ÀLC FAQ: How do I translate inspiration into real life?

Also, How do you manage your time? and How do you style your bangs?

Welcome back to ÀLC FAQ, a maybe-monthly column where you submit questions and I answer them! I’m your host, Ali LaBelle, and today we’ll be talking about three very important things: utilizing inspiration, time management, and bangs. Like last time, 2 of the questions are free for everyone to read and the last one is a treat for paid subs.

Let’s get right into it!

ON TRANSLATING INSPIRATION 

Something I personally grapple with that I feel like you’re excellent at [Editor’s note: I’m blushing] is translating inspiration images/mood boards into tangible design choices IRL. For example, I save lots of pictures of pieces of art I love, table settings, interiors, outfits, etc. and a clear aesthetic emerges when I look at those collections of images, but then I’m not great at actually making it all come to life.

I totally feel this. I only show you all the stuff I come up with that is working, but what you aren’t seeing on the internet are all of the ideas that don’t come to life, or the things that I am just incapable of executing, or the times I spin around in circles trying to figure out how to make something work. It’s just a normal part of the creative process, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.

The reason why I share this is because I think the thing I’m actually good at is that I can look at an image and find the *realistic* ways I can derive inspiration from it. When I’m making a mood board to use in a tactical way (as opposed to something I’m putting together to communicate a general feeling, or something I’m doing just for fun), I have to be able to identify what I like about whatever I’m looking at and how I can use it to inspire my closet, my home, or whatever it is I’m working on.

For instance, here’s a screenshot of a section of my home board on Pinterest:

Looking at this now there are a few things I can see I’m drawn to: wood paneling, built-in shelving, large artwork, beams and interesting architectural details, and mix-and-match upholstery. If I were to then say, Okay, how do I make my house look like this? based on that list, I’d be frustrated. I rent, so anything structural is out. Large, original pieces of art and custom upholstery can be really, really expensive. I’m already annoyed by the limitations before me.

But if I mentally zoom out a bit I can start to see the more adaptable aspects of what’s here. For one, warmth: I love the feeling that having lots of wood in a room brings to a space. Another is a general unfussiness: stacks of books, disheveled pillows, and collections of glassware or ceramics make it feel like someone has lived there for a long time. I clearly like pops of red and baby blue amongst a lot of neutrals. I don’t like a lot of negative space. 

So now I have more of a plan! I buy lots of wood pieces that don’t match but are all that sort of in a similar mid-dark warm tone. I pile my art books in stacks on my coffee table and all of my table linens are on full display on a shelf in my dining room. Most of my larger pieces—furniture, rugs, curtains—are neutrals, but I bring color in through art, throw pillows, books, and accessories.

Let’s do the same thing with clothes:

At first glance: That red look is from The Row and I’d probably have to sell my car to acquire it. A lot of these women are influencers or work in fashion and are dressed for special events or street style photos (or they’re literally models on a runway). I could never leave the house wearing tights as pants. 

But upon closer examination: I love crisp white cotton, especially when contrasted with other textures. I like clever, feminine details, like a ruffle peeking out of a sleeve or a scarf entwined with a necklace. I gravitate towards things that are preppy, like headbands and trench coats and mary janes. Like I do in my home, I prefer neutrals with pops of color in the accessories.

So now, rather than look at these outfits as things I want to wear piece-by-piece, I can shop with the intention of capturing the overall feeling. I buy tons of poplin, stick to a palette, explore color through smaller items, and try classic styling tricks when I’m getting dressed (like a button-up worn as a jacket or a sheer sock with a ballet flat).

Is that helpful? I think I could write a part 2 and 3 and 4 on this…

ON HAVING BANGS

I’m struggling with my bangs!! Any inspo? Yours always look so chic. 

Thank you!!! And I feel your pain. They really are so high maintenance, and it’s unfortunate that it’s simply a fact that I look better with bangs than I do without because life could be so much easier if that weren’t true. But! After many years of carrying this heavy burden, I do have some tips for you.

First things first, it’s all about the cut. I asked my hairstylist, Sunny Sepasi, what to ask for if you’d like bangs like mine, and here’s what she said:

“I always cut your bangs with Brigitte Bardot’s style in mind, which is shorter in the center and longer into the outer corners so that it creates the curtain look. Everyone is different but knowing your maintenance and where you like your bangs to sit will help you decide how often to come in to maintain them. And as for styling, a directional blow dry and some clips will take you a long way! I also love to throw a tiny little bit of pomade on my fingertips and carefully place the bangs where I want them to sit. That gives them the appearance of being undone and creates a little hold throughout the day.”

Me looking in the mirror in awe when Sunny does her thing to my bangs.

Beyond that, here are a few things I do myself!

1. When my hair is wet (not partially wet…WET) I comb my bangs straight out over my forehead, then separate them into a little curtain formation and pin them with these. A lot of times I’ll tie a silk scarf across my forehead to keep them from poofing up as they dry. I take the scarf off and the pins out once they are dry and then I go to bed, even if the rest of my hair is still wet. (I shower at night and hate blow drying my hair.)

2. Then, in the morning, I hold each side of my bangs in the shape I want them and clamp them down into my hair straightener. I don’t pull—it’s more like a panini press, if that makes sense? I’m just trying to apply a little heat with the right bend in the hair to keep it there. I’ll pin them while they’re still warm, let them cool in the pins, then take the pins out.

3. Every day I use an ungodly amount of Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. I spray it all over but especially on my ends (I like there to be a little volume at the bottom of my bob) and at the root of my bangs. Sometimes I’ll take a boar bristle brush and run it through my bangs if the spray made them a little crunchy.

4. Lastly, I get regular trims. When my bangs were shorter I’d get trims all the time (like, every other week), but now that they’re longer I can push it for a month or so. Bobs are high maintenance too so I’m on a monthly schedule with Sunny: a bang trim month, another bang trim month, a full haircut month, and repeat.

And because you asked, some images from my haircut inspo folder: