February 27, 2026
True story from my trip to Paris in December: Belovedest and I were walking down a side street near our hotel, and saw art in the distance! The doorway of the gallery was glass, and the entire structure of the building was open so that we could see ALL THE WAY THROUGH to a large room in the back of the building. And facing us, we saw 3 Sean Scully paintings, in shades of blue. We would have had no idea that they were there, had we not been able to see them from the street. A delightful 10 minute detour!
I think my lesson is that looking in all of the doorways is a good idea!
Today’s heroine is going to have to visit with us every couple of months for a while, because she has found an intriguing color combination that can’t be fully used in just 12 garments…
Our heroine is smitten. The warm colors that she craves, the black and ivory that are ubiquitous, and so easy for a wardrobe! Putty, brown, gold, orange, something that’s almost red… She won’t get bored with this.
For now, she just isolates a few colors – one much achieve a balance between exuberance and discipline:
She’s not traveling a lot – but she knows that there are at least two trips upcoming, for which she doesn’t want to overpack, nor feel deprived. Less is indeed more sometimes!
Being warm and comfortable in the car is her first goal:
Cotton cashmere cardigan – Alex Mill; earrings – A Weathered Penny; linen tee – J.Crew; scarf – The Met Store; pants – L.L.Bean; suitcase – Delsey; loafers – Robert Zur
Secondly, she wants to look like a mature, respectful adult – albeit with some accessory whimsy:
earrings – Melt’m Jewelry; sunflower brooch – The Met Store; black ponte knit blazer – Eileen Fisher; cream tee shirt – L.L.Bean; handbag – Fable England; loafers – Cole Haan; pants – L.L.Bean
And finally, she wants to relax, but look as if she had a plan, and a clear style:
Cotton sweater – Lands’ End; earrings – The Met Store; shirt – Lands’ End; pants – L.L.Bean; kerchief – Elizabetta; sneakers – Vionic
When she’s finish up her wardrobe for her trips, she realizes that maybe bringing a skirt and dress shoes might be wise! She fills in some accessories, and packs the quintessential wardrobe core black tee shirt and ivory cardigan:
Earrings – Heaven Mayhem; cotton cardigan – Alex Mill; necklace – Heaven Mayhem; black tee – Lands’ End; silk scarf – Lamberty Munich x Katchmagic London; skirt – Saint & Sofia; clutch bag – Dolce Vita; shoes – Naturalizer
Her travel capsule wardrobe, when assembled where one can see everything at once, isn’t foolproof, but it offers an abundance of possibilities:
She stands beside her assembled things and daydreams about her upcoming trips – where she will be, what she will be doing, and what she will wear…
When our heroine realizes that she has nearly a dozen outfits available to her from these 12 garments, she decides that maybe this is going to be her Spring wardrobe. At least until legitimate warm weather shows up, and she starts adding those bright golden orange hues to her wardrobe!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, our wardrobe colors were brown, cream, aqua and golden yellow. Not the easiest colors to find at that time!
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Nice and looking forward to the other colours being added.
This is a beautiful wardrobe. The painting is a standout too! My favorite piece is the skirt from Nordstrom’s. I love it….it can dressed up or down and it’s really a remarkable piece that can work in any season. I can see it with a big chunky brown sweater and boots, as easily as I can with a tank and sandals. I love a piece that has that kind of versatility!
Janice, I’m so excited for you about your upcoming trip. I can’t wait to see what you will pack for England!
I love the cohesiveness of this wardrobe. I guess I’m sort of glad the skirt doesn’t come in petite sizes. I would be very tempted
This I’d the type of capsule I strive for.
The skirt-lover here, too, even though I don’t wear skirts very often in retirement. I do like these colors and selections. As I have gotten older, I find myself drawn to orange, so I look forward to seeing that addition.of orange.
That skirt is absolutely marvellous! As mentioned by ellen s. above, it can be dressed up or down and will work at any time of the year. It’s also made in a timeless style – I LOVE the box pleats!! – and from a classic pattern.
If it came in a blue version in plus sizes, I would be extremely tempted to buy it.
I’m going to enjoy following this wardrobe throughout the year! Is paisley her favourite motif?
I’m not normally a fan of beige, but this is a beautiful wardrobe!
The skirt is the stand-out piece in this capsule for sure! The all-neutral palette is nice but falls flat for my personal preferences. I am awaiting the entry of the dynamic teal and red-orange duo to this wardrobe; I love those colors with brown, like them with black and/or ivory/white, and am unsure how they’ll do with beige.
Oh my, I love this wardrobe so much!! Can’t wait for the colorful additions in my favorite orange tones.
When I was shopping for sandals last year, the sales person brought out a pair of the Vionic sneakers shown in the third outfit. I didn’t need them, but I am SO very glad I made that purchase. They are so comfortable and I feel so cool whenever I wear them (and, I have worn them more than I thought I would). I’m going to buy another pair (in a different color) this year. If I purchase them in a different color will you get credit for them?
After you click through one of the links here, I get my wee commission on ANYTHING you buy at that retailer. You can buy sheets! Bras! Baby clothes!
And I’m very grateful that you think of me when you’re shopping,
big hugs,
Janice
A little tip here: if readers here are searching for anything, go through Janice’s directory of links to the various retailers to find your item. Very useful!
Very pretty and timeless.
I’m already excited to see how my wardrobe grows. (For me, please, burgundy and honey)
Burgundy and honey! That sounds gorgeous AND delicious!
This is a very appealing capsule from a style standpoint. It’s smart and functional. I love ivory and brown together.
A word about the LL Bean pants. They’re wildly versatile. I would wear them with a polo and a quarter zip for spring golf, in addition to the beautiful pieces you’ve paired them with.
I loved that ten years back combination— colors even more difficult to find now than then. At least, aqua is more of a unicorn today. But, oh! Aqua added to brown and cream is so beautiful. I found a fun aqua skirt for travel last summer and it’s almost a neutral when you start trying it out with pieces in various colors.
Wow, Janice – I loved this art so much! The colors are totally what I love. I looked up the artist Sean Scully and he has done several similar pieces with stunning color combinations. You may have just turned me on to an artist whose colors will really inspire me! Thank you!!!
When you visit Dublin, make your way to the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin 1. They have an entire room dedicated to his work; it’s stunning!
hugs,
Janice
I really responded to this wardrobe and thought ‘thats just the grown up capsule I’ve been looking for’. I’m packing for a long overseas trip right now and this has been a big help. It will work with my muted colouring too. I look forward to seeing your future choices. And I love the art work. Thank you!!!!!
I can’t get personally excited about these colours, though I will admit that it all hangs together very nicely and will look amazing with the addition of the other accent colours. However, I’d love to see wardrobes based on his blue paintings.