I think all of us can agree that fashion is an art. But there’s a subtle point to that statement that many of us may overlook. If fashion is art, that means that every day, every single one of us has the opportunity to be an artist.

Being an artist doesn’t have to be about what you do for a living. Art is a mentality for living life. It’s audacity in imagination, the desire to create something new, and most importantly, a willingness to be inspired by spontaneous moments and arbitrary events.

I had such an experience as I was walking around my campus last week. It was a warm Thursday evening, and everywhere, people were getting ready to celebrate the weekend. For some reason, the phrase “midsummer night’s dream” popped into my head, from Shakespeare’s play of the same name, and all of a sudden I thought — “that would be a great outfit for going out tonight.”

That’s when I realized that all of his plays, loaded with drama and imagination and fascinating characters, were top-notch creative fodder for fashion inspiration. With Shakespeare as my muse, I created the three outfits below, each drawing themes and ideas from some of his best-known and most-loved plays.

Table of Contents

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Products: Tunic – Michael Kors, Jeans – DKNY, Earrings – LC Lauren Conrad, Sandals – JCPenney

When I think of a “midsummer night,” the first thing that comes to mind is this delicious shade of rich indigo blue, so I chose to make that color the central element of this outfit. The studded black tunic evokes a quality of surrealism and uncertainty, true to the atmosphere of the play, while black strappy sandals and whimsical leaf earrings echo the play’s natural forest setting.

Romeo and Juliet

Products: Top – Lulus, Cardigan – Banana Republic, Jeans – Gap, Earrings – Kohl’s, Flats – J.Crew