First, let’s start with our beautiful painting:
Vase with Honesty by Vincent van Gogh
These were the colors that I saw within the painting. For the most part, they’re nice neutrals, and thus should be easy to combine.
Here’s where I want to change things, for now. Imagine that the above painting has become something of a fascination for someone; they’ve decided that, moving forward, they want it to be their inspiration – their unifying aesthetic motif.
But they currently have a very neutral wardrobe, composed of the most straightforward garments:
Frankly, I’m going to submit that this is a great place from which to start. Our protagonist has at least 18 possible outfits already. (I’m showing 16, because cramming 18 onto a page just gets crowded and weird!)
Alright, with that as our starting point, our friend heads out shopping, with a laminated print of her favorite painting IN HAND. (nobody can remember colors with any degree of accuracy; having something literally in one’s hand makes a lot of difference)
And after a few hours of pleasurable browsing and shopping, she arrives home with this:
TONS of ways to wear these pieces, already! Here are 8 options, but I’m sure that there are more:
Our now very happy friend lives with her new pieces for a while, and then decides to venture out to purchase phase 2 of her new wardrobe. These are her finds:
Again, there are a lot of ways that her new pieces will work with her existing wardrobe:
Yes, she’s going to be very well-served to get those bright white pieces out of her wardrobe, and substitute some softer ivory shades. And maybe her next pair of jeans should be some sort of warm-hued corduroy…
Baby steps; no wardrobe was built in a day! But what can be learned from this? The importance of a solid core of neutral clothes, and that accessories shouldn’t be neglected when adding new colors to a wardrobe, I’d say.
love,
Janice
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I love the colors here.
At the same time, I think, OMG what discipline. I rarely shop, and when I really need something, I tend to buy what I find, rather than holding out for just the right thing. Already checking the boxes on style and fit are hard enough. So I end up with lots of black and white. Waiting for just the right ivory to come along seems impossible. I might laminate an inspiration picture as a good luck charm. Do you shop a little every day or week?
On the other hand, my daughter is now the same size as me, and I'm getting HER hand-me-downs. The latest: fuchsia Converse and a fuchsia scarf; she is over fuchsia and into olive green.
My first thought reading this post: Janice you are brilliant! Thank you
My wardrobe has tops with prints, so they don't mix well together. For years I couldn't find a decent navy, and lately it's difficult to find a true burgundy with all the fushia-based items in the stores. But I do love your posts like this, and will keep trying. I just went to the Mall of America, and the clothes I did like were very high priced, too fancy, or didn't fit my arms – I have lost over 120 pounds, so I have deflated tummy and arm flab. Half of the stores had items that were just too ugly and trashy to even consider. I ended up just buying perfume. Very depressing…..
Burgundy is one of my favorite accent colors and it seems to be an on trend color this season so I am having the opposite problem – too many items available to choose from! I've started a Pinterest page with items that catch my eye and will make final selections from those once I have finalized what I actually need to purchase. I agree, finding a decent navy is difficult. And congrats on the weight loss!
Thanks. There were two tops at the Mall of America that I almost bought, but I don't want to spend a lot on basic tops that I'll wear for just one season. So I went to – dare I say it with the beautiful clothes on this blog – Goodwill – gasp! We live in a rural area, and Macy's an hour away is the fanciest store nearby. After trying on 63 items, I came home with 14 items that cost less than the two MOA tops. Usually I have only found pants at Goodwill during my journey down the scale, but I never find tops I like – and fit properly. Must have been fate!
Nothing wrong with Goodwill…recycling clothes is a win-win for us and the environment. My sister and I head out with friends for a lovely day of lunch and "boutiquing" – our term for hitting the Goodwill and Thrifty Shopper stores. Patience is key since quality varies drastically from new with tags to a bit more than gently worn. A friend once came home with a beautiful full length mink coat for less than $100 and I have purchased a couple of designer handbags at just $5 each. The thrill of the hunt is part of the fun! Sounds like you were very patient and it paid off handsomely 🙂
This is fabulous and oh so my colors you've added, love love this!
Janice,
I love the introduction of the camel pieces ( of course!) and how they work with the light and dark blues. While my wardrobe is mostly warm colors, I do like to cool it down periodically with denim and light blue.
On another note — I once read that hemlines going down were a reflection of the economy and the times — some catalogs I recently perused showed very long lengths for everyday skirts — not a good sign ! Maybe the answer is to get different catalogs !
I like your new approach to building a wardrobe. But I must confess that I often simply look at your photos and say 'I can do this with what I have already'. You keep inspriring me. ~ Cornelia
Always helpful. I am now looking for wheat coloured basics and have the most luck in finding fabric which means my future wardrobe is waiting in the sewing room which makes me worried about time.
Deb from Vancouver
Having learned so much from you, I recently took the plunge and added a pair of (somewhat muted) rusty-red cropped jeans to my denim/black/white/gray basics–so of course was thrilled to see this post.
Wow, what a great idea!
Maybe I should do this with the color wheels of your "Start with Art" document I earmarked a while ago. I´m sure I have a bunch of clothes already in the right colors and just need to do what your lady did today, shop for accessories and some additional pieces. What fun!
Thanks!
Inra
Loving this approach! You have the best ideas!! My basic wardrobe is very similar with the exception of button front shirts. Going to study this a little more!