Please note, I’ve updated the “Support The Vivienne Files” page that you can find at the top of the page. It’s underneath the clothes hanger suspended from the name Vivienne! (yes, the Quince link is there now.)
Any time you click on any of these links, I get some sort of credit. Not money, but some kind of “ooooh, people are clicking on Janice’s links!” and I might eventually qualify for some spiffy offer or gift.
If you purchase anything, I receive a tiny commission. It doesn’t matter what you buy – click on someone and buy (hmm, what’s the LEAST Vivienne Files kind of product possible?) a lawnmower – I get a wee percentage!
If there are any other retailers from whom you wish to order, and you’d like to see if I can receive a commission from your purchase, let me know.
I’m very grateful…
October 13, 2025
One of you is really eager to buy a camel crewneck sweater. She’s committed to a classic style, slightly oversized so it will be easy to layer shirts or turtlenecks underneath, and so it won’t go out of style tomorrow…
Please be aware that things like cropped sweaters and “brushed” knits aren’t necessarily going to age well. Brushed knits in particular are going to pill like a pharmacy…
This is what she’s eyeing:
Our heroine wears mostly neutral colors; this images shows the colors that she wears most of the time in the cold weather:
My way to help her is going to be to show six outfits that come to my mind immediately when I see this sweater and these colors. Some of these are quite casual, and some are dressy enough that they could go to dinner or to a religious ceremony. If you can’t think of a range of activities to which you would wear something, maybe rethink buying it?
Sweater – J.Crew; earrings – Kendra Scott; flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; Heritage stone twill pants – L.L.Bean; tote bag – The Sak; boots – Blondo
Sweater – J.Crew; earrings – The Met Store; scarf – Gresham Blake; gold leather bag – Juan-Jo; pleated skirt – Caslon; shoes – Franco Sarto
Sweater – J.Crew; labradorite earrings – The Met Store; scarf – The Met Store; cream turtleneck – L.L.Bean; olive corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; boots – Vionic
Sweater – J.Crew; earrings – True Religion; necklace – Ettika; boots – J.Crew; bag – Brunna.co; chiffon pleated skirt – J.Crew
Sweater – J.Crew; earrings – Anthropologie; scarf – Le Parmentier; striped poplin shirt – L.L.Bean; dune brown corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; sneakers – Naturalizer
sweater – J.Crew; earrings – Loni Paul Jewelry; scarf – Elizabetta; sea salt shirt – L.L.Bean; dark navy corduroy pants – Alex Mill; sneakers – Josef Seibel
When all of this is piled together, there are only 11 garments! You could pack these things pretty easily, assuming that you wore 3 garments.
There are a chocolate-frosted metric TON of accessories…
Of course, a navy sweater vest, and maybe a navy and ivory cardigan, would be useful additions! But with just these 11 garments, it’s possible to find another handful of outfits:
If you’re considering the purchase of something that feels expensive (and nobody gets to tell you what expensive means!), it might make sense to take a look at the rest of your closet and picture how you’re going to wear your new item. Maybe even write things down…
And if you’re mail ordering, make sure that you have your packing tape close at hand when you open your parcel, so that if you have doubts and realize that you’ve gone haywire, you can tape things back up and send them away!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, I was in Wales at the Rugby World Cup! But the post that I left behind for everyone links you to a few posts almost like this one – making certain that you can Maximize Your Return on Investment with any new purchase!
Like this wardrobe? Save to Pinterest!
Oh, Janice. I adore this. I love it when you pick one piece to highlight, and then show the myriad of ways it can be worn. I also appreciate your good advice…I tend to be somewhat impulsive when I shop. Sometime, the piece I’ve picked assimilates beautifully into what I own. Other times, it just sits in my closet until I give it away. I am going to follow your advice from here on out and I will try to envision how I’ll wear the piece, with what shall I wear it and how much use I’ll actually get from it.
Also, thanks for the updated list of vendors we can shop to help support you, even if it’s in a small way. I just need to remember to click here first, before I shop. You provide so much community here…it’s the least we can do to help you!
I keep a list of Janice sayings that make me smile and happen to be verrrry good advice indeed! This made the list:
“Please be aware that things like cropped sweaters and “brushed” knits aren’t necessarily going to age well. Brushed knits in particular are going to pill like a pharmacy…”
😁😁😁😁
It’s almost a game with me to find those versatile items that can be moved through numerous outfits and occasions. This post is just so useful in that regard! I’m looking at this sweater with at least 7 outfits in mind with items in my own closet.
(I love camel with geranium red. Try it with aqua, bright coral, violet or Kelly green!)
Like dove grey, camel is a super neutral. 💙
Happy Monday!
Firstly, the Quince link takes me to Alo yoga.
This is a great mini wardrobe. I actually have many pieces that would fit into this color scheme. I’m thinking north Georgia at Thanksgiving.
Thanks for the ideas, Janice.
Dear Jeri,
Thanks for catching this! Hyperlinks are NOT my strongest skill set…
hugs,
Janice
I’m obsessed with this color palette! 😍♥️♥️♥️
I’m not a big camel fan since my hair went silver. But I do love grey and camel. It all began in college when I purchased a grey wool junper(the dress, not the sweater) and paired it with a grey/camed striped turtleneck and camel chunky shoes. I thought I was all that! But it started a love affair with this color combination that has lasted for me. I’m a neutrals kind of girl.
