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Home » A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Tomato Red

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Tomato Red

February 27, 2018
When the weather gets warm, many of us get the urge to shop! And so let’s think about limiting our purchases to whatever essential, core items we need, and then a French 5-Piece Wardrobe to freshen and update our classics…First, every change of season has me dreaming of tossing out all of my clothes and buying an entirely new wardrobe from Eileen Fisher. (NOT going to happen, but a woman can fantasize, and then use that fantasy to create a better reality, right?)This is what I’d be buying, if I was going to do such a madcap thing:

A black and white 10-piece Common Wardrobe from Eileen Fisher

linen jacket – Eileen Fisher; kimono top – Eileen Fisher; cardigan – Eileen Fisher; black tee – Eileen Fisher; white tee – Eileen Fisher; striped long-sleeved top – Eileen Fisher; striped short-sleeved top – Eileen Fisher; slouch pants – Eileen Fisher; striped skirt – Eileen Fisher; slim pants – Eileen Fisher

Of course, when you look at this wardrobe for a few minutes, you realize that you don’t need to buy ALL 10 pieces to get the desired effect – maybe just 2 or 3 of the real signature pieces (that marled cardigan – sigh, and the striped skirt?) and add them to black and white pieces you already have…It’s worth remembering that these pieces would result in more outfits if all of the printed or patterned garments were clustered in 1 “layer” of the wardrobe – i.e. if there was a solid black skirt, and the only printed pieces were tee shirts… But when you get to the point of having a dozen outfits from only 10 garments, you’re in pretty good shape in terms of versatility, I’d say!

 

12 outfits from a 10-Piece Common Wardrobe

Now let’s get to the things that add the spice – the salsa of your wardrobe, since this bright red puts me in the mood for chips and salsa…

I’m going to look at the Pantone 2018 colors, laboring with the hope that these colors will be readily available in stores. That doesn’t always seem to hold true, but it’s as good a way as any to choose accent colors…

A note about the whole “French 5-Piece Wardrobe” thing; some writers would have you think that French women only own 5 pieces of clothing, or that they only buy 5 things a year, or some other such odd interpretation of French life. I’ve swiped the term and re-defined it in a more realistic “buy 5 things that go together, and that will reinvigorate your current wardrobe.” 
 

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Tomato Red

earrings – Oscar de la Renta; scarf – Marzoline Milano; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; cardigan – Eileen Fisher; loafers – Naturalizer

If I were to buy a pair of bright shoes, I would look for something pretty timeless, and maybe even something that could be worn with both skirts and pants. This is the sort of thing that you’d want to wear frequently (and get your money’s worth from) while you’re in the mood…With these additions, you’ve got at least another 8 outfits… At this point – you could easily wear/pack these 12 pieces of clothing and be beautifully equipped for travel!

 

8 outfits using Tomato Red accents

I’m going to be playing with this idea for at least a few more days – I’m really determined to help us all focus our spring and summer shopping and not waste money and resources…

love,
Janice

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Tomato Red

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02.27.18 19 Comments

Tags: A Common Wardrobe, black, business travel, capsule wardrobe, French 5-Piece Wardrobe, leisure travel, Pantone, red, travel capsule wardrobe, white
<<Daffodils – the Birth Flower for March! How perfect…A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Blooming Dahlia>>

Comments

  1. Taste of France says

    February 27, 2018 at 9:37 am

    With that basic wardrobe, you could do the five pieces in a couple of colors and seem to have a huge wardrobe.

    Reply
  2. Shrebee says

    February 27, 2018 at 11:39 am

    Janice,
    When I travel I do like to take a “ wild card “ of a printed item in a layer or level other than the other printed items, paired with other solid items. While this gives fewer total outfit possibilities, only so many are needed anyway for the duration of the trip and in my mind, it breaks up the condition of “ sameness” in outfit creation.
    Hope you are starting to regain your strength and energy and are back on the road to health !

    Reply
    • Shrebee says

      February 27, 2018 at 11:53 am

      If you wore the red short sleeve tee shirt with the marled sweater and solid black pants , how would you repeat the red ? With shoes and/or a bag, or perhaps earrings and a bracelet ? Or with a scarf that just picks up the red and black, and maybe gray ?

