) that I purchased not long ago. I added a black sweater (wishing for a fancier one) and rust sling backs from Zara. I threw on my mom’s mink coat because I don’t have a long black coat. Looking back at these pictures, a short gold necklace would have been a good addition. Sometimes, shopping your closet can help you see what items need to be purchased for the season. I’ll add a more festive black sweater and long black coat to my list.

Outfit #4

Ahem…since I have no green faux fur in my closet, this outfit had to be all black. I purchased this adorable peplum furry top by Rebecca Taylor last season and it still had the tags on it. Since almost everything looks great with black leather pants, I decided to go with them. The leopard boots added a much needed punch of color and also warmth on a cold day.

I really had fun coming up with these inspired outfits and hope you enjoyed this post. Would you like to see more like this?? Please leave a comment and let me know! Happy Wednesday!