July 12, 2024
While much of the world is getting ready for cold weather (I’m looking at you, Nordstrom!), some retailers are still introducing clothes for NOW. TODAY. Summer… (in the Northern Hemisphere)
One of you spotted this and wondered if it was a good base for a small summer wardrobe:
The three colors in the shirt are obvious for a wardrobe, and I decided to add white to the mix because… SUMMER! If you just don’t do white, you can always substitute more navy, or denim, or chambray…
I started with simple navy classics, as well as a bandana, a sling bag, leather tennis shoes and a pair of earrings…
Henley top – L.L.Bean; earrings – Pannee by Panacea; bandana – Alex Mill; tank top – L.L.Bean; shorts – L.L.Bean; cropped pants – L.L.Bean; crossbody bag – Quince; sneakers – Josef Seibel
Then I looked at all of the “lake blue” things at L.L.Bean and chose a range of tops. Shorts and sandals are pretty obvious for hot weather, and the earrings and the scarf felt perfect for this wardrobe!
Tee shirt – L.L.Bean; earrings – Isabel Marant; scarf – Jessie Zhao New York; sleeveless top – L.L.Bean; cardigan – L.L.Bean; shorts – J.Crew; sandals – Taos
Finally, I chose a four items that will segue into autumn… Note that the espadrilles are actually water shoes! How smart is that?
Tee shirt – L.L.Bean; earrings – Gosia Orlowska; scarf – Olsen; sweater – L.L.Bean; striped shirt – Boden; jeans – L.L.Bean; beach & water espadrilles – Lands’ End
Our heroine how has a 13-piece summer wardrobe that will NOT get her to a dressy event, but will get her through endless weekends at a beach, lake, forest, etc. This would pack pretty small because the tee shirts and tank tops fold up tiny…
We all know full well by now that there are probably dozens of outfits possible from this wardrobe; I’m not sure that one could put together a really clashing or unattractive outfit from this! But let’s look at the possibilities, just to dream big wardrobe dreams:
I think there are two lessons here:
- Don’t buy just one pretty thing (unless you have a clear and specific plan for it!); look around for other items that will help you get some more use from your new purchase. Probably the biggest mistake I saw when I worked in women’s clothing retail was the purchase of one garment at a time, rather than buying entire outfits, or a cluster.
- If you find something you like, search around that brand for things in the same color. You may find something you actually like more, and at a minimum you will see what “coordinates” are available. Does anybody remember when we bought items called coordinates?
love,
Janice
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Love these colors, especially for the out doors.
Is the green tshirt the Glacier Teal? If so, there are a number of additional garments in that color – just sayin’ in case you’d like more of the green (which I would) I like all the garments individually, but something seems “off” to me for the collection as a whole and for the life of me I can’t figure out what it is. Going back to a prior discussion of how we dress in outfits, not looking at our closet as a painting – or something like that. Happy Friday!
It is indeed, and you’re right that adding a few more pieces would make sense… A French 5-Piece Wardrobe? She already has the plaid shirt and the tee shirt, earrings and a scarf, so just one more garment would get her to that magical 5-piece French thing…
hugs,
Janice
I could live with this combination :)
Great advice! Remember certain brands known for coordinates when we were much younger? Who remembers those beautiful Bobbie Brooks outfits? White Stag and Pendleton used to offer some lovely coordinates back in the day.
I get the feeling our heroine will have no trouble building out this wardrobe as the weather sifts and occasions arise. Anyone else notice that the a-line denim skirts are on the rise again? Not that they ever fully disappeared, but there seems to be more. And, is it my imagination or are those boho costume pieces on the way out? What did you all snag in the Nordstrom sale to build out your wardrobes? I’ve noticed that brown and tan neutrals sell out fast.
Pendleton! and JHCollectibles. Liz Claiborne. So many that I used to sell, and have slipped my mind. But I remember some of the clothes clearly… I’m getting old – I think we were better dressed when we had less clothing…
hugs,
Janice
I agree with you on that Janice. We were much more selective and careful about what we added to our wardrobe. Now it seems like so many of us buy it just because we like it regardless of if it’s well made or coordinates with everything else in our overflowing closets.
It is mid-winter in ‘Oz’, and looking at summer clothing is downright theraputic. Such a great post. Simple and doable.
Pleasing colours. I’d switch out the shorts for a navy skirt and a pair of white linen slacks as my shorts days are long gone.
Great reminder that buying a cluster of coordinating items at one time makes perfect sense.It probablly saves on time, money and disappointment in the long run.Thank you, Janice.
I love that you know exactly what you would swap out – self-knowledge is one of the big keys to being well-dressed! hugs,
Janice
Brilliant, Janice! Thanks for sharing with us. I love these colors!
Camille
Janice,
In your outfit examples, I am observing how you take one specific garment, then pair it with two different bottoms, and sometimes include a different third piece. I love picking your brain for the purposes of travel packing ! 3x3slot machine, 4×4, whatever’s clean, 4 interchangeable outfits, all fun ways to minimize the amount of garments and yet have plenty to wear without having to repeat the exact same outfit, unless it is a very long trip !
I went for six weeks, six countries with 17 garments; if you can do laundry or have it done for you, there’s no limit!
hugs,
Janice
Thanks to your brain, Janice, I have decided to pack a suitcase with a whatever’s clean 13 capsule of red, white, grey and black. 13 pieces of clothing and four pairs of shoes for 5 weeks in Scotland- to visit a daughter with a washing machine and lots of jackets!
