Online vs offline: Where Australian fashion people find style inspiration
image via @joainscough/instagram
as told to daisy henry
“Personal style comes from filtering, not copying.”
Whenever I’m feeling particularly uninspired, I head online. I like browsing the profiles of my favourite creators, looking at stills from old TV shows and pinning strangers’ photos to various Pinterest boards. Because the internet is so broad, I end up going down various rabbit holes depending on my mood.
Ironically, though, my feed is increasingly full of videos encouraging people to get offline, arguing that algorithms are repeatedly pushing out the same content and flattening the very concept of personal style.
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It stands to reason, then, that if we all wind up looking at all the same references for inspiration (ahem, Caroline Bessette Kennedy), then we might end up all dressing the same without even realising. And on top of that, trends are moving four-and-a-half times faster than they were seven years ago.
So, is the key to avoiding homogeneity getting offline and finding inspiration in the analogue? Or is it about discernment and cultivation? Eager to see where others sit on the online versus offline debate, I asked six people known for their unique personal style to weigh in.
Valona Flamuri, stylist and designer
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Where do you usually find fashion inspiration?
Inspiration for me comes in so many different forms. Online is where I see a wide range of how the world interprets ideas. I’m part of a Monster High Facebook page and those dolls had style! They had unique custom moulds and outfits for all the different girls, and I’m here for them all. They inspired me to stop proving and start claiming who I am.
I’m a bit more free range – people watching rocks. I love older women who never miss a day of lipstick and wear things from their youth. I love seeing teens in experimental fashion at the station. I love the girls walking down the street at 3am in matching bodycons. It’s all so cute!
Do you think the internet helps build personal taste, or limits it?
It really depends on the individual but totally both. I don’t think the internet is the problem. You can find references everywhere now! We’re pretty lucky to get to see moments from all over the world. It could totally expand your creativity if you’re intentional with it. There’s a difference between consuming and actually curating.
I do feel like algorithms, especially fashion ones, can easily become a bit sinister. More engagement with a post means you’re force-fed more of the same thing. It’s an illusion of choice. I would say it’s good to have your finger in a few pies and don’t limit yourself. Engage in the world and have fun.
Josephine Ainscough, digital creator
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Where do you usually find fashion inspiration?
It’s a real mix of online and offline for me. As someone who works in the digital world, the influence that being online has had on the way I engage with fashion is undeniable. I don’t even mean directly replicating things I’ve seen on TikTok or Pinterest, but there are so many online creators who’ve shaped the way I play with my clothes.
That said, living in Melbourne means we’re pretty spoilt for choice. There are well-dressed people everywhere, so it’s easy to feel inspired by combinations you spot on the street. On top of that, I’m a big film lover and I’m constantly influenced by things I’ve seen in a recent watch – the kind that gives me a surge of motivation and changes my personality for the next two weeks.
Do you think the internet helps build personal taste, or limits it?
I really do agree with the sentiment that people are dressing more and more the same. Before you know it, everyone owns the same thing, and I honestly think some people don’t even know why they bought it or whether they even truly like it.
I have a strong relationship with my personal style because I have a strong sense of who I am. As I evolve, learn, and discover more about what I like, my style evolves with me. What people don’t see is the journey or the lived experience that informs all of that; they only see the final outcome.
In a world of dupe culture, instant gratification and constant access to other people through your phone, I think some people replicate without actually resonating. It can feel quite shallow. Like they’re following a formula and know what it takes to be perceived a certain way but there’s no real connection underneath it.
Authenticity always shines through, and you can tell when someone has really explored their personal style and arrived at something uniquely their own. Honestly, I almost feel validated when people say they don’t like something I own, or respond to a purchase with, “only you could pull that off,” because to me, that feels like proof I’ve earned my stripes.
Dunya Mudesir, model
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Where do you usually find fashion inspiration?
I’m inspired by the world around me and the people in it. My personal style has been moulded by what I saw growing up, from That’s so Raven to thrifted fashion magazines and books. I love playing dress-up in physical spaces, especially in vintage and curated boutiques. There’s something special about being able to touch and experiment with clothing in real life.
Fashion is so tangible, and going out into the world and witnessing how everyone decides to express themselves is endlessly inspiring to me.
Do you think the internet helps build personal taste, or limits it?
I believe the internet is a great source of inspiration, depending on how you use it. Being intentional with what you’re consuming and not having it as your only source of inspiration is important. The goal isn’t to become a Pinterest clone, but to filter what you see through your own perspective and style.
Fashion is supposed to be fun and fun to everyone means something different. Don’t put yourself in a box of what is. Instead, think about what could be when you’re getting ready next.
Harry Reid, lawyer and digital creator
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Where do you usually find fashion inspiration?
At risk of sitting on the fence, I feel like I draw inspiration from a combination of the two. Often, my initial inspiration will come from offline references and then I use online platforms to finesse the vision. For instance, I like to draw inspiration from pop cultural references and the tropes that surround them, playing into a certain character, before using online platforms to bring the concept to life in a way that feels unique to me. While I used to primarily use TikTok for this, I found myself falling victim to the sheer amount of content out there, so now I mainly use Pinterest, as I feel like you can be a lot more curated with it.
Do you think the internet helps build personal taste, or limits it?
I can understand where that rhetoric comes from but I also feel like the internet has made fashion so much more accessible. I think this has contributed to the fact that all trends exist concurrently now, rather than just a singular trend existing at once. While this doesn’t necessarily amount to expanded creativity per se, I think it speaks to the fact that the internet allows us to explore more with our fashion as we’re constantly being exposed to styles, designers and pieces we might not have otherwise.
Soraya Boularas, makeup artist
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Where do you usually find fashion inspiration?
I think it’s the Gemini in me that finds fashion inspiration through deciding what character I want to play for the day. I ask myself what would the woman I want to be wear, and then I mould that answer with my own personal taste.
I’m a very visual person. While I do occasionally look at magazines and Pinterest, I mostly draw inspiration from curated fashion and photography books. There’s something about physically engaging with imagery that feels more intentional and less fleeting than scrolling. It allows me to really sit with a mood and fully absorb it.
Do you think the internet helps build personal taste, or limits it?
I grew up in the age of the internet, so for me it’s never been about avoidance but about discernment. The internet can be incredibly expansive creatively but only if you engage with it critically. If you’re passively consuming, it’s easy to fall into imitation. But if you’re intentional, it becomes a tool rather than a blueprint. Personal style comes from filtering, not copying.
Harriet Nixon, digital creator
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Where do you usually find fashion inspiration?
I’m definitely a Pinterest girl when on the hunt for fashion inspiration. However, in saying that, I also love spotting cool people out about and thinking, “I love that! I am so going to recreate it”. I love creating outfit recipes, instead of a complete recreation.
Do you think the internet helps build personal taste, or limits it?
I both agree and disagree. Personally, I think the internet expands creativity. It’s pretty rare to own the same pieces as someone else, so if you look at someone’s outfit and see it as a way to look at your own wardrobe differently, not a shopping guide, then I think that’s okay.
In a perfect world, no one would go out and buy everything that person is wearing, and I do think doing that dilutes taste. What I would give to shake the shoulders of some people and say, “Just sit on that purchase for a little longer! You don’t need to buy everything this person is selling to you”.
For more on developing personal taste, try this.
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