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Home » Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Still Life with Apples by Henri Matisse

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Still Life with Apples by Henri Matisse

 
August 5, 2015
 
As soon as I saw this painting, I knew we were going to have some fun. I really admire the juxtaposition of the very traditional navy and grey with the striking, almost shocking, colors of the apples. That Matisse knew what he was doing…
 

Still Life with Apples by Henri Matisse

 
If I were to expand this wardrobe further, I would pull in more shades of grey, and a wider range of blues… so many possibilities just from this limited palette.

 

Just the slightest suggest of unplumbed depths…

Turtleneck – Polo Ralph Lauren; long wrap skirt – Joseph; Pleated panel blouse – Schumacher; fluted skirt – Iris and Ink

The subject of her came up before the Director’s meeting started. It wasn’t anything that they could actually put their finger on; they agreed that nobody in the room had ever even seen her knees!

She was always dressed appropriately, and there could be no dispute that she did her job with extraordinary skill and grace.

Navy cashmere cardigan – J. Crew; navy pleated skirt – J. Crew; Navy silk blouse – L’Agence; navy fluted skirt – Tibi

But they all agreed that there was something about her that always drew one’s gaze back to her. Just a sense that there was so much more to her than was revealed on the surface. Something unique, unexpected, vaguely unsettling, but never unprofessional or offensive.

Print blouse – See by Chloe; orange sweater – Joseph; Orange blouse – Stella McCartney; tweed sweater – Ermanno Scervino

Maybe, it was agreed, they should move her into a more visible position – something with more responsibility. It would be a chance to see what she could do, and an opportunity to observe her more closely. Perhaps they could figure out what made her stick in their minds with such clarity and persistence…

Navy dress – Planet; orange cardigan- L.K.Bennett; Green cardigan – White Stuff; grey dress – FennWrightManson

She always knew that sticking with orange and green as her signature colors would pay off some day! 

Orange bag- Marni; peridot ring – Michael Aram; fossilized coral earrings – Pamela Huizenga; green crystal earrings – Slane; orange ring – Roberto Coin; bakelite and peridot bracelet- Mark Davis; fire opal pendant – Cathy Waterman; paisley scarf – Ralph Lauren; hot pink Flamingo Party Hermes scarf; suede wedges – Tod’s; navy patent pumps – Jimmy Choo; anthracite suede pumps – Prada; navy slingbacks – L’Autre Chose

 

I love to imagine that there are women who manage to express their uniqueness, or quirkiness, within the confines of an otherwise conservative environment. I’ve never worked in an environment like this, so I’ve never seen it first-hand…

love,
Janice

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08.05.15 26 Comments

Tags: cool weather, Four by Four, green, grey, Hermes scarf, navy, orange, Start with Art, work wear
<<Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Northern FlickerMy Wardrobe: Revisiting The Common Wardrobe>>

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2015 at 7:44 am

    I love the stories as much as I love the clothes.
    karen

    Reply
  2. Philippa says

    August 5, 2015 at 8:36 am

    This palette is absolutely stunning! Personally I never wear trousers, so this ensemble resonates in more ways than one. Not sure if I am alone in trying to envisage how I could incorporate this all into a SWAP (sewing with a plan), but this really does look workable.. Thanks

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2015 at 8:49 am

    I love the story, but what about the blue?

    Reply
  4. Cornelia says

    August 5, 2015 at 10:23 am

    Some unexpected color combinations for sure! And once again it s a beautiful scarf that all ties it together successfully. I have the grey and apple green, and never thought about putting them together.

    Reply
  5. Pam @ over50feeling40 says

    August 5, 2015 at 11:18 am

    Beautiful…and the wrap skirt is gorgeous! A great wardrobe addition.

    Reply
  6. Beckie says

    August 5, 2015 at 11:46 am

    I adore orange and grey together. So unexpected and so sophisticated.

    Reply
  7. GeckoHiker says

    August 5, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    Ah, yes–never show them your knees at work. That's always been my motto. Dark neutrals, with inexplicable pops of color. I love the greens and oranges you chose for this grouping.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2015 at 2:43 pm

    Many squeals of delight from Canada!!! Love this whole post. The coral earrings are truly swoon worthy as is the combined wardrobe. This is giving me some great ideas for sewing. Plus another great storyline, what happens next??

    Deb from Vancouver

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    this is outrageously sophisticated and really special. what a special palette. I'd also love to see it expanded with the blue. I hope somewhere some women still dress like this!

    Reply
  10. Amy says

    August 5, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    Not colors I can wear, but so stunning on the right person. Lovely wardrobe as always.