It’s so much the easiest way to travel. Yes, you will be tired of those clothes after 5 weeks, but travel is NOT about giving a fashion show to people in other places… Have a wonderful time; Edinburgh is one of my very favorite places in the world…
hugs,
Janice
Love this post, these colors. I’m learning so much from you and trying to build my own workable wardrobe. During my career, I was a field biologist (think sweaty tee shirts, cargo pants and muddy boots) so a nice wardrobe was never a consideration. Retired now, I am looking for clothes to enjoy the outdoors and look nice. Thanks for some great ideas!
Wonderful! I love this color combo! I do have a pair of LE water shoes that are very durable and versatile. Wish I had noticed these sooner. And, YES, I AGREE that we were better dressed with fewer clothes. Before I took off for college years ago, I worked in retail all summer to buy just one Pendleton pleated skirt and coordinating wool sweater. Four years later that same outfit was the core of my teaching wardrobe. Always dry cleaned and wore like iron. I wonder what my younger self would have thought of current fast fashion junk.
Sigh. Typed a long post then hit cancel. Looking back on past wardrobes it seems I was much better at coordination when I had less disposable income for clothes and when I went into a physical brick and mortar store to try clothes on. I seem to be more discerning when I have to try items on and find a match to the item immediately. I do still have to purchase on line and I’m thankful I have learned so much from Janice. More planning, less impulse. I miss an old favorite store that handled the coordinates for you- Casual Corner. 🥲 I could easily wear the clothes in this post and already have some of the items in my wardrobe. Thanks for another great post, and continued well wishes for you and your loved ones.
Oh gosh, I remember Casual Corner, you could go in and buy several items that would coordinate. When I was promoted to Major Accounts Manager where I was working I went and bought two suits and coordinating pieces. AS I recall, they weren’t that expensive either.
They were reasonably priced and good quality. I had pieces that lasted for a long time. They were very reliable for professional work clothing. So sad when our favorite stores close down.
Oh my gosh, I remember Casual Corner! I believe they also owned a sister store called Petite Sophisticates. I still have a navy blue suit I bought there ages ago, only now I wear the blazer with jeans and the skirt with sweaters and tees. Good clothes really do last a lifetime!
I love this! I could pull a version of this straight out of my closet. Maybe I will. I have a four week break coming up and that would simplify getting dresses.
Always inspiring! Thank you!
I just happened to stumble upon The Vivienne Files on Pinterest. Even though I’m a retired 76 year old, I still want to look my best while dressing my age. I’m shocked by the outfits I see women wearing out in public these days. Even on retirees budget, I feel like I can shop my closet following your suggestions, purchasing items to build out an “Everything” wardrobe. I’m excited to get started. Thank you for your inspiration.
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Oh, I remember Casual Corner. And Pendleton, and Liz Claiborne, but White Stag was always my favorite. I still wear some 10 to 15 year old White Stag trousers and tank tops I found in Walmart. I was so disappointed when they dropped the line for Time and True or something.
This is an amazing and wearable collection, with quiet and serene colours. Like others I’d switch out the shorts for skirts and call it good. 👍🏻👍🏻
Well, as a Mainer who lives just twenty minutes from the L.L. Bean mothership, I have to applaud this fabulous capsule. It simply makes sense to build a capsule around favorite colors. For ladies who need to add a dress to this wardrobe, and want to stick with the navy/green base palette, Bean’s has some lovely casual ones. The casual LL Bean Summer Knit dress is my favorite. I have it in the navy print and the teal print (among others) and it’s my summer staple. These would blend seamlessly into this wardrobe and be able to expand it a bit for dresses wearers, like me, too.
I will never understand why companies start showing wool and puffer coats right after the 4th of July. It’s a million degrees outside!
Because people buy them! For people who wear sizes that are hard to find, and those who already have a completely summer wardrobe and are dreaming of the next season, this is what they love. I was looking at a winter coat at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale – sold out in my size. On July 12th…
hugs,
Janice
so cute.
I’m also in favor of a skirt or dress and a little more of that green.
One thing that I learned from all the posts is that while I think that I want or need a dark neutral, I don’t wear it enough to invest in more than what is necessary for a funeral. I wear light neutrals all the time. The pale blue and green here fit my colours though I have never found a LE piece that fit me right…same with Bean. I have better luck with Talbots though I do have to really look hard at some options they offered recently. The scarves though have consistently been decent quality for the price…and I wait for sales. A new job thank heaven has me looking for dressier pieces…more like a lady wore in the 50s and 60s for church than a lot of the offerings most retailers around my area provide. Thanks to Janice I’m making do with what I have and using scarves to dress it up enough to pass for now. Hope everyone is well.
Well I’m on holiday in Scotland and I’m dressed for autumn – 15C today. Long sleeve shirt with camisole under and jumper over. For outside this outfit is topped with a padded wax jacket, scarf, gloves and hat plus sturdy boots. My summer tops are in my case and will probably remain there until I unpack them.
I do like the colours in this which remind me of wardrobe with the Monet steam train painting. My wardrobe for this holiday are navy and grey with soft pink, light blue and lavender. Having to bring double the number of warm/cold weather tops is annoying but our Great British Summer has yet to really happen other than a few dry days.
Sigh, I think the last pair of “trousers” I owned that fit extremely well were Liz Claiborne. It probably has more to do with my figure decades later than how pants are made these days, but I can fool myself that “they just don’t make them like they used to”.
Great sets! Perfect for summer. I also have one cashmere T-shirt with which I choose many different summer styles.
I saw this shirt last year and loved it. Now, I am in need of summer clothes and I have been obsessively going through many of your posts to try to settle on a plan. When I saw this post again, I knew this was it for me. I actually ordered the shirt in a larger size so I can use it for my inspiration. I’m hoping and planning to wear it as a 3rd layer. This is really going to help me focus as I choose the pieces I need. Thank you.