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Home » Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Spring Blossom by Valerius de Saedeleer

Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Spring Blossom by Valerius de Saedeleer

April 12, 2023

The last of the “beige-based” wardrobes – and probably my favorite! (of course, this is the only wardrobe with any black in it…)

This is the wardrobe for our last heroine; she has a lot of beige, but her accent colors are unusual, and make quite a statement!

cardigan – GAP; linen shirt – J.Crew; pointelle tee – Alex Mill; natural jeans – L.L.Bean; dress – J.Crew; long-sleeved linen shirt – J.Crew; shorts – L.L.Bean; linen pants – J.Crew; White linen shirt – J.Crew; terra cotta tee – L.L.Bean; black linen tee – J.Crew; green cabled sweater – Peraluna; Dahlia print blouse – Stacia; green cotton top – East; white chino shorts – J.Crew; black linen pants – J.Crew

I suspect that this heroine will also find herself with a few pairs of colorful sandals!

 terra cotta tee – L.L.Bean; dress – J.Crew; earrings – C C + Co. by Catherine Canino; tote bag – Universal Thread; sandals – Bella Vita

Even though our heroine only has 2 black garments, I think that black sandals make sense for her; they bring a real balance to a simple outfit like this:

 black linen tee – J.Crew; shorts – L.L.Bean; leather wrapped earrings – Kate Spade New York; bracelet – Banana Republic; sandals – Toms

If you love lime green, indulge in some peridot jewelry too! You’ll have it forever…

 green cotton top – East;  black linen pants – J.Crew; peridot earrings – Vintouch Italy; peridot bracelet – Gemondo; sandals – Sam Edelman

Floral earrings with a floral top seems nice to me; keep the rest of the outfit nicely muted…

 Dahlia print blouse – Stacia; linen pants – J.Crew; aventurine earrings – Lizzy Fortunato; bag – J.Crew; sandals – Miz Mooz

Of course, her simple beige dress could be accented with her orange accessories too…

 dress – J.Crew; glass earrings – The Met Store; scarf – The Met Store; sandals – Miz Mooz

Some days, the simplest outfit imaginable is just right!

 linen shirt – J.Crew; black linen pants – J.Crew; leather wrapped earrings – Kate Spade New York; bag – J.Crew; sandals – Toms

Of course, our heroine could wear her green sandal with this outfit, if she was in the mood for a bit more green!

green cabled sweater – Peraluna; natural jeans – L.L.Bean; earrings – The Met Store; bracelet – Banana Republic; loafers – Koio

Some days, you’re ready for beige…

 linen shirt – J.Crew; shorts – L.L.Bean; earrings – Arms of Eve; bracelet – Stay Salty; shoes – Keds

Another timeless outfit, brightened up with some gold!

White linen shirt – J.Crew;  black linen tee – J.Crew; white chino shorts – J.Crew; leather wrapped earrings – Kate Spade New York; necklace – Talbots; sandals – Toms

If I owned these peridot earrings, I would look for reasons to wear them!

 green cotton top – East; linen pants – J.Crew; peridot earrings – Vintouch Italy; bracelet – Banana Republic; sandals – Sam Edelman

Her collection of summer accessories is very appealing!

After accessorizing all 4 wardrobes, I think that my favorite might be the 3 Houses by Klee. Maybe…

love,

Janice

p.s. Six years ago, we looked at French 5-Piece Wardrobes in Lavender, Coral and Labradorite; the idea of adding a handful of accents to a neutral wardrobe still makes sense!

Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Spring Blossom by Valerius de Saedeleer

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04.12.23 16 Comments

Tags: accessories, Start with Art; 4 by 4 Wardrobe, warm weather
<<Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Drei Häuser By Paul KleeStart with Art: Lake Geneva with Mont-Blanc at Dawn by Ferdinand Hodler>>

Comments

  1. lena says

    April 12, 2023 at 5:29 am

    Love the addition of the black pieces, such a classic pairing with beige. Though I’ll admit they do jump out in the grouping of clothes, seeing how well they work in the accessories outfits confirms the black items have earned their spot and can even command some of the accessories budget. The unusual accent colors are very well thought out.

    Reply
  2. Susan Gauthier says

    April 12, 2023 at 5:36 am

    Hi Janice!

    I am thankful that you were able to add me back on to your mailing list – YAY!! AND…I just love this wardrobe! Some of my favorite colors!!

    I just tried to save to Pinterest and all of the links are broken :( I will try again later, but will save in my inbox for now! LOVE!!!!

    Susan

    Reply
  3. Sandy b says

    April 12, 2023 at 6:13 am

    This has been a great series. I have picked up ideas from all four. I would love to see it expanded to other base neutrals. Great accessories.

    Reply
    • AK says

      April 12, 2023 at 7:13 am

      Agree. Light grey or bright navy would be lovely. Does one dare do a capsule heavy on cream or ivory or white?
      (The reason I suggested bright navy is that most retailers offer navy so dark you can barely distinguish it from black. That feels too oppressive in the summer heat.)

