November 12, 2025
Another heroine who is going to experiment with her neutral colors, to try to change the… feel? the mood? of her travel capsule wardrobes by omitting one of her neutral colors. Let’s see how this works!
First up is her wardrobe inspiration, by an artist with a name that CAN’T be typed quickly:
The core of our heroine’s wardrobe is black and ivory, with definite accents of brown and rust…
After getting dressed with mostly these colors for years and years, our heroine realized that she can take one color out of her four-color palette and have FOUR new, smaller color schemes:
Women’s Basketball Home Opener!
She and many of her friends played basketball when they were in college; it was VERY different from the current sport, but they’re still very loyal. So they’re meeting Friday night for dinner, Saturday afternoon for the game and then another dinner, and brunch before they all go home Sunday afternoon. A whirlwind of fun, friendship, and vicarious sweat!
Their college colors are red and black, which our heroine hasn’t worn since the last game of her senior year. When she wears red, her hair looks like it’s a color not found in nature, and her freckles look sort of greenish. So she just doesn’t worry about school colors, and decides to immerse herself in autumn colors during these last weeks of slanting sun, colorful leaves and a long weekend on campus…
Earrings – Pat’s Jewelry; scarf – Silk&Soul; merino cardigan – L.L.Bean; bag – Deux Mains; rich ginger brown tee – Lands’ End; corduroy pants – J.Crew; boots – Revitalign
Packing ivory jeans might feel risky, but she knows better than to wear them to the arena! She will almost certainly wear then for brunch on Sunday, and then take her chances while driving home. At least she won’t be on an airplane, train or bus – that WOULD be taking a travel wardrobe chance…
Acorns brooch – Talbots; long narrow scarf – Lost Pattern NYC; gold link earrings – J.Crew; floral top – Boden; pair of necklaces – Talbots; rust v-neck sweater – Macy’s; floral scarf – Talbots; cardigan – L.L.Bean; cream jeans – Lauren Ralph Lauren; Ivory tee – GAP; corduroy pants – J.Crew; loafers – G.H.Bass
Thursday night, she lays everything out on her sofa, with her suitcase propped open in the side chair. She counts, mentally assembled outfits, double-checks that she has shoes to pack, and includes just a few pieces of jewelry. She thinks she’s good to go:
She knows that she has enough outfits for a long weekend, but she takes a close look, just in case. If they get really lucky, they’ll somehow get stranded and have to spend an extra day… fingers crossed!
She’s so happy to pack colors that flatter her! As much as she would love to wear a bright red sweatshirt and maybe matching hat, she knows her limits.
One of my college colors was ORANGE… I know well the feeling of not looking good in the colors of alma mater!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we revisited The Golden Stairs by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, to expand upon the travel wardrobe from a few days earlier.
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
Ooooh- that acorn brooch is a clever find!
GH Bass loafers are about as classic as it gets. (I once had loafers in this style in four colors!) Speaking of nostalgic footwear, saddle shoes are among my favorites, too.
The ivory cardigan is lovely.
I am in love with this! These colors are rich, vibrant and just warm the heart. I’m in love with them! I am always attracted to these deep Autumn hues. I had my colors “done” decades ago and was told that I am an Autumn. It’s so easy to wear these colors in Fall and Winter. I’m always curious as to how to transition them to Spring and Summer. I’d love to see this very same painting for a heroine in May! I’m also excited how you will use these other 3-color palettes will work.
This will be a fun series!
Also, a belated Happy Veterans Day to all who served.
I’d love to see this format in cool colours.
This feels so warm, cozy, and collected.
It’s a beautiful capsule although I couldn’t wear it, but I love to look at it.
It’s funny about the Alma mater colors – we live in a large town in NJ with 3 high schools. My daughter somehow was in the elementary and middle school that wore the same color as our high school, so she wore blue and gold all through school. She actually was looking at the college colors when she applied and really wanted a blue and gold school, but ended up in the best school for her, which wore the colors of one of the rival high schools. She never really warmed up to her college colors.
Gold and blue were my high school colors – 50 years ago! I still think of the cheers: “hey gold, hey blue, we’ll fight, for you…”
dear oh dear!
love,
Janice
This is great! I have been lucky to always have alma matters (and local sports teams) that jived with my regularly-worn colours. This certainly makes it easier to get dressed for all of the sporting/university events that come up from time to time.
