February 13, 2026
Happy Valentine’s Day! I don’t necessarily “buy into” the holidays like this, which seem like one more reason to buy something. Let’s just all take a LONG break tomorrow to contact those that we love – not just romantically. Send an unexpected email. Call someone. Write a note. Make sure that your loved ones KNOW that you love them…
But right now, let’s admire the attention to detail, the glorious fabrics and trims worn by our two favorite fashion saints:
Such an easy color palette, but one with so much potential impact:
At the end of January, our heroine had this delightfully compact but (to many of you) rather casual wardrobe:
We have to remember that – in her “down time” – when she’s writing books and doing research, our heroine spends time at her family’s country cottage. In rural France. Calling it a cottage is one of those modest euphemisms when you don’t really want to say “chateau and grounds”…
But she’s getting ready to ramp up more travel, and teaching, and a couple of television appearances!
So a skirt is essential. A blazer makes everything look spiffier, and a sweater with lacy knitted trim, or sequins, is SO her style….
I own this blazer – it is a work of art. The buttonholes on the cuffs actually unbutton! The fabric is lovely. It’s the biggest winner I’ve purchased this winter.
I also have a black sweater almost exactly like this red one, from last year. The subtle sequins make it snappy and distinctive, but it’s still very versatile…
Blazer – Buck Mason; earrings – Harfi; scarf – Pucci; pleated skirt – Treasure & Bond; green sweater – Boden; red sequined sweater – Vineyard Vines; flats – Sam Edelman
Our heroine’s template is a little bit hard to wrangle. Both the green and red sweaters can easily qualify as second layers OR tops. Things might move around here before the end of the year. Well technically, this template should be finished by the end of July. I might change the template to include more clothing. I might figure out a way to split the 52-piece total wardrobe in half. Wardrobes are evolving items, not carved in stone!
This is our heroine’s 12-piece wardrobe with accessories; I look at this and think about my upcoming trip to London and Suffolk… March might not be the best time for white jeans, but otherwise…
If our heroine were to take the above items on a trip, she would have all kinds of options, from quite casual to above-average dressy. In this day and age, any skirt is dressy!
I love to picture this heroine – wearing jeans!!! – coming around the corner of her “cottage” to meet friends, and being amused that they’re shocked that she’s wearing jeans.
This woman can wear ANYTHING and still look like the Countess of All She Surveys…
love,
Janice
The earlier blog posts in which we started this heroine’s wardrobe can be found here: Christmas Eve Preview, January
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This is such a pretty wardrobe. I love the black and white with the red and green. I have a dear friend, and former mentor, who teaches creative writing at a well respected college in Massachusetts. She is also an author. This could be her wardrobe. She needs to look professional at English dep’t meetings, but comfortable as she moves around the classroom. She wants to feel polished during office hours, but also be able to pop into an indie bookstore after those office hours to do a book signing.
I love it. It’s a bit “City” for me, but this is an idea I’d pack going to Boston or NYC for a spell!
I think this wardrobe and the first are my favourites.
On the casual-to-dressy spectrum, my heart is definitely closer to “dressy” than “casual” by, in reality, I’m probably just dressier than most in a given public space. I said all of that to say that this heroine’s approach to dressing interests me the most of all you’ve written about. I also really connected with the wardrobe you did for the dress-wearing opera singer.
These accessories are superb. The long, slim scarf and multicoloured earrings remind me of mosaics or stained glass – two elements our heroine would study and love.
I sense this woman will be the dressiest person in nearly every setting…even if she were to go camping!
That concept boggles the mind! Lol!
Wendy, I’m the same way. I tend to err on the side of dressier. But, I live in a more rural area, so I stick out even more. I’m genuinely surprised, however, that even though I live on the Maine coast, how people dress for work. Most of my colleagues wear pajama pants and hoodies to work to teach each day. I’m horrified. I grew up with dress codes…but my first decade or two in the classroom, we still had dress codes. I couldn’t wear pants for the first ten years! While I understand wanting to be comfortable, there is a level of professionalism that is missing in some fields.
Surprised and not in a good way. Going to work not lounging on the sofa. Tim Gunn always had/has pithy sayings about said dressing. Clothes do not have to be uncomfortable to look work appropriate no matter what your job is.
Oh, Wendy! I am that woman who is usually the dressiest when camping!!!! I have a special capsule wardrobe in my “best” colors & while not matchy-matchy I can pull anything out of my backpack without looking & be coordinated! Even my tent, backpack, Buf. . .all the accessories!!!!
Your templates always interest me. I had been wondering how you were going to use this new template over the course of 12 months. Since I actively follow along with you, I was thinking I would use the template for winter and then start over using the same template for summer. My summers are longer than my winters so I would adjust each template accordingly.
However we decide to proceed, this is a great template. Two tops/one topper/one bottom is an ideal structure.
Great idea Mary, I think this template would work well for fall/winter and then spring/summer. Thanks. Another beautiful wardrobe, love the earrings.
I love how you put leather sneakers into this wardrobe. If you’re going to anything in the city or a casual neighborhood bistro, leather sneakers look better than trainers.
Love this.
The way that Vineyard Vines sweater leapt into my cart, lol! I’ve been looking for something like this and in navy the sequins look like stars in the night sky. The sale didn’t hurt either!
I hope you love it – I wear my black one with jeans when I want to look like I made an effort, but not going overboard!
hugs,
Janice
Try as I may, I still can’t get behind white jeans. I sigh thinking about flowers – here we are getting ready for another dump of more than 8 inches of snow. So we’re not remotely close to spring; there’s a lot of dirty ice and gravel to dig through before everything I wear on the bottom won’t be filthy. But no matter, like others who look at your wardrobes, I can see where my blue jeans and winter boots would work instead.
I’m back and forth about taking my stone chinos to England; if it rains (no, excuse me, WHEN it rains!) they will get sloppy dirty.
But I’m willing to have laundry done.
Such a traumatic problem, eh?
love,
Janice
This painting is my favorite. I just love the rich vibrant colors and the level of potential dressiness.