October 29, 2025
This is the third post in a series; the initial post with just brown in it can be found here, and the second post, which was a brown, black and white wardrobe, is here.
Maybe you like brown, and maybe you think of it as an infinitely feminine color. Seriously, hear me out!
It’s the color of soil. Which is the source of all things green, growing and fertile. That would be us, ladies…
And I’m offering up this beautiful painting to inspire us:
Of course, this wardrobe could easily include green… I’m considering this painting to include in next year’s “6 Paintings” posts, and I would absolutely include a range of greens…
First up, let’s get our brown clothes and accessories ready:
Earrings – Farra; bracelets – Lucky Brand; Cashmere crewneck – J.Crew; necklace – Adina Eden; hooded sweatshirt – J.Crew; Turtleneck – J.Crew; tee shirt – J.Crew; scarf – Elizabetta; watch – Fossil; bag – Dune London; skirt – J.Crew; trousers – J.Crew; tights – J.Crew; boots – Circus NY by Sam Edelman; slingbacks – Franco Sarto; short boots – Sam Edelman
I was shocked at how difficult it was to find an ivory cardigan! Well, I saw lots of them, but they were sold out in lots of sizes…
Just saying, a traditional Aran cardigan would be lovely here!
Tee shirt – Lands’ End; turtleneck – Lands’ End; corduroy pants – Lands’ End; cardigan – Charter Club
Here’s where the real fun can be found! I can vouch for the exceptional quality of the Alex Mill sweater; I’ve had a black one for a couple of years and it’s glorious. And I believe that the frilled blouse is silk – how uncommon is that?
Accessories! Always the most fun.
I’ve included these gym shoes, even though they aren’t the best color match in the world. These shoes come in nine color combinations, and they’re unlike anything I’ve seen before! I had to share them with you.
Yes, expensive gym shoes seem silly, but knowing that I can wear a pair of them at least 300 times before they die, I feel a bit better about splashing out for them.
Earrings – Swarovski; wool scarf – Tommy Hilfiger; silk scarf – Elizabetta; bag – Lux and Nyx; sneakers – Flower Mountain; socks – J.Crew
Here’s our heroine’s clothing:
And her accessories:
Outfit possibilities? Not endless, but certainly extensive!
I know that many of you are reluctant to travel with light colors, but I think this would be great for a trip. Maybe two “Four T’s” in two neutrals, and then two accent colors… hmm…
Friday’s going to be the final brown version of this, before we lunge headfirst into November and the penultimate “Six Paintings – 12 Months!”
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we spent a couple of days with a wardrobe based on Rossetti’s Dantis Amor. This was back in the day when I could find THOUSANDS of garments…
Like this wardrobe, save it to Pinterest!
Can’t help it – I see Neapolitan icecream! 😊. This series has been reminding me to go dig out my chocolate brown items though – they are such consistently versatile basics.
Now I can’t unsee the Neapolitan ice cream.
Same! lol
my first thought as well . . . though to be honest, if I’m going to dress in ice cream colours, the choices Janice has shown us are pure loveliness!
I think this is a VERY pretty wardrobe. But, much like the iconic SNL skit…”I need more cowbell”. Or rather, pink. I wish there was a whole ‘lot more pink here. I’m a bit fan of brown, but without the lightness of the pink, it can feel very heavy. What about a brown and pink print dress or skirt? A pink coat? Or pink cords? I saw these cords from LL Bean and they’d work beautifully.
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/6709?itemId=523748&attrValue_0=Rose%20Wash&sku=1000253392&pla1=0&qs=3155262&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20295864477&gbraid=0AAAAADoqq1Ix1a2tzHXOQ3tuPYGeODete&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9obIBhCAARIsAGHm1mQe6Xbb7n39a_Howkbgp-7-5K4a_Rdx2AR-IPZND2E9LCZ3q4Rzy1QaArZBEALw_wcB&SN=findability_search_preview_03&SS=A&SN2=findability_trending_searches_04&SS2=A&SN3=MobilePLA_03&SS3=B&noaa_region=northeast&originalProduct=130209
Overall, this is a lovely wardrobe, but I do believe it needs more to lighten it up…I’d also love to see more soft green here too, which is also in the painting.
