March 13, 2026
If all goes as planned, and I don’t take a tumble and break myself, Belovedest and I are on our way to London, and then a couple of small English towns. Cross your fingers that my coordination holds up!
And now, let’s visit our sixth painting – modern, angular, unusual colors, and just plain stuck in my mind:
Our heroine – the graphic artist who specialized in mixing fonts – has chosen these colors around which to build her wardrobe:
Let me share a bit about this heroine: she wants to become a reformed impulse shopper, and thus is trying HARD to stay within her chosen palette. She’s come to realize that it’s time to buy less, buy better, buy things that have a consistent feel and look. She would really like to have a distinct personal style!
So far, she’s balanced buying neutrals and accents quite well; at the end of February, her wardrobe looked like this:
This month was a real challenge to her discipline! But with a plan in place, she was able to splurge on a couple of garments in her bright turquoise accent (which so far this spring has been hard to find!), as well as buying a green skirt that might (in her youth) have just hung in her closet and made her feel guilty:
Linen shirt – Eileen Fisher; green necklace – Anthropologie; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; green skirt – Boden; black tee – Lands’ End; bag – Betsy & Floss; sandals – Sam Edelman
When she looks at her wardrobe template, she clearly sees that she’s a bit short on 2nd layers. Those are the pieces that lend a sense of authority and expertise to one’s appearance. She wants to cultivate that kind of look; these days, she knows full well that AI could do a lot of what she does, but AI does NOT have taste. Nor discernment. Nor the ability to explain why taking a style risk in the choice of document design is worthwhile!
Something to remember in the upcoming months…
When our heroine brings her new purchases into her existing wardrobe, she’s delighted to see that nothing sticks out like a sore thumb! If you’ve ever had a magpie closet, you know what I mean:
She’s delighted to find that it’s really easy to find new outfits using her purchases!
I’m pretty convinced that a wardrobe can be built around denim, any two neutrals, and any two accent colors! What a thought…
love,
Janice
Want to see our heroine’s earlier shopping adventures? They can be found here: Christmas Eve Preview, January 2026, February 2026
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
Welcome to.England. The weather will brighten up next week and get warmer. I’d be interested to know if you see any ‘chic sightings’ whilst you’re here.
Denim, two neutrals, navy and ivory in my case, exactly what I do, it’s the two accent colours where I slip up, but everything is from the cool/blue side of the spectrum, from turquoise through to lavender, and mainly soft tones. I could wear this heroine’s wardrobe. Though with a dress, not a skirt. I do enjoy looking at these wardrobes and the palettes. Enjoy Britain, the spring bulbs are in flower, the shrubs are beginning to blossom and the birds are singing as they nest build.
Such a pretty wardrobe! I can see this being just perfect for so many women.
I do have to highlight your comment, “I’m pretty convinced that a wardrobe can be built around denim, any two neutrals, and any two accent colors! What a thought…” This is quite honestly how my wardrobe exists. While I do have different neutrals and accents seasonally, my life is built around denim. Maybe it’s because I grew up on a Ranch out west? But, even though I have lived in New England for most of my life, my ‘Forever in Blue Jeans’ vibe remains. The great thing about denim is its adaptability. There are such great choices now too—-that don’t look ‘ranchy’ at all….but quite sophisticated. So, this might be confirmation bias on my part, but I couldn’t agree more with your statement.
I hope you’re safely in England and having the time of your life!
Hope you and Belovedest are now in England and having a great time! I completely agree that a wardrobe can be built around denim, any two neutrals and any two accent colors.
Aqua is almost a neutral! I do hope it circles back into popularity again. It’s great with navy or brown/tan or other brights like cobalt blue, flamingo pink, coral, green and geranium red.
Denim is surging right now, showing up in so many styles.
I agree with your statement about a wardrobe being built around denim, two neutrals and two accent colors. I however, as a lover of color, would drop the word “two” in front of accent color. I can’t see myself ever confining my wardrobe to only two accent colors. My basic wardrobe is very similar to this one except I wear navy instead of black and have a third accent color, coral. And then, because even having three accent colors doesn’t fulfill my craving for color variety, I have mini capsules (two to three items) in different accent colors that I can pair with my neutrals or even some three main accent colors.
Have a wonderful time!
Just a note to let you know how much I enjoy and appreciate your posts. I’ve been familiar with your work for many years but I’ve only recently (last two years) dialed up my own style work. I’m 58 and 5’3″ and have lost quite a bit of weight over these two years. (Yes, thanks to pharmaceuticals!) A year ago, I had a custom palette created for me and I was fortunate to have a somewhat extensive style consultation with a professional and I’ve learned so much. Still, it’s overwhelming to put it all together into a workable wardrobe. Another factor is that I recently retired from the workforce so my lifestyle is quite casual now. All of that to say that your guides and grid and approach are so helpful! My impulse after my style sessions last year was to over buy and now I find I need more editing than anything else. Also, I’m learning to sew and the grids are good guidance for figuring out what I’d like to make. So, thank you so much! (BTW, I’m also a midwesterner from Des Moines.)
London – Lucky you and your belovedest. And small towns. Sounds lovely. Stay safe. NO BREAKS!!! There’s a restaurant or perhaps chain in London that I’m mad keen to try called Fallow. They have IG postings and YouTube too so you could see whether or not it appeals.
I’m an avid follower of all your posts. I’m puzzling as to how to deal with your well-earned retirement.
This one is evolving beautifully! I wasn’t drawn to the art piece – maybe because I don’t like the title, so to my concern its called ‘alone’ -, but the colors and evidently, your magic eye is putting up a unique ensamble.
Hope you’re already enjoying wonderful English landscapes and adding more beautiful moments to your collection.
Cheers and blessings!
I like the colorful new additions.
Such a pretty capsule.