My eyes lit up when I saw this painting scroll up. I love these colors together. I wore rust, brown and black to church on Sunday and really enjoyed the outfit. I am looking forward to seeing what you do with that particular grouping. I enjoyed the last time you did this format and am tickled to see you are doing it again. Ivory is the only one of the colors I don’t wear often. I might like to sub one of the other colors in the painting. What color names would you search for to find them?
Fall colours are so rich and inviting. Great painting, and love the story.
This is a comment about our upcoming start with art/scarf series. Perhaps one of our heroines would like a wardrobe based on Diane Keaton style? Also a woman who has a very casual life style that includes dogs and daily dusty trail hikes and very few dressy occasions. Maybe a woman who lives in a very hot climate, like Florida or somewhere in the south. Then another who lives in the frigid north? Maybe a sophisticated city dweller too? In other words, different lifestyles or themes driving each wardrobe. Personally I need the outdoorsy wardrobe. It must be sturdy and washable and be able to stand up to dog hair. I split my time between the Sierra mountains and Sonoma County. Most days include hiking boots!
Thanks Janice for all you do! By the way, I love this post. I will be looking at several of these items today!
All the best.
I’m casting my vote for dog hair friendly clothes too!
It has been said to buy clothes, couches and floor coverings to match your pet’s colouring. Or but the pet to match your colours and house. The hair is still there but less visible.
I have silver-white hair and tend to shy away from darker colours. The broom, robo-vac and mop reveals what I don’t see on my light floors… lol.
I like the idea of a Diane Keaton inspired wardrobe. I’ve been inspired by her style since I first saw her in Annie Hall all those years ago. I’m another who has a very casual life style, except for church on Sundays. I love wearing skirts and dresses all week long. They can be casual too.
Sigh! Just last week I said I don’t need any new clothes for cool weather. Then this! I love it. There are four pieces of clothing here on my would be nice to have if I found it list. I’ve added 5 items in rust shades to my closet in the last two years. I’ve had my eye open for pants.
I can relate because I’m a redhead & my alma mater WSU Cougs colors Crimson & Grey aren’t the best on me but they’re fun to wear. I’m retired from aviation manufacturing, which of course has lots of specifications & rules as to how things have to be put together but I’ve always just gone with my gut when it comes to what I wear–I do appreciate seeing this systematic approach, though! I wear the colors in this capsule a lot, except for ivory because I don’t want to have to be so careful about stains. Seeing these combinations is giving me great outfit ideas, but I don’t see it as making a different capsule, just nice outfits without all of the colors in my closet–I also wear turquoise & teal & olive but unless it’s something like a scarf or a necklace with all of “my” colors in it, it’s pretty hard to wear all of them at once! Thanks as usual for all the great inspirations!
I did not think I would see a WA person here! I graduated from UW, a husky, but I did love the purple and gold combo. Although I rarely wear it as I don’t follow sports. But my kids colors for high school are blue and gold (and I went to the same high school) and I teach at two high schools that are pretty close to blue and gold so I use those colors a lot!
Janice,
Love, love, love this grouping — my neutral colors , except for black.! And I still wear either Tassel Mocks or Penny Loafers — they remind me of college football games, and a big yellow spider Mum pinned to a tweed or a herringbone wool jacket above a matching skirt. Very classic Northeast 1950’s and 1960’s !
I love rust, but found out after recent cataract surgery that what I was wearing as a rust jacket ,was really more of a rose color all along ! Arrrrgh ! Too bad — guess I’ll just have to go shopping , wink wink !
This is a really nice capsule collection.
I would choose the honey-yellow shirt for the first outfit. 🧡
There’s enough contrast with the black pieces in the future wardrobe.
Inspired.
Personally I wear two colours at a dressing. Three is too much. My one pink bag and silver shoes are not ‘colours’ to me but …
I read somewhere that matching your bag and shoes to your hair creates an instant outfit and the classic minimalist in me loved the idea.
I receive compliments when I wear all white… with silver hair and matching silver shoes. I am on the prowl for my perfect silver everyday bag and I may be ambivalent when find it as it is high priority when I go shopping as I have everything else I need but I am sure I will find something else to ‘search’ for.
On school colors, my sons went to colleges where the colors were orange/navy, old gold/navy, and kelly green/navy.
One dressy navy jumpsuit and three sets of accessories, and I was good to go for all their Parents’ Weekends and graduations!
This is so beautiful. Thank you.