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Home » Does the “French 5-Piece Wardrobe” Work with Warmer Colors? Start with Art! Composition by Lee Ungno

Does the “French 5-Piece Wardrobe” Work with Warmer Colors? Start with Art! Composition by Lee Ungno

It’s always a question – there are LOTS of good wardrobe ideas that work beautifully with black (and usually with navy and grey), but what if your favorite colors are warmer, and softer?

Let’s start here, just for the sake of art. We saw 2 exhibits of this artist when we were in Paris – there was 1 small room in the Centre Pompidou, and then a much larger exhibit in the Musee Cernuschi (which is just outside of the Parc de Monceau, and is well worth the search!).

Composition by Lee Ungno

This just screamed to me across the room – I saw khaki right away, with amazing accents…

Composition by Lee Ungno with style guidelines and color palette

So let’s think of a starting point that is lovely for a moderate winter – not a place where you get snow, necessarily, but where you see cooler temperatures. You don’t worry about slush and splashing salt-laden muck, so you can still wear your favorite summer colors:

A Common Wardrobe in soft, warm colors

ribbed tee – Uniqlo; ivory tee – Lands’ End; shirt – Lands’ End; pecan sweater – Lands’ End; Henley – Patagonia; ivory long-sleeved tee – Lands’ End; corduroy shirt – L.L.Bean; cashmere cardigan – L.L.Bean; striped tee – Banana Republic; khakis – L.L.Bean; cords – L.L.Bean; skirt – L.L.Bean

You can clearly see that there are literally a few dozen ways to wear these 12 items! But, even with cashmere sweaters, and corduroy pants, it doesn’t necessarily have that “autumn-y” feeling you might want…

Let’s add these 5 pieces, and see what happens!

French 5-Piece Wardrobe in burgundy, russet and dark chocolate brown

cardigan– Ralph Lauren; scarf – Bindya; tee shirt – Lands’ End; bag – Coach; pants – Lands’ End

Even just bringing the scarf into existing outfits gives a much more “cool weather” feel…

Adding an autumn colored scarf to a soft, warm Common Wardrobe

3 ways to wear a burgundy cardigan a A Common Wardrobe in soft, warm colors

3 ways to wear a pumpkin tee shirt with a A Common Wardrobe in soft, warm colors

3 ways to wear dark chocolate pants with a A Common Wardrobe in soft, warm colors

new outfits from adding a French 5-Piece Wardrobe to A Common Wardrobe in soft, warm colors

As always, this is a pretty neat way to pull together a travel wardrobe – start with a dozen of your core, stand-by, always important neutrals, and add literally a handful of accents!

a travel capsule wardrobe in soft, warm neutral with autumn-colored accents

love,
Janice

Does the "French 5-Piece Wardrobe" Work with Warmer Colors? Start with Art! Composition by Lee Ungno

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10.25.17 10 Comments

Tags: beige, brown, casual, French 5-Piece Wardrobe, ivory, Start with Art
<<Start with Art: A “French 5-Piece Wardrobe” Based on Nature Morte sur une Chaise by Juan GrisA Giveaway for You! #becauseimalady Promotion at Talbots…>>

Comments

  1. Shrebee says

    October 25, 2017 at 1:01 pm

    Janice,
    Another home run for this “ warmie “ ! This grouping would also be perfect for “ shoulder season” which we’ve been having — warm days, but officially Autumn here in the mid Atlantic States !
    I just realized that this is very close to how I do pack — two neutral 4×4 ‘s, one dark, one light, or sometimes three 4×4’s one dark, one medium, and one light, and then either two twin set accent colors or a mix of accent colors, Thanks for remembering those who can’t wear black or gray and look their best !

    Reply
    • Shrebee says

      October 25, 2017 at 9:59 pm

      Janice,
      Adding or substituting yesterday’s accent colors would be perfect here too !

      Reply
  2. Scottie says

    October 25, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    Even tho I mostly wear black with black ;-) I think these colors are my favorite combo – always have and I guess always will – thanks for the lovely post!

    Reply
  3. Nancy says

    October 25, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    Please do these warm colors again with grays..dark and light!

    Reply
  4. Lizette says

    October 25, 2017 at 10:54 am

    Thanks for this great mix. As always, I start my day with a coffee and Vivienne Files. I have warm coloring and this collection is perfect for me. :)

    Reply
  5. Deb from Vancouver says

    October 25, 2017 at 4:33 pm

    This is great and I realized a person could have that core and add the colours you have for fall/ winter and then have another capsule of summer weight accents for the other half of the year. I know that is so obvious but it just struck me as brilliant!!

    Reply
  6. Sheri says

    October 25, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    Janice, you've done it again!!! Given us another wonderful color grouping to consider! I can see how these added colors could also work with some grey, denim, or even black. Great multi-functional pieces and colors!!

    Reply
  7. Katrina Blanchalle says

    October 25, 2017 at 6:37 pm

    This is beautiful, and as always, I'm amazed at your ability to find matching shades, tints, and hues online. I wouldn't have had an inkling of how to find that brown. "Dark mahogany" at Lands End, "chestnut" at Coach…

    Reply
  8. No Fear of Fashion says

    October 26, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    This is very clever. And it would work with a black and white capsule too of course. My problem is always, I might have the items but how do they suit my body? For instance if I have a pair of flared trousers I cannot add a boxy top or a long (not fitted) jacket.
    Greetje

    Reply
  9. NATALIE K says

    October 4, 2021 at 12:20 pm

    Janice, I had alays understood the French Five to be five pieces in the same color family. This is ho I’ve read about it being done. So, for example, I ould have added five rust pieces, five maroon pieces and five moss green pieces to this khaki basic ardrobe. Did you just make it short so it orks as a travel ardrobe? or have I misunderstood a French Five for years?! I also ant to let you kno that I love this ardrobe!! Absolutely perfect for Arizona inters!!

    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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