November 8, 2023
This is her favorite colors, all in one painting!
The Blue Garden by Lilian Muheim
One of the things she loves about her favorite paintings is that it includes both navy and olive green; having two neutrals available for one’s wardrobe is always useful.
She’s Named For a Flower…
One of the less common ones for names! But she’s embraced the whole idea for decades – much easier than feeling ill-used by her parents!
And her favorite colors include the colors of her name-sake flower, so that works out well.
Her color palette offers plenty of possibilities:
For her upcoming multiple holiday-season long weekends, she’s decided to focus most of her accents on periwinkle blue – and who wouldn’t? It’s so pretty!
Her travel outfit is a classic navy “suit” with a light blue top, and an excellent scarf. Of course, a navy floral bag is just right…
Earrings – Bling Jewelry; silver leather brooch – Lucky Brand; navy cardigan – Alex Mill; scarf – Echo; lake blue tee shirt – L.L.Bean; weekender bag – Vera Bradley; boots – Trotters; corduroy pants – Alex Mill
The rest of what she’s bringing with her will make it possible to get dressed up easily, but are also things that she can wear for many events. Velvet pants are versatile…
And a skirt! She will be attending religious events, and a skirt will be most appropriate. With opaque tights and flats, she can also wear her skirt just hanging around with family and friends – washable wool is wonderful!
corduroy tunic shirt – L.L.Bean; necklace – Farra; 2 pairs of earrings – Amazon Essentials; larkspur tee – L.L.Bean; earrings – Closet Rehab; floral shirt – J.Crew; floral scarf – Elizabetta; chicory blue cotton sweater – Lands’ End; navy washable wool skirt – Lands’ End; navy velvet pants – WAYF; small paisley scarf – Luna & Avery; crossbody bag – Betsy & Floss; navy suede flats – Birdies; ballet flats – Jack Rogers
This is everything that she will have with her – she’s excited about how pretty everything is, and comforted by having enough things to always be nicely dressed…
Depending on weather, and what she’s off to do, and whatever’s clean, she will always have something to wear!
If you know that you’re going to be taking multiple long weekends (with different people), would you be happy packing the same travel capsule wardrobe repeatedly?
I sure would!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, I was spotting LOTS of women wearing brown with teal and turquoise blue…
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
What a lovely wardrobe. I would love to see this one again in various scenarios. What is it about blues? Read an article recently saying blue is the most common favorite color. Water and sky. Have a lovely day ladies.
Beautiful! This wardrobe speaks for itself.
Nice color pairing. The link for the navy cardigan is going to the corduroy pants.
Thanks for catching that – it’s fixed!
hugs,
Janice
I love this colour palette. Navy is my dark neutral and periwinkle is my favourite accent colour. It’s usually so hard to find.
I could wax lyrical about periwinkle; I think it works with just about any complexion and it’s great year round.
It would be lovely to revisit this heroine for her slightly dressier needs.
Well this post has brightened up a dull and very wet day. As a fan of floral and paisley prints, this is perfect for me. It’s almost following the idea of yesterdays all brown wardrobe but this is all blues. I’m inspired by this as it is so restful on the eye.
Thank you for the link to Lilian Muheim’s other paintings. I would happily see some more wardrobes inspired by her work.
I’ve been mulling over what this heroine’s unusual ‘blue flower’ name might be. Iris, Bluebell, Pansy, Violet, Lily, Hyacinth, Aster were ones that came to mind.
I was wondering that, too. Hope it isn’t the name of my favorite blue flower –
cornflower!
I was wondering about that too! My list included Viola, Delphinium (or Delphine), Nigella, Anemone, Agapanthus, and Sage. LOL
Poppy?
I haven’t a clue – she didn’t tell me!
love,
Janice
I love this one. For anyone considering ordering pieces, I own shirts in “larkspur” from Bean and “chicory blue” from LE, and though on-screen they appear to be similar colors, IRL the chicory is a much brighter blue, with no lavender cast, like the light blue poppies or anemones to the upper right of the painting (whoever named the color apparently wasn’t familiar with real chicory flowers). It’s pretty, but if what you’re after is lavender-blue, stick to the “larkspur.”
Thank you for that clarification.
Actually called LL Bean today because there is a discrepancy between the online and catalog color “Larkspur.” I was told that since monitors differ, the catalog color was more true to the actual color. Then looking through my Bean catalogs, I found a 2-page spread of shirts and the Larkspur one straddled both pages. The colors on the facing pages were very different. So I ordered a couple of items from both Bean and Lands’ End. We’ll see what I get, how and if they work together.
