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Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Ornamental Cabbage – a Four Pack

Why do I feel confident suggesting that this may be the only fashion ensemble in history that was explicitly inspired by a cabbage?  But I don’t feel very apologetic about this – these cabbages look more like big, gorgeous flowers, with subtle colors.  Frankly, if you find colors that you like, they can come from ANYWHERE, and you never have to tell your secrets!

It would certainly be possible to go with more pink, and a couple of different shades, but I was in a green mood…  There could also be some white in this combination, and you could use black in place of the dark grey.  I can’t stress enough that you should see what YOU want to see in these colors, and adjust your choices accordingly.  The only real point of this is to find a way to express yourself efficiently (not a ton of clothes) and effectively (feeling happy and comfortable in your choices).

I’m starting by building a core of dark grey, but using that great bright pink as the accent.  As is so often the case with me, the scarf is key, but you could also scare up a necklace or a brooch in burnished silver with pink stones.

Down jacket – Hogan,
pearl earrings – Allurez,
scarf – Athena Procopiou, sweater – Etro, 
grey flannel trousers – Theory,
boots – Dansko, tote bag – COET


Here’s where I build more grey, but add in those luscious muted greens.  The bracelet, in two shades of green, is so perfect here.  Excellent jewelry doesn’t have to be expensive – you can find things more reasonably priced to use with accent colors, and then you don’t feel committed for eternity to a particular color scheme!

Scarf – Radical Chic, gray skirt – L.L.Bean, pale green blouse – Givenchy, 
grey cardigan – Malene Birger, green sweater – T by Alexander Wang, bracelet – Zandra Lorena 
Sajbin, grey flats – Trotters


 Here’s where the beauty of a cardigan that buttons really shines – it functions both as a 2nd layer, and as a solo sweater.  If you don’t like to carry a lot of luggage, but you want a few options, a buttoned cardigan is worth your consideration.

Beara Beara
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Comments

  1. If not the first ornamental cabbage wardrobe ever, certainly the most beautiful! I am amazed, daily, by your unstinting creativity and vision, Janice.

    Reply

  2. Loving the olive/loden as a neutral. Hard to find but so versatile. Thank you for all your hard work. I look to you every morning to brighten my day.

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  3. Your photograph and the wonderful wardrobe reminds me of the gorgeous needlepoint designs of Kaffe Fasset, which were inspired by vegetables of all kinds, but especially by ornamental cabbage!

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  4. Those very subtle muted greens are amazing! I'm not sure who colouring this would suit – I'd be happy with the grey and pink but those greens wouldn't suit. However if someone did suit the green, they would they not suit the bright pink? It's a conumdrum.

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  7. My favourite combination. Thanks for the reminder. A new path for autumn and winter. For…ever!
    Really glorious.
    Vancouver Barbara

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  9. Inspiring! Not my colors but oh so lovely! This 'woman' is elegant but approachable. We can use the same approach in decorating our homes. Pick anything we love and run with it!

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  10. I really like ornamental cabbages! I also like the colour scheme here, as my basic wardrobe neutral is deep brown, and my current favourite highlight is pink, I'm off to a good start. I love subdued olive greens as a second neutral; they are hard to find – but I should persevere. I think you could easily swap the pink for other bright accents such as royal blue, lemon yellow, or tangerine.
    Definitely one to bookmark!
    Alice

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    • ps: the bottom segment reads as a mid brown-grey on my screen, not a pure grey, which is fine as its my favourite neutral.

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  11. Beautiful!! For the gray and green outfits, I'm picturing a lip or nail in that pink color. Or perhaps a gorgeous pair of earrings. Just lovely

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