How to Create a Fashion Mood Board

A fashion mood board (or inspiration board) is a collage of images and objects that highlights a specific visual style in physical or digital form. Physical mood boards are typically made from poster board or foam board on which you can pin your materials, while digital mood boards are created using photo-editing software or websites that allow you to create interactive mood boards. Fashion mood boards can include magazine clippings, photographs, color swatches, fabric swatches, texture samples, and more. You can use a mood board for your personal style, for presentations, or share it with your wedding planner to showcase your vision for your special day.

The purpose of a fashion mood board is to help you identify common themes in your fashion interests. This design tool can help you choose a specific direction for a look, provide inspiration for new outfits, colors, or silhouettes, and help you avoid impulse buys that don’t work with your capsule wardrobe.

You can include any images you want on a fashion mood board, whether it’s physical or digital:

• Outfit pictures: Your fashion mood board should feature photos of outfits that inspire you. Collect photos of professional models, social media friends, lookbooks from your favorite brands, streetwear, and your own outfits.
• Separate items: If you love a particular top, add it to your mood board—even if you’re unsure what to wear with it. As you collect more images, you might notice a surprising pairing or come up with a new idea based on that top.
• Color palettes: From fashion to wedding planning, color palettes are a common part of any mood board because they help establish a mood and allow creativity to flow. When designing your fashion mood board, save color schemes you like so you know what colors to aim for when shopping.
• Art: Painting, photography, and collage images may seem immaterial to your fashion journey, but a fashion mood board is all about capturing a specific feeling that you can use to anchor yourself when shopping—and the art world contains a wealth of material. As you’re collecting images, add pieces of art that inspire you—whether in their color palette, shapes, or energy.
• Fabric swatches: If you’re making a physical mood board, add scraps of fabric or materials that you like, and that will inform your fashion journey—for example, thick corduroy or a piece of leather. If you’re making a digital mood board, try to find digital swatches online: close-up images that show the texture of the materials you prefer.

Here are some tips to help you create a perfect fashion mood board:

1. 1. Collect now, cut later. When starting out, you may get hung up trying to determine what to include on your board. However, one of the main purposes of a mood board is helping you see patterns in your preferences and deciding which direction to follow. Collect any images that speak to you, without thinking about whether or not they fit a certain mood. Removing restrictions will allow you to collect as much data as possible, giving you many options from which to choose when building out your board.
2. 2. Create multiple boards. Not everyone has a singular vision when it comes to fashion. You may find you need multiple mood boards for different fashion approaches. For instance, you can organize your mood boards according to season (“fall outfit ideas,” “winter outfits,” “spring dresses”), by occasion (“workwear,” “special events”), or even by different fashion trends you want to try (“streetwear,” “twee”).
3. 3. Look for themes and patterns. Once you have enough images, gather them together and look for common themes. These themes can relate to color, fabric, or silhouette. Even if your inspiration feels all over the place at first, you may discover that a lot of your models are wearing denim jeans, dresses, or sleeveless tops, which is still an overarching vibe or mood that you're going for.
4. 4. Keep your board going. Even after you’ve spent time collecting images, curating your boards, and honing your personal style, it doesn’t mean your fashion journey is over—make room for evolution. As you change, your fashion should, too. When adding new images to your mood board, you may find an image that transforms your vision and takes you in a new and exciting direction with your looks.

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