September 9, 2024
Oh, so many of you are ready to buy something fresh for the upcoming cooler seasons, and SO many of you are hesitating…
A question I receive a few days ago – “I love earth tones – all shades of brown – but does it make sense to add this sweater to my wardrobe?”
Fair Isle sweater – L.L.Bean
Well, let’s be honest – I love Fair Isle sweaters! All of the DNA tests assure me that I’m Scottish, Irish and French (of course!), so these sweaters are in my blood. And L.L.Bean does some lovely sweaters, that aren’t priced to the moon and back. (I recently saw a Fair Isle sweater that appealed, until I saw the $500+ price tag…)
And if our heroine has a closet of browns and ivories (as she assures me she does), this sweater would be very useful.
Fair Isle sweater – L.L.Bean
In order to give our heroine a feeling for how this sweater can slot into her wardrobe, I’m going to cobble together a few outfits in warm tones, add a few extra garments, and pull together a 13-piece wardrobe that’s almost foolproof!
Let’s start with an outfit that includes her new sweater:
Earrings – Lala Salama; sweater – L.L.Bean; turtleneck – Lands’ End; tote bag – Roarcraft; loafers – Kork-Ease; pants – L.L.Bean
A little more brown, and some boots!
Scarf – AcaciaZuri; earrings – Argento Vivo; bone sweater – L.L.Bean; flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; maple brown jeans – L.L.Bean; waterproof boots – Blondo
How about some denim? It seems like almost all of us need denim… And I’m coveting these “barrel” cut jeans… I can’t explain why I love this cut, but I really do!
Earrings – Talbots; scarf – Echo; cardigan – Lands’ End; chambray shirt – J.Crew; jeans – Lands’ End; sneakers – Jeffrey Campbell
So our heroine has three pairs of pants, and three pairs of shoes… Just at this point, she could wear any of the three outfits, pack the other two, and be in pretty good shape for a while, especially if she has laundry available.
But let’s add four more things…
Two first layers, two second layers, except of course that lovely vicuna heather Donegal cashmere sweater doesn’t HAVE to have something worn under it…
Sweatshirt cardigan – L.L.Bean; ivory tee – Lands’ End; vicuna heather Donegal cashmere sweater – Lands’ End; plaid flannel shirt – Orvis
Now she’s in a position to wear three garments, pack ten… I confess that I loved this wardrobe so much that this image sat on my laptop as the screensaver for hours!
Certainly some combinations from this wardrobe will appeal to you more than other, but I’m pretty certain that it’s impossible to put together a truly ugly outfit from these things! You might hate a plaid shirt under a Fair Isle sweater, but it’s not going to cause people to throw rotten produce your way…
For a heroine who already owns… maybe ten of these garments, adding a few new things can give her an autumn wardrobe that will see her through past Thanksgiving in good shape!
Many of us can manage just fine with a baker’s dozen pieces of clothing for quite a long while, don’t you think?
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, the wardrobe of the day was blue, grey, and burgundy. Leaf green was supposed to be included, but September 2014 was apparently not a big month for green…
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Yes! I love everything about this wardrobe, and I already have many of these pieces. Regarding the barrel jeans, they are the same design Eileen Fisher calls “lantern” pants. I have several of those, and find that I reach for those most of the time; they are so comfortable.
OH I LOVE my lantern pants! You’ve just about convinced me to order a pair of these, but since I’m mid weight loss, I don’t know what size! Best to wait…
hugs,
Janice
I’m just wondering what body shape would look best in barrel/lantern trousers?
Not a clue! I’m not at all good at things like that; I wear what makes me smile, and I hope that the smile is sufficient to make me look good…
hugs,
Janice
I like Eileen Fisher’s lantern pants. It doesn’t have an exaggerated bowlegged look. I like the Lands End jeans here because the barrel shape is very subtle.
Nice! Taupe-ish brown really looks good with lighter wash denim.
This is so beautiful. Were I not going down a completely different path this would be tempting. Can not wait for cooler weather and all things fall. Thank you!
Yeah, I’m also on a different path ;-) But this collection is SO lovely. I think I’ll add a denim shirt to my “to sew” list! And a brown-ish topper… Also love that Echo scarf and I think the blue/green version will be coming my way – for my other “path”.
I thought I’d had enough brown in the 70s to last me the rest of my life but the browns I’m seeing this fall are making me reconsider. Some of these are lovely. I would love to see a post featuring your take on adapting fall & winter wardrobes for warmer climates (and our neighbors in the Southern Hemisphere). Thank you as always for your wonderful ideas!
Many years ago, I had a green Fair Isle jumper bought in the men’s section of M&S. My Dad bought one too! I’d love to have a burgundy Fair Isle or floral patterned jumper. Burgundy seems to be THE colour this autumn.
I will keep my eyes peeled; I’m sure someone will do one this year…
hugs,
Janice
Burgandy is on trend in the fall EVERY year to one extent or another. A plaid or fair isle with burgandy would be forever in-style. (I have a sweater, cardigan, and ankle boots that I trot out just about every year for the last 4-5 years… always looks good)
I love these outfits! But I might need to find them at a cheaper cost :(
I know JUST the place! I find things from all these designer stores at ThreadUp. It’s an online thrift store. I’ve gotten almost a third of my new wardrobe from there. I don’t usually get pants online because I’m still hard to fit in that area even after having a gastric bypass, but shirts, sweaters and dresses or skirts are easy. I found a gorgeous larkspur blue cashmere blend sweater by J crew from there for a tenth of the store price.
I search for the type of item I’m looking for then narrow it by my size and the color I’m looking for. It makes my thrifty soul happy. Hehe.
Todays wardrobe’s colors are just gorgeous. Cool browns are magical any time of year, but in the fall they have a special place in my heart.
