We’ve spent a lot of time considering the many charms of navy, but nothing quite compares to the new look that we get when we introduce a bright orangish-gold color into the mix! The beauty of these bright accents is that you still have the option to dress is a neutral, monochromatic way, when you wish to, but you also have the ability to break out some statement accents when you want to stand out in a crowd. I was amazed at how beautiful this is…
I think what we can all learn from this capsule wardrobe is that you should be faithful to your accent color of choice, no matter how rarely it appears in the garment world. If you truly (TRULY!) are drawn to a particular color, be loyal to your instincts and patient in your acquisitions, and the results will be uniquely yours, and unquestionably lovely on you.
Yes, this incredibly expensive striped sweater is SOLD OUT. Head shaking in disbelief…
Marled turtleneck – White Stuff, plaid blouse – Isabel Marant Etoile, cardigan – Uniqlo,
striped sweater – Daniela Gregis (no longer available)
striped sweater – Daniela Gregis (no longer available)
When looking for garments in your accent color, you have to use some imagination in what the name might be. This color is also called marigold, delphinium, bright gold, muted orange etc etc. If you find something online in the color, you can then Google image for similar pictures, and then you can find all sorts of different names for the color. Designers are fiercely proud of their ability to name a color something nobody has ever heard of…
Gold sweater – Boy by Band of Outsiders, ivory silk blouse – Nicole Fahri, gold tee shirt – Michael Michael Kors, ivory sweater – Dorothy Perkins
This is another case of finding a beautiful scarf in menswear. Never forget to check men’s accessories, both pocket squares and larger scarves, for items that might be the perfect colors, and will almost invariably be nicer quality and better priced than a women’s equivalent.
Silk scarf – Burberry Prorsum, reversible paisley muffler – Black.co.uk., smoky quartz earrings – Ippolita, brown pumps – Rose Petals,
navy jade earrings – Jose and Maria Barrera, gold cuff bracelet – Eina Ahluwalia,
brown shoulder bag – Salvatore Ferragamo, riding boots – Franco Sarto
navy jade earrings – Jose and Maria Barrera, gold cuff bracelet – Eina Ahluwalia,
brown shoulder bag – Salvatore Ferragamo, riding boots – Franco Sarto
Just a few changes from other navy and brown wardrobes, but what a complete difference in feel! This is warm, bright, very strongly autumn-ish, but still with a lot of possibilities for more conservative and subdued outfits when that’s what’s needed.
Corduroy pants – Viyella, brown tee shirt – J. Crew, brown skirt – Precis Petite, brown sweater – Dear Cashmere, navy tee – Lands’ End, navy skirt – Uniqlo, navy shirt – Lands’ End, navy twill trousers – Lands’ End, Marled turtleneck – White Stuff, plaid blouse – Isabel Marant Etoile, navy cardigan – Uniqlo, striped sweater – Daniela Gregis (no longer available), Gold sweater – Boy by Band of Outsiders, ivory silk blouse – Nicole Fahri, gold tee shirt – Michael Michael Kors, ivory sweater – Dorothy Perkins, silk scarf – Burberry Prorsum, reversible paisley muffler – Black.co.uk., smoky quartz earrings – Ippolita, brown pumps – Rose Petals, navy jade earrings – Jose and Maria Barrera, gold cuff bracelet – Eina Ahluwalia, brown shoulder bag – Salvatore Ferragamo, riding boots – Franco Sarto
I’d like to clarify something about the clothes and accessories that I show in these wardrobes. While I only choose things that I think look perfect (as perfect as possible…) in these vignettes, I don’t actually expect you to BUY these specific items. Some of them are far out of most of our budgets, some of them come in sizes that we all can’t wear, and some of them can’t be shipped to where some of us live.
What I’m trying to give you is ideas. Visual confirmation that the things in your imagination are possible, and are worth searching out and waiting for. Yes, I do get commissions from a few of the retailer to whom I link, but not from most of them, and I never really worry about the whole commission thing when I’m looking for the perfect scarf!
The Vivienne Files isn’t a shopping site, per se. I don’t tell you when there are big sales online or at the major department stores – you shop on your own schedule, when your time and your finances dictate. I’m NEVER going to tell you that because I love something, you should buy it – that violates everything that Vivienne and I believe. If you want to sew and knit all of your clothes – do it! If you want to thrift everything – that’s wonderful! If you want to just choose from what you already own – excellent!
I’m all about giving you choices, and tools to help you focus and define how YOU want to look – distinct from every other woman in the world. And I offer lots of support, and love, too.
Janice
Yes, that marigold lights up and transforms the whole wardrobe beautifully, Janice!
