August 20, 2020
We’re ALL Going to be Home…
For most of the winter. The kids are being amazingly disciplined about schooling remotely; they’re old enough that they understand that education matters…
Her sweetheart has taken over the desk in the dining area, and so she’s working in the basement. The kids are all in their own rooms, except when they need legitimate help with something…
She thought she was getting prepared; she started sorting out warm clothes. They’ve all agreed (all FIVE of them!) that they’re going to try to keep the house as cool as they can tolerate, in order to save energy and money. With 5 computers running, at least there will be some warmth…
Still, this is what fall means to her. Back to school is crunchy leaves, smells of smoke, and bright colors:
So maybe she’ll use these colors for accents? At least through November; maybe she’ll make some changes as the winter holidays approach:
She really DESPERATELY needs some accents. This is a great, versatile, practical autumn and winter casual wardrobe core, but it is… very grey.
Cashmere v-neck – L.L.Bean; cashmere cardigan – L.L.Bean; waffle-knit Henley – L.L.Bean; cotton turtleneck – Lands’ End; hooded sweatshirt – Lands’ End; long-sleeved tee – Lands’ End; knit pants – L.L.Bean; jeans – Lands’ End; sweatpants – L.L.Bean
She determines that she absolutely wants more tops – she will have to do a lot of laundry (well, the kids are old enough to help quite a bit with that…), but she doesn’t want to have less than a week’s worth of tops!
So 2 clusters. Probably another pair of pants. Possibly even the world’s most casual dress, since it’s warm and versatile…
Floral moc-neck top – Lands’ End; yellow crinkle-print tee – Uniqlo; long-sleeved tee – L.L.Bean; fleece-backed pants – L.L.Bean; yellow oxford shirt – L.L.Bean
She’s already feeling sunnier!
Red ribbed merino turtleneck – Uniqlo; plaid shirt – L.L.Bean; cranberry tee – L.L.Bean; sweatshirt dress – Lands’ End; sweatshirt – Lands’ End
And MUCH warmer…
Now, when she looks into her “getting dressed for work” closet, she sees brightness, and cheer:
But is this going to be versatile for her? She doesn’t much care about wearing the same outfits repeatedly, but she does want to wear every garment regularly…
Now, to dip into her oldest child’s Calculus textbook, so that she’s prepared to answer THOSE questions!
love,
Janice
p.s. Not quite seven years ago, I shared some Chic Sightings in yellow and grey – it seems right to look back at them, doesn’t it?
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This is just perfect! While I quit wearing gray (for the most part) close to my face when I went gray, I do have my eye on a pair of gray jeans. 25% of my wardrobe is red, and I’ve just added some deep yellow-gold accent pieces. Of course, at the moment it’s been too warm here for fall clothes, but I’m ready!
This is just perfect! While I quit wearing gray (for the most part) close to my face when I went gray, I do have my eye on a pair of gray jeans. 25% of my wardrobe is red, and I’ve just added some deep yellow-gold accent pieces. Of course, at the moment it’s been too warm here for fall clothes, but I’m ready!
Oh for a walk in the autumn woods. The beech and oak trees are just beginning to turn near where I live. I can’t believe that six months have passed since the first pale green translucent leaves appeared, gradually turned darker as the months progressed.
Love the red but I would make it the main colour with a darker grey as the accent – is that a weird juxtaposition?
If I wore yellow, it would be a deeper gold or mustard colour, which I really like. But it doesn’t suit me so I shall have to consider another accent colour instead.
I can’t wait to get my autumn clothes out, probably after my holiday in a couple of weeks time. My gym and my slimming class (too much lockdown cake!) have just started up this week, so I’m looking forward to a fresh start.
I was thinking this would be warm and cozy for a long walk. As well as forgiving of extra pounds.
I really like the core group.
Classy, casual, and comfy – these selections rock!
This is so beautiful..great in autumn as well as in the gloom of winter…particularly if we are inside most of the time.
Thanks for the inspiration!
