Inspiration in Fashion - Pinterest - Literal Inspiration, Part 2

Some Tips for Finding Better Pinterest Images

Pinterest is one of the easiest places to find fashion inspiration. It’s lasted through the years, and I’ve heard that it’s making a strong comeback due to the younger generations using it to create aesthetic boards and vision boards. Though it’s not perfect (I think the way pins are laid out on individual boards could be improved to look more aesthetically pleasing), it has years of photos archived on it. I’ve used it for everything from finding DIY projects, to saving links and photos to items I’d like to purchase, to organizing costumes for theatre productions.

In this article, I’d like to outline a few strategies to get the most out of Pinterest.

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The first set of strategies revolves around the search function.

One thing about the Pinterest search box is that you can search (almost) anything, and you’re bound to get results. Even if it can’t find a result for you, Pinterest will try its best to not leave you completely empty handed, and it can give you good jumping off points.

Here are some ideas for search terms you could use, with a couple examples in the parentheses:

• Color (mahogany, deep purple, marigold, bright blue)

• Item (combat boots, gold chain, nail polish, hoodie, v-neck top)

• Aesthetic (fairycore, grunge, old money, classy, whimsigoth)

• Celebrity/person (FKA Twigs, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga)

• Fabric/material (Velvet, linen, leather, quilted fabric)

• Pattern (stripes, polka dots, paisley, abstract)

• Season (summer, autumn, winter, spring)

• Brand (Free People, Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic)

• Designer (Alexander McQueen, Simone Rocha, Vivienne Westwood)

• Holiday (Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, Valentine’s Day)

• Occasion (wedding, funeral, prom, birthday)

• Media (Bridgerton, The Serpent, Friends, The Queen’s Gambit, Grease)

• Character (The Nanny, Carrie Bradshaw, Villanelle)

• Time period (Medieval, 1990s, Ancient fashion)

• City (New York, Paris, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo)

As a side note, I’ve found that putting the words “aesthetic,” “outfit,” “TikTok” or “Instagram” after these terms has helped me come up with better results.

Here are some examples of search terms I tried, ranging from typical to more abstract:

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A second strategy is to explore more using the search function.

When searching, Pinterest will helpfully suggest related search terms.

Here, I searched “ocean fashion,” but Pinterest will give me even more options if I click one of the brightly colored search terms at the top.

Similarly, once you’ve created your own boards, Pinterest will (on the homepage) give you suggestions for pins that are related to your boards.

You can also visit your own board and click “more ideas” for more results that align with that board’s vibe.

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A third strategy involves identifying image sources:

Many images will have the source listed on the side. This can be helpful for finding links to Instagram or TikTok accounts where people post their personal outfits.

In that same spot, sometimes instead of a website being listed, and author will be listed. You can click on the author and see what other types of pins they’ve added to the site or saved to their own boards.

For better or for worse, there are lots of branded items on the site. If you come across a pin that already has a brand listed, you can often access their website to purchase the items.

Whether someone else pinned the branded product, you can use the magnifying tool to find similar garments. This is useful if your garment is out of stock, or if you’d like to find something in a different price range.

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Speaking of the magnification, the fourth set of strategies involves using tools that are readily available on the site, such as the magnifying

icon.

If you find a photo you like, click the magnifying icon.

Similar images will pop up once you click on that magnifying icon.

You can even visually select a smaller part of the image, and find visual matches for that portion. Here, I’ve selected part of the wall, and Pinterest showed me similar images.

On some images, when you first click on them, you’ll see white dots pop up. These are different elements of the image you can click on, and you’ll see more elements of that same type.

On that last image, I clicked “coats and jackets,” and this popped up.

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Feel free to check out my own Pinterest by clicking here.

I hope you found this article helpful, and that you’ll find some great inspiration images. I’ll talk more in the future about how to implement the images you’ve gathered.