Today I am breaking down my step-by-step process of creating a lookbook.

And by all means do I mean process.

I’ve seen a few bloggers write about how they plan posts and create content, and I always find that type of stuff fascinating. I think it’s interesting to see all the time and effort that goes into the making of a blog post. Because, as I think all bloggers can agree, it definitely isn’t a simple feat.

That being said, these are all the steps I take as I create a lookbook.

(For the sake of context, I based everything off the Clueless lookbook I did a few months back).

BRAINSTORMING

Every lookbook begins the same way: with an idea. I look for lookbook inspiration almost everywhere, though I never can be sure where I will find it. Sometimes I see a photo in a magazine that gets me excited. Other times I’ll watch a movie that features clothing I adore and decide to recreate some of the looks. In this particular case, it was the latter. After realizing how much I liked the fashion worn in Clueless, I thought it would be fun to create some looks based around it.

PINTEREST

Once I’ve got an idea of the type of lookbook I want to do, I head to Pinterest for inspiration. Pinterest is such a great space for fashion and creativity. It’s basically a virtual vision board. That being said, going on there really helps me get motivated to create. Also, since I usually base each outfit in my lookbooks on specific looks from the movie/character/style icon I am going off of, Pinterest makes it easy for me to find pictures of what I need.

I do most of my Pinterest surfing late at night. I put on some music and a face mask, and then start searching. It’s one of my favorite parts of creating a lookbook because it’s so fun and relaxing. Overall, gathering inspiration on Pinterest before I actually start planning my outfits allows me to have a very clear and very specific idea in mind throughout the entire process. If you know anything about me, I like having things as mapped out as humanely possible. This is the best way for me to do that.

PLANNING

After I’ve finished searching Pinterest, I open up my closet and being looking for pieces to wear for the lookbook. Depending on how complicated the outfits are, this process can take anywhere from minutes to hours. I usually will rotate between trying on different pieces and laying out potential looks. My floor ends up looking like a total mess most of the time, but it’s all part of the routine.

SHOOTING

This is probably where my lookbook routine sees its most variability. Depending on the number of outfits I’m shooting as well as the amount of time I have to myself, shooting all the photos from a single lookbook can take anywhere from one day to one week. I usually try to shoot my fashion photos in bulk because 1). the weather where I live is very inconsistent and 2). I don’t feel like doing my hair and makeup every day (lol). In the case of this lookbook, I shot all the photos in one day. It was a bright and sunny day, so I wanted to take advantage of the weather.

Almost every photo shown on Currently, Lately is taken by me via a tripod. I started using a tripod last year and haven’t looked back since. I’m super picky when it comes to taking photos, and this way I don’t have to feel guilty about asking someone to shoot a dozen photos of the same exact thing. It’s a bit more time-consuming, but ultimately I am a lot happier with the final products when I work with a tripod.

Something else I try to do when I shoot blog photos is get my poses figured out in advance. I make an effort to mix things up as best as I can, but I have a couple of “go-to” poses that I use when I am struggling for inspiration. My motto is “when in doubt, clutch your sunglasses and look at the ground.”

Shooting can definitely be one of the most challenging aspects of fashion blogging, but it’s all about experimentation. I like to make it as enjoyable as possible by testing out new poses and remembering to have fun.

SELECTING

By far the most amusing component of my lookbook creating process is selecting which photos to use. Every photoshoot has its own series of hilarious outtakes that I can’t help but laugh at. You never know how photos are going to turn out until you upload them to your laptop. At that point, all you can do is hope you end up with at least a handful of usable ones.

EDITING

Just like I do with my flatlays, I adjust the brightness, sharpness, and saturation of my fashion photos using BeFunky, a free editing tool that works well and is so easy to use. The changes I make aren’t super drastic, but they give the photos a sense of liveliness and are more interesting to look at.

WRITING

Once all of those steps are done, it FINALLY comes time for me to write the actual post. I almost always shoot and edit my photos before I start writing because I think it makes things easier once it’s time to put the finishing touches on the post. During this process, I’ll also search for clothing items similar to the ones I wore in the lookbook that I can link. It’s hard to find exact matches, especially when I use older or thrifted pieces, but I like to have them on there in case anyone is interested. There’s nothing worse than not being able to locate something you see and really like, right?

After the post has been written, I start combining all the photos, links, and text. After putting all this work in, it’s exciting to see it all come together.

Overall, this routine works pretty well for me. It’s definitely a detailed process, but I believe it leaves me with good results!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little peak into how I create lookbooks.

LOOKBOOKS TO CHECK OUT:

Friends Inspired Lookbook

Summer Lookbook

If you do lookbooks, what is your process like? 

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