May 21, 2020
Let’s look back for just a second at our saints, and appreciate the choice and balance of colors. There’s a reason that I like to start with paintings – the artists put a LOT of thought into every choice, and we can learn from this…
And let’s take a look at her wardrobe:
red, vibrant fern and green tank tops – Lands’ End; white lace top – J.Crew; floral print sleeveless shirt – Ann Taylor; black & white print top – Banana Republic; black silk shirt – Nordstrom Signature; black silk tank top – Nordstrom Signature; black lace top – Anne Klein; Parrot green cardigan – Lands’ End; white sleeveless t-shirt – Uniqlo; print ruched skirt – Ganni; black pleated skirt – Halogen, Black cotton cardigan – Banana Republic; black silk pants – Eileen Fisher
Our heroine is a BIG fan of accessories, so she assembles a dozen outfits and accessorizes them! She limits herself to 6 pairs of shoes, but otherwise the sky’s the limit:
black silk shirt – Nordstrom Signature, tank top – Lands’ End; print ruched skirt – Ganni; Swarovski crystal earrings – Rainforest; bag – Rosantica; mules – Botkier
She realizes that she might not need a handbag all the time, but it wouldn’t do to be unprepared if she finds that she has to step out!
Black cotton cardigan – Banana Republic; tank top – Lands’ End; black pleated skirt – Halogen; earrings – Julie Vos; scarf – Emily Carter; ballet flats – Aerosoles
Note that when she chooses shoes to wear with her onyx jewelry, she finds some mules with teeny round perforations, and wee gold studs, to coordinate. She loves details…
black lace top – Anne Klein; black silk pants – Eileen Fisher; earrings – Julie Vos; bracelet – Julie Vos; mules – Cole Haan
She loves red with gold, and lace pumps are just right for her…
Black cotton cardigan – Banana Republic; black silk tank top – Nordstrom Signature; print ruched skirt – Ganni; necklace – 2028; watch – Peugeot; lace pumps – J.Reneé
Although her hair never seems to change – it never seems to grow, nor to be cut – she decided to add a pearl barrette to her intricate braided crown. It’s perfect…
black silk shirt – Nordstrom Signature; black & white print top – Banana Republic; black pleated skirt – Halogen; black & pearl barrette – Shashi; earrings – Vintouch Italy; pumps – Kate Spade
Some days when it’s particularly warm, all she really wants is a pretty bracelet and a ring to catch her eye when she’s typing:
floral print sleeveless shirt – Ann Taylor; black silk pants – Eileen Fisher; pearl bracelet – Savvy Cie; ring – Freida Rothman; mules – Botkier
Emeralds? Of course! But not those insanely expensive ones – THIS heroine can find things she likes that are still in her budget.
Parrot green cardigan – Lands’ End; tank top – Lands’ End; print ruched skirt – Ganni; earrings – Savvy Cie; emerald slice necklace – Savvy Cie; black velvet pumps – Adrianna Papell
Simple black and white is NOT simple once she’s added a scarf…
black silk shirt – Nordstrom Signature; white sleeveless t-shirt – Uniqlo; black pleated skirt – Halogen; earrings – Freida Rothman; scarf – Liberty London; lace pumps – J.Reneé
Pearls, and whimsy (specifically for someone out there who’s got a bunny theme going…)
white lace top – J.Crew; black silk pants – Eileen Fisher; rabbit ear earrings – Birstone; bag – Hasanova; pumps – Kate Spade
If you’re not prepared for emeralds, there’s always green onyx…
Parrot green cardigan – Lands’ End; black silk tank top – Nordstrom Signature; print ruched skirt – Ganni; green onyx earrings – Monica Vinader; ring – Monica Vinader; black velvet pumps – Adrianna Papell
She has a fondness for hearts…
Black cotton cardigan – Banana Republic; tank top – Lands’ End; black pleated skirt – Halogen; earrings – Oscar de la Renta; scarf – Ferragamo; ballet flats – Aerosoles
A solid black outfit can have a certain dignity and appeal, with a brooch at the throat, and some eye-catching earrings:
black silk shirt – Nordstrom Signature; black silk pants – Eileen Fisher; earrings – Valere; brooch – 2028; mules – Botkier
She’s already arranged her clothes for the next few months in her closet; now she sets aside an area of her dresser, and the floor of her closet, for her accessories.
Who couldn’t be happy having this from which to choose each day?
In fact, her accessory:clothing ration is 2:1! That’s MY kind of heroine!
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, we pondered just WHAT one might do with a pair of red cowboy boots…
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Simply breathtaking. The bag from Rosantica looks like a pomander (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/pomander/) which shows how much thought our heroine puts even in the smallest details!
What a wonderful post to wake up to – absolutely stunning 😍🤩. I am overwhelmed by the beauty and intricate details. I have similar versions of many of the items here. This gives me even more reason to wear beautiful sparkly jewellery whilst working at home. Though I wonder how big the handbag actually is? The description gives no dimensions.
I like your look back to purchasing something which you can’t resist even though it may be limited in use. Many years ago, I found a beautiful purple and plum beaded handbag in a charity shop – just right for a special occasion. Totally impractical at the time. However, I couldn’t resist it as it was in perfect condition and didn’t cost a lot. It’s still there in my wardrobe and I have used it once or twice as it is the perfect accessory with dark plum velvet.
Exquisite. Love the detail. A beautiful collection of accessories. Well done Janice.
Janice,
Oh what a visual delight , very opulent in feeling ! This post shows once again what the difference accessories can make to dress up some otherwise plainer clothes ! Great job ! I’ll save this one , as I do so many of your other posts, as a reminder of a sense of luxury via well thought out choices !
