Hi there! My name is Alana, and I worked in a variety of fashion-related positions before joining OziFox as a writer. These positions included managing a fashion magazine, buying wholesale for Michael Kors Canada, and working for Bloomingdale’s in the Big Apple. Here I am in Montréal on a chilly day, nevertheless managing to obtain that perfect photo:
Even though I’m no longer in the business, I still think it’s amazing how clothing can change my attitude and provide a platform for self-expression. I like that I can dress in wacky, colorful jackets to add some excitement to winter.
And I love thrifting so much because there are so many interesting stories hidden in vintage clothing! I’m wearing my grandmother’s 1970s clothing here. Even though she is no longer with me, I can still feel her presence in 2023 because I adore that this garment brought us both delight decades apart:
Furthermore, even though I like to think that I stay quite current with trends, I’m unavoidably becoming less aware of how young people are clothing. But I’ve learned via TikTok that the Y2K renaissance is going strong, along with the newest viral craze I’ve been noticing: “Pinterest Board Dressing.”
If you have any experience with Pinterest, you have undoubtedly used it to “pin” aspirational material, such as ideas for DIY projects, clothes, events, or interior design, to vision boards. I usually use Pinterest to get style inspiration and ideas for outfits that I want to try out with my own clothes.
Jackie Li, also known as @arcticjackie, is a Gen Z TikTok maker who launched the trend by posting a viral video in which she gives advice to viewers on how to dress like they belong on a Pinterest board. The fashion community on the app has since adopted her voiceover and made hundreds of copies of it. She explains in the video how to achieve a Pinterest look, or what she refers to as a “vibe sandwich,” in six simple steps. Actions below:
“Step 1: Put on a button-up, a tank top, or a graphic tee. It really doesn’t matter as long as you feel good.
Step 2: Put on a pair of bottoms that do not match the vibe of the top.
Step 3: Put on a pair of shoes that match the vibe of the top. It’s kinda like a vibe sandwich.
Step 4: Layer any part of your outfit.
Step 5: Get a purse that matches any part of the outfit and put it on.
Step 6: Accessorize to the moon!”
According to her, “I wanted to create this sort of ‘Pinterest girl’ step-by-step look because, as someone who takes a lot of style inspiration from Pinterest, I wanted to see if there was some sort of ‘outfit formula’, so to speak, to easily create Pinterest-worthy outfits without thinking too hard.”
“I noticed a pattern with many of the outfits I’ve pinned; within a single outfit, there were many different vibes all styled together, yet the outfit still made complete sense,” she continued. Consequently, I gradually put together what I called a ‘vibe sandwich,’ which basically means that your shoes and the upper portion of your ensemble should convey a certain vibe, while your bottoms should convey a completely another one.”
A how-to handbook for clothing is a notion that appeals to me somewhat. Though I would say that layering diverse styles—like basketball shorts with a prairie top—is a very Gen Z way of putting clothes together, I think there are a lot of other ways to take this notion and I don’t generally dress according to it.
I decided to give it a go and made seven different clothes within the course of a week. I dissected every look for you guys using the six-step method Jackie outlined. Let’s get started!
1. Outfit #1: The process
Outfit 1: Result!
I thought this was the easiest to replicate and maybe the most pleasant of the five. This ensemble is a little simpler to pull off because the T-shirt and long prairie skirt combination don’t have too drastically distinct vibes. I just adore the Scandinavian style, and the large sweater and skirt combination feels very “hygge” to me. I would certainly wear this outfit again.
Combination: #1 T-shirt, #2 Prairie skirt (which plays off the tee’s vibes), #3 Tennis shoes (which also play off the tee’s vibe), #4 Oversized sweater, #5 Neutral cream handbag, and #6 Accessorized with jewelry, a scarf, and sunglasses.
2. Outfit #2: The process
Outfit #2: The final result! Featuring a new accessory.
I adored how this one turned out! I changed the shoes for some red flats for a little splash of color and ended up wearing this ensemble about town (unfortunately without the cat), which I really enjoyed even more.
Combination: #1 Graphic top, #2 Silky miniskirt (inspired by the tee), #3 Sneakers (to complement the shirt mood), #4 Quilted jacket, #5 Black handbag to go with the skirt and #6 Accessorized with earrings, a neck scarf, and sunglasses!
3. Outfit #3: The process
Outfit #3: …and the result!
I think I’m beginning to understand what the “vibe sandwich” is all about! I adore how each of these somewhat varied but identical ensembles adheres to the same style. It hasn’t been too difficult to follow the basics of a skirt and a more relaxed top, such as a sweater or a graphic shirt. This seems a little too formal for me to wear to work, but it may be perfect for a dinner or other function!
