I Just Mood-Boarded My Vibes
Lauren Schiller takes over...
A NOTE FROM NICOLAIA: I’ve been thinking about something Addison Rae said in her Rolling Stone cover interview about walking into Columbia Records armed with a binder and saying, “I just mood-boarded my vibes.” What does it mean to moodboard a vibe? Is that different from regular moodboarding? And what (that sphynx-like question) is the current vibe? The issue is, if you have to ask it means you’ll never truly know. A vibe is meant to be FELT and in the process of translation the vibe is often lost!!! Only one person could give the big brain take on vibe-boarding, someone perpetually ahead of everything, a true-blue professional viber: OGBFF creator, TikTok Director (that’s right) Lauren Schiller.
Dear Diary,
One time I did a campaign for a huge company. When I thanked the team for bringing me on, they said, “We were making the moodboard for this project and it was almost all your work, so we figured we should probably just hire you.” I laughed, but inside I was like, damn. Okay. I’ve officially penetrated culture.
Every big set I’ve ever been on has a moodboard — and not just one. There’s a moodboard for hair, makeup, lighting, styling, photography, even poses. Entire aesthetics get dissected into reference folders. So I started wondering: who are the people behind the images that make it onto those boards? The people whose taste quietly directs entire industries?
There are the moodboard-makers, and then there are the people who are the moodboard—the ones who live so visually, so instinctively, that everyone else ends up orbiting their taste. They don’t copy trends; trends copy them. And if you’re the moodboard…you can forget about Pinterest. You can always tell when something was created as a reaction to what’s trending on Pinterest. It feels stale before it even drops. That’s the curse of the algorithm—everything is digestible, optimized, and instantly forgettable. Whereas niche references that are unique to your individual taste will get you ahead. It’s about intuition. It’s about pulling from references that feel almost too specific, too personal to ever trend.
A moodboard doesn’t just exist on your desktop. It’s visible in your posture, your playlists, the way you text, the way you take photos of your friends. Some people call it “aesthetic,” but that word’s been stripped of meaning. What I’m talking about is taste…that rare, magnetic thing that can’t be bought or faked.
So this is my attempt to build one out loud—a moodboard of things on my mind, things I like and don’t like, the images and ideas that shape how I move through the world. Here are a few things I’ve been into that I usually ignore, as well as a few bold obsessions that prove I haven’t lost my spark. Something I hope is visible across these images is balance. Balance plays a huge role in my visual style—and also in my lifestyle. My life is like a full face of makeup with no mascara.
One dramatic accessory:
Like a white t-shirt and jeans with these blue Margiela gloves, or one of the more colorful pairs of Chanel fingerless gloves. Gloves and costume wigs, actually, are completely underrated in people’s fashion right now.
off-guard moment:
I’m allergic to overly posed photography. I want the photographer to trick me into thinking the shot was accidental.
In my opinion, the best Instagram photos are the ones where a chic girl is wearing an incredible outfit and posts the most mundane, almost stupid photo in it. Not the perfect digi-cam shot where she looks flawless, but the one that feels like it wasn’t supposed to be posted. That’s the real fantasy. Sofia Alvarez is kind of the reigning queen of this. And the sinister thing about this is if you TRY to have this energy in your photos, it is obvious. It only feels authentic if it’s actually your vibe.
Balance:
The excitement of bright colors with something dull and lifeless, like these millennial-grey Miu Miu heels or an incredible outfit, and then the pic I choose to post is boring, but with great composition.
Unconventional logo placement:
this is sooo my vibe. My tolerance for visible branding is dangerously low. I need to be tricked into it — meaning the logo has to be in a secret location or surrounded by enough other visual elements to distract me from it.
Over-the-top style-ups:
This is what selling a fantasy looks like and on the surface it seems easy, like anyone could just throw on too many layers and call it “artsy.” But that’s so far from true.
It’s difficult to layer in a way that still feels chic and intentional - where there’s attention to proportion and color theory. These two divas are my favorite online style girls because they get that balance. Then, there’s a softer version of this, people who manage to pull off a more muted take on the same concept, and I find that equally inspiring.
Girly Sunglasses:
I fear my reign of terror with my bitchy sunglasses is coming to an end. I’ve been gravitating toward rounder, more relatable styles. Is my normal-girl era afoot? I doubt it.
Friendship:
My friends’ style and humor constantly influence mine. I’m always stealing from them a little, whether it’s a phrase, an outfit idea, or just the energy they bring into a room.
I look for signs of friendship in other people - in photos, videos, music videos. It’s something I always try to reflect in my brand, OGBFF (short for Original Best Friend).
The moment I watched the “Can’t Get Over You With You” music video by ML Buch, I knew it was going to reshape my taste.
Euro Dance Collective:
I’m also really inspired by this dance collective of people across Europe called Young Boy Dancing Group, who I’ve been following for years. Their choreography, styling, and honestly just everything they do visually feels like magic to me. I’m dying to see them perform live.
That’s all I can give ya’ll for now and of course, but just know there’s a lot you’re not seeing, and you’ll have to dig a lot deeper to get a glimpse of my secret sauce.
If you don’t know where to begin....go to the library.
xoxo,
Lauren (@nichelauren, ogbff) Schiller
BTW, this is Nicolaia again and these are some things I noticed this week:
Obsession of The Week: I am a compact girl to my core, in my bag you will always find at least one makeup compact (powder, lipstick quads, concealer) that I cycle through until they get too grubby. I think there’s something very chic about whipping out a compact and blotting at an invisible imperfection. The Fara Homidi compact may be the best one I’ve owned. I love it I love it I love it. Such a good polished stone weight to it.
Food Rec of The Week: SUNNS!!!!
Stack Rec of The Week: Danya Issawi wrote an incredible essay last week, if you have a heart.
Book Rec of The Week, Bill Buford’s Among The Thugs, a rousing piece of literary journalism about football hooligans. I couldn’t stop gasping as I read. Also, I posted a blurry pic on my Instagram story and basically every man I know in media slid into my DMs. Do with that information what you will…Something about football and beating each other to a pulp turns them on I guess?
Speaking of you, are you Gen Z…do you have a juicy sex story and want to tell me? Email me nicolaia.rips@i-d.co
you could write about your fav toilet paper & I’d love it
Love