If you recall the teen week I hosted in January, you'll also remember that I'm the mom of three teenagers. As one of them is a girl, there is a place I visit all the time. Sometimes against my will, sometimes with lighthearted anticipation. (Sometimes, even, all by myself—but not very often!)
That place is the mall.
And it's a great spot for an inspiration field trip. Colors, textures, patterns; typography and journaling sparks and design ideas are all yours for the gathering. (Perhaps, aside from those little perfume samples they sometimes hand out, the only free stuff at the mall!) Look, for example, at the tag hanging from that cute skirt you want to try on. Without a doubt, there is some sort of inspiration to be found just on that tag, and then if you consider how many inspiration-filled tags are hanging around in the mall, well: you'll be inspired. And that's just the tags. Architecture, fabric, displays, and packaging all have the potential to inspire you.
Today, try running into the mall for a few minutes to shop for inspiration. When I took my field trip, I had only a half hour to hang out. I'd like to share a bunch of photos with you, but after I took the one that inspired my layout, a salesclerk stopped me and firmly informed me that there is no picture taking inside of Macy's department store. Then I was embarrassed and so I left!
But the photo still inspired me:
At first I was drawn to the crispness of the white capris and the yellow belt. It felt clean-lined and modern. The more I looked at it, though, the more the contrast appealed to me, with the sleek lines on the right side and the more fluid and flowing lines of the shirt on the left. The whole thing felt like design inspiration to me. For the layout it inspired:
I decided to go with pink on the left instead of teal (because of the pink tree behind my daughter Haley—my fashionista who loves going to the mall), but otherwise the design is the same: flowing, curvy, feminine (ok, slightly frilly!) details on the left, clean lines and modern on the right. I had to keep the yellow!
Even if you don't make it to the mall today, the next time you go, pay attention. Inspiration is everywhere there!
