And I’ve noticed that the central color of the jumper is dark brown on my main computer, but that she is more olive green on my laptop! No wonder we have so much trouble talking about colors – we’re not even necessarily seeing the same things…
But since I’ve found a few nice brown pieces, I thought that I’d stick with my initial impression that she’s mostly brown. Maybe I’ll re-visit this painting and use olive instead – what do you think?
Before the Parachute Opens by Tullio Crali
My only style thoughts were of a strong respect for the sky, space, flying, and birds! But this color scheme could really work for a long time, although it would take a long time to find just the perfect pieces. (as always…)
So maybe my heroine is traveling to a flight school? To go bird-watching? To the Smithsonian Museum of Flight in Washington DC?
As always, my travel outfit includes closed-toe shoes; I’m always amazed/concerned when I see people flying in sandals. At a minimum, don’t your feet FREEZE? Not to mention the fact that you walked through the security checkpoint in bare feet (major ickiness there!) and if the plane has to be evacuated…. well…
scarf – A. Breccia; watch – Olivia Burton; shirt – L.L.Bean; earrings – Susan Hanover; aqua bag – Coach 1941; pants – L.L.Bean; loafers – Lucky Brand; jacket – L.L.Bean; bag – Frye
Our heroine is only away for one night – a lovely but not overly dressy evening out, for which she’ll change shirt, shoes and jewelry. (note star jewelry – the sky is always on her mind…)
For her return trip, she pays homage to birds with a very avian scarf, and some feather jewelry! (these kinds of obsessions/signature elements don’t have to be screamingly obvious; I don’t know that anybody would notice these little touches.)
earrings – Sydney Evan; metallic shirt – MSGM; ballet flats – Topshop; nightshirt – Dickins & Jones; clutch – Glint; scarf – Aspinalscarf – Aspinal of London; feather earrings – Nighthawk Jewelry; bra – La Perla; thong – La Perla; top – Salvatore Ferragamo
The fabric of her blouse for evening, coupled with some small but sparkly earrings and metallic ballet flats, makes even the most casual of trousers “pass” for the night. Nobody’s going to get down and carefully analyze your pants – if they do, give them a little kick. Or two.
Her return trip outfit is pretty monochromatic, so I chose a scarf for her that is both the perfect colors AND that echoes her flying and sky-oriented state of mind. Simple gold feather earrings are all she needs for jewelry.
This is everything that she has with her; being stranded would be a bit of an issue, because she’s only got that 1 pair of pants. But at least she could mix her accessories around a bit and at least feel a little bit changed…
Lest you think that my repeated concerns about being stranded are silly, a friend of mine was just stuck in Berlin for 2 days. Two DIFFERENT hotel accommodations, AND they lost my friend’s luggage. Friend is finally back home, but still without the checked bag. Carrying on just makes sense…
love,
Janice
PS – For more tips on traveling light, check out my page all about packing.
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Lesley says
April 20, 2017 at 10:11 amOh, I love this colorway and the Aspinal scarf with the owl. I hear our neighborhood owl calling. Is s/he telling me to buy it?
Bibliophile says
April 20, 2017 at 11:08 amOh, wow, this is just a beautiful wardrobe, the colours are sublime and the items are just perfect, thank you for putting all this together, it must have been a lot of work.
Cee Pluse says
April 20, 2017 at 11:36 amEven though these colors are more muted than I usually choose, I would be happy to wear this wardrobe, and that Aspinal scarf is perfection! I would probably cave and throw in an extra pair of pants for the trip, because I always overpack a bit (just in case of an emergency, like a spill, is my rationalization). However, if someone was rude enough to examine my pants too closely they would deserve a little kick or two (and maybe a beverage thrown at them as well!) – so funny, Janice! And I agree about the closed-toe shoes. I have even seen people wearing flip-flops when boarding the plane, which really cannot be practical, not to mention that fact that their poor toes are exposed to being tromped on by other people's shoes and/or run over by rolling luggage!
Yes. please, to redoing this collection with olive. Also, does your friend have any suggestions on what to see and do in Germany (other than keeping checked-on luggage to a minimum)? My sister and I will be in Dusseldorf in August to visit some friends of hers. I have never been to Germany and do not know much about the country, other than the fact that my brother was there when he was in the army and visited a lot of castles!
SuD says
April 20, 2017 at 11:49 amThough I don't care for brown, it does go well with the blue. The blue makes it come alive.