      Reply
  4. Mary Siedlecki says

    April 12, 2023 at 6:55 am

    I would also love to see this series expanded to other base neutrals. Perhaps navy or olive?

    Reply
  5. Wendy says

    April 12, 2023 at 6:55 am

    Such a great series! Will these four heroines meet up?

    Reply
  6. AK says

    April 12, 2023 at 7:06 am

    The bright sandals for summer are so fun! And a nice warm tan or beige based wardrobe is so useful where the summer temps get scorching. The most basic dresses or skirts are even better than shorts when it’s that hot! All of your accessories are so tempting. Throw on your very best lip color as well!

    Reply
  7. Sheila says

    April 12, 2023 at 7:42 am

    Morning Everyone, I like the black and beige. This is another one where I like the individual outfits rather than the wardrobe as a whole. The complete wardrobe is way too much beige for me, I’d be subbing in some navy. However, when I look at the individual outfits I can say I like them. Weird.

    Reply
  8. Shrebee says

    April 12, 2023 at 8:00 am

    Janice,
    So many different looks with only 15 pieces ! And so many possibilities with the 4 different posts of color accents Love it !! ! My favorite of this series has been the Klee painting, though all of the variations in the 4 beige posts have been of value ! Thanks, Janice !

    Reply
  9. Kristi says

    April 12, 2023 at 9:12 am

    I just wanted to let you know I got your email this morning. :) Sorry that has been such a trial! These aren’t my colors, but still it’s a gorgeous wardrobe. I loved all of them once they were accessorized. It’s funny how much of a difference that makes, good for us to remember when we get dressed! Thanks!

    Reply
  10. Sally in St Paul says

    April 12, 2023 at 10:57 am

    Choosing accessories for a capsule by accessorizing individual outfits is an interesting approach that makes a lot of sense! It’s a bit different from how I would approach it. It makes me wonder what the final set of accessories would look like if different (or additional) outfits were created…in other words, how much is the final collection dependent on the specific outfits selected for accessorizing? Does a heroine just start making outfits as they come to mind? Do they accessorize their favorite outfits from a larger group of possibilities? Do they try to make X outfits with each piece? Or make X outfits from each of the dominant pieces? Or making outfits until you get tired of making outfits? Is there a prioritization in accessorizing that occurs? For example, making X outfits with each dress/skirt/pants and ensuring that there are shoes that work with each of them? Are particular base outfits reconsidered for different situations/activities/levels of formality, such as a beige dress outfit for casual brunch vs. for an active day vs. church etc.? I’m very curious how/if this changes what the accessory collection looks like in the end.

    Reply
    • Kristi says

      April 12, 2023 at 12:50 pm

      Sally, this is interesting to think about. I am in need of more shoes because some foot issues are making many of mine unwearable (not that I have very many to begin with. I’m going from 15 pairs down to 5)… so I have been thinking maybe this is the way to go. Instead of buying different styles and never being sure of color to get. Maybe I should make some outfits with my capsule-ish wardrobe and see what shoes I might want to go with them. It has a lot of merit!

      Reply
  11. Ally says

    April 12, 2023 at 3:07 pm

    I think adding a shoe in an accent colour is a good idea and adds interest to the outfit. Last year I decided that I would use black and navy as neutrals with a sort of golden yellow/white as an accent. One day I was wearing a pretty golden yellow and white striped Breton style T ( COSTCO!!) with navy linen pants and golden yellow Remonte sneakers…imagine my surprise when my BIL ( who rarely, if ever comments!) said “Wow your shoes and top match, that looks great” and his compliment was sincere.
    I have noticed that I tend to have sneakers and sandals in the same accent colour. This allows for weather but also if one wants to dress up a look…I find sneakers, no matter how adorable, just don’t cut it with a more dressed up look. I rarely wear a dress so the sneakers & sandals allow me to get more mileage from my summer pants which I ALWAYS wear ankle length. Right now we I have red, golden yellow, navy, gold and black and tan sandals. A cute coloured sandal ( like the Sam Edelman green) is a fun way to accent, I often buy on Poshmark or look on sale.
    I love the Peridot green and might add to my ‘accents’ it looks great with navy or white. I am thinking of adding more fuchsia and slowly moving out the red accent.

    Reply
    • Sally in St Paul says

      April 13, 2023 at 10:53 am

      The matching top + shoes is one of my very favorite color formulas, and it’s so easy and fun to do in warm weather!

      Reply
  12. Allison says

    April 12, 2023 at 7:27 pm

    Janice,
    For the first time ever I totally disagree with you. On no day ever, am I ready for beige, LOL. Otherwise an amazingly well considered capsule. I think the value contrast makes it appealing to me.

    Reply
  13. Virginia B says

    April 13, 2023 at 7:31 am

    Ohhhh, thank you ever so much for giving me back my lost e-mails, I had resorted to depending on Instagram. I regret that I’ve just found VF fairly recently; never have been aware of how much fun clothes can be!

    Reply

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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...
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