Ellen- love seeing links to fabulous items in the comments but did you know you can shorten those links by removing everything after the question mark? See below. It keeps things short and sweet! 🙂
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/6709
hahahaha I can’t unsee the Neapolitan ice cream either….. This is really pretty. I adore that pink bag. It does come in other colors, but can’t quite decide if any of the colors “fit” with me enough for the price. Currently on sale though, so there’s that.
What beautiful colors!
Oh yes, green.
And a few accents in that red…
then I’m all for including it in
the six paintings next year.
Same here! I’d love to see this painting next year!
I think we’ve already had it: https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2018/12/evaluating-a-wardrobe-a-year-of-flowers-in-a-crystal-vase-by-edouard-manet.html/
Oooh…. Thanks for that link! This is such a beautiful painting and color scheme.
I’m reminded of that ‘chocolate box’ wardrobe you did a few years ago.
But yes, I agree that green would be a great addition here. I’m seeing a lovely celadon colour everywhere now that I think would go great here and it seems to be visible in the painting. I recently bought my daughter a few things in that colour and it’s very versatile.
I vote yes for the gorgeous painting. I can’t wear the pink, but I love how it looks with the brown and ivory.
This is a lovely group of colors but needs the green which is in the painting. Thank you for your posts as I always enjoy them and sometimes order things I had been looking for.
Oh, I’ve always loved brown and pink together. This is lovely and what delightful accessories!
So pretty, love Neapolitan ice cream lol. Yes to this painting next year🤗 lots of possibilities here.
This is a really pretty wardrobe now with the addition of pink. I don’t wear brown at all but can see how nice these colors work together.
Brown and ivory make a beautiful combination. I love them both with a brighter pink, tangerine, coral, apple green, peach, aqua and even a light dove grey. I would throw in camel with these neutrals.
I hope there’s an uptick in ivory offerings soon.
The painting is lovely. I recently had the privilege of visiting the Albertina in Vienna. After soaking up the visual of certain paintings, I found myself mentally building capsule wardrobes! Their late 19th century to mid-20th century modern movements exhibit was glorious!
Ooops. Forgot to add that a beautiful brown looks especially pretty with a banana yellow or butter yellow. Or that clear geranium red instead of berry red— this is why I only use art as a loose framework for my capsules.
I have a very few dark brown items: a fleece pullover and a fleece sweater. And socks. Well, the past week or so, I have been wearing them with colors out of my comfort zone. Black, teal and so forth, inspired by the V F . And I have to say, it looks pretty good! As I mentioned above, I think this would be a great painting and color scheme for next year.
I’m currently sewing floral curtains with a chocolate background. The Manet is spot on and would be a lovely print in my living room. I do hope that you choose it for next year’s 6 Paintings posts.
I used to draw colorful dresses when I was a young girl. One of my favorites was brown and pink. I tried every color combination my 64 color crayola box could supply, but the two I remember were 1) brown & pink, and 2) peacock blue & yellow.
Funny how, decades later, I remember them vividly. I do not currently dress in brown and pink, nor do I dress in peacock and yellow, but maybe I should honor my inner child (who dreamed of someday being able to afford beautiful dresses) and do so.
I know a woman who has stuck to this exact palette for a good 25 years, and it’s just dreamy on her. She’s an interesting mix of delicate coloring and facial features on an athletic body.
I’d absolutely love to see this filled out with the green over the next year.
Contemplating brown and green is causing me to have flashbacks to 1975! I had a pair of green and brown tweed trousers and a long sleeve button down brown blouse to wear with them. Both items were bought at Casual Corner, a clothing chain that no longer exists. I also had a chocolate brown fake suede coat in the 70s. UPS brown will always remind me of that era!
We’ll all be putting a tub of Neopolitan ice cream on our grocery list.
Having decided last week that brown is not a colour I need to add to my wardrobe, I’ll be using burgundy instead. Thanks to Dame Eleanor Hull for the link to the previous post on this painting. Teal green would be my other option.
I LOVE this wardrobe!!! Please use these colors plus a warm green, maybe teal? for 2026???? My “medium autumn” wardrobe is in desperate need of an update!