Bibliophile says
April 20, 2017 at 11:53 amI clicked on the link for the jacket, but it doesn't seem to work. Do I guess it is sold out then?
Janice Riggs says
April 20, 2017 at 12:15 pmNot sold out – I just think links don't like me!
Try this one:
https://api.shopstyle.com/action/apiVisitRetailer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.llbean.com%2Fllb%2Fshop%2F113497%3Ffeat%3Dpuffer-SR1%26page%3Dl-l-bean-puff-bomber-jacket%26csp%3Df%26attrValue_0%3DToasted%2520Almond%26productId%3D1573237&pid=uid5456-30633616-51
hugs,
Janice
Bibliophile says
April 21, 2017 at 7:38 pmSorry Janice, no joy again, it redirects to LL Bean from Shopstyle but from there it's an invalid URL
Janice Riggs says
April 21, 2017 at 10:09 pmOH DRAT! I just updated it again, but just in case it doesn't work AGAIN, you can search for L.L.Bean Puff Bomber Jacket on their site. Yes, they use L.L.Bean in the name of the item, which seems madly redundant to me…. what do I know!
Sorry for your problems with this – the internet is not always our friend,
hugs,
Janice
Shrebee says
April 20, 2017 at 12:10 pmJanice,
Great job with limited items ! I am loving the aqua with the brown, and a definite yes, please, to a revisit of this color scheme with olive instead !
I thought the nightshirt was actually a cute dress !
And the robins and fox scarf — so pretty !
Thank you again for all of the time and effort you invest to pull together these posts , you're the best !
Margie from Toronto says
April 20, 2017 at 12:22 pmI echo everyone's thought on the scarf – I am VERY tempted! I have never worn a lot of brown (and could not wear it next tome face) but teamed with that beautiful shade of blue it is something I would consider.
Scottie says
April 20, 2017 at 2:06 pmLove Love Love
Kirsti says
April 20, 2017 at 2:37 pmBeautiful! On my tablet I saw olive green, but I really like this wardrobe with the brown. I also thought the nightshirt was a dress! I would like to see this with olive green. You do amazing work!
Anne in MN says
April 20, 2017 at 2:48 pmI adore the colors here, and the softened almost cocoa brown is so very lovely. And the pale egg-shell blues! This is a great example of admiring colors from afar, but not trying to wear them myself. These happen to be good colors for my husband, so I get to see them regularly at least. I also covet the scarf.
I guess I'd find a wrinkle-resistant (knit?) skirt that packed down to bring too. Would take almost no room, might not get worn, but I'd feel better having a backup to the trousers.
Nancy B. says
April 20, 2017 at 3:01 pmCouldn't love this combination more. I thought I was done with my spring shopping but now I might have to reconsider…..
Josephine Faith Gibbs says
April 20, 2017 at 3:50 pmJust WOW! These are not my colors (yes, please, on the olive version!), but the painting is fascinating in theme and style. I had to look the painting up and pour over it before I even scrolled down to see what you'd done with the clothing.
I love the thought that our heroine is off to take her weekly flight training, or a special two day simulator training session, or a couple of back to back tail-wheel lessons!
Love the padded jacket, and the distressed leather bag. Just the right feeling for her. And these are more than enough clothes. Pilots learn to travel very light. She is used to having most of her bag filled by her logbook, air charts, knee-board, headset, hand-held radio, and some small emergency items.
Brenda says
April 20, 2017 at 4:35 pmLove this!
After a surgery, none of my tops/dresses fit. So, it's almost like starting from scratch. This is terrific inspiration!
webb says
April 20, 2017 at 5:28 pmNo way i would ever wear brown, but …. if i did, this is the prettiest shade i have ever seen! a lovely capsule!
Duchesse says
April 20, 2017 at 7:09 pmOn my monitor, this looks taupe (or close to cocoa), and taupe with aqua or robin's egg is a beautiful combination. However the mid-saturation browns are hard to pull off except in leather, as they rarely look luminous or rich, until you get to the deep, espresso hue. I once wore a fair amount of brown, when a brunette, but as I grew pickier about fabric I just couldn't find what I wanted, except at MaxMara!
Nancy B. says
April 20, 2017 at 7:44 pmI also would love to see the wardrobe with olive instead of soft brown, as you so kindly offered, Janice. I wear olive a lot.
Burhan Khan says
October 2, 2017 at 8:43 amI am so sitting tight for another blog this way.
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