Ah, the inadvertently conspicuous college professor… She made a short trip (which we never discussed…) back in January, and then to another symposium in April. Her professional qualifications get her invited to all sorts of places to speak to classes – in July she got out of town for a couple of days to hang out with summer-school students!
This Invitation is Different…
Really different. Negotiating the final details under which she will be a guest lecturer at that university for A YEAR!!!
She’s qualified. She’s eager to do it. But she’s got to pack!
Deep breath… Focus on the art that is her favorite, and that serves as her personal style guide:
She knows that it’s going to be cold on the train, so she’s going to wear her stupid extravagant favorite sweater… (sometimes, you just do these things!)
sweater – Junya Watanabe; oval wood earrings – Viktoria Hayman; scarf – Treasure & Bond; suitcase – Tumi; watch – Tissot; pants – Eileen Fisher; faux suede trench – Halogen; boots – OTBT; backpack – Knomo London
Happily, this isn’t an environment in which she’s expected to wear a suit; in fact, she’s been advised that she might want to appear a little bit less… intimidating, when she meets with the grant board… So sweaters, a skirt, and a pretty blouse for dinner later, is her plan:
smoky quartz earrings – Lord & Taylor; scarf – Emilio Pucci; pink earrings – Rivka Friedman; ring – Zales; short-sleeved sweater – Lands’ End; cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; blouse – Mango; baroque pearl bracelet – The Met Store; bag – Hunting Season; skirt – Ultrachic; pumps – Amalfi by Rangoni
If she felt that she was going to have to haggle about pay, or other terms of the position, she might have chosen a suit, or at least a blazer. But those details are already decided, so now it’s more just a conversation about what her lectures will address… She has ideas!
The morning she’s to leave, she takes a last look at her travel wardrobe, just to be sure that she’s not missing something really important:
She knows that she will almost certainly wear her pink sweaters and her skirt to the meeting with the board, unless the weather is bitingly cold, in which case she’ll wear pants! For the trip home on the train she will wear her brown pants with her pink cardigan buttoned all the way up, as if it were a crewneck sweater. She’s got options:
These colors always come together into the best outfits – when our heroine started with this painting as her inspiration, she wasn’t sure how well it would work. We should all learn to trust our instincts a little bit more, eh?
love,
Janice
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That may be the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen.
That sounds like a challenge! But someone somewhere thinks this is the most beautiful sweater they’ve ever seen, I’m sure…
hugs hugs hugs,
Janice
LOL! No offense meant, just visceral response. You should see my Christmas sweaters.
Oh sweetheart, I wasn’t offended. I was actually happy that you felt comfortable saying your true feelings. I don’t expect everybody to love everything that I do here – that would mean that we were all too much alike. Our variety is what makes us beautiful!
hugs,
Janice
I kind of like the sweater, but I would not pay almost $1,000 for it!
I think one would have to be a bit mad to buy it, in all fairness. But sometimes I just can’t resist showing you some of the things that I find!
hugs,
Janice
One would not think that the gold and the pink would look well together, but when put against the neutral backdrop, it’s glorious!
love the story, can’t stand the colors. But I’m sure others will.
Lovely colors for a warm-toned person. In fact I have a capsule wardrobe along these lines, based on a brown, pink, and gold plaid coat!
I have a soft spot for oversized jumpers and if it had been available in different colours and a cheaper price tag I may have been tempted. Brown, mustard yellow and begonia pink are not my colours, but I do like this wardrobe very much.
I had serious doubts about the colors, but I do like the way the outfits came together. Even the sweater looks nice with the other pieces. You’re amazing, Janice!
Love that jumper. Couldn’t wear it … but love it all the same.
And the thought occurred today – you don’t really count tshirts in your capsules. Which means I just don’t have enough clothes! Oh dear. What shall I do?
Tee shirts should count… Sometimes I miss them, or because they’re so small to pack I don’t consider them… My rules are VERY flexible!
hugs,
Janice
🙂 Thanks for your response, Janice. It’s funny, really – I think that maybe counting all 20-odd tshirts in my wardrobe is perhaps overkill. I’d noticed that the grids you generously supply are so full of tshirts there’s little room for anything else … take at least *some* of them out and the gaps in my wardrobe become obvious.
Your site is incredibly helpful. Thank you 🙂
I like the colors! I don’t think the skirt would actually work, though. Take a look at all of the pictures of the skirt, and look for its hidden panel of navy fabric with a gray star pattern. That’s why it’s called the “Star Pleated Skirt.”
OH MY. I didn’t see that….
hugs,
Janice
I don’t think the skirt works. The material is wrong for the fall/winter season; it’s polyester and acetate. Imagine it with the wool sweater. Cold on the bottom and cozy on the top. A wool flannel skirt would work better. I was surprised by the vivid pink sweaters. From the painting I thought you’d go with a mauve-pink, something with a brown in it.
BTW, I’m doing your beginner’s 30 piece wardrobe and I’m enjoying it.