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Home » What are Good Accent Colors for Denim and Khaki? How about Teal and Camel?

What are Good Accent Colors for Denim and Khaki? How about Teal and Camel?

June 26, 2017

 

Denim and khaki go with everything – I’m convinced! – but some of you wanted to see a capsule wardrobe with a very different feel than the relatively soft and cool pastel version that used mauve pink and dark pastel blue…

How about this for colors?

wardrobe color wheel in denim, khaki, teal and brown

I don’t have any really exotic travel vision for this heroine – she’s more someone who wears a uniform most of the time, and only needs a relatively small wardrobe to accommodate her “not work” activities outside of her home.

So I’m starting with the six neutral pieces that were in last Monday’s wardrobe, and I finally grabbed a pair of dark navy loafers for her. (although with brown in a wardrobe, don’t discount the gorgeousness of beautiful brown leather goods…)

6-piece neutral starter wardrobe in khaki and denim

cardigan – L.L.Bean; denim jacket – L.L.Bean; watch – Rebecca Minkoff; denim skirt – J.Crew; beige cropped pants – L.L.Bean; heritage stone pants – L.L.Bean; jeans – L.L.Bean; loafers – Ugg; sandals – Børn; loafers – Vaneli

I’m NOT going to get into a debate about what color “teal” really is – I know that it is named for the duck that has highlights that are the color of the sweater in the lower right. But in the fashion world, it seems to be almost any color from aqua to the “real” teal. Working with a range of shades of a color gives you some variety in your wardrobe, as well as making your shopping a little bit less like the search for the lost city of Atlantis…

How fun are madly mismatched earrings?

teal and aqua additions to a capsule wardrobe

Here’s where it becomes really difficult to find things! Camel is so beautiful – if I was a designer I’d make camel things ALL THE TIME…

camel additions to a khaki and denim capsule wardrobe

tee – Uniqlo; earrings – Dinosaur Designs; shirt – Patagonia; scarf – Leonard; bag – GiGi New York; sweater – L.L.Bean

Here’s where the fun really starts – finding things that include 2 or more colors from your palette. I can spend a really LONG time looking at scarves, and bracelets… sigh…

multicolored additions to a capsule wardrobe in denim and khaki

I know that when this heroine opens her closet door it’s not going to look like she has a giant assortment of pieces (and I know that she’ll have more than just this!), but I like to think that she doesn’t have to worry a lot about getting dressed, and that she’s happy with her choices.

13-piece travel capsule wardrobe in denim, khaki, teal and camel

As always, the accessories really bring these pieces to life, and provide a lot of personalization for clothes that are mostly timeless classics.

travel capsule wardrobe in denim, khaki, teal and camel

She’s got possibilities ranging from getting dressed for very casual errands like groceries, to somewhat nice evenings out, wearing trousers and a cashmere sweater. (and a scarf!)

2 ways to style khaki capris from a capsule wardrobe in denim, khaki, teal and camel

2 ways to style a denim skirt from a capsule wardrobe in denim, khaki, teal and camel

2 ways to style khaki pants from a capsule wardrobe in denim, khaki, teal and camel

2 ways to style blue jeans from a capsule wardrobe in denim, khaki, teal and camel

As well as the “Whatever’s Clean 13” works for travel, I’m becoming more and more convinced that it can work well as the main wardrobe for a lot of women who wear uniforms, spend a lot of time in workout gear (that would be me…), or who would just prefer to have a very small wardrobe. I’m going to think about this…

love,
Janice

What are Good Accent Colors for Denim and Khaki? How about Teal and Camel?

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06.26.17 19 Comments

Tags: beige, blue, brown, camel, capsule wardrobe, casual, denim, green, jeans, khaki, teal, Whatever's Clean
<<A Birthday Surprise for a Special Girl…Timeless Chic Sightings: Black with Metallic Accessories>>

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    June 26, 2017 at 9:59 am

    Love this, Miss Janice! This looks like "me" – classic, casual, a leaning a little boho (without the jangling jewelry!) I might want to piggy-back off this and expand it to cover my really-casual business casual needs! (Extra kudos on the Chucks!!) Best wishes always – Chris in Indy

    Reply
  2. Scottie says

    June 26, 2017 at 12:10 pm

    Really love these colors! And, thanks for the shout-out! xoxox

    Reply
  3. Catherine says

    June 26, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    THANK YOU!!!

    Reply
  4. Nancy/n.o.e says

    June 26, 2017 at 12:56 pm

    For my trip last week, I packed with denim, black, and white. Similar to this post, my warm layers were a denim jacket and a cardigan (black in my case). But I am just not comfortable mixing denims – wearing a (blue) denim jacket with blue jeans – so I ended up being more limited than I wanted to be. I should have packed my trusty black microfiber jeans rather than the blue ones. – nancyo

    Reply
  5. Shrebee says

    June 26, 2017 at 1:02 pm

    Janice,
    I enjoy seeing your posts that include three values of neutrals ( denim, pale khaki or tan, and camel ) ! There is also a variation of value in the accent teal color , which makes for pairings with the other neutrals in more interesting combinations than if all the same shade of teal.
    A couple of patterned garments as well as some textural variations makes this a very pleasing and interesting casual capsule ! My kind of living exactly ! Thank you and big hugs !