Thank you for all the work you do for us Janice!!
I get pants from ThredUp (note that there’s no A in the name… they’re being cute…) after I find one pair in normal retail that I like, I look for the same thing on ThredUp or Ebay. Since I’m losing weight too, it’s going to be nice to not pay full retail for the “in-between” pants before I get to my weight goal…
hugs,
Janice
Ebay, ThredUp, thrift stores… L.L.Bean sale items are worth watching, too!
hugs,
Janice
If you are ever in Maine, stop by the LL Bean Outlet store. It is just across the street from the flagship store in Freeport, Maine. This is where every item that has been returned goes for sale. Most items are 1/2-2/3 off….even if the same item is brand new in the flagship store. While they don’t have every single item there, I have found tremendous bargains for brand new pieces that people just didn’t keep. All are unworn!
I would LOVE to go there someday; maybe when we’re visiting friends and family in Boston and Vermont we can road trip…
hugs,
Janice
This is a great capsule! Love the colors, love the clothes. I would be very interested in seeing how those accent colors could work into the mix.
I don’t know how they would work! A lot of the time, picking out a small bit of a color in a garment isn’t a great idea, because at any distance, that color’s hard to see, and then the outfit doesn’t feel like it “hangs together” well. I’ve been thinking about it; if I can figure out something worth sharing, I will do so!
hugs,
Janice
As a fashionista who lives just 20 minutes from LL Bean’s flagship store in Freeport, Maine, I can not only vouch for the quality of LL Bean clothing, but also for their customer service. If something doesn’t work for whatever reason, they truly do make it right! I’m also a big fan of this lighter wash of denim jeans and chambray shirt. Both of these pieces look fantastic in Autumn! If you’re not a fan of white/ivory pants for whatever reason, LL Bean also has a chambray skirt and dress that would fill in for the white bottoms, and I still work well with this capsule.
Janice, unlike you, I can claim no heritage from the British isles, but I seem to have a love for Fair Isle embedded in my DNA as a positive genetic mutation!
I love remix #2 in which just adding brown shoes and a scarf gives the outfits the fall vibe without actually wearing brown garments. Over the last few days I have been going through my wardrobe and evaluating/trying on outfits for the fall and reevaluating what I wore this summer. My problem is that I just like simplicity and get overwhelmed by too much. I literally cannot see the trees for the forest if I walk into a crammed clothing store. So, in evaluating what I have worn this summer, my tendency is to want to donate perfectly good clothes because I only wore the item a handful of times, even though logically they served their purpose when I wore them. Does anyone else think this way?
Yes! If I gain or lose 5 pounds, if I change my Big Plan for my wardrobe, if I want to go with warm colors instead of cool colors… The list goes on! I donate! And then I kick myself when I change back again. Occasionally I have been crazy enough to go back and buy the item again. Perhaps I’m oversharing, lol! I have been getting better. If I get the urge to purge, as they say, I put it in a box in a spare closet where I can’t see it.
I lost a lot of weight in 2017-2019. To give myself confidence to keep going, I got rid of most of my plus size items. Of course I put it all back on and then some more during the UK lockdowns. I had to spend a lot of money buying a new wardrobe. If I ever lose the weight again, I won’t get rid of the clothes.
Just as.
But I keep most of it because I know that I don’t wear the same thing every summer (or the summer was just too short). And as already mentioned, the quality of the clothing was better back then. Some things only go away if they are broken, uncomfortable or too small. And the one that’s too small goes straight into my daughter’s closet. (she is happy)
The trends keep coming.
I gave away a burgundy jacket last winter. The inner lining rustled and kept slipping off my shoulders.
I keep these words of wisdom at the top of my shopping wish list spreadsheet:
“There’s no rush to go shopping nor to purge things from your closet”–Janice, TVF
I think the part about not purging in a rush is as important as not shopping in rush! I don’t think there is a less sustainable wardrobe pattern than getting caught up in a shop>purge>shop cycle.
Love this look. I really like this shade of brown and wouldn’t it all work with 2 of the paintings? Going to check out the sweatshirt cardigan. Sounds perfect for my TX winter!
Sweatshirt cardigan is ordered! backordered at Bean’s but due to ship at the end of the month. I won’t need it before then anyway. Thanks for showing it, Janice.
I love this entire grouping! I would replace the turtleneck for something else, but otherwise this is beautiful!
very pretty.
I have a blue/ivory top that would go well with this. Recently bought a pair of light-colored pants.
I always find it so difficult to find the right ‘warmth’ of brown, so I either buy several pieces at the same time in a store or wear the garment if I want something matching later.
LOL, if I’m looking for an item to specifically “go” with another, I will also wear said item to the store when I go shopping. It’s a brilliant strategy :) Glad I’m not the only one.
Once, when shopping with friends, I did a *massive* jeans try-on. maybe 10+ pairs? The last pair I tried on were the ones I walked into the store in. My friends ranked them 2nd best, so I only bought the pair that were ranked first. No point in buying something that looks worse that what you already own!! They didn’t realize I was wearing my original pair, so their reaction was hilarious.
Love seeing the light blue denim in with this capsule – it adds a lot visually while being dead easy to wear!
The owner of this gorgeous capsule has a Siamese cat in the same tones! I’m sure of it.
If I hadn’t decluttered all my brown elements this would be burning a hole in my credit card- I am resisting but barely!
As for the 13 clothing items- per your question – the last year or two when I do my project 333 seasonal capsules I usually end up with about 14-16 that last all season with 2 or 3 that I seldom wear so it’s definitely do-able.
I’ve settled into a pattern. Lol maybe even a rut! Usually 2-3 cardigan layers, 4 pants, 6-8 tops including pullovers. That seems to work on a weekly wash cycle.