    Reply
  11. Gail says

    August 5, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    Love the unexpected melon colors with classic gray! One of my all-time favorite posts.

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2015 at 3:30 pm

    I would NEVER get tired of these pieces! Love the green and orange!!!

    Reply
  13. Mollie W says

    August 5, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Janice, you hit it out of the park! The colors and styles are beautiful. I love the grey and need to add more to my wardrobe. I'm ready for fall sewing … thank you! Mollie

    Reply
  14. Scottie says

    August 5, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    Gray wrap skirt amazing . . . I'd never need another article of clothing (hah!). Thanks for this one!

    Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    Very unusual colours, I'm delighted to see such an adventurous capsule. And green's my signature colours, so please, please can I have the tweed sweater?
    Alice

    Reply
  16. Katrina Blanchalle says

    August 5, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    Love this one! I'm slowly converting my wardrobe from mostly black to navy and gray. Your posts on transitioning from one palette to another (from 4 years ago!) are invaluable. The navy and gray blouse is a great find – I haven't had much luck with that combination other than some tweed jackets (too heavy for my climate) or slogan tee shirts (definitely not my style). Thanks for another inspiring post.

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2015 at 6:16 pm

    love all the shoes, conservative but with style. And I echo everyone on the gray skirt even though I can't wear that style.

    Reply
  18. Stacey Wilson says

    August 5, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    OH, me!! me!! me!!
    In my 20s, I did tech support/IT for a company where all our "clients" were spread across the USA, so my work was all via computer and phone. We were in the same building as the US headquarters, but they were on the 10th floor and we were on the 2nd floor, so we only saw executives/HR/accountants/etc for HR training events (so, almost never). Still, we had to adhere to the super conservative dress code. ENTER ME: young, wild with personality, earning more money than I knew what to do with. I noticed the only mention of color in the dress code referred to hair color (hair could only be a color "found in nature"). I managed to find tailored navy suits….with bright hippie flowers all over the jacket. And tailored acid green suits. And tie-dyed silk dress blouses to wear under my solid suits. And other assorted outfits. My co-workers were amused as hell at my clothing choices, and the director was both repulsed and impressed. He couldn't call me out on it because I adhered to the dress code to. the. letter.
    Fast forward 20 years later to day, and I'm a stay-at-home mom to young kids. I'm called out by the other moms all the time because I "look too put together" for 8am, and they can "tell I'm not from around here" because I wear brightly colored clothes. Too bad they didn't see me in the office back in the day!

    Reply
    • Amy says

      August 5, 2015 at 3:09 pm

      I love that you had such a "rebellious streak" while adhering to the dress code.

      Reply
    • Jean S says

      August 5, 2015 at 4:26 pm

      You. Are. Awesome.

      Reply
  19. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2015 at 7:14 pm

    This is the palette of my wardrobe! Navy, grey, and white as neutrals; apple green and golden orange as accents. I even have some very similar garments. I built my wardrobe using your Starting From Scratch template because I was sick of having a ton of clothes and so few outfits. I love love love these colours. I've added a little cobalt to pep up the navy. Getting dressed is so much easier now and these colours are "me". Going to study this post for fresh ideas on garment combinations. Thank you, Janice.

    Reply
  20. Vanessa Guénard says

    August 6, 2015 at 1:56 am

    Oh I really like the green cardigan and the orange blouse! I even could wear those if I could afford to buy them…

    On another matter, I couldn't find how to email you "privately" so I'll ask you here: do you think you could plan a wardrobe starting from a necklace? This one caught my eye today and I thought you might be interested: http://www.shlomitofir.com/product-36-Efrat_Hummingbird_Necklace.aspx I'd love to see what you can make with it.

    Reply
    • Janice Riggs says

      August 22, 2015 at 1:27 pm

      That necklace cries out for soft, muted colors in simple tops that won't conflict with all of the beautiful details. Dusty rose pink, celadon green, cloudy blue…
      sigh…

      Reply
  21. lrlincks says

    August 6, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    WOW! What a gorgeous wardrobe!! I do not know any women who dress this way anymore. That is sad! I rarely wear dresses or skirts. Some cobalt blue added to this would be stunning! I wonder what salary one would have to earn to afford these clothes?? Love the story line as well.

    Reply
  22. suzynjgonzalez.com says

    August 7, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    Late to the party… but I echo those saying "what about the blue!?" I would love to see this with a real French blue, as in the painting.

    Reply
  23. NATALIE says

    August 20, 2020 at 9:38 pm

    With the other scarf there was a deep pink. A few deep pink pieces could be added. Worn with the orange and the apple green separately they would be great with this scarf!

    Reply

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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...
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