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Home » Third Phase of Building a Wardrobe, based on an Owl Photograph

Third Phase of Building a Wardrobe, based on an Owl Photograph

May 4, 2018

When we left our heroine yesterday, she had assembled a tidy 9-piece capsule wardrobe, ideal for travel, or for those days when you just don’t know what to wear:

a 9-Piece Travel Capsule Wardrobe in black, white and lavender

cardigan – Eileen Fisher; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; cardigan – Cupcakes and Cashmere; scarf – Faliero Sarti; bracelet – Anna Beck; watch – Movado; tee shirt – Uniqlo;  jeans – Lands’ End; shirt – Thomas Mason for J.Crew; earrings – Meadowlark; bag – Tricot Comme des Garcons; scarf – Echo; sleeveless top – Banana Republic; linen pants – Eileen Fisher; sandals – Naot; pants – Eileen Fisher; loafers – ECCO

In order to give our heroine a bit more variety in her wardrobe, I’m going to add a somewhat dressy blouse (which can worn with any of the pants) and a simple black linen top – perfect with black pants and any of the cardigans. A beautiful, classic pendant in her accent color can be worn with anything from a tee shirt to the loveliest dress…

adding 2 tops and a necklace to a Step by Step Wardrobe

blouse – Uniqlo; necklace –Ippolita; black linen top – Eileen Fisher

Our heroine still has only pants in her wardrobe. For many people, that would be just fine, but I’m going to assume that we want to add a skirt, a simple but pretty top, and a pair of sandals… Warm weather dressing up doesn’t have to be complicated!

adding a skirt, top and sandals to a Step by Step Wardrobe

linen skirt – Eileen Fisher; linen top – Bobeau; sandals – Mia

From dressy to casual – and let’s bring in some more white, while we’re at it!

Never discount the potential of sporty shoes as a source of color…

adding a casual jacket, top and shoes to a Step by Step Wardrobe

sweatshirt – L.L.Bean; linen shirt – Lands’ End; shoes – Fila

With these additions, this wardrobe now as 15 pieces. If one were to travel while wearing 3 of the pieces, that would leave 12 to pack, which is a really nice size for a travel capsule wardrobe for a week or 10 days – maybe longer if you have access to laundry!

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in black, white and lavender

You’re set for almost anything – short of running a marathon or attending a black-tie event! A range of dinners is easy to accommodate:

three dinner outfits from a 15-piece Travel Capsule Wardrobe

Tomorrow? A rain jacket, some rubber boots, and more accessories!

love,

Janice

how to build a capsule wardrobe step by step starting with nature

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05.04.18 10 Comments

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Comments

  1. Lisa says

    May 4, 2018 at 5:21 am

    Loving this wardrobe. I’m not sure I’d wear white for dinner out with my children. But still lovely. I’m gearing up for a wardrobe freshening, with a similar palette. This is most helpful. Thanks

    Reply
  2. Carrol Woodworth says

    May 4, 2018 at 6:32 am

    Why did you abandon your original vision of gold jewelry? This is beautiful, but oh, so cold.

    Reply
  3. Beth says

    May 4, 2018 at 7:08 am

    Oh, hooray! I thought I’d lost you in the move, but here you are on my cell phone! I’ll have to check some settings on my laptop.

    Loving this wardrobe! The balance of colors works wonderfully to my eyes. It reminds me of my daughter’s closets-she has one full closet for blacks and greys, and the other for all the colors.

    Reply
    • mary g says

      May 4, 2018 at 3:41 pm

      i do something similar…on hanging rolling racks..one for my neutrals, which are navy, tan and white, and one for the rainbows. it works very well. you can see right away if you are missing some neutrals, and can dress for the day from that rack alone..and your rainbows are still in plain sight if you want to add some color.

      Reply
  4. Sharon from Canada says

    May 4, 2018 at 7:48 am

    This is my favourite wardrobe of all you have shown. Maybe because it is the direction mine is headed for. I have added a second colour which is usually called Orchid. It is a colour that LLB occasionally has as well as Nat and Matt bags.

    Reply
  5. Texan says

    May 4, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    This is a new favorite, I love the colors! A great travel wardrobe.

    Reply
  6. Mary The Pouting Pensioner says

    May 4, 2018 at 4:30 pm

    Love the additions, especially the blouse. But rain coat and wellies? Your heroine must be planning a summer holiday in the UK!! Hugs, my dear, x.

    Reply
  7. Gail Finke says

    May 4, 2018 at 6:56 pm

    I love every single part of this one. Btw, why did you change your page icon? The pink one was very distinctive and showed up much better on my phone and in my favorite page bookmarks. This gray one doesn’t show up nearly as well.

    Reply
  8. Sharon says

    May 15, 2018 at 8:33 am

    Does anyone know what happened to Janice? Is she OK?

    Reply
    • Janice says

      May 15, 2018 at 8:37 am

      I’m fine! My mother had a small medical scare, but I’m back in Chicago. In a larger sense, I have fibromyalgia, and if there are unexpected breaks in my posting it is probably because I’m having an “interlude” with that, and sleeping 20 hours a day. But I’m doing splendidly, preparing to leave for Paris on Saturday!
      love,
      Janice

      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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