Last Friday, I sang a small serenade in praise of stone-color cotton pants, as a vehicle for getting more mileage out of a LOT of garments… And some of you asked – rightly – if they would work well with warmer colors…
Yes, but not as well as these:
I think that these pants will go with almost any other color, but I particularly wanted to see how they would work with these neutral colors…
Some are more successful than others – of course! – but I think that these pants are a good possibility if your wardrobe has some “orphaned” tops in warm shades…
These colors are perfect together:
olive sweater – L.L.Bean; olive epidote earrings – Kendra Scott; loafers – Lucky Brand; socks – Missoni; pants – Lands’ End; olive cardigan – Barefoot Dreams; olive scarf – Simply Natural; olive tee – Lord & Taylor; sneakers – Mephisto
If you’re moving from cool colors – especially black – to warmer colors, these pants might help you transition some of your tops and shoes…
sweater – J.O.A.; onyx hoop earrings – Loren Stewart; black loafers – L’Amour des Pieds; pants – Lands’ End; tote – Nordstrom; Fair Isle turtleneck – L.L.Bean; burgundy earrings – Ralph Lauren; black boots – Clarks; gold watch – Rosefield
You might have a stack of off-white tops and sweaters – these pants are great with that color, and give you a little less contrast between the top and bottom of your body than a darker color would…
gold hoop earrings – Bony Levy; ivory sweater – Bishop + Young; scarf – J.McLaughlin; gold metallic suede loafers – Munro; pants – Lands’ End; agate earrings – Panacea; ivory funnel-neck sweater – L.L.Bean; taupe suede boots – Sarto by Franco Sarto; crossbody bag – Allsaints
If you want to break out of wearing red or burgundy with navy (and grey), this warm tan is a good option!
burgundy sweater – Halogen; burgundy earrings – Talbots; pants – Lands’ End; scarf – Image Diary; boots – Trotters; burgundy cardigan – Lands’ End; square scarf – Klements; loafers – AGL; burgundy short-sleeved sweater – Lands’ End
Here’s where these pants really star – if you have some brown tops that you can’t figure out how to wear, they almost certainly will go with this warm neutral!
coffee bean sweater – Vero Moda; 5-stone earrings – Mirabelle Jewellery; brown loafers – Mansur Gavriel; pants – Lands’ End; ombre scarf – Saks Fifth Avenue; tan funnel neck sweater – Chelsea28; earrings – Noni Design; loafers – Tod’s; scarf – ImageDiary
Don’t forget that white shirts can be worn under virtually any sweater! And a simple white sweater can be perfect if you have a true “statement” scarf…
orange cardigan – Lands’ End; orange print scarf – Nordstrom; white shirt – Lands’ End; socks – Ozone Design; driving loafers – Aerosoles; pants – Lands’ End; white turtleneck – L.L.Bean; double-hoop earrings – Goossens; brown loafers – LifeStride; architecture scarf – Faliero Sarti
Denim blue is a true neutral! These outfits are easy… I love the juxtaposition of a very expensive brooch on a denim coat!
sweater – Caslon; earrings – Grace Lee; scarf – Pierre-Louis Mascia; boat shoes – Sperry; pants – Lands’ End; brooch – Erdem; denim coat – H&M; metallic blue tee – Ganni; blue sneakers – Sőfft
IF I buy new pants this fall, they will more likely be the lighter, cooler stone color from last Friday. But if I had a different “complexion” in my wardrobe, I would be after these in a heartbeat!
love,
Janice
p.s. 4 years ago we were exploring if a color palette dictates the level of dressiness in a wardrobe, using a painting by Utagawa Hiroshige…
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Oh, Janice, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Those orphaned, warm pallete items are the staples of my wardrobe! Olive, ivory, brown, even my orange-y coral statement scarf! You are so gifted to be able to assemble these beautiful outfits outside your pallete!
Would be great to see single additions to the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, maybe one item per month, starting next July when all are complete. When I was young and new clothes were few and far between, I used to get a lot of fun out of buying one new item, then wearing it in all possible different ways with what I already had. It made me feel as though I had lots of new outfits. I’d like to get back to that, rather than pointlessly piling up more and more stuff that I haven’t got room for.
Love these combinations because I have so many of the olive, burgundy, and navy items I could use. When I looked at the navy scarf, the link leads to the gold earrings.
Janice,
Would you please do a link to the original page of 52 items each time that you add a single weekly item ? That way I can keep the big picture in mind with each addition. Thank you !
I’ll have someone add a page – I’m not sure how to do it, but I have people who will! And I’m going to start adding a “big picture” image to each of the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe posts starting with week 13…
hugs,
Janice
Thank you so much! I can only imagine how hard it is to put it together and it will be very much appreciated! Your posts are wonderful 🙂
Janice,
Thank you so much !
Thanks for the double-shoutout; fashion selections are awesome as always. I have a pair of pants this color that I got at the beginning of summer and have yet to pull out – today may be the day!
Janice, these are lovely! But the link for the scarf from the denim outfits takes me to the earrings instead. Just fyi…
Fixed! Thanks so much for letting me know; I’m not allowed to click on my own links (!) so if they get messed up I don’t always know…
hugs,
Janice
This is everything in my wardrobe + peachy orange – the bright white tops. I’m in the AZ desert with animals, bright white is a definite “can’t do.”
For some reason I didn’t get the previous 3 posts in my email, but this one popped up this morning. When I looked back and saw your outfit combinations with the stone pants I was really inspired! Loved the color combinations and styles. I can not get enough of those funnel sweaters- they are so cozy and on trend. I’ve found some of the funnel necks can lay funny but look fine with a mock turtleneck underneath. Glad to have a use for those mock t-necks that were in the back of the closet!
I have some beige pants that are a lighter fabric than these ones but I plan on wearing them for at least a few more weeks by pairing them with black and navy sweaters – over white blouses – that I already own. It’s not something that I would have done in the past but you are helping me to consider new options to stretch my wardrobe.
Hi Janice,
Thank you so much for your posts! I am one of those people that feel overwhelmed when it comes to my wardrobe. I have started from scratch to recreate my wardrobe with existing items and slowly adding in new items using the ideas from your capsule wardrobe posts as a starting point. Your weekly posts have been so inspiring. I can easily see how to pull ideas together and know what I am shopping for! Just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your efforts in pulling together these posts! Thank you!
Would you consider writing a piece about incorporating denim (and denim blue) in a warm wardrobe? I tend to associate it with cooler colors, but I’ve been eyeing it more and more as a neutral for transitional seasons (when it’s still relatively warm but you need a 3rd piece for easy layering), and I’m not sure how it would work in my warmer-toned wardrobe.
With that kind of weather I tend to wear light or moderately bright tops (off-white – often printed, marigold yellow, warm pink, some medium purples, …), and I feel like pairing them with my usual black pants doesn’t match the “feel” of the season. Brown works better, but it can’t be the only neutral I wear! Beige/tan might feel like the obvious solution, but I don’t love my thighs so I don’t feel comfortable in light bottoms…
Of course I’ll consider it – it’s a great idea! Give me a few days; I’m getting ready to go to Ireland, and so the next 8 or 10 posts are already finished. But I will mull it over and address this; I think it’s not an uncommon issue, and I would like to be able to offer some thoughts and ideas!
hugs,
Janice
Thank you, Janice! Take all the mulling time you need, it’s always worth the wait 🙂