April 21, 2025
Well this feels weird, doesn’t it? We just finished these paintings a few days ago, and now we’re back with them.
Realistically (we can do realism once in a while, can’t we?), this might be more the way a normal person would pull together a capsule wardrobe after cleaning out closets, or changing their life dramatically. It would be interesting to have just four garments for a month, then eight, then twelve garments in the third month, but most of us couldn’t function very long that way!
So let’s visit this heroine with her most enigmatic, yet alluring, painting inspiration:
When we just saw this heroine with her April wardrobe additions, she had a 20-piece wardrobe that looks as if it could get you through quite a lot of life:
This heroine has decided that she’s going to get her summer clothes NOW, and make certain that she has exactly what she wants!
A digression into the subject of linen, if you will indulge me. Linen is possibly the most durable fabric you can wear, and it’s production uses MUCH less water than producing cotton. Linen can eventually be recycled, IF, AND ONLY IF it’s not blended with other fibers.
This whole “pure fiber” thing is really pretty important. If you are trying to buy things that will eventually be returned to nature, as we should, then buying clothes that don’t have a mixture of fibers in them is important. Anything blended with a synthetic is NEVER going to decompose, nor can it be shredded and re-spun into new thread and eventually new fabric. And that’s not good. Yes, we love the whole “stretch denim” thing, but there are more important things in the world than our reluctance to break in a pair of jeans!
The linen shirt you buy now should be with you the rest of your life. Seriously. I’m going to show you 100% linen summer clothes whenever I can find them. I feel strongly about this, and I’m hopeful that you will understand the importance of this to the world.
Her shopping? It looks pretty simple – some might say boring – but these four pieces have a ton of potential!
And oh yeah – the longer you own linen, the softer it gets, and the less it wrinkles. But there’s nothing wrong with wrinkled linen clothing – it stands away from your body and lets air circulate, and it makes it evident that you’re wearing a truly natural fiber…
Small scarf – Talbots; brooch – Fable England; black linen top – J.Crew; flax-colored linen shirt – J.Crew; black linen shorts – Eileen Fisher; unbleached linen shorts – Eileen Fisher; ivory sandals – Sam Edelman
We’ve reached that time when I break the clothing and the accessories into two separate images, for better visibility! Our heroine’s wardrobe after her May additions is getting lovely…
Here’s the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe for this heroine. I’m thinking of doing our June shopping with this list in hand. I wonder if that will work?
Of course these four new pieces of clothing are going to be really easy to incorporate into the existing wardrobe. But it’s always useful to take the time to actually assemble new outfits and think about things like shoes, jewelry, handbags or other accessories. Best to find that you need a pair of bone sandals BEFORE you’re about to set out to meet friends for coffee!
Remember, the second installments of the Six Paintings series will be published Wednesday, and then the third on Friday. At which time I should be in Dublin!
Fingers crossed!
love,
Janice
p.p.s. Earlier installments of this wardrobe can be found here: Christmas Day Introduction, January, February, March, April.
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I hope your trip is fabulous. I’m sending you a giant virtual hug for making the effort to find natural fiber garments to feature. Thank you.
Gotta say I absolutely love the flax color.
I do find 100% linen very scratchy/itchy. Does that effect wear off with age?
This wardrobe is growing on me. I have a floral brooch which will fit very well with this colour scheme – pink chrysanthemums on an ivory ceramic plaque with a surround of dark metal scrolls.
Why are we seeing the monthly wardrobes now; it’s not 1 May for another ten days?
There was a post recently in which Janice explained this w/r/t her travel plans. I don’t remember the date, but I do remember seeing it.
I think Janice explained in her last post. Or the one before.
Because I’m leaving for Ireland on the 24th and won’t be back ’til after the first of May. This way I have an easy batch of posts to fill in all of the time when I’m away, and you don’t have to wait for the updates to these wardrobe.
hugs,
Janice
I love linen, but I default to lighter weaves. Heavier ones always feel too stiffer to me. You might find that handkerchief linen works better for you than heavier weaves; it feels lighter and less scratchy on the skin.