Combination: #1 Sweater, #2 Skirt (to play off the sweater’s mismatched feelings), #3 Sneakers (to go with the sweater’s casual attitude), #4 Layering a blazer, #5 Matching the sweater with a cream purse, and #6 Accessorizing with purse scarf, earrings, and sunglasses!
4. Outfit #4: The process
Outfit #4: The result — a 2020s take on business casual.
Because I didn’t layer, my outfit deviated slightly from the Pinterest board’s directions. However, I’m positive I’ve seen a version of this outfit on Pinterest previously. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if the 2020s version of the blazer and jeans look was our business casual in the 2010s. My children will read this piece years later and ask, “Mom, what the hell were you wearing?!?” However, I adore how laid-back and stylish this looks in 2023—the year of our Lord.
Combination: #1 Blazer, #2 Baggy pants, #3 Cat heels, #4 Sophisticated black handbag with scarf, #5 Accessorized with red lips and sunglasses!
5. Outfit #5: The process
Outfit #5: …and the result! Giving flight attendant vibes.
For fun, I fashioned two different versions of this, replacing the button-down with a vest. I’m sort of in love with them because they’re kind of providing old-school flight attendants. I adore a neck scarf, what more can I say? These are obviously not {practical~ clothes, from the painful heels to the barely-fitting skirt, but I don’t care! Still, I adore them. I’m not sure where I’ll wear these clothes again, but if any airlines are looking to hire a stylist, let me know.
Combination: (1) Button-up OR vest (similar feeling), (2) Long denim skirt (different vibes), (3) Heeled boots (because we mean business), (4) Styled black purse with a scarf, and (5) Accessorized with red lipstick, sunglasses, and a sultry little red jacket.
6. Outfit #6: The process
Outfit #6: The result…an outfit to wear to the bar or club or evening festivities.
I’m not sure how I feel about this ensemble, but at least I managed to wear it all out and snag the top at a garage sale, so that’s a win in my book. The shirt is unmistakably from the ’90s, and it was most likely worn somewhat differently than it is shown with JORTS. I don’t know why, but in the 1990s and early 2000s, I see it worn with gauchos. Although I really adore jorts right now, I have a strong suspicion that they won’t hold up as well as gauchos. These are what I refer to as my Bratz boots, and they say “Watch out, Miss Barbie.”
Combination: 1. Funky top layered over black tank top; 2. Jorts because, well, why not; 3. Bratz boots to match the brat top; 4. Green handbag to match the shirt’s green stripes; and 5. Sunglasses and a ’90s updo as accessories.
7. Outfit #7: The process
Outfit #7: The result…an amalgamation of many of the other outfits!
The t-shirt, the sneakers, and the jacket are some of the other items that are kind of thrown together for this ensemble after being worn before. And I purposefully did it! I came to the realization that my favorite thing about this trend was how much fun it was to use and reuse so many items from my closet. I made three distinct outfits off of the red jacket! It was also enjoyable to find that I could wear the jacket so many times because I don’t wear it very often.
Combination: (1) Graphic shirt; (2) Frilly dress worn as a skirt; (3) Sneakers; (4) Mismatched handbag; (5) Red jacket worn as a layer; (6) Accessorized with sunglasses belonging to my friend’s grandmother. And that’s pretty much it!
I learned a few things overall from dressing like a Pinterest board for a week. Firstly, having a bit of a “formula” is helpful when assembling ensembles. As I experimented, I saw that I tended to go toward similar “mismatched” combinations, such as a dressier skirt and a casual shirt, which made getting ready every morning simpler.
Even if the outfit bases were comparable to one another or even shared elements, they seemed sufficiently distinct from one another. Basketball shorts are not something I would style with the same ease that Generation Z does. It was therefore nice to interpret in my own manner, even if I didn’t think I was wearing according to the newest trends!
Secondly, I had a great time playing about with my closet and seeing what ideas I could come up with. Despite my experience in fashion, I genuinely believe that everyone can give this a go! My last takeaway is that it helped me break out from a pattern of wearing the same clothes over and over again and made me use more of my closet.
Dressing on Pinterest is sustainable! It was so much simpler for me to see and make use of what I already had when I had a formula for getting dressed every morning instead of feeling pressured to acquire new things to keep up with fads that would soon fade. Furthermore, over half of the items I wore in each of these looks were previously thrift or second-hand (anything that is second-hand, thrift, or repurposed is highlighted!). It was fascinating to see those things visualized, demonstrating that interesting stuff is already out there; styling is all that’s needed.