Apologies for the dreadful lack of proofreading.
I have been wanting a way to support your business since I receive so much joy from your daily posts.
So imagine how thrilled I was to see Amazon listed as a support link! I don’t buy many clothing items from Amazon, but i do buy almost everything thing else (except groceries) from their site. If you really get a tiny credit or commission from non- clothing items as well, THIS at last is a way I can show you my gratitude for your work.
And Quince. I shop regularly at Quince.
Janice, you are one of the brightest spots of my day.
I’m not officially really really happy…
love,
Janice
Huge hurray!! Lots more links! And these cover quite a lot of my online shopping stores. I’m gonna pin the page to the top of my browser!
And my husband just talked me into trying a golden camel vneck (Charter Club), and it’s already edging out the frosted mocha I went into the store to buy. I suspect I know which I’m keeping… Such a useful piece!
I like your comment, “nobody gets to tell you what expensive means.” I frequently get ideas from your posts. And then balk at the price. I try to find something similar at my price point or secondhand. I found a gorgeous soft-orange cashmere sweater that way! I can’t wait to wear it when the weather finally cools off.
This is the kind of pricey purchase where I’d want to be sure that the item ticks all my boxes in terms of the exact color (that I would be delighted to wear it next to my face with no scarf, etc. AND that it works well with my existing items or I would be willing to buy more stuff to make it work), fabrication, fit, silhouette, etc. It’s OK if you have to audition several different sweaters before finding one that meets all the criteria.
That said, this is the kind of extremely versatile item that I theoretically could wear a lot but know that I wouldn’t! (Though Outfit 6 is very tempting due to that spectacular midnight blue and camel-gold scarf.) I would be more likely to wear a lighter ivory or a darker brown pullover sweater than the camel, and honestly, would be better off with both of those two sweaters than one camel one. (As it is, I do own a couple of ivory/cream sweaters and one inexpensively-thrifted limited-purpose brown sweater, but zero camel…despite having a large wardrobe.)
On Outfit 1, the combination of the plaid flannel shirt and the tote bag with the vertical stitching is the kind of outfit detail that makes me gleeful. Ditto the shirt and scarf in Outfit 5.
The William Morris print scarf in Outfit 3 is the stand-out item for me, but I actually am attracted to so many of the items (clothes and accessories) that have some camel in the print.
Thanks for mentioning ALL the boxes an item has to tick! Often this is where I fall short – looks great in one styling (scarf by face), but no good alone; or great layered but not good alone (or opposite) or good open but not closed.. you get the picture.
“It’s OK if you have to audition several different sweaters before finding one that meets all the criteria” – I need to print this out. Its so strange, when I was looking for knee-high boots, I really did this -to the point that I had a roll of packing tape ready to go to return shoes that didn’t fit my criteria. i think i “auditioned” 20 or 30 pairs. And now I own ONE pair, and I have zero regrets. Why in the world cant i think the same way about other clothing items????
Fantastic items Janice, even though camel is a tricky color for me. The MET scarf is EVERYTHING! amazing.
Re: the lookback post…
I actually own the exact same Clarks leopard smoking slippers (since 2013, wow!), and let me assure all readers that while Janice’s post showcases a capsule in the lovely cognac-and-black color combination, leopard shoes really do function as a completely versatile neutral that can be added to pretty much any outfit’s color combination! And yes, I regularly wear these shoes with navy even though I’m not generally a big black-with-navy fan. A classic leopard print is the ultimate neutral equivalent of blue jeans for the feet :D
This is especially true if you select your leopard (or other animal) print to include a color the same/similar to your hair color.
Great post and reminder to think about different ways to wear an item. Camel is a no-go for me but these were all lovely and offered a good bit of variety. I was out of town so did not see “shoe discussion” until today. Narrow feet, one foot longer than the other, not young, wants a little style. That’s me and it takes some patience. Keds run narrow and I love them with skirts and dresses. For leather options , I’ve had luck with Cole Hahn. TAOS sandals with a bit of a wedge for a dressier look.. And a brand from Sweden (I think) called Woden. They strap on my feet and are comfy and supportive. Started with bright pink then found them in olive and a pretty blue. I wore one of them almost everyday from April thru September. I have short boots (Thursday Brand) and cowboy boots. Old Gringo runs quite narrow. I wear the cowboy boots as a dress shoe. I do live in TX but I have worn them to weddings and other events many places. Always comfy and I never have to worry about what the ground surface is like.
I love this exercise and love the camel sweater. However, I have found that if I buy the sweater roomy enough for layering (the casual look) then it looks too loose/sloppy for the dressier looks. Anyone else have this challenge or am I too picky.
That first outfit is soo cute! It’s the purse that makes it for me, but I love the color scheme!
I bought a sweatshirt in this color from gap a few years ago (their color name is moonstone beige). I bought it on a lark as part of a larger order and it turns out that I love it! It is my favorite sweatshirt and favorite layering top and now you have given me bunch of ideas for other ways to wear it. Sweatshirts suit my current lifestyle better than sweaters but I am always looking for ways to dress them up.
Thanks for the update links list, I don’t order online a whole lot but I sometimes remember to check your list before I order.