      Reply
  3. The Bride says

    February 27, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    This is such a great idea for people like me who are fickle about accent colors. For me, it's a seasonal thing. So I am trying to put together little 5 or 6 piece accent capsules in several favorite colors that I can pull out and use over and over, but just for a month or so at a time until I'm tired of that color.

    Reply
    • Virginia says

      February 27, 2018 at 1:02 pm

      YES! Me too! I love this idea of buying 5 pieces of an accent color. I especially like seeing the accessories and a tee. You can put a little pop of color without a big financial investment.

      Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    February 27, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    LOVE this!!! Janine

    Reply
  5. Cheryl R. Peeples says

    February 27, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    Thank you! While losing weight, I only want a limited number of clothes, knowing that in the next season whatever fits now won't then and will need to be replaced. This strategy helps tremendously to cover my current needs while providing lots of great options.

    Reply
  6. Nancy B. says

    February 27, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    All explorations of buying five pieces in a great color are appreciated. I've solidified my selection of basics (for me, grey, navy and natural/oatmeal) and am now ready to add a few carefully selected pieces. I do love having fewer clothes.

    Reply
  7. Deb from Vancouver says

    February 27, 2018 at 4:00 pm

    I'm in for this series too. A great concept!!!

    Reply
  8. Christine Moon says

    February 27, 2018 at 10:43 am

    The daffodils yesterday and the tomato red today!? Spring is almost here!! That red is so fresh – love the deeply saturated colors. I agree with Taste of France – you’ve taught me, Janice, that it’s all in having the core pieces and riffing off them.

    Reply
  9. Style and Reason says

    February 27, 2018 at 5:45 pm

    OMG, that striped EF skirt. I may just have to stop by and try it on….

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says

    February 27, 2018 at 6:07 pm

    I love this! I don't love red OR "black and white" as a wardrobe, but I LOVE how the wardrobe could work with any 1 extra color, and then it doesn't "read" as "black-and-white" ugh French-maid or in-a-convent but instead reads as "Wow! What a bright look today!" yet is still conservative!! THANK YOU! This is great!!

    Reply
  11. Sheri says

    February 27, 2018 at 6:46 pm

    Janice, I’m super excited to see the upcoming related posts using the 5 piece French Wardrobe philosophy! I’d love to see many different options, as well as using different neutrals, such as navy, grey, camel, etc! There is no end to how many of these you can put together…as you are always so talented in doing!! Thanks for the inspiration!!

    Reply
  12. Jazz says

    February 27, 2018 at 7:25 pm

    I agree with the comment about buying shoes that go with both skirts and pants. I bought a buckled shoe that I was assured by the salesperson would look great with skirts. But somehow it never looks quite right to me, so I land up using those shoes so much less than I would like.

    Reply
  13. The Pouting Pensioner says

    February 27, 2018 at 7:58 pm

    I like this lesson, Janice. We all have items that can be used as this core and just a couple of other pieces is all it takes to inject big changes for the coming months. Thanks for this. Hugs, x.

    Reply
  14. kris says

    February 27, 2018 at 8:29 pm

    To echo others, I love this too! (And share your fantasy about an all-new wardrobe from Eileen Fisher . . . . ) Again, as others have said, would love to see this wardrobe with accents in a different color. Both cobalt blue and purple come to mind.

    Reply
  15. Karen S. says

    February 27, 2018 at 10:08 pm

    Love this!!! Thanks for the inspiration. I had been fairly good about not buying many new things until recently, have been excited for Spring… so I appreciate the encouragement to keep focused and shop wisely!

    Reply
  16. Marcile Marker-Petrilli WWP, LM, CPM says

    February 27, 2018 at 10:39 pm

    OMG!!! I have the same dream. This is perfect. I'd love to see your Eileen Fisher Dream for every season. Spring Summer Fall and Winter. My tomato red is blush though. Keep up the dreamy work.

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    March 1, 2018 at 2:08 am

    I have been following your blog and love everyone of them! I think this is my favorite because Eileen Fisher is my go to brand and I have many of these pieces. The striped skirt is a wow and I think I’ll have to give it a try. I have been wondering how to ‘spring up’ a primarily black, white, gray wardrobe and this gave me great ideas. Would love to see softer accent colors like soft pink or blue. Thank you!,,

    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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