April 16, 2020
Urban Heart…
She misses the city. So much. Just to sit with a cup of coffee and watch the people walk by – the stories, the personalities, the style…
And she’s tired. She wants to be able to get dressed without any exertion! So she pulled out her favorite scarf, and her favorite dresses, and started to pack:
Black. White. Gold. No muss, no fuss…
Her favorite dress is a bit roomy – she can easily layer a tee shirt or other shirt under it! In unreliable weather, this is SO helpful. And in a travel capsule wardrobe like this, it is really ALL about the accessories, isn’t it?
Earrings – YOJ; scarf – Missoni; white tee – Lands’ End; cross body bag – Luella Grey London; watch – MVMT; 3 bracelets – Bette; dress – Eileen Fisher; duffel bag – Lipault; ballet flats – Josef Seibel
She start packing – 2 more black dresses! The “fit and flare” dress is perfect with cardigans, or alone with a gold wrap for evening.
Her denim dress can be worn alone, or with a sweater over it. Maybe just tied around the shoulders…
And then the fun – her favorite hair ornament! Amazing earrings and a bracelet that always makes her smile. And her gold evening bag and wrap… swoon…
2 pairs of shoes, and she’s ready to go!
Black and white cotton cardigans – J.Crew; black and pearl earrings – Julie Vos; plaid shirt – Elie Tahari; hair bow – TEYA; gold scarf – Missoni; fan earrings – Lover’s Tempo; cuff bracelet – Julie Vos; square scarf – Pig, Chicken & Cow; gold bag – Mae Cassidy; black sleeveless dress – J.Crew; striped sweater – Banana Republic; denim shirtdress – Uniqlo; slingbacks – Trotters; pumps – Taryn Rose
When she unpacks at the hotel, she reviews what she has with her (if she forgot something, she might need to go shopping!) and sees that she’s well set for the rest of her baby vacation:
Dining out? Ready!
Museums? Ready!
Sitting in a cafe for hours, watching the world walk by? Ready!
A concert? Ready!
As is often the case, unless she’s considering playing rugby or going to a black-tie event, she’s prepared for everything else.
And she LOVES the idea of wearing dresses all the time – she’s spent months in sweat pants, and it’s time to get pretty!
This heroine is me, more or less. Some days, you just have to let yourself have your own personal dream.
I hope you liked it!
love,
Janice
p.s. 2 years ago, our heroine traveled with a wardrobe of (such an ODD combination) olive green, charcoal grey, blush and gold. It worked…
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Simple. Classy. Love it.
Thank you for posting so often. I suspect it helps you. I know it helps me!
I wasn’t wearing my skirts so often after I started biking 3 or more times a week. Now while I am working from home I find it helpful to dress in my work clothes on work days. It’s been really nice to make use of these skirts while I am in lock down even though nobody else gets to see them!!
I love this idea, Jazz. I think I should consider it! I’m retired, but should maybe dress up for those online meetings or cocktail hours.
I LOVE the color combo from 2 years ago.
Oh for a museum! Last summer (it seems almost a different lifetime), I got to visit the Met and there was a brownstone for sale about a block away. I had the most delightful daydream about spending every morning in a different part of the museum… wouldn’t that be a fun way to style a wardrobe?
Thank you for this post, I appreciate the daydreams.
I would make some color adjustments. Maybe charcoal gray, silver and a grayed-yellow (mustard?) for me.
I love the pared down elegance, the black core, the golden glimmers and these Aspinal scarves are gorgeous!
I’m coming along on our daydream adventures, mentally packing my bag, pared down to the minimum essence of elegance!
Janice is our tour guide!
Such an elegant and chic wardrobe. I love the Planet scarf – close-up it looks like a fantastical game of snakes and ladders! I’ve pinned it to my Pinterest accessories board.
Being a Soft Summer, I can’t wear black near my face – it makes me look sallow. I’m envious of women who look stunning in an LBD, though I do have smart black trousers and a black evening skirt.
Then I read that black and white or black and grey patterns might suit me because the overall effect would be dark grey – why had I never thought of that? So I’ve been experimenting over the past few years – first with black/white or light coloured snake print blouses, tops and skirts, then I added houndstooth trousers last autumn. I tried a zebra print scarf as a small item but it was too bold and for me. (gave to daughter). Additional neutrals for this mini-capsule are ivory and grey (all shades light to dark). I wear the skirts and trousers with accent colours of sky/light blue, pink (blush, geranium, fuschia and magenta), purples (light to dark) and deep red and plum. I wear the tops with black or grey bottoms. However one top and skirt are from the same company and the snake print pattern matches so perfectly that it looks like a dress.
I’ve always fancied wearing a snake print jacket and I reasoned that I could enjoy a bit of mid-life madness. I found a loose grey snake print jacket in a soft material in a sale. I tried it on with various grey bottoms but none looked right. It was my husband who suggested that I wore it with a column of pale grey tee and wide leg pale grey linen trousers – perfect. I’m wondering whether he secretly reads your blog!
I too am looking forward to going back to museums and concerts. Some museums are trying to create a virtual experience but 2D is never the same. Likewise recorded concerts lack the acoustic and shared experience.
LOVE the gold scarf!
I love this gorgeous scarf and this travel wardrobe but I am quite sad that even though the wardrobe is based around the Aspinal scarf, it doesn’t include it. I’m off to look at all the scarves they offer! Thanks for all the research you do and all the beautiful items you showcase!
I sort of assume that our heroine would pull out her scarf from time to time… Sorry I didn’t specifically show it – I should have!
hugs,
Janice
So grateful you are still posting daily! Must be a bit stressful. My days have gotten a bit grayer with two ill family members. Your posts are the fresh breeze each day. Thank you.