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Home » Want a Touch of Brown with Your Chambray? Tullynally Castle Corridor & Window by Hector McDonnell

Want a Touch of Brown with Your Chambray? Tullynally Castle Corridor & Window by Hector McDonnell

June 16, 2025

She goes away a LOT of weekends in the summer. Many of her friends have places on lakes or the seashore, or in a forest near a lake… And she must be an excellent guest, because she’s always invited somewhere!

This is one of her favorite paintings:

She always feels like the window at the end of the hall is crooked!

Her colors that she’s isolated from the painting are shown here; she doesn’t include the tiny touches of red, but she does wear a good red lipstick sometimes…

She usually leaves for her friend’s home straight from work – she’s close to the train station when she’s in her office! She dresses simply, but with a cardigan to battle the office air-conditioning.

navy cotton cardigan – L.L.Bean; earrings – Marchesa; mist blue tee – L.L.Bean; scarf – Saint Jane; linen pants – L.L.Bean; tote – Bogg Bag; flats – Earth

She doesn’t swim – she’s more the “sitting on the porch with a book and a beverage” kind of weekender. And she’s recently been really happy wearing a lot of chambray, and wearing brown accents. You can cram a lot of personal preference into a pretty small weekend wardrobe:

Blue earrings – Steeltime; brown earrings – Panacea; cutwork trim tee – Boden; chambray shirt – Alex Mill; brown tee shirt – GAP; misty aqua tank – Lands’ End; bag – Mafalda; cotton scarf – Echo; shorts – Alex Mill; chambray pants – Alex Mill; leather thong sandals – J.Crew

It seems like a lot, but summer clothes fold down into tiny spaces! Even with the addition of undergarments and something to wear at night, this is still a small travel capsule wardrobe:

It might be cold, it might be hot! But our heroine is prepared:

I can see the possible need for a pair of sneakers and a pair of socks – cold feet are never fun…

It feels like all of Chicago goes away for the weekend sometimes. Is this normal where you live?

love,

Janice

p.s. Ten years ago, I was packing for 18 hours, and my imagination turned this into a Six-Pack – one of the first!

Want a Touch of Brown with Your Chambray Tullynally Castle Corridor & Window by Hector McDonnell

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06.16.25 13 Comments

Tags: blue, navy, Six Pack, Start with Art, travel capsule wardrobe
<<Want to Pack In Two Moods? Start With Two Scarves: Frances Valentine and Kurt GeigerLove Pink and Green? Start With Two Scarves: Elizabetta and Jessie Zhao New York>>

Comments

  1. Maria says

    June 16, 2025 at 3:05 am

    Oh, such a beautiful painting and lovely wardrobe.
    These earrings are so fantastic.
    When I pack for a (long) weekend, I take two very different outfits that can easily be swapped around. So I don’t feel like I’m always wearing the same thing and have variety.
    Yes, unfortunately, I’m still a long way from wearing Janice’s ‘same thing for several days.’
    Who knows what that would be like in a remote cabin or island… 🏝

    Reply
  2. Ellen S. says

    June 16, 2025 at 5:50 am

    I love this! I think chambray, as a core of four, is such a smart choice because it’s comfortable, it’s beautiful and can easily be dressed up or down. I can also see how wonderfully this would pack!

    I do just want to put it out there that many women (myself included) are not comfortable wearing shorts in public. I have no moral or ethical reason not to wear shorts, but I just feel as my thighs are not a feature I want to highlight these days. I bought this skirt to fill in that ‘chambray shorts’ blank space’. I would be completely comfortable substituting the shorts outfits with this skirt. It is very comfortable and it would not be a stretch to dress this up, for the brunch at a seaside restaurant vibe either. What do you think? https://www.nordstrom.com/s/ruffle-faux-wrap-denim-midi-skirt/7782640?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FAll%20Results&color=402

    Reply
    • jeri b says

      June 16, 2025 at 6:34 am

      Ellen s,
      What a pretty skirt! Thanks for the link.

      Reply
      • Ellen S. says

        June 16, 2025 at 6:36 am

        Very easy to wear, too! I’ve dressed it up with dressy sandals and a pretty blouse, as well as down with flip flops and a tank. It’s very versatile, especially for those of us who just aren’t shorts people.

  3. Sandy b says

    June 16, 2025 at 6:29 am

    Great! This has summer weekend, or summer retired life, all over. I have some chambray, but now I’m thinking not enough!

    Reply
  4. AK says

    June 16, 2025 at 7:32 am

    What a comfy, classy weekend wardrobe. You found another perfect set of accessories, especially the brown earrings. I have a beautiful two-piece brown knit top & skirt set that cries out for those earrings. Maybe the handbag, too!
    I do think our heroine can add a tiny touch of red one weekend with a scarf or bracelet. I love red as an accent to brown.

    Reply
  5. Kathy says

    June 16, 2025 at 7:34 am

    oooh – I have a lot of open tabs for shopping suggestions right now! This is a great post. The dark brown is a little jarring to me, but I do like something contrasting in this collection – maybe a pink for me instead? I also tend towards skirts or skorts instead of shorts. I can never seem to find ones that fit comfortable without having to tug or pull at the legs or waist. And for such a small garment, shorts are awkward to alter.

    Reply
  6. Rebecca says

    June 16, 2025 at 7:43 am

    Yes! My city often clears out of people on big holiday weekends. Many people leave for cottages, family or other smaller towns.
    What a lovely wardrobe. I would definitely add in some red though, maybe a scarf, bag and sandals.

    Reply
  7. Laura says

    June 16, 2025 at 9:11 am

    I would not have noticed the crooked window!! Now I can’t unsee it! I love the brown and blue you have put together. That color combo always looks so elevated. I live in TX a& shorts are a must for me! Try Talbots, they have multiple lengths. Size up if you must; shorts have to be loose to accommodate air circulation and look cool. That said, I love skirts too. So much more versatile. Sneakers are a good addition as mentioned . Have a lovely summer.

    Reply
  8. Sally in St Paul says

    June 16, 2025 at 10:47 am

    The inclusion of the brown pieces is the kind of thing that can sometimes look jarring in isolation, but in the context of a heroine with brown hair, I think it will look terrific! For myself, I could easily imagine substituting gold for the brown in accessories and a print top for the brown one. The chambray pieces are very welcome indeed and could work with so many different capsule color palettes.

    Reply
  9. VB from nc says

    June 16, 2025 at 11:32 am

    I really love paintings of the insides of houses, for some reason. Cozy? Maybe. But especially this picture, with lots of frames of different sizes lining the hallway, and a lovely (crooked?) window at the end. Such a nice combination of colors, too. Thank you for the inspiration!

    Reply
  10. Dee says

    June 16, 2025 at 11:43 am

    Another non shorts person here. I only wear skorts in the garden, sarongs at the beach and skirts or midi casual dresses for shopping. I find skirts far more comfortable in really hot weather. Love that blue green in this capsule. Have a great week everyone.

    Reply
  11. Elizabeth Trout says

    June 17, 2025 at 3:11 am

    When you feature paintings of real places, I like to see what they look like in reality. I found photos of the interior of Tullynally Castle online. An architectural gem. Such an amazing place! I couldn’t find a photo of this hallway so wonder whether there is artistic license with the colours.

    The brown is too dark; taupe would be better. I would sub light grey as it would be easier to draw the colours together. I’ve been looking for chambray trousers instead of heavy denim jeans. I have yet to find any that fit or not so wide that they are a trip hazard. I did start looking late so maybe next year.

    Reply

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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...
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