How To Create A Style Inspiration Board + Make A Shopping List (& Declutter)

Hey friends! If you couldn’t tell from the last couple of posts (and this one) I’m definitely on an organization kick! I don’t know about you guys, but I am not good at spontaneous shopping. I definitely need a list, otherwise I just get whatever looks cute and often end up with a bunch of the same thing. Maybe you’re different (and that’s totally great!!) but I still think that it’s beneficial to know what you need. This should also be fun – we’re creating a style inspiration board and then formulating a shopping list from it! Grab a cup of coffee and an afternoon and let’s have some fun!

Step 1: Start with some inspiration!

I always love starting with some inspiration, it keeps me going when I get to the step of going through my closet! 😉 I usually look on Pinterest for outfit ideas & inspiration! It’s also worth asking friends whose style you admire where they shop. Don’t make it a big deal, just say something like, “I always love your outfits! Would you mind sharing where you shop!?” Most of the time, they’ll be more than willing to share their favorite stores with you!

Step 2: Set up your board.

Take the term “board” as loosely as you can! Your “board” can literally be anything. It needs to work for you, and so maybe that means a Pinterest board, a bulletin board, a collage wall or even just an album of screenshots on your phone (which is what mine is currently XD). The most important thing is that you can see all of your inspiration photos together, then pick and choose what you’d like. Feel free to keep adding to your board over time! Let it evolve and don’t try to do it all at once.

Step 3: Go through your own closet.

The fun part, amiright!? You’ve probably heard all the popular decluttering tips, but I thought I’d share a couple of tips that I like to use and work for me!

1 ) Be practical. It’s winter right now, so even if you can’t imagine yourself wearing those shorts and summer dresses don’t get rid of them! I actually only like to get rid of clothes that are currently in-season, unless they are damaged.

2) Do I feel good about myself in this? We’ve all done it – seen something online that looks just amazing on the hanger or model, then we get it and try it on. And guess what!? It doesn’t look how we imagined. I know I definitely have owned things that I want to like on myself or that I like on other people, but just don’t work for me. It can definitely be a process, but having a closet full of clothes that you like wearing and that you feel good about yourself in is so worth it!

3) Do I have duplicates of this? This one is pretty straightforward, but it can be easy to collect multiples of the same item. For example, I was decluttering my closet recently and realized that I had 5 white sweaters that were almost exactly the same. So I ended up giving one to my sister, selling two and keeping two. I’m now on the lookout for one that’s a slightly different style and I can use the cash I made from the two that I sold to get one that I really like, is a little different and that I’ll wear much more!

4) Does this fit how I want my style to be? I realize that this is another one that can definitely be a process, as most people can’t just go buy a whole wardrobe in a day. However, it can be super beneficial to ask yourself this (and refer to your style board 😊) when buying new clothes and also decluttering!

5) If you’re not wearing something, get rid of it. When I’m declutter, I often worry that if I get rid of the things I don’t wear than I won’t have anything to wear. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s honestly so true! For some reason, having a full closet makes me feel like I have a closet full of clothes I love wearing – even if I don’t. One thing that has helped me with this, is remembering that I am getting rid of the things I don’t enjoy so I can fill my closet with things that I do enjoy!

This step is pretty straightforward but I hope those tips & questions will be helpful for you guys with this step! Let me know if you’d like to see a whole post on this!

Step 4: Decide on what you need & what you want.

Inevitably, once you’ve gone through your closet (regardless of how much you kept & got rid of) you’ll have found some gaps. I like to start with the items I actually need, then I’ll move onto items that I want. Everyone’s needs & wants are different, so definitely take a minute and decide what you need to fit with your lifestyle!

Here’s a couple of questions to ask yourself that can help you distinguish between your needs and wants:

• Do I have another item similar?
• Do I want this only because xyz has it?
• If I waited a week, month or year would I still want/need this?
• Is their a less expensive, but still quality option?
• Do I only want this because it’s on sale?

You guys, this is hard! There is no “magic formula” for deciding between what you want and what you need. If you do work on this though, you’ll end up having a more complete closet and will actually enjoy choosing clothes to wear!

Step 5: Create your shopping list & go shopping!

You made it! This is the last step in the process and quite possibly, the most fun part! I always like going shopping with at least an idea of what I want, because otherwise I usually get d i s t r a c t e d very quickly! You’ve already gone through your closet, found the gaps and decided what you need and what you want to fill those gaps. Now it’s actually time to fill those gaps.

I always like to start with my needs, unless something I know I want is on a really great sale. You really have to be careful with those sales and discounts though, it’s easy just to buy something “because it’s on sale” or “because I’ll get free shipping” but then you often wind up with a bunch of items you wear once or not at all, not to mention all the $$$ we all waste with our “just because it’s on sale” purchases.

Another thing to think about when shopping is if the item fits with the rest of your closet. You want your closet to be cohesive and not just full of random items, colors, prints etc. This is why it is so, so helpful to have your inspiration board handy when going shopping.

Hint: To keep your inspiration board easily on hand, take a photo or a screenshot of it and then favorite the photo on your phone! ✨

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This is definitely not an ultimate guide to creating a wardrobe or anything, but I do hope these tips will be helpful for you! Also, I’m considering making several posts that kind of stem from this one like: How To Completely Declutter Your Closet, Tips For Intentionally Shopping and 15 Must Have Items For Season x (spring, summer, fall, winter). Let me know if you’d be interested in those!

And as always, if you enjoyed this post and would like to see more similar content, make sure to hit the like button down below, subscribe and comment down below (a share on Pinterest is always appreciated as well 😉)!

♥ Hannah

P.S. Speaking of sharing on Pinterest… here’s a little image that might help with that!