Oh Janice, this wardrobe is one of my all time favorites if not THE favorite. It is magical how much variety can be achieved with this capsule. I also love what you said in the last sentence of the second paragraph. I am going to post that in my dressing area. Great motto. Thank you so much for this inspirational post.
Love these colors! And yes, I do appreciate that you are not pushing sales/clothing like some of the other sites.
I love the vibrancy the marigold gives to the whole wardrobe. Such a pretty color. And definitely one to keep looking for being a warm spring color type. You inspired me once again. Thank you!
I find some of your colour combos evoke a physical reaction in me, and sometimes also a temporal one, as in "Oh, seventies"- as this one does. One of the many gifts of your posts is your raising of my awareness of the emotive power of colour.
Welcome back! I hope your summer was absolutely perfect!
I just love how these accent pieces pop and brighten up this core wardrobe.
Thanks as always for your blog, today featuring a color my daughter can wear, though I cannot. I feel you've found a good balance between inspiring/educating readers and the commercial side of blogging. I never feel like I have to steel myself against temptation, which I feel more and more reading other blogs.
Again, many thanks.
Ditto! I've unsubscribed from all the other fashion blogs I read, because I didn't like the effect they had on me (coveting and then feeling unsatisfied with what I already have). I also always felt like their commissions were of higher importance than their message–how could I trust what they say when they could be just saying it specifically to highlight a certain product?
Janice, you do offer insight, support for all sorts of things, and, yes, a warm and empathic nature that reaches out to others.
Love back to you,
Swissy
You give such good advice. I know that I look best in a true red, or a red with some blue in it, or a super pale pink. I haunt stores year in and year out to get those colors when they are in. The other quest is always for a trench that is not in a warm tan/brown. When I wear browns I am asked if I am ill. Finding a cool (on the spectrum) color is a challenge. If people live close to New York the other option is the phenomenal fabric stores in the garment district. They stock a much larger spectrum of colors than what we see in retail.
Fantastic combination and one I would love to try. My hair was once dark brown with auburn highlights. Alas, the gray has taken over and the dye job is dark blond. Finding color combinations that work for me is a chore. But I would be willing to take a chance on this.
Love this! I'll replace the brown with burgundy and use it this fall. Thanks so much for showing some love to the warm autumns in the crowd 🙂
Another really beautiful combination. So autumnal! You obviously spend hours finding each "perfect" piece. I did purchase the grey Jaeger cardigan that you showed from the House of Fraser. I got it on sale and the shipping and delivery was amazing. From the Midlands of England to Vancouver Canada in four days at a cost of 7 pounds.
Thanks to your tutelage I can see spending money on the staples of a wardrobe and then just adding one of the trend colors with a few pieces. My choice of the quality of the pop accent. My style quotient raise excessively once I started to read your blog. I echo the others who say they don't feel pressured to "buy whatever you suggest" and I do appreciate the disclosure that sometimes you can make some money. Thank you for all the work you put forth. Love all the visuals.
This is the other colour combination that makes my heart sing. Finding orange fabric is always on my radar but so hard to find.
Another great capsule! I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad you do! I appreciate all your efforts for us. Thank you so much!
I love that Saffron colour – I only have ever found it once in a bolt of merino and it makes my whole being come alive. I will keep my eye out for more – it is a very hard colour to fiind. Thank you so much for featuring it.
Navy and gold will forever equal Notre Dame alum (or fan) to me, being from a family stuffed with them. Realize I will not wear two-colour combos with-in my mind- a very strong athletic team association!
I love seeing all your 4×4 capsules, and I feel like I'm finally starting to "get it". Do you think you could formulate a 4×4 capsule showing only casual clothes (jeans, shorts, tee shirts, hoodies, sneakers, etc.), with indigo as one of the base colors (my favorite color for jeans). The fanciest I ever get is a knee-length corduroy/denim skirt with some low espadrilles or ballet flats, so it's hard for me to translate the working wardrobes into something I could wear. I love your blog, by the way, and am excited by how well it meshes with Project 333. I hope to formulate a 4×4 capsule for myself soon, since I don't have quite as many options in my capsule of 33 as I had hoped. I have one more question–does it really look good to wear the same color from head-to-toe? I can see a navy tee shirt with indigo jeans, but would a white tee with white jeans work? Or a gray tee with gray jeans? Thanks!
Wow! I think I will have to add something saffron to my brown/navy wardrobe. Gold is already my chosen metal, and I like to go bold with jewellery. It is a gorgeous yellow. Just wondering if it is a good yellow for Springs?