April 26, 2023
Why yes, 2 seasons in 3 days! It’s sort of like living in Chicago…
(at least if you live with me, where being forgetful is a way of life!)
Given the scattered and disorganized way I’m living these days, I thought that a really simple, comprehensive little cluster of clothes might be something useful for me; I could open my closet and find clothes that I can wear for anything from warm to reasonably cold…
It’s kind of like the stress dressing that I’ve addressed in the past; having enough ready any time, just in case you’re suddenly invited out to lunch, or for a walk, or for a meeting with your tax preparer! (THAT is stress…)
Scarf – Soft Strokes Silk; pearl earrings – Petite Gold; ivory cotton-linen sweater – J.Crew; flax linen tee shirt – J.Crew; long-sleeved shirt – J.Crew; chino shorts – J.Crew; cardigan – J.Crew; linen pants – J.Crew; tote bag – L.L.Bean; sandals – Sam Edelman; dark natural espadrilles – Toms
If the weather is cool, a shirt, sweater, pants and closed shoes will do the trick; conversely, if it’s warm when you go out for a walk, all you need are shorts, a tee shirt and sandals…
Of course you can already see how easy it would be to toss all of these things into a tote bag for an emergency trip, or just a last-minute invitation downtown for the weekend:
earrings – Swarovski; linen tee – J.Crew; Tiffany cyclamen scarf – The Met Store; sweater – J.Crew; cotton cashmere cardigan – J.Crew; linen pants – J.Crew; long sleeved shirt – COS; shorts – Caslon; sandals – Dolce Vita; tote bag – Bembien for J.Crew; loafers – Eastland
In the past, I’ve always thought that a “stress dressing” wardrobe cluster would be in a neutral color, and of course that always works well!
But don’t discount the idea of blending 2 colors…
This next heroine is NOT going to wear shorts, but a nice summer dress is right up her alley!
Floral earrings – Freida Rothman; short-sleeved Henley sweater – L.L.Bean; raw indigo tank top – L.L.Bean; soft indigo cotton sweater – L.L.Bean; dress – L.L.Bean; white hooded sweatshirt – L.L.Bean; striped pants – L.L.Bean; sandals – Bella Vita; canvas shoes – Dr. Scholl’s; scarf – Metiseko; tote – Furla
A wardrobe cluster like the following gives you the option to dress pretty brightly, or more subtly, depending on your mood. Even with just 6 garments, you can have options!
Leather bracelet – Jahde; coral earrings – Freida Rothman; coral quartz gauze shirt – L.L.Bean; paperwhite cotton sweater – L.L.Bean; coral tank top – L.L.Bean; shorts – L.L.Bean; coral tee – L.L.Bean; stone cropped pants – L.L.Bean; sneakers – Sam Edelman; bag – J.Crew; sandals – Clarks
If you’ve got a lot of events coming up for summer holidays (many of which are patriotic in nature in the US), having your options chosen well in advance would only be sensible…
White linen tunic – Lands’ End; sapphire earrings – Charlotte’s Web Jewellery; wavy silver bracelet – Marie June Jewelry; striped cotton sweater – Lands’ End; red cardigan – Lands’ End; dress – Lands’ End; shorts – Lands’ End; striped tee – Lands’ End; navy sandals – Bella Vita; tote bag – Rue de Verneuil; sneakers – Johnston & Murphy
Always look for the flowers, right?
I will get my warm weather capsule sorted as soon as we have warm weather for more than 48 hours!
love,
Janice
p.s. Just last year, I looked at warm weather “stress dressing” clusters – it’s a favorite idea of mine! Making life easier is one of the best reasons to organize your closet…
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The heroine who opts for a dress over shorts knows about hot weather, which seems pretty elusive this spring.
Love these clusters because they’re so wearable, but really coveting those coral Clark’s sandals.
