Online Style Inspiration: The Met’s Costume Institute
Image Courtesy: Instagram
Nowadays, there are tons of different ways to find fashion inspiration. Platforms like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram have become home to countless amounts of fashion-focused accounts or even just casual accounts where people enjoy sharing their outfits. These online fashion communities have influenced popular culture in several ways, especially with the rise of microtrends, which are short-lived fashion fads. Our sudden infatuation with bows or the “frazzled English woman” aesthetic are two examples.
I think a lot of the online fashion community can be positive. It’s pretty cool that people from all corners of the world have a communal space where they can bond over a shared passion. Plus, I’ve come across lots of people with unique styles who use the internet as a way to express their originality. I myself have a fashion Pinterest board with almost 2,000 pins.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
But as always, there’s also a negative side to the online fashion community. On top of fast fashion and microtrends, it can be exhausting trying to find your own personal style amongst all the noise. While the influence of others is a natural component in cultivating personal style, I believe your own intuition is just as (if not more) important. I used to think it was almost impossible to find fashion inspiration online without any influence from trends or algorithms, but I’ve found a little hidden gem where fashion lovers can peruse freely without any interruptions.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute has its own page on The Met’s website, where you can scroll through thousands of pieces from their beautiful collection, which has items spanning from the 15th century to the present day. What I love most about the website is its incredibly wide range of styles. With such a diverse array of clothing, \ not everything will be to your taste, but while looking through, you’ll start to learn what your eye is drawn to.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
A fun way I use the Costume Institute’s website is by making my own lookbooks. I love scavenging through all the pieces and finding my favorites, screenshotting them, and then putting them all into PowerPoint slides where I can arrange the pieces that I like together visually. While Pinterest does allow you to do this in a much easier and faster way, lately I’ve enjoyed making my “lookbooks” better. They feel more unique to my personal taste and style, and I like that I have to actively think about which individual pieces suit each other better rather than just putting everything I like into one board.
If you love fashion, I highly recommend visiting The Met’s website. It’s a cool place to explore the history of fashion, and to maybe even learn more about your own personal taste and style within that history. You never know what may inspire you or push you out of your own stylistic comfort zone. So, if you have the time, check out the Costume Institute, and maybe make your own lookbooks!
Strike Out,
Georgia Witt
Editors: Indigo Carter & Jaden Rudd
Saint Augustine
Georgia Witt is a writer for Strike Magazine STA and a freshman at Flagler College. She loves thrifting, going to the movies, reading & writing poetry, and riding her bike. You can reach her at georgiawitt3000@gmail.com or on Instagram @twink3rb3ll_