But I’ve also found that linen becomes softer with time and wear. You can see this in old linen sheets, which drape beautifully and feel smooth to the touch.
Beautiful
When I worked at a secondhand store, I often had customers come in who wanted jeans without elastane. (You really have to search in stores for them.)
Happy Easter 🪺
And I wish you safe travels, Janice.
It’s more common to find 100% cotton in “work jeans,” which you’d find in stores like Farm and Fleet or Home Despot, rather than in mall stores.
“Home Despot” is hilarious. Our contractor called it Home Cheapo when we had our kitchen done. Needless to say he didn’t think we should buy things like fixtures from there.
I can attest to the linen getting softer with age. I have many linen pieces I’ve kept in my closet for decades, yes decades, that feel so soft to the touch. I’m fair skinned so keeping my shoulders covered in the sun is important to me and linen is my go to fabric for this very purpose.
Safe travels Janice. I love this. It’s very beautiful. Currently I have quite a few linen garments – to the point I finally broke down and bought a steamer. My college age sons tells me “everyone” has a steamer now, no one uses an iron. I’m not so sure about that, and I don’t use it every time I wear them, but it certainly helps get the fold lines out of them when I first take them from the package!
Funny thing, my son bought my husband a steamer probably 6-8 years ago ( who knows when it comes to time). I don’t think we have ever used it. It is on a shelf next to the iron and ironing board. You have inspired me to learn!
Steaming’s easier than ironing – for one thing, it’s impossible to scorch anything except yourself! Steam burns are the worst…
love,
Janice
On my second steamer, haven’t ironed in years. A steamer is lightweight and goes with me when I travel except when prohibited as on a cruise. In that case, I take an empty mister bottle to fill with water at my destination. Spray, smooth, shake and wear.
I have a “steaming” corner in my bedroom where I keep the steamer plugged in, a refill bottle of distilled water handy, hangers for tops and a place to hang them. For pants, I fold them in half, drape over my arm, do each side, unfold, refold in half the other way and repeat. Easy peasy.
And thanks, Janice, for your crusade to use natural fibers. I used to go that route, got away from it, and you reminded me to return to the fold.
I have a floor model Jiffy steamer! I am deeply committed to steaming, though I still do some ironing, especially when I unpack seasonal clothing that has been stored away (just did the warm weather switch!)
Agreed – some of my summer clothes are just TOOOOO crushed, no matter how carefully I folded them!
hugs,
Janice
I have to say I am loving this wardrobe as it stands now. But I am dreading the introduction of the brown tone (cognac? bronze?). It just seems jarring to me while the other colors blend so beautifully together. It will be interesting to see what you do with it and if you can turn me into a convert.
Enjoy your travels!
I can see the cognac addition in accessories. Imagine a classic combination black purse with the cognac trim and cognac sandals or shoes and a cognac watch band or bracelet. I’m sure Janice will be more creative than me though!
So glad you feel better and now can travel. Hooray for you!!! Also thank you for introducing some linen pieces. I have made it my goal to only buy pure fabrics. A lot of my garments are 100% cotton. Then I read how much water is used in cotton production and it really should be organic cotton. I really have a minimal wardrobe, but I really want to get it right. Please keep informing! And have a stupendous trip!
Growing up in a Sears-catalogue world of no-iron synthetics, I don’t think I ever saw real linen clothing until I was an adult. It still feels like quite a luxury to me, but I do have a couple of linen shirts that I’ve thrifted and yard-saled, and a pair of striped shorts that (strangely enough) came from a discount store. You just never know where the good stuff will turn up.
Most linen that you buy in stores/online is “linen blend” which always shrinks when first washed. I now buy a larger size and regular length leg so the shrinkage ends up being the right size for me. Perhaps the solution is to buy linen secondhand so that it is well worn. I’m trying not to buy new clothes but linen in the summer is so cool.