I see that painting pointing toward golden yellow or marigold:
long sleeved v-neck sweater https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-cotton-drifter-shaker-v-neck-sweater/id_347675?attributes=44256,44959,45838
long sleeved v-neck tee https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/23150312/women%27s-myriad-v-neck-t-shirt?sp=1&color=Dk%20Marigold
I wear yellow and grey *a lot* and get compliments every time. I don’t know why it feels like an unusual combination, but it’s very striking!
Victoria, I’m going to try this! I am staying at home almost all of the time, so I will probably have to prompt my husband to get a compliment, though ;)
Yellow + gray — like sunshine peeking through the clouds!
Yes!
Yes yes yes! I love seeing how a strong coherent core of neutrals allows one to use seasonal accent colors! Grey seems very NOT autumn to me, but with the addition of this yellow and red, I can see it. I hope that you will continue with more examples in this vein.
I actually love that core grey set (substituting a V neck T for the turtleneck) as the backbone of a cold weather work from home wardrobe. It feels so snuggly and comfortable yet very workable for Zoom meetings and “dressed” enough to put one in a productive frame of mind. It easily allows a heroine to shift from team video check-in to calculus homework help to a glass of wine curled up with a book effortlessly.
I was surprised to see two garments that bridge the yellow and red accent colors. It’s easy for accents to feel disconnected, but in this example, I can more readily imagine how the red and yellow could work together. I know accents don’t have to go together, but the wardrobe feels more versatile this way, and I do like wearing multiple accent colors in the same outfit. I would personally love to see (at least) one red/grey item and one yellow/grey item added because I like that kind of integration…color blocking is also quite nice, but I sometimes need to feel that certain intentionality that comes with those bridge pieces. Perhaps accessories could bring that in. I’m thinking that a scarf with all 3 colors, and ooh, a pair of earrings with all 3 colors, would be amazing (if perhaps elusive).
This wardrobe and the throwback post have me wanting to try yellow and grey together, which I have never done. Pale yellow twinset, dark-ish grey wide leg crops, grey leopard wedges, and a scarf…huh, I have a grey/blue/pink/green floral scarf that also has yellow in it! (I have been surprising myself to find yellow in some of my printed scarves, since I have not been looking for it.) Laying this outfit out, I really like it…it will be very summery in feel, not at all like our heroine’s wardrobe, but it’s “summer” at least until Labor Day :)
I’m very glad I took Janice’s excellent advice to purchase the tank top that matches the pale yellow cardigan! I am LOVING wearing them together (and I have worn them separately as well). It’s amazing how just these 2 pieces have unlocked so many great combinations in my wardrobe. The entire “twin set” / “suit” / “column” concept has been a revelation.
Red and yellow: the colors of autumn leaves. They’re not my colors, but they do lift the spirits. And that is what I’m trying to do with my clothing choices now.
This is the fall and winter that will test our mettle. For all with students back in the nest, find joy in the small things, which will never be calculus in my case. Color? Now we’re talking. And do we need all that baking this time around? My pant size says no.
I thought I was the only one planning my fall/winter work from home wardrobe! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to working in the office but I’ve been missing my wools, tweeds and boots and all the capsule wardrobe pieces I’ve collected, many with your help. I’m not buying much in the way of new clothes, though, because what I have is just sitting there.
For the past week, I’ve been wearing my nice work blouses, except when it’s 80+ degrees. I decided that I should wear them and not worry about ruining them when I cook lunch or pick up the little dogs. If I don’t wear them, they’ll just go to waste. In the fall, I’ll wear my nice tops, pretty cardigans and leggings or ponte pants. And my short boots! Plus earrings!
Thanks for making work from home more fun! Not as much as travelling but life could be worse.
Truly enjoyed the Georgia O’Keefe inspiration for this post as she is one of my favorite artists and I have not seen this piece before. Also wanted to mention that I would love to see more of these cluster type posts that start with a neutral core, perhaps expanded to include more than two accent colors for those of us who crave more color variety. Your cluster planning method is the one that resonates most with me. As there are many styles of learning, I appreciate that you present your wardrobe advice in varied formats so that each of us can continue to learn and improve.
This is a great start – I’d love to see some accessories for this wardrobe. Gray is one of my neutrals, but I would need a lot more pattern to make this much medium gray work. – nancyo