Oh my gosh, that first scarf is just amazing. I’m partial to the shades of blue cluster today. I also like the coral. We are supposed to be very warm end of the week, I jumped the gun yesterday and did not wear clothes warm enough, so spent the entire day (when i could) huddled over the heater in my office. I’m tired of dark colors. Today I’m back to more sensible items, but will wear a bright scarf to cheer things up a bit. Thank you Janice, have a great day everyone.
So cold today and ‘grain rain’ is definitely right. I’m wearing coral with black….a little bit of spring and a little bit of winter. After spending a week in Florida where it was hot and sunny, I cannot go back to my winter clothes, which just feel drab and heavy now. I love all the above wardrobes and would wear any of them happily throughout the summer.
Perfect timing for me. We have also been having crazy chageable weather. Last week I was wearing shorts and sandals, yesterday it was cool and drizzly. I looked in my closet and just didn’t like any of my options. I’m so bored! I recently purged a lot, and now I am left with mostly solids, with a handful of stripes and plaids. I am craving color and pattern! However I love the navy sleeveless dress. I think that would be very versatile. I need it in both navy and black (Yes, I have two dark neutrals.). Also that first scarf is gorgeous! Thanks again for the inspiration.
I’d washed my parka and stored it. I got it out yesterday for walking my puppy. I’d love to see a post on being a bit spring like even when it’s cold, I.e. no linen pants, brrr!
Oh wow! I was only just thinking about your stress dressing posts you’ve done in the past. I’m wishing I’d taken your advice and disciplined myself to keep such a mini wardrobe at the ready, because it would have saved me a lot of headache:
Two weeks ago we had a catastrophe that resulted in the need to suddenly and quickly empty, gut, and refinish our bedroom. Even FINDING clothes to wear became a challenge, and I soon discovered that the easiest thing in the world to wear was a long, loose, simple linen dress with a pair of sandals and a cardigan. The nice thing about a dress is that you only have to think about one thing–there is no need to figure out a top AND a bottom that go together. I was surprised at how useful they were, even for sanding and cleaning and moving. I have three of them on rotation now, and it’s been so nice to have one less thing to think about. I do wish I’d had a little bag of emergency clothes that was set aside and always at the ready for this kind of thing, or for a sudden emergency trip.
Being newly postpartum, my wearable wardrobe is about as big as these lovely capsules! Much as I’m tempted to go out a buy more, I’m realizing how content I can be with just a few coordinating pieces that make me feel good.
Congratulations !
Kudos to you Stephanie!!! Super important to do as many things that make you feel good always but specially when becoming a mom ❤️❤️❤️ As Janice would say, to take care of others you have to start by taking care of you! Prayers for a speedy recovery ;)
Hey, I used to get your posts as emails and belatedly realized I hadn’t seen them for a long time. Is there a way I can resubscribe?
I put you back on the list – if you don’t get an email Friday, let me know!
hugs,
Janice
Janice,
Our weather is just perfect for umbrellas, turtlenecks, Winter jacket , tank top, shorts and sandals — all in the same day ! I have the heat on at night and the AC by day !
Love your blog! Thank you for always showing such a variety of options. And thank you for continuing to show black!
Janice, as I looked at both the 6 light pieces and the 6 dark pieces, plus 2 of the accent colors, I thought that combining them all might be the ticket for the start of a Summer wardrobe . My black for Summer would have to be a medium tan , however.
Recently I retuned from a three week vacation, unpacked and then had to travel for a week long visit to help my elderly mom after a fall. Now that I am home again and facing the multitude of options in my closet, I find that I am missing the simplicity of choosing what to wear from my curated travel wardrobes (selected from the wisdom of reading many VivienneFiles posts). Thinking back too, to the eight pieces I pulled from my closet last Christmas season and the ease of getting dressed for various events, your suggestion of creating 6 piece spring clusters seems like a great way to rediscover my spring clothing options and transition into warm weather (which is promising to arrive soon here in the PNW).
Oh, I love the blue outfits! My wardrobe is a bit of a conundrum with our weather lately too. I moved all the spring stuff in but saved a little of winter (which I have a different neutral for) and so they sort of go (sort of not). I’ll be happy when we’re fully spring here!