    Reply
  6. Janice says

    June 26, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    These are my colors totally: All shades of "teal" with navy, khaki, denim, camel. I have been trying to be very disciplined in creating an entire wardrobe that is almost 100% whatever's clean. I love the minimalism, the simplicity, the ease in choosing new things I need and especially the carefree way I now get dressed ALL THE TIME whether very casual or more dressy. And I have you to thank for this! Janice Collins, Washington DC

    Reply
  7. Deb from Vancouver says

    June 26, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    I always love the anticipation I feel when you write " I'm going to think about this." It always means more intriguing ideas that seem so obvious when you lay them out for us.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    June 26, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    This is exactly what I'm striving for. I am at home right now, not working and just want a small wardrobe for things I do outside the home that I can also pack from. I have workout and hiking clothes and a few things for special occasions. But, I want a small all season wardrobe of just my favorite things that all work well together. This has been a process, but I have settled on black, white and light grey with denim, and have a few pieces in olive and camel. (I love mixing warm and cool colors and usually wear gold or mixed metal jewelry with my black, white & grey.) I would love to see what you could come up with for that. In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing more of this idea. Linda J

    Reply
    • Sheri says

      June 26, 2017 at 4:23 pm

      I also love your idea of mixing warm and cool colors and using mixed metals! We must be on the same wavelength when it comes to a color palette! Today's items are just the things I could live in daily!

      Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    June 26, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    Hmm…28 pieces, including jewelry and accessories. Add 5 pieces, and you would have a very practical Project 333 wardobe with zero exceptions to rules! A new P333 season starts on July 1st…and inspired by this post, I just might participate! With this formula, it really doesn't seem hard.
    I might add a raincoat, a scarf, a dress, a 2nd bag (maybe our heroine would like a nice backpack or a roomy nylon tote), and a bit more polished shoe option. Also, I would switch one bracelet to a necklace.

    -Sara K-

    Reply
    • Janice Riggs says

      June 26, 2017 at 8:00 pm

      Yep, you'd be in a good situation with just a few personally specific additions! For some amazing reason, I didn't count things here… (that's a rare day!)
      hugs,
      Janice

      Reply
  10. Sheri says

    June 26, 2017 at 4:24 pm

    I love this color palette and all of the ideas for this combination—jewelry, accessories, and clothing!! Thanks, Janice!

    Reply
  11. Annalisa Walker says

    June 26, 2017 at 11:55 am

    As always, I love your choices. You help me so much when I'm shopping!

    Reply
  12. Erica says

    June 26, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    Thank you! This is great inspiration for my wardrobe planning around this scarf (https://www.eric-bompard.com/en/557-hawai-stole.html) which I recently purchased on a trip to paris :-) It would fit beautifully into your selections here.

    Reply
    • Janice Riggs says

      June 26, 2017 at 7:59 pm

      Wow that's gorgeous! and yes, it would be absolutely perfect in this wardrobe! Good eye…
      hugs,
      Janice

      Reply
  13. Virginia says

    June 26, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    I like the idea of a whatever's clean 13 for my daily wardrobe. But I need more than 13 pieces to get me through a week. So, I double up certain core pieces, like the pants and the neutral shirts. I might change up the style a bit, for example: navy chino and dark wash denim or a tee and a button up in the same color. With different accessories, it never looks like I'm wearing the same thing twice in one week.

    Reply
  14. Lena says

    June 26, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    Love it when you "think about things". Can't wait to see what you come up with. And I agree with others – this is a terrific wardrobe with lots of versatility. I also keep thinking about doubling up the Whatever's Clean 13 to create a larger wardrobe that would work better for me as a seasonal wardrobe without the necessity of doing laundry so often.

    Reply
  15. upfordebate says

    June 27, 2017 at 10:30 am

    I went up a dress size or two, at the same time as decided on a career change. To my amazement I managed to put together a 13-piece wardrobe (+ 2 pairs of shoes and a coat) that saw me through my last six months of my old career.

    This from someone who has three double wardrobes plus unserved storage jammed full of clothes (not a point of pride rather an indication of my lack of skill up to now).

    I've never felt more confident or better presented and I have discovered how much pleasure can be taken in the details (turn of a cuff, matching an angle, sympathetic hairstyle, etc) when the major building blocks are no-brainers.

    All due to being an avid student of your blog.

    Thank you ?

    Reply
  16. shoppingbrake.com says

    July 10, 2017 at 2:27 pm

    What I adore most about this wardrobe is that you paired the blues with an early color. I always think of earth tones paired with earth tones but that doesn't always have to be the case.

    https://shoppingbrake.com/

    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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