Archives for July 2020

July 2020

A Spring Wardrobe! A Navy & Beige Weekly Timeless Wardrobe

July 31, 2020

One more season! The difference between the Spring wardrobe and the Winter is so pronounced - I thought that I was doing something wrong, until I stopped for a minute and remembered that... well... Spring IS DIFFERENT from Winter.

And I thank Buddha for that, every lovely April day...

You can clearly see that Spring is where my personal preferences shifted to pink WITH A VENGEANCE!

As always, there are 3 clusters here - these could be arranged in a different way if it works better for you! The whole point is that it should work for you...

This is what the original Spring wardrobe looks like when it's broken into 3 Clusters:

Am I going to be able to make this work in navy and ... View the Post

A Winter Cluster Wardrobe in Navy, Beige, Green and White

July 30, 2020

If you're tasked with finding a winter wardrobe right now, I wish you all KINDS of luck. This is not a year during which all of the retailers have rushed to thrill us with cashmere, velvet, tweed, and lots of boots...

Nevertheless, we persist...

Remember this wardrobe from week 26 of The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe? I love this one...

So what IS a cluster, anyway? To me, a cluster is a group of clothes - 4, 5 or 6 at the most - that all go together, that give you a range of ensembles, and that are built around 1 or 2 "bottoms."

My logic is that if you have a couple of spare tops to wear with a pair of pants,

you aren't stuck when you're traveling and someone spills coffee on your shirt; if the weather ... View the Post

Building an Autumn Weekly Timeless Wardrobe using Clusters!

July 29, 2020

This is the wardrobe that I would be working on right now - although it's still a good time to find nice summer garments, late summer is the best time to find autumn clothes! (well, in a normal year...)

Remember this from 39 weeks ago?

These garments divide pretty neatly into 3 clusters; this isn't the only way the clusters could sort out, so if you have a different preference, go with it!

This is what the 3 clusters would look like - it's easy to see a ton of possible outfits from these:

So, with our color scheme from yesterday of navy and beige as neutrals, forest green as the accent (and white as the "spare" light neutral that keeps our heroine from having to wear beige shirts!), let's ... View the Post

Building Your Weekly Timeless Wardrobe by Clusters!

July 28, 2020

Yes, the series ended yesterday, but my ideas about it could go on for a long time...

The world's easiest flashback - remember these 13 garments from yesterday's post?

It's been pretty evident to me for a while that these 13 garments arranged themselves into 3 clusters pretty neatly. Actually, you could arrange these pieces in at least a few different ways, but for now I'm looking at this:

If you're not inclined to want to analyze your wardrobe on a weekly basis, maybe shift to a monthly basis, and look at clusters rather than individual garments!

Plus, this is a really easy way to pack - if you pack clusters, you know for a fact that you have garments that go together! (you do of course have to be sure ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 52: Sleeveless Dress or Sundress

July 27, 2020

The END of this project! I'm feeling a bit wistful...

But let's look at summer dresses. I live in dresses (well, in normal times I live in dresses) in the summer, because they're cool, always appropriate, and so easy. Make sure you've got the right undergarments, and you're comfortable and good to go!

I'm starting with this dress because it's a great deal, and would be madly versatile. I see this worn over something, in cooler weather...

At this point in wardrobe building, there aren't many rules for choosing this dress! Something you love, something for which you have all of the right accessories, and something that will be cool in hot weather...

For those who are building wardrobe around our 6 Scarves, ... View the Post

I Love It, But Will I Wear It? Paisley Skirt

July 24, 2020

Her email to me was urgent, but self-effacing. She REALLY wants this skirt - I mean really really really REALLY wants it... but she doesn't want to be a bother...

Such nice people you all are!

But who could resist this challenge? It's mid-calf, it's pull on, it's got some great colors:

Our heroine was thinking of this as the pivot piece in a travel capsule wardrobe - would that be possible? I say - resoundingly - YES!

Let's start with a couple of tank tops and a 2nd layer for freezing indoor temps, as well as cool outdoor evenings:

A couple of uncomplicated pink tee shirts, and some sparkle earrings! And yes, you absolutely can wear Keds with skirts; it's relaxed and brings the dressiness level of ... View the Post

Accessories! Revisiting Blue Major Elle by Marijah Bac Cam

July 23, 2020

Of course she's packing accessories!

