This month, I’m pretending that spring is coming, and that it’s warm enough to expose our ankles, but that we still are in the mood for a bit of sweater snuggling… (one could always wear a tee shirt, and tie the sweater around the shoulders…)
This first capsule wardrobe has had a lot of brown and black in it so far, so I decided to lighten things up considerably!
Scarf– Hèrmes Carré en Boucles; pendant – J.Jill; shoes – VanEli; sweater – L.L.Bean; earrings – Gemma Collection; pants – L.L.Bean
Somewhat the same story here – this wardrobe has been heavily dependent on beige as the neutral, and hasn’t really addressed the lovely soft grey in the scarf…
Scarf – Hermes Flanerie à Versailles; necklace – Theodora Warre; shoes – Clarks; sweater – Uniqlo; earrings – Argento Vivo; pants – Uniqlo
Uh, yes, this is MORE grey… All of these wardrobes so far have had the potential for at least some grey as a secondary neutral, and I’m long overdue in choosing a few pieces…
Here, I tried to choose jewelry that echoed the wavy, sort of fluid feeling of the print of the scarf:
Scarf – Hèrmes Au Bout du Monde; necklace – Talbots; shoes – Shoes of Prey; sweater – L.L.Bean; earrings – Simon Sebbag; pants – Uniqlo
And this jewelry was chosen to be sympathetic to the medallion print style of the scarf:
Scarf– Hèrmes Collections Impériales; pendant – Stephanie Kantis; shoes – Alegria; sweater – L.L.Bean; earrings – Maro; pants – L.L.Bean
(these green shoes with the overtones of orange and blue were made for this wardrobe…)
Here, the perfect sweater turned out to be a cardigan! That’s not a problem – button it up, and it’s a crewneck… (I always forget to wear my sweaters this way, and it’s a pity because it really does make them more useful.)
Scarf– Etude pour un Iris Arc-en-ciel; necklace – Nadia Minkoff; shoes – Børn; cardigan – Lands’ End; earrings – Jiya Jewelry; pants – L.L.Bean
I loved this outfit – the textures, and the touches of brown…
Scarf – Hèrmes Chemins de Corail; necklace – Kendra Scott; shoes – Naturalizer; sweater – L.L.Bean; earrings – Isabel Lennse; pants – L.L.Bean
Here are the complete wardrobes, after four months. Only eight pieces of clothing in each wardrobe, but I think they’re each taking on very distinct “personalities.”
And just to give credit where due, and to give you a little bit better view of the scarves all in 1 place, here are our source inspirations. Some are sold out, but some are still available…
Black – Hèrmes Carré en Boucles; Beige – Hermes Flanerie à Versailles; navy – Hèrmes Au Bout du Monde; orange – Hèrmes Collections Impériales;blue – Etude pour un Iris Arc-en-ciel; beige – Hèrmes Chemins de Corail
At this stage, the first wardrobe is still the one most like what I would normally wear, but I have to admit to really beginning to fall for the last one, with the shades of brown, and accents of red and orange. I’d look pretty hideous in these colors (without serious corrective makeup, which isn’t going to happen!)…
What can all of this mean?
love,
Janice
For more in the 2017 “Build a Capsule Wardrobe – 12 months, 12 outfits” series, check out the following articles:
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
- Evaluating our 2017 wardrobes…
Looking for more ideas? Follow along as we build a new capsule wardrobe in 2018.
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I have a new friend who is wanting to overhaul her clothing look. This could be a good place to start as she tries to work out which way she wants to go.
I like the first and last ones, too, though the last is more me. I've given up black as I have grown older. Still wear bright red, though have been wondering if I really should.
I've been having fun recently, trying to do something similar to this with a couple of floral handbags, one in cool colours and one in warm. My plan was to choose one outfit per month, but I got carried away. I now have 97 items on my board, and 92 outfits picked out (yes I have been at a loose end for a few weeks!). I'm losing track of what I've got, and now need to cull my digital wardrobe! Linda M
As a strawberry blonde, that last one resonates with me! I need to try some of those rusty reds. That scarf! So gorgeous!
I'm into my sixth week with basic beige with blue in Mexico. The temperatures are in the 30'sC so I haven't worn my lightweight scarves much. Pendant necklaces do work however. I've been following you for 5 years now so my wardrobe is indeed finally getting smaller. I do love the Iris Arc-en-Ciel scarf but no shopping yet.
I could wear, more or less successfully, the navy and blue wardrobes, but the scarf (and wardrobe) that I would own would be the black one. Glad to see the grey make an appearance! – nancyo
I'm more #one and #six also but I see accents in all the other wardrobe I like also. Probably why I have so many clothes in my closet…
Numbers 3, 4 and 5 are the ones i'm most drawn to but they are all shaping up beautifully. đ
Numbers 4 and 6 call out to me, I love the colors. I think number 2 is beautiful, but I don't think it feels like a practical wardrobe for my lifestyle, sigh!
Love love this series. My favorites are still the beige and grey wardrobes and my favorite scarves. I've learned from you, Janice, the amazing versatility of cardigans. I button them up a lot to use as a crewneck sweater. I always wear a similar- color cami underneath for modesty when there may be a little gapping at button column. I like my knit tops to be somewhat form fitting so camis solve the problem. I just love the look of the buttoned cardigan also -very classy! Janice Collins , Washington DC
I think I could build most of wardrobes one and 3 out of my current closet! LOL! I do like six as well. Buttoned up cardigans are hard for those of us with large chests! đ I like the look on others though. I have trouble with any garment that buttons up the front. I have to get a bigger size to not have horrible button gap and then the whole thing just looks bad. Love this series!!
Now that you mention it, I could build wardrobes 1 and 3, most of 5, and even a bit of 6 from the clothing in my closet. All I lack are the Hermes scarves, lol! – nancyo
I've got really short arms and a full balcony, but I buy Petite sized cardigans, so I've always got enough room to avoid button gap, and the sleeves are still a reasonable length. I'm devoted to Lands' End and J.Jill for that reason, among many others; they're really good about making a lot of things available in Petite sizes.
hugs,
Janice
I am also favoring the first and last collections, but I think the last one is starting to pull ahead a bit. Red and orange are my first and second favorite colors. Beige is not such a great color near my face, but the colorful scarves would help, and maybe the addition on a red or orange blouse to wear under the beige sweater in cooler months. I really do love this series, and look forward to the first of every month!
A pop of color with white pants is a warm weather favorite of mine. Now if only Winter would make a graceful exit.