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Home » How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow: 1 Piece at a Time

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow: 1 Piece at a Time

February 27, 2016
 
Wow, this was much more difficult than I expected it to be!
 
How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Tee – J. Crew; cardigan – J. Crew; pants – J. Crew

 

This is really a great color scheme – the accent colors are sufficiently different from each other that introducing them into an outfit gives you two very different sensibilities…And I didn’t set out to find so many pieces from one source, but when I found that they had matching pieces in brown, it didn’t seem like a bad idea!

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Tee – J. Crew; cardigan – J. Crew; pants – J. Crew

 

So the matching brown pieces made it impossible to resist getting a brown shell, too. I think of this as a wardrobe that’s ideally suited for changeable weather, or for those of us who have hot flashes…

 
How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Shell – J. Crew

 

I love this yellow…

 
How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Cardigan – J. Crew

 

Cream and brown together are an underrated combination – every bit as classic as black and white, and much more flattering for many among us.

 
How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Pants – J. Crew

Finding print or patterned clothes in these colors has proven to be REALLY difficult, so when I saw this tee shirt, I grabbed it. The lightest color here is still darker than the cream that we were targeting, but it will still blend nicely. So long as the brown shades have the same degree of red in them, blending is always a good option.

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Tee – Part Two

 

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Cardigan – Mango

 

In lieu of a skirt, I thought I’d go with another pair of pants, in a different fabric. Corduroy feels VERY different in an outfit from twill or gabardine.

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Cords – L.L.Bean

 

Now for a bit of aqua!

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Tank – Fenn Wright Manson

 

And another bit!

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Cardigan – Fenn Wright Manson

 

Since I skipped a brown skirt, I thought I’d skip a cream one too – this is a more casual wardrobe than the earlier versions of “1 at a Time.” These are the kinds of modifications that you can freely make when you adapt this system to your own needs!

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Shorts – Carven

 

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Tee shirt – Isabel Marant

 

I turned the Internet UPSIDE DOWN looking for this cardigan, and then I turned it over AGAIN trying to find an image that didn’t have a stupid clothes hanger (and a necklace!) on it. I failed… but this sweater was made for these colors, don’t you think?

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Cardigan – Northstyle

 

An additional bit of print might be nice – a neutral striped tee shirt is ALWAYS a good idea!

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins

 

And since I’ve eschewed skirts so far, I thought I’d go a bit crazy with the last piece – yellow culottes. (although Stella McCartney refers to these as shorts, and who am I to argue with her?)

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

Culottes – Stella McCartney

 

What a fun wardrobe, when it’s all together!

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

I can’t wait until I get to find accessories for THIS one….

more brown on Tuesday,
love,
Janice

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in a Brown, Cream, Aqua and Golden Yellow color palette

 

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02.27.16 10 Comments

Tags: 1 Piece at a Time, beige, blue, brown, capsule wardrobe, casual, gold, travel wardrobe, warm weather, yellow
<<Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: The Sea Seen from the Heights of Dieppe by Eugene DelacroixBuilding a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: The Toilet of Venus (The Rokeby Venus) by Diego Velazquez>>

Comments

  1. Taste of France says

    February 27, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    I love turquoise and brown together. Just the perfect yin and yang. The sharpness of turquoise with the richness of brown.

    Reply
  2. Susan Bybee says

    February 27, 2016 at 2:09 pm

    I agree with Taste of France. Well done!

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    February 27, 2016 at 4:19 pm

    I also love brown and cream together, like a banana split with chocolate sauce. or brownies with whipped cream. Sorry, typing this before breakfast. I see that you have create the possibility of many sweater sets, allowing for much creativity.
    Deb from Vancouver

    Reply
    • Coco Colmani says

      February 27, 2016 at 9:53 pm

      You have me chuckling Deb: brown and cream is a favourite combo of mine too, as are banana splits and brownies with cream, not to mention Vienna coffee. Just wondering how to factor something in a soft blue into my Sunday brunch …
      Robyn in Tasmania

      Reply
  4. Jazz says

    February 27, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    I really like the way you can take these core principles of choosing two neutrals that you really like, then choosing 2,3 or 4 accent colours that really suit you, or you really love. Just curious,would you strongly the priciple of column dressing to a young adult who has a really svelte figure, or is the column more important for us whose figures are less trim?

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    February 27, 2016 at 8:47 pm

    My favourite so far in this series. I love the yellow and there are some interesting shapes in the garments- lots of scop for unusual combinations. Alice.

    Reply
  6. Renee says

    February 27, 2016 at 6:59 pm

    The yellow, brown and cream scream banana to me. All you need is some peridot jewelry to make it complete. ;P

    Reply
  7. Kay dancingbrushpainting.blogspot.com says

    February 28, 2016 at 5:36 am

    This makes my little heart go pitty pat! Love these colors and can't wait for the accessories.

    Reply
  8. LindaC says

    February 28, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    I about swooned when I saw this combo. Love it! I can't wait for the accessories either. :) I would probably tone down the yellow a little bit.

    Reply
  9. Gail Finke says

    February 29, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    That's an interesting wardrobe. The pieces are not as effortless… I think that screaming yellow really draws attnetion to itself with the brown, and is just too strident to mix much with However, if these colors suited you, you would not risk looking "too much the same" all the time! Your colors would definintely stand out! It is so much fun to see how colors work together with your systems.

    Reply

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