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Home » Build a Whatever’s Clean 13 Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dragonfly by Miro

Build a Whatever’s Clean 13 Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dragonfly by Miro

January 18, 2017

Such an interesting email….

Say you live outside the United States. You’re retired. The weather’s always reasonably warm and nice. You only shop every year or two, when you visit in the US…

And THIS is your inspiration:

Dragonfly with Red Wings Hunting a Snake by Joan Miro

Dragonfly with Red Wings Hunting a Snake by Joan Miro

I’m really liking these colors, and this WHOLE scenario!

Color Palette inspired by Dragonfly with Red Wings Hunting a Snake by Joan Miro

In the interests of establishing a solid basis upon which we can build, I’m going to assume that our heroine either owns or already plans to purchase these pieces:

Started core capsule wardrobe items in a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Tee– L.L.Bean; cardigan – Lands’ End; capris– L.L.Bean; pants – L.L.Bean

 

At this point, we’ve got a solid starting point, and a lot of fun things to find!

Started core capsule wardrobe items in a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

I’m ALWAYS going to recommend that you buy the sweater or tee shirt or top that goes with your cardigan. Even if you aren’t the sort to wear a twinset, having pieces in the exact same color means that anything that goes with ONE thing will go perfectly with the other. It’s just faster and simpler, in the long run, to take advantage of items manufactured to match, rather than scrambling around trying to match things on your own.

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Top – Lands’ End

 

Living in a warm climate suggests to me a LOT of tops, because they’re the pieces that are going to need to be laundered most frequently. They’re also the garments that usually cost the least, and make the biggest difference in your appearance, since they’re so close to your face. So let’s start loading up on those glorious accent colors, eh?

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Tee – L.L.Bean

 

When it’s warm, I want my knees to get some air! You can always wear a special garment under your skirts to make your thighs more comfortable, if that’s a concern. This skirt is such a perfect embodiment of the colors of this capsule – I wasn’t going to resist…

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Skirt – Patagonia

 

Another accent color? Sure! I’ve chosen a variety of necklines for these tee shirts, but you can stick with just one style if you have a favorite.

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Tee – J.Crew

 

If you don’t wear shorts, a pair of capris, or another skirt, would also make a lot of sense here. This is such an excellent neutral color with which to work in warm weather – it’s classic, and it’s easy to find.

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Shorts – L.L.Bean

 

Okay, here’s the point at which the concept of “Whatever’s Clean” might fall apart. Some people will absolutely NOT wear a striped tee shirt with a floral skirt, and that’s fine. I’m assuming that my heroine is a little bit adventurous, or at least willing to bend the rules…

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Tunic – L.L.Bean

 

I frankly didn’t expect to find anything at all in the color – but this tunic is SO perfect. It would make a great short dress, if that’s something you do, or a tunic over pants or capris. What a glorious shade of marigold!

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Tunic –Simply Be

 

This dress isn’t going to really “mix and match” with the rest of this wardrobe – I suppose you could wear the tan cardigan… but a simple dress is such a nice thing to own when you live where the weather’s pleasant. If this is completely out of the question, tan capris would be very useful, and might be substituted here.

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Dress – Rag & Bone

 

More stripes! But these are so subtle, even I would wear them with the floral skirt, just to see if anybody was paying attention…

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Tee – L.L.Bean

 

Doesn’t this put you in the mood for warm weather?

 

How to Build a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Just to envision the way in which these pieces can be worn, I’ve pulled together 6 outfits, with some appropriate accessories. This wouldn’t be a bad way to live, would it?

2 outfits in a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Flats – Naturalizer; brooch – hook + Albert; bag – Rebecca Minkoff;

 

Sunglasses – Ray-Ban; sneakers – Converse

 

2 outfits in a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Earrings– Vera Bradley; scarf – Echo; sandals – Tuscany;

 

Necklace– Lori Kaplan Jewelry; sandals – Vionic

 

2 outfits in a Whatever's Clean 13 capsule wardrobe

Earrings– Kate Spade; shoes – Sperry; tote – L.L.Bean; Knot bracelet – Sterling Forever; Paris metro cuff bracelet – Designhype; Sandals – André Assous

 

What made this even MORE fun was remembering that, just outside my apartment windows, is a shattering ELEVEN degrees Fahrenheit….

love,
Janice

Build a Whatever's Clean 13 Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dragonfly by Miro

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01.18.17 22 Comments

Tags: green, khaki, navy, orange, red, Start with Art, Whatever's Clean, Whatever's Clean Summer Wardrobe
<<Build a “Six Pack” Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Using Another Velvet SwatchExpanding a Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Winter Scene in Moonlight by Henry Farrer>>

Comments

  1. cheryl :) says

    January 18, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    I love this. I would substitute black for tan but its fun and fab :)

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    January 18, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    I would absolutely wear either of the striped tops with the skirt. In fact, I have a pink/green/brown/cream floral skirt that I regularly wear with a green/cream striped top in a similar pattern to those shown (green stripes ~1/4 inch, cream stripes tiny).

