How to: Get Inspiration from a Magazine Without Wanting to Cry

So with my kids at home still sick with the evil flu -- I think we're just about finished, hallelujah! -- I've had a lot of time to do lazy things that I don't usually get to do. I read a couple of books -- I just finished Beautiful Creatures -- I played a lot on the iPad and caught up on TV series on my DVR and finally, finally, read through the stack of magazines that were hanging out since the holidays.

Now, I get a ton of magazines because I mostly use them for "work" which also means I get to write them off on my business taxes WOO. But that also means I have stacks laying around the house unread for months at a time. As I was paging through my InStyle, Elle, Allure, Redbook and Glamour, I got to thinking about how depressing magaiznes are if you don't know what you're looking for. It's like "skinny model... skinny model... skinny model... 'real size' model who's still skinnier than me... laughable sex tips... skinny model." I GET IT. But I also think mags are a great way to break out of a fashion rut, so let's talk about how to interpret what's in them into real life.

Glossy magazines are all about excess. When they do a page-spread of "Neon Colors to Rock Your World," that doesn't mean you're supposed to go out and party like it it's 1989. It means that you'll probably see neon at the store a lot more and a bright pair of sunglasses would be fun. When you see a trend report that says "Fringe Benefits!" it doesn't mean you have to start dressing like the Last of the Mohicans, but you can start looking for softer leather accessories to add to your closet.

So, when you're looking through a magazine, focus less on how perfectly airbrushed the models are and the trend barf on every page and focus instead on a couple things that you like from each spread. I snap pictures of pages with my phone while I read so I don't have to go back and search through all the dog-eared pages to remember what I liked.

Observe:

 I loved this white jacket with leopard smoking slippers. Would I ever wear this much white ever? Absolutely not. But I have a white trench and I've never thought to wear it with my leopard loafers. THANKS magazine.

 OOh, I loved the ruffles on this jacket and the cool periwinkle color. I would absolutely not wear this jacket ever, lest I look like Marie Antoinette, but it makes me keep an eye out for girly ruffles the next time I shop.

I loved this model's makeup. Liquid eyeliner + girly peach lips is adorable and something that I hadn't thought of before.

Don't pick up a magazine and then use it to repeatedly beat yourself, your size, your face, your lack of celebrity arm candy and your non-understanding of why everyone is into like Aztec prints or whatever the heck is popular this second. Page through, note what you like, nix what you hate and then use it to get a little closet inspiration. I know some bloggers have like, inspiration boards and dream books, but seriously?

Magazines think they're too cool for school but guess what? They aren't. (Movie reference?) Learn to peruse them properly and you'll have less body hatred and more outfit ideas. YAY!

What magazines do you get? All of mine are fashion-y except for the inexplicable Real Simple. I like to read it and pretend to care about home organization.