Please note that this post may contain affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward us a small commission – at no extra cost for you.
Welcome back to Wardrobe Wednesday! Wardrobe Wednesday is when we get inspired by the clothes we already have in our wardrobe- and one way we can do that is by recreating inspirational Pinterest outfits. In this post, you’ll find out how this exercise can foster creativity and excitement in your wardrobe. And keep scrolling to see the outfit we’re recreating today!
Why You Should Recreate Outfits
1. Get Inspired Again
It happens to even the most fashion savvy- you get bored with your wardrobe. And instead of lighting it all on fire (arson is a crime FYI) and starting over, the right (and legal) thing to do is to get reinspired with what you already have.
The best way to do this is to pair items together that you haven’t tried yet. New outfit combinations equal a new outlook on your fashion life! And when you’re mentally stuck wearing the same jeans + t-shirt combo, you need to seek inspiration from those around you.
2. Try Out Things You Wouldn’t Normally Wear
Trying out clothes you wouldn’t normally pair together can lead to a bunch of laughs (like, okay, this looks terrible on me), but it can also lead to a moment of genius. Okay, maybe it won’t be that dramatic, but I can almost guarantee that you’ll feel pleasantly surprised.
When you “copy” an outfit to the best of your ability that you never thought you’d wear, you may find that you actually like the way it looks together. And soon it may become a new outfit in your monthly rotation!
3. Learn a New Styling Trick
It’s only natural- we find something we like and feel comfortable in so we stick to it. The same tuck of the shirt, the same cuff of the jeans. After a while, it all feels….the same.
Recreating outfits is a great way to break out of your comfort zone and try a new styling trick so things start to feel new and exciting again.
4. Help Build a Shopping List
Let’s say you’ve saved a bunch of outfits you want to try and as you’re putting together the outfits, you realize you’re consistently missing a few key pieces. This is helpful because now you know what you need to add to your shopping list! Though we frequently publish wardrobe checklists because we believe them to be a key in wardrobe building, for some people, sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing until you try to style certain outfits.
5. Discover the Possibilities
If you see someone’s cute outfit online and then click on the shirt and see that it’s $500, you may feel deflated and quickly dismiss that potential look from your brain. But you don’t always have to have the exact piece to get the same look.
If you use my links you are supporting MCO and the future of this website (no pressure haha), but even if you don’t purchase from this site and instead, find the same item second-hand, the point is that you are still being able to create the look on a budget that works for you! That’s what really matters.
Related: A Classy Summer Capsule Wardrobe for Women Over 50
Okay, that’s the why. Now it’s time for the what. Let’s get to recreating!
white button-down + scarf/sarong skirt + hoops + bracelets + sunglasses
Who knew over 50 summer beach style could be so stylish? Linda V Wright is a 74-year-old woman here to show us that 50+ summer fashion can look stylish and effortless.
shirt (similar) | shoes (similar) | scarf (similar)
Without seeing the full picture, I recreated her bottoms by taking one of my oversized scarves and fashioning it into a sarong. The end result is a little bit more leg exposure, but I really like the idea of it!
It’s fun to take clothing pieces and accessories and wear them in an unexpected way. It maximizes your wardrobe and flexes the creative muscle. But to guarantee enough leg coverage, you could easily recreate this look by getting an actual sarong or a wrap midi skirt.
This outfit is just another example of why you should have a linen button-down shirt! It’s so stylish, effortless, and versatile. It adds the perfect warm weather touch while also being a great piece to pair with prints. Neutrals always tone down and ground a look.
Recreating this outfit reminded me that oversized scarves can be so much more than “just” a scarf. They can be fashioned into a shirt, skirt, coverup, and more!
Now it’s your turn!
How To Recreate an Outfit
The overall purpose of recreating outfits is to open your eyes to the potential you already have in your wardrobe.
1. Do a Wardrobe Inventory
You need to know what you have hanging up in your closet before you start seeking out new outfits to create. Familiarize yourself with what you already have.
And while you’re at, go ahead and do a closet clean-out. Because I’m always pro-clean-out. This will weed out the junk and make putting together new outfits way easier!
2. Find the Looks You Want To Recreate
Pinterest or Google are great tools for this because you can search for the aesthetic you want to recreate whether it’s “classic summer outfit” or “fashion over 50 summer outfit”. (But if you’re recreating the outfit in this post, then go ahead and skip this step.)
3. Start With the Foundational Piece(s)
Now is the time to actually build the outfit. The foundational piece is almost always a wardrobe staple and is either the bottoms or the top. Accessories come last. Start by finding the bottom or top that is most like the photo.
4. Find the Essence of the Outfit
If you stick to the rule of not buying anything new (unless you find it’s a missing wardrobe staple), then you’re going to eventually find an outfit that you can’t copy to a T. But don’t give up!
Make a swap for what you feel the essence of the piece is. Meaning- if the outfit is featuring a blue skirt and you don’t have a skirt, what makes up the overall look the most? Is it the fact that it’s a skirt or the fact that the color blue is introduced? Depending on what you feel the answer is, make the acceptable swap.
For this outfit, let’s say that you don’t have a sarong skirt. What makes this outfit stylish for summer is the combination of the printed bottoms + a linen button-down. So even if what you have isn’t a sarong skirt, you can still swap out for bottoms that have a nice print.
5. Complete It With Accessories
Now that you have the major staples together, you can finish off the look and complete it with the right accessories that match the picture!
To copy this look, do you have the right wardrobe staples?
Wardrobe Checklist
Catch up on all the other outfits you can try your hand at recreating by going here!
