I talked about "abstract inspiration" in my book and this photo, I took recently in Milan, is perfect example of this idea.Sometimes I think the readers of this blog take the images too literally as my suggestion of what you should wear or what I think is super fashionable. To be honest, I'm not sure I actually like anything she is wearing. However this image, as a concept, makes me think... but in the abstract.
Most of the designers I know work this way. They might look at a shot like this and think "uhm....matching hat and coat...uhm interesting, but I wouldn't do the matching with color but maybe a print instead." Or, maybe it makes them think about the contrast of a soft, floppy hat paired with a super tailored, structured coat.
To me, this image is in the same vein as the image below of the old Italian gentleman, with the hat and coat that are both patterned. I don't know if anyone would run out and try to copy this look exactly, but it inspires us in an intangible way.
If you remember this photo was one of the images on Lucas Ossendrijver's, Lanvin Homme, mood board when the The Selby shot his design studio.
All I'm saying is, sometimes, these images can make you think about something totally different than what the actual shot portrays.