I still have the Color Me Beautiful book and remember from it that two universally flattering colors are Emerald Turquoise and Periwinkle, but the latter is hard to find. So when it’s available, it’s best to buy several pieces which is what I’m doing.
I’ve finally gotten to the point that I order a bunch of stuff and try it on at home – I can’t really find assistance at most stores, so it’s just easier with my husband assisting! Especially when you’re not sure of sizes…
hugs,
Janice
Hello,
Much that I love the blues – will you do a collection using the sage green. I would love to see that as it is one of my favourite colours and I find sage green goes with lots of other colours. It also suits my colouring better than the navy.
I tried to do another post with the green, but it’s really pretty olive, and it doesn’t look nice AT ALL! I’m going to look for another of her paintings with a more agreeable shade of green and try that!
hugs,
Janice – jealous that you’re in Dublin!
Yes Please…is there any way we can get a sage green collection that is not olive?
Yes, I’d like sage green too – and agree that it it goes with loads of other colours, especially shades that are not too yellow, more grey/green…
Alice
Shades of blue…what could be better? This is a gorgeous wardrobe and I would happily run for the hills with it! Thank you for making the morning beautiful yet again!
The navy + periwinkle/lavender-blue color combination is so pretty, and she’s chosen some lovely pieces for her travels (the navy floral wool scarf is a favorite here). I do wonder what the rest of her closet looks like, though, and how she incorporates the olive green and the truer blue colors from her full palette into her wardrobe. Will the olive green be a traditional warm olive or more of a sage green? Will her wardrobe fully integrate the green and blues into one cohesive wardrobe that mixes up all the colors (using prints that bridge the colors) or will it look a bit more modular? Will the white/ivory be seen mostly in tops and prints or will there be some solid white/ivory bottoms or topper pieces also? As an aficionado of the navy + olive neutrals as the basis for a wardrobe and as a lover of all things blue, I hope we will revisit this heroine and color palette!
The olive will HAVE to be sage green, because I tried olive and it didn’t look right at all. What works in a painting doesn’t always work in an outfit, I’m still learning!
hugs,
Janice
Ah, this is my favorite color palette. I need to learn (over and over) to just stick to it!
This is SO pretty. I can see how someone would build a capsule with navy and white (or cream or soft white) as the neutral core, surrounded by these lovely blues. Think of the accessories!
While olive appears to be wildly popular these days, and a useful neutral in some palettes, it is not a full on neutral. It doesn’t love a lot of warm, bright clear colors or even cool, bright and clear. And it is certainly not universally flattering. It is, however, fabulous on the right complexions. As much as I dislike olive, I enjoy it on certain people I know. And, it is very striking worn with true red (one that’s neither blue-toned or warm-toned) Or.. a deep pumpkin orange.
Yesssssss – I have a hard time coming up with combinations for olive that I really LOVE. Olive and : black, brown, camel, cream, pumpkin, gold, pink. In theory, other colors also “go” but somehow they don’t. I cant get red to work, or blue….
I have the most amazing comfortable pair of linen ankle-length wide leg pull-on trousers…
I pair olive mostly with navy, burgundy, and cream in cooler months and in the warmer months I’ll still stick with navy but use turquoise and white as accents. Others use peach or coral in summer but that doesn’t work for me unless it’s a very small amount in a print along with navy and/or turquoise.
I find that robin’s egg blue, citrus/lime green, dusty blue, coral, dark rust, teal, mustard & burgundy are all happy with olive in my closet… although I admit that I tend to use it as a color rather than a neutral unless it’s a suit or business-formal sheath.
Oh, wow! If I wasn’t absolutely set into creating my grey-purples-white wardrobe already, this particular wardrobe would SO tempt me into starting over from scratch!
You had me at four shades of blue. I wondered about the name too, and mentally settled on “Delphinium” because it had to be not a regular sort of name, right?
Janice,
I am sitting here chuckling as I view this post as my outfit that I have on today is comprised of LL Bean Olive Cotton pants, topped with a pale blue knit top! Talk about serendipity !
The value of ” navy blue” in the painting is much lighter than the very dark typical navy blue in clothing, at least as seen on my monitor. The dark blue here is a much ” friendlier blue” for my purposes than some of the almost black blues seen in the marketplace. The blue here reminds me of a medium dark wash denim color. Very pretty painting !
And yes, I would repeat the same travel capsule if traveling with different people.
