Fall Outfit Inspiration | Graphic Sweatshirts + Bold Colors

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and People StyleWatch and InStyle magazines but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PeopleInStyle http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

{{BOOM Graphic Sweatshirt: Philip Lim 3.1 for Target (on sale!) // {{Red Midi Skirt: J.Crew (old, similar here) // {{Wedges: Target (similar) // {{Necklace: Caroline G. c/o

One of my FAVORITE things to do is get outfit inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. I’ve put together outfits based on the colors I saw on a mural, once. Or, I’ll see a look on a mannequin or on the runway that inspires me to grab a few items from my closet and pair them together in an unexpected way.

And, of course, I LOVE reading through fashion magazines to find new and creative ways to put together an outfit based on current trends. BUT, I always try to keep it feeling… “me.” I’m not going to try to put together an outfit that I know just isn’t what I would normally wear or what I’d normally try and pull off.

BUT, I’m definitely not afraid to think outside of the box and try something new.

Two of my FAVORITE magazines are InStyle and People StyleWatch – they always have the BEST spreads and always give me the best ideas for outfits. So, I headed to my happy place – Target – to pick up both the December issues of People StyleWatch AND InStyle… AND BONUS – both were on sale ($3.99 for People StyleWatch and $4.99 for InStyle) – AND, right now, for buying BOTH the December issues together at Target, you get a FREE $5 gift card to Target. (Promotion ends December 7th)

Win. Win. Win. Win.

Anyway. I was flipping through the pages looking for some inspo and was PUMPED to see Jessica Alba’s picture rocking the Philip Lim 3.1 for Target BOOM sweatshirt.

Why? Well, because I own that sweatshirt and I’m always a little puzzled, quite honestly, on how to style it. I’ve worn it with jeans and I’ve worn it with navy blue cords.

But I wanted to try something different.

Pairing bold graphic sweatshirts with something girly or feminine or unexpected is really fun! But how? How would I do it?

And as I kept flipping, and in BOTH magazines, the color RED kept coming across the pages. Red is such a classic and timeless color and it’s really “in” this season – whatever that means.

But then, that reminded me that I have a red midi skirt in my closet that I’ve had for YEARS (READ: since college) – and I thought it would be fun to pair my BOOM sweatshirt with my red midi skirt.

So, I put my red midi skirt on, threw my BOOM sweatshirt on, my favorite red statement necklace, and a bold red lipstick and, well, BOOM – a new outfit was born!

Now, I kept the rest of my makeup really toned down and neutral and I kept my shoes, tights, and other accessories all very toned down since the rest of the outfit creates such a statement.

I actually REALLY love the end result. I felt so fun and festive all day!!

And, because just for fun, I thought I’d share two of my outfit outtakes (aka: me being ridiculous):

I didn’t stop at the graphic sweatshirts and bold red in the mags – I kept reading.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that bold, bright colors are gracing the pages of all the magazines. So often in the fall and winter we can fall into a rut of wearing bold, drab colors.

This Banana Republic spread is so bright and cheery:

And LOVING these gorgeous colors:

And this Kate Spade ad?! SWOON! LOVE the brightness! (Also, yes, I use post-it dividers to mark off pages I love in the magazines I read. Is that sad?)

Seriously! All the bright colors make me so happy.

What about you? What trends are you loving this year? How do you look for inspiration for putting outfits together? What are your favorite magazines to get inspiration from?