July 9, 2019
Ready for another week? This week, we’re going to the darkest logical version of last week’s top…
As always, (I don’t think I can emphasize this enough!) this is a guideline, not a carved in stone life rule. If you don’t wear dark colors, or you don’t wear tee shirts, or you don’t wear long sleeves, this will NOT apply to you exactly like this. You can choose a substitute, or skip this week entirely.
And this does NOT mean that you have to go buy something! This could be as easy as checking your closet for the appropriate garment and making sure that it’s clean and in good repair before the cooler weather arrives. (right now, it seems as if it will never come again…)
If both of your neutrals are relatively dark, this is a way that you can wear both neutrals together. Note the small touch of dark red in the scarf, and the excellent burgundy moccasins.
Burgundy tee – Lands’ End; jacket – BB Dakota; scarf – Rag & Bone; jeans – Lands’ End; moccasins – Minnetonka Moccasin
If you like to wear a range of shades of the same color, but you’re self-conscious about wearing light color above the waist (I feel your pain…), a dark tee shirt can be the perfect solution! And I’m having a hard time resisting that phases of the moon scarf…
Charcoal tee – Caslon; cardigan – Vince; scarf – The Met Store; pants – L.L.Bean; loafers – Taryn Rose
If you’re going to wear an insanely beautiful jacket or sweater, a simple tee shirt can reign in the overall feeling of your outfit quite a bit. This kind of top is simple enough that the sweater gets all of the attention that it so richly (!!!) deserves.
Necklace – J.Crew; tee shirt – Plein Sud Jeans; cardigan – M Missoni; pumps – J. Reneé; skirt – Nic+Zoe
If you own a solid-colored skirt, and would like to create a sort of “dress-like” look, a matching top is the obvious answer. And if you’re not sure just HOW dressy an even is going to be, wearing a plain top under an embellished cardigan gives you the option to peel off the cardigan if you feel overdressed. Push up the sleeves of your tee shirt and you’re just wearing a dress!
navy tee – Lands’ End; cardigan – Tory Burch; clutch – Adrianna Papell; pumps – Taryn Rose; skirt – Merlette
If I were going to pack just one garment (Buddha forbid!), it would be a black tee shirt, for most every trip that I take in any but the hottest weather. I’m a committed fan….
love,
Janice
p.s. Flashback to when our heroine was working the night shift…
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I have a black long sleeve tee but the sleeves stretch out as I wear it. I want to replace it but I’m thinking do I really need it? I have a black short sleeve tee and lightweight turtleneck that are both great for layering. I also have a 3/4 sleeve dark olive tee that I can wear on its own. I think I’ll hold off on the replacement until I pull together the rest of my fall clothes to make sure it’s something I really need. Thank you for these weekly posts, they are helping me be more mindful. I think sometimes when I look at a whole wardrobe at once I get overwhelmed. Does that make sense?
I understand the sense of overwhelm when looking at a whole wardrobe. It happens to me, too. I think this series is really helpful because it guides you to carefully assessing whether you have other pieces that meet the need or intent. I am trying to do that myself and it seems easier when I break things down piece by piece.
Thank you! That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. Most women have MOST of what they need, but it’s hard to isolate individual garments within a wardrobe when you’re presented with a whole pile of stuff at one time. We can’t shop that way (well, most of us can’t!) and we can’t do our best choosing if we’re overwhelmed!
hugs,
Janice
Thank you for pointing out that one doesn’t HAVE to wear black. I used to read those “must have” lists, and so I kept a black shirt and a white shirt in my closet, collecting dust. Since I look like death in both black and white, I only wore them for funerals, or when NOTHING else was clean. Since reading your blog regularly I gave myself permission to get rid of them. I pale blush and buttercream as my lightest colors and teal (petrol) as my darkest color and everything gets worn regularly!
There are no “one size fits all” rules for wardrobes; I wish that everybody would quit telling us that there is…
hugs,
Janice
HI, I am reading with great interest and still deciding / agonizing on my neutrals before I can move on. I seem to have a lot of patterns for tops in my closet and plain coloured cardigan sweaters, red, grey, black; plain colour Tee’s are definitely missing and a gap to,fill.
Navy or back as the neutral… what to choose? It can’t be both???? I was thinking since I retired navy is a good change from black. And goes with dark wash blue jeans which I love. It’s seems a bit warmer with my pale skin. I am brown haired, brown eyed with pale English rose skin tones.
What would the 2nd neutral be? Grey? I don’t mind dark grey but I don’t like light bottoms generally except white pants in the summer so no khaki or beige. I Love burgundy a lot and pink or any shade and blues – royal blue or sky blue … open to teal. That would be new for me. I think I am getting there, these can be accent colours. … navy and burgundy or grey for the neutrals…..
…. oh I need to commit and choose and stop dithering.
Barb, it sounds as if you already have a pretty clear idea of what you do and don’t like; for the coming cool weather, navy with teal and burgundy would be great – maybe some royal blue accents. Warmer weather would be a perfect time to use some pink and sky blue with your navy… If you don’t want to wear grey, don’t let anybody tell you that you should, because if you don’t like it, you should NEVER feel forced!
But committing is the hardest part. Take it 1 piece at a time – maybe use a “1 in, 1 out” system to eliminate some of the colors you like less, while bringing into your wardrobe the colors you prefer.
Be patient with yourself, and with the process; nobody has a perfect wardrobe! Not even me… (especially me, sometimes!)
hugs,
Janice
Thanks so much Janice! I am do glad I discovered your blog. I have always felt so lost shopping and your blog helps me focus with a plan. I can’t thank you enough! Hugs!
Maybe Barb could just start with what she knows she likes and stop there. I have committed to only buying blue or white this year. It is amazing how little time it takes to shop , how easy it is to pull together an outfit and how good I feel knowing these colors are my best choices. I really don’t even reach for other colors in my closet and have donated several items as I am finding they no longer appeal. Your blog has led me to this place of contentment.
Instead of tee shirts I opted for wicking fabrics like UnderArmor. They hand wash beautifully , dry overnight and don’t lose their shape. The only drawback is color choices: white, black, navy, and I have seen a few in burgundy. Those are for long sleeves. They do add light blue and pink with short sleeves.
Although this is not my year to buy clothing, I realized my basic dark brown t-shirt is rather stained & ratty. I loved the Plein Sud shirt, especially that neckline, but alas, I did not move quickly enough. I think I have finally found a cotton scoop neck at Macy’s!
Update. I received my VERY dark chocolate brown t-shirt from Macy’s. It is a thin, light 100% (recycled ?) woven cotton T made in malaysia. It will do. I tried a number of others I ordered from Amazon & either they did not have enough cotton or were the wrong brown.