Me too. I have a go to travel capsule for tropical cruises, another for business trips, and another for long weekend trips to explore new cities. Makes packing a cinch and I’m always prepared and able to confidently pack in the smallest bag possible – a real plus for those last minute cheap flights that only allow personal items at no additional cost.
I love blues, all shades, so this wardrobe is a pleasure. The only thing I would change is the navy cardigan. I would replace it with a light blue to create a twin~ set with the tee. Ever since my brother asked me if I had on a uniform when I showed up in navy pants with a navy cardigan, I can’t shake the idea that I might look like a flight attendant in that combo. Has anyone else had someone I make a comment on an outfit that you cannot shake? The problem is, I think he was right. BTW, a had a granddaughter born on Saturday. Her name is Daisy🌼
Congratulations on your new grandbaby! 😊
Thank you! Daisy Kate is adorable
Yes! I was once told that wearing black and white looks like I’m waiting tables. It was, however, sadly true as that combo, while wonderful on others, DOES make me look like I’m wearing a uniform of some sort. If I’m going that direction, ivory and charcoal or carbon gray suits me much better!
I do like this though am starting to pick lighter navy than the ‘is it black or navy?’ so loved by retailers when I find it. Love just about any green and would work hard to fit it in. Again love the ivory and would use a lot of it. For myself, I would go heavy on the ivory and light blue with the darker blue and green as accent. Cindy, I had a nasty experience with a coworker being really rude about a new top that I bought to replace a worn out one. The memory of it still stings.
I am so sorry about your experience. I think people are sometimes more prone to give negative feedback than positive.
I find that lilac tangerine pink white and certain greys with a green hue to them can all look good with green.. small doses of red; bright pink and maroon if used as accessories can look fabulous. Turquoise is another shade that can go well.
Hope you have good luck finding things to fit into this gorgeous wardrobe of clothes.
Love this – Love my blues & flowers – am hoping that this painting will be revisited in the summer (coming into Summer for some) when the white, fresh greens along with the many blues will come into their own.
I used to work with a girl named Delphinium who was blonde and blue eyed and, as far as I can remember, look great in blue.
Absolutely adore these blues! Another fabulous wardrobe. I too would like to see this painting revisited in summer. Wish i could be more disciplined to create a wardrobe like this.
Oh, this is lovely! The painting as well as the wardrobe. I’m looking forward to enjoying her other paintings when I have a few minutes.
I would also enjoy a revisit to this flowery lady and her larger wardrobe to see how the greens could be brought in. I love olive/sage/whatever with so many colors. Sadly, as a Clear Winter, I’ve had to learn to enjoy as mostly an observer, though I do still keep an olive army jacket and jeans in my wardrobe to wear with my black and other brights.
I am one who will be taking several long weekend trips this winter (the high school Speech and Debate season has just kicked off, I’m actually taking my son to his 2nd tournament today). I like the idea of a set combination of items to pack, but I don’t think I’d want to always wear the same exact things. The families we travel with would start to wonder, lol! Also we parents have to judge rounds, and we start to see many of the same kids over and over. I’d hate to be known as “the mom who always wears that pink sweater”! Plus I get bored easily – I need to give all of my colors a chance to travel!
But the idea of a capsule format is great. Then I can just check off each item as I pack. It would be so much easier than reinventing the wheel each time.
Lord don’t tell me her name is periwinkle, forget me not or bluebell! Parents can throw odd monikers on their young…the obvious companion for olive is its opposite red ( pretty) but the most fabulous (IMHO) is olive and fuchsia! Olive is very drab but plays well with anything clear and bright…orange,yellow pink, certain members of the blue family…turquoise…and black of course! Mating a drab with a drab = more drab. If you’re inclined to mix olive with beige or grey or that yucky ‘blush’ needs be add a flash of colour and flair somewhere…anywhere. Jewels, accessories etc. I am thinking also metallic shoes, belt or bag in the gold family. A blush cashmere sweater, olive pants and rose gold flats, nice! With beige..true gold.
Speaking of metallic..This lady seems kind of prissy or I’d swap out those black boots or the loafers for silver. Overall not getting a ‘dressed up’ vibe even with the velvet pants. I would leave home one of those shirts and bring in a nice cashmere top…that pretty Lands End one featured recently in a navy or a soft off white or pale blue. I get that she’s casual but time of year to notch it up a little or be renamed Wallflower…
Just used the link to the Amazon earrings and found a perfect Amethyst/Yellow Gold set.
Just what I have been looking for for my Fall/Winter/Cold Weather wardrobe.
I never would have found it on my own.
Thank you 😊
My pleasure! And the wee commission that I get is my source of income!
hugs,
Janice