Yesterday, she expanded her initial 8-piece wardrobe to a 16-piece 4 by 4 Wardrobe, since she and her sweetheart are going to be staying up at her sister-in-law's B&B for a few weeks...

Her inspiration?

Her clothes are all good to go - this is what she's taking (or what's already there...):

And these are the accessories that she's already got on-site:

To be sure that she doesn't miss anything, she assembles a handful of representative outfits that she has packed. And then she thinks about what she's going to be doing...

The photographers and other staff want to make it seem as if all of the guests are piled into the kitchen, helping with dinner. It's ... View the Post

Strategically Expanding a Capsule Wardrobe: Start with Art – Blue Major Elle by Marijah Bac Cam

July 22, 2020

Well THAT went well... Yesterday, our heroine was caught off guard when she realized that she needed to pack and leave for the weekend in 5 minutes!

She managed, using this painting as her color inspiration; she felt that the swirling and diffusion in this painting accurately represented the state of her brain:

The photographer and crew from the famous food magazine LOVED her sister-in-law's B&B. They loved it SO MUCH that they're going to come back in a few days, and film a half-hour video about them for their You Tube channel.

Panic ensues. And our heroine and her partner and enlisted to come stay at the B&B for... well, for the foreseeable future!

They're both leaving everything that they packed ... View the Post

Start with Art: Blue Major Elle by Marijah Bac Cam

July 20, 2020

She's been confused for a few weeks; nothing medical, or really an issue, but the inside of her head often feels like this:

Although it feels like chaos, at least it has a nice tidy color palette, which could easily be all neutrals!

Are You Ready to Go? "What???? Go where???" She just got off of a conference call with the rest of her department, when her sweetheart came by their guest bedroom to check on her...

"You forgot? We're going to my sister's B&B for the weekend." They're going to be photographing for a magazine spread all day Saturday, and they were invited to help, and to eat all of the food...

"We need to leave in about 5 minutes if we're going to beat the traffic...."

Dear oh dear... ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 51: Light Neutral Shorts or Capris

July 20, 2020

If I were going to start this list from start, I might put these shorts a LOT earlier in the summer list! But I don't think that retail inventories are normal this year, do you?

Since we're almost finished with the Summer wardrobe, and we still have all of the Spring clothes in our (imaginary) wardrobes, we can be pretty relaxed about any guidelines for this next addition:

It makes a lot of sense to have a pair of shorts that matches your favorite 2nd layer; it's like having the world's most casual suit!

If you have this "suit" in white, there's literally no color that you can't wear with it!

Remember that if you cant' find accessories that match your accent color, you can always choose ... View the Post

How to Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet – July 2020

July 17, 2020

This bracelet just screams sun and sea...

They keep inviting her to come up to their house for the weekend - there's enough room for her to have a bedroom/bathroom all to herself...

She's welcome to eat at a distance, too. Basically, they want to give her a safe break!

Sigh.... she can rent a car and drive up, rather than take the shuttle bus. Maybe this will work?

She thinks about what to pack - not much, for sure!

Her summer palette is bright, cheerful, and quintessentially summery:

She knows that it gets cool up there in the evenings, and she's going to need a sweater when she gets on the ferry...

She doesn't really plan to swim; she just wants to walk on the rocky beaches. ... View the Post

Accessories! Revisiting Petit Matin by Joan Mitchell

July 16, 2020

Our heroine's headed to the country for the rest of the summer! She's going to be staying at an inn very near a manor house with huge open gardens - even though she'll be working in their room for part of the day, she's going to be able to visit the gardens EVERY AFTERNOON!

That sounds better than being cooped up indoors, doesn't it?

This is her inspiration:

She already has quite a few accessories with her - including FOUR pairs of shoes. But she's going to be staying at the inn for at least 6 weeks...

She's going to have a 4 by 4 Wardrobe with her - happily, the inn is delighted to do laundry for her. They're giving such a great deal on their room that they don't really mind paying for occasional ... View the Post