    And the summer under-skirt garments have changed my life! So much more comfortable!
    – Kaci

    Reply
    • MCY says

      January 18, 2017 at 3:40 pm

      Would you point me to them? Sounds like a really good idea. I'm totally charmed by this skirt, even though the reviews aren't wonderful (fading with washing, etc.)
      –Mary

      Reply
    • Lena says

      January 18, 2017 at 6:40 pm

      Here's a link to Jockey Skimmies
      http://www.jockey.com/catalog?q=skimmies#/page=1

      Kaci is right – they have changed my life too. Now I enjoy the comfort of skirts and dresses all summer long.

      Reply
    • Throckmorzog says

      January 20, 2017 at 12:07 am

      I wore dresses every day last summer, and even in temperatures over 100F I was more comfortable than I have ever been even in tank tops and shorts…plus I looked good enough to go anywhere. After trying Jockey Skimmies and several other brands of wicking underpants, I settled on UnderSummers. Lighter weight, cooler, and dry faster than Jockeys. LOVE them! https://www.undersummers.com

      Reply
  3. Madame Là-bas says

    January 18, 2017 at 1:59 pm

    Wonderful post! I'm going to Oaxaca for 10 weeks at the end of February. Daytime temperatures are warm but evenings and mornings are cool. I volunteer in a library and I tutor. I will follow the Whatever's Clean 13 as I already own the LL Bean pants, capris and a navy cardigan. I'll take my tan denim skirt instead of the shorts. My neutrals are there. I don't own any red or yellow so I will change out the accent colours to bright blue and green and choose simple accessories from my collections. I forgot about the "bloomers". If you walk a lot in heat, they work very well. Merci.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    January 18, 2017 at 3:35 pm

    This is a very happy collection and looks like summer. Stripes with flowers are great for anybody in my opinion. What makes it work is the combination of colours and sizes of the stripes and the print, small stripes with a big print and bigger stripes with a smaller print.
    Looking forward to hearing about your Irish adventures.
    Deb from Vancouver

    Reply
  5. Traveler says

    January 18, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    This is my wardrobe in different colors and I am working on a plan to, with a single addition to any day, go from casual to what I call city casual. Such as getting a call from dearest to come out for lunch with him and a few other suit wearers. I never wear shorts.

    Reply
  6. Throckmorzog says

    January 18, 2017 at 3:55 pm

    Gosh, I just just love this collection…Miro is one of my favorites, but never would have thought such bright colours could look so pleasant and not a tinge of garish! Thanks for all you do. : )

    Reply
  7. Cee Pluse says

    January 18, 2017 at 11:36 am

    Even though navy is not my color, I love this collection! I am craving bright colors at the moment, since our weather, though warm, is grey and dreary. Thanks for brightening my day, Janice!

    Reply
  8. Cornelia Estey says

    January 18, 2017 at 3:19 pm

    I am going out on a limb here by saying that mixing a stripe with a floral is something that can look quite stunning on a young woman and not so much on an older one. Don't ask for an intelligent explanation.

    Reply
  9. Sarah Online says

    January 18, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    This will work wonderfully for the weather here in SW Florida!

    Reply
  10. Shreddie says

    January 19, 2017 at 12:00 am

    Just looking at the color scheme, I didn't expect to like this one, but the resulting outfits are really sharp.

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    January 19, 2017 at 4:42 am

    Miro is so whimsical! I could almost do a version of this wardrobe, using a darker caramel color with navy, and picking up some of that turquoisey blue along with red for the accents. – nancyo

    Reply
  12. lrlincks says

    January 23, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    Great post!

    Reply
  13. instagram video downloader says

    August 24, 2017 at 9:10 am

    Wonderful post! I'm going to Oaxaca for 10 weeks at the end of February. Daytime temperatures are warm but evenings and mornings are cool. I volunteer in a library and I tutor. I will follow the Whatever's Clean 13 as I already own the LL Bean pants, capris and a navy cardigan. I'll take my tan denim skirt instead of the shorts. My neutrals are there. I don't own any red or yellow so I will change out the accent colours to bright blue and green and choose simple accessories from my collections. I forgot about the "bloomers". If you walk a lot in heat, they work very well. Merci.

    Reply
  14. slither io says

    November 15, 2017 at 10:06 am

    I am from england and very grateful because it's already fully writing articles so what I know is easy because of this blog. Thank you.

    Reply
  15. vex 3 says

    December 1, 2017 at 4:40 pm

    How long does it take to complete this article? I hope you continue to have such quality articles to share with everyone! I believe a lot of people will be surprised to read this article! Thanks for your post!
    io games

    Reply
  16. happy wheels says

    December 6, 2017 at 10:14 am

    How long does it take to complete this article? I have read through other blogs, but they are cumbersome and confusing. I hope you continue to have such quality articles to share with everyone!

    Reply
  17. things to do says

    June 21, 2018 at 1:36 am

    I am craving bright colors at the moment, since our weather, though warm, is grey and dreary. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  18. Book Goddess says

    November 27, 2018 at 8:40 pm

    I don’t know if you read comments on older posts, but I just love this wardrobe! I can’t say I ever mix prints, but the colors are fabulous. I live in south Florida, and these are wonderful, stylish choices for someone who loves rich colors rather than pastels.

    Reply
    • Janice says

      November 28, 2018 at 5:10 am

      I try to read all of the comments! I’m so glad that you liked this – it’s such a great painting – it was hard to do it justice!
      hugs,
      Janice

      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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