I’m trying to avoid all blended fabrics – they can’t be recycled the way pure fabrics can. Especially anything blended with synthetics… Second-hand linen can be wonderful quality!
hugs,
Janice
I have also been thinking about how one would “realistically” go about a closet reinvention like this. As you say, “It would be interesting to have just four garments for a month, then eight, then twelve garments in the third month, but most of us couldn’t function very long that way!” I’m doing something like this myself, having attained an age and level of self-knowledge that I know what colors I wear, what my lifestyle requires, etc., so I’m doing a combined add/purge process! First I did a rough pass, getting rid of all the “Why in the world did I buy this?” items – and now, when/if I buy a new item, it must fit into my existing pallet – and when I put it in the closet, a corresponding piece that is outside my pallet or doesn’t fit my lifestyle (or me) goes into the “donate” box! Not having to paw through a bunch of things I thoughtlessly bought and now rarely wear makes my life so much easier!
I used Janice’s Weekly Timeless Wardrobe chart with some minor modifications. It took me two years to fill in the basics (weeding out old stuff as I went) and another year to round it out, but I finally have a wardrobe I love that meets all my criteria. Slow and steady is more realistic, especially if your clothing budget is tight!
Thanks for what you said about 100% linen. I have been collecting for years, but the flax barn sale is back on my calendar due to weight loss. I have passed on tons of now too big linen items to people who will appreciate them. Some I had for over a decade and they just got better.
“But it’s wrinkly!” Wrinkly is part of the look. Acceptance is a big part of wearing linen. :)
I’m also a stickler for 100% wool for cold weather clothing.
I think those of us who sew (past tense for me) or knit really develop strong feelings about fibers!
Yes, we do! :)
I am a huge fan of linen and I am happy to see that it is much more available now and in more colors. I hadnt thought through the downside of a synthetic blend but I will now. I’m also a fan of a handheld steamer. It is a fast way to make any garment look better and it can be better for some fabrics. So glad you are better Janice! I hope you have a great trip.
I would love to add linen to my wardrobe, but I never see fitted linen. The pieces I see are could fit into the oversized category. Would it be so hard to sew in a couple of darts? I’ve never sewn linen, but cotton, cotton blends, fleece (when it’s thin) and others work just fine. I’m assuming there is something about the fabric that I don’t know.
Sometimes J.Crew will have tops that are somewhat narrow, but for skirts, pants and shorts I think everyone goes with something roomy so that the creasing isn’t too horrible. Maybe you’ll need to learn to sew?
love,
Janice
For those who do sew, Fabrics-store.com has gorgeous, reasonably priced 100% linen in loads of weights and colors. It’s the best source I’ve found.
I’ve had a couple of darts put in the back of linen tops and dresses to give a more fitted silhouette.
Our summers are so hot, linen just makes good sense. I am also interested in how the brown accent will be worked into this wardrobe. This is such a lovely wardrobe.
Have a wonderful trip Janice and let us know if you spot an interesting fashion trend while you are there. Wishing you safe travels and good weather.
I am also interested in how the brown accent will be worked into this wardrobe. This is such a lovely wardrobe.
Have a wonderful trip Janice and let us know if you spot an interesting fashion trend while you are there. Wishing you safe travels and good weather.
I have a pair of socks that are this shade of pink and caramel brown, so I can definitely see how these two colors can be combined, for example, a pink blouse; caramel cords, shoes, and bag; and scarf with both colors.
Janice,
Thank you for bringing up the topic of blended fabrics. I used to wear 100% cotton everything, but then over the years, have drifted towards blended fabrics because they fit better and I liked the stretch. I also purchased clothing made out of “recycled bottles” thinking I was helping the environment. But then I got to thinking, if what I am wearing is made out of “recycled bottles” then my clothes will never break down and degrade…and you don’t hear of recycling clothing made out of recycled bottles!
Could you spend some time in your blog discussing this topic? What about 100% wool, 100% cotton or 100% rayon made from plants? What about Tencel? Should we consider the life of the garment after we decide not to wear a garment anymore?
I love your blog, and I love your wardrobe ideas, but I think some serious discussion about natural fibers would enhance what you have been talking about with buying fewer clothing and having them for a long time.
Safe Travels! I look forward to hearing about your trip!