This is just stunning. Makes me wish I were the type of person to be wearing all this…thank you!
You could ‘become the type of person who wears all this’, if you want to? Why not? There are no rules these days. Wear what you like, when you like, particularly now that we are at home and have nowhere to go.
Why should any of us be held back by the ‘fashion police’? They all look the same and have no separate identity.
Sparkles bring joy to you and a smile from others.
I began collecting sparkly jewellery when I was a teenager and my Grandmother gave several pieces of hers. However, my mother held the view that I should wear it for evenings only 🙄
When you are a teenager, you don’t question this ‘received wisdom’. For years all my sparkly stuff sat in my jewellery box waiting for an occasion to wear it which of course never came because I never went to places where you ‘dressed up’. Times had changed.
One day, I was wearing a new tea dress and the only necklace I could find that went with it was a pale blue crystal necklace. It was pretty and sparkly, lifted the dress and my mood. It looked far better in the sun than plain beads. I regularly wore it with the dress and recieved lots of compliments and people admiring how courageous I was to wear rhinestones in daylight!
I had remarks from women of my mother’s generation (and a raised eyebrow from my mother) as to why I was wearing sparkles during the day? Surely that is for evening? So?
What is the point having rhinestone and crystal jewellery languishing in a drawer to wear on an occasional evening out? They really catch the light on sunny day, in fact more so than in artificial light.
Janice has reinspired me. Today I’m wearing blue crystal jewellery with a top covered in butterflies and flowers and grey linen trousers.
Bravo!
It’s always evening somewhere!
Gorgeous! I love the fancy touches.
I’m so impressed that the accessories truly capture the feel of the original painting and the esthetic of the heroine. Well done Janice!
Swoon. One beautiful group after the next. I have always favoured the posts you have done with this painting, but this! Terrific. I want to be friends with this woman just so I can see what she’s wearing. She’s a very special person.
Ooh, I love those black and white Kate Spade pumps and the Julie Vos hoop and charm earrings. You find the most exquisite accessories!
I didn’t buy ANY of them. Yet. The day is young…
hugs,
Janice
I would have purchased the kate spade pumps since they are marked really low but my size is not available 9.5. sigh. Really beautiful accessories. Thank you for finding them.
These are all such gorgeous pieces, and the subtle details in the completed outfits are swoon-worthy. For example, the congruent (but intriguingly not identical) shapes of the red-edged scarf and gold earrings in the second outfit captivates the eye.
I had a rough night and woke feeling tired and emotionally worn out this morning, but those bunny earrings made me literally squeal out loud with joy! (And I immediately ordered them!) So THANK YOU for that completely delightful surprise that shook me out of my doldrums. My heart is singing with rabbit glee. And your thoughtfulness has made my day.
It was impossible to resist – I saw the earrings, I thought of you!
hugs,
Janice
Janice, you outdid yourself. Absolutely stunning.
Glorious. I would wear absolutely none of it (being a boho sort with autumnal coloring) but I enjoy just looking at it all and drooling. That bag…
I had to go back and look at her previous wardrobes to enjoy the full scope of it.
Speaking of boho, how about a boho-ish summer capsule? “She’d been to Burning Man back in the day. You couldn’t pay her to go now, too crowded. She was always more Summer of Love than all night rave anyway. And she has kids now. But she still wants her style to come through, whether it’s at a socially distanced picnic in the park or right in her own backyard.” Pretty please?
I can try – it’s not a style I can really put my finger on! Some looking at pictures is in my future….
hugs,
Janice
Does Boho equal long flowing outfits with prints? Maybe Soft Surroundings as the vendor? They have 3 that jump out – the Raeni dress or the Meknes shirt dress or the Catriona Chiffon dress. I hope this is what Renee was meaning.
I was thinking of them, but they sometimes only show ONE photograph of garments! I’m not thinking that spending $90 on a tunic on the strength of just 1 pictures is something that feels comfortable for me. And of course they show either the garments on models, or they show a close-up detail. Just SHOW ME THE SHIRT, please…
But I think that’s a good start for getting into the boho mood…
thanks!
hugs
Janice
I think boho is something you can do full-on or just accents. Janice, I’m always interested in how you style Novica jewelry because you may not be boho but Novica strikes me as very boho. So does pretty much everything in the Johnny Was catalog. And Sundance is pretty much all boho too. Garnet Hill & J. Jill can go boho. Coldwater Creek. Serengeti. A lot of the “world market” inspired catalogs look very boho to me. Even Land’s End can go boho depending on the accessories!
A “boho-lite for a grown woman” summer wardrobe would be fun. I think of Anthropologie as boho also, though they only sometimes show a flat lay/hanger shot of the items.
This is all so wonderful! I would take – and wear often – all of the the earrings that aren’t green (I have some beautiful green and gold earrings that would suit this wardrobe perfectly, but I never wear them). And the scarves! It’s a good thing the Emily Carter one is sold out because I didn’t want to talk myself out of that purchase! Also, why is the Ferragamo one crossed out? The link looks good. – nancyo
I believe the same Emily Carter scarf is available: https://www.emily-carter.co.uk/product-page/the-jewel-gem-scarf
thank you! It is gorgeous. – nancyo
I did a squee of delight when I saw this heroine again. February holiday to North America was packed entirely on this colour scheme. Now lounging at home in black Chinese silk Pyjamas, just trying my best to live up to Phrynie Fisher and this lady.
Beautiful choices yet again to ponder on the long Winter evenings.
Julie in Melbourne
Love these outfit ideas! Thank you for sharing!
This collection took my breath away, and I don’t even wear these colors. So elegant and intricate. Thank you for putting this together and letting us dream!