April 20, 2026
We’re going to start with the painting, although this is NOT where today’s heroine began her spring wardrobe adventure:
As soon as she saw this painting, she saw this color palette…
Which is a good thing, because she just recently went a bit overboard on a new accent color. I mean CRAZY. And she’s already run everything through the laundry, so nothing is getting returned.
It happens. Most of us have done it – when Eileen Fisher releases purple, I go off the deep end…
But this is a lot of red:
Red linen shirt – Lands’ End; earrings – Toolally; red tee shirt – Lands’ End; shorts – Lands’ End; sandals – Marc Fisher LTD; sneakers – Comfortview; striped pants – Lands’ End
She’s going to try to make lemonade out of this… First thing is to check what’s already in her closet that she plans to wear a LOT this spring and summer:
White linen shirt – Caslon; earrings – Argento Vivo; sage plaid top – L.L.Bean; sage tank top – L.L.Bean; khaki pants – L.L.Bean; khaki shorts – L.L.Bean; cropped linen pants – Caslon; white sandals – Lands’ End; tote bag – J.Crew; sneakers – Earth
The white things are wonderful. The khaki will go really well with red. And the green? Dear oh dear, the green…
But then she remembers that you don’t have to have a perfect wardrobe! A couple of pieces that don’t blend into the overall scheme (even though they do indeed appear in her “painting palette”) aren’t the end of the world.
I can think of a few things that might help this heroine – a scarf and a tote bag that bring together khaki and red, a white cardigan to wear over anything, and a striped tee shirt, for fun…
So this is her wardrobe for spring and much of summer. Yes, the green sticks out, but in all fairness, they can be worn with both white and khaki so it’s not like she’s going to NEVER be able to wear them.
What are her outfit options? Many – in two somewhat different moods:
What’s the strangest color that you’ve included in your wardrobe? I have 3 brown pieces – but happily, I also have two scarves which prominently include brown and black! Otherwise I’d be looking for a consignment shop…
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we changed up some accent colors to build a wardrobe in black, grey, ivory and blush. I still love the look…
p.p.s. I must share – if I were going to go nuts buying red, this is what I would buy. Some years ago, I bought four very similar garments from Eileen Fisher in a grey and black version of this gingham, textured fabric. They are the garments I still wear the most in warm weather – the options of four matching garments should never be discounted!
Red & pink gingham shirt – Lands’ End; sleeveless top – Lands’ End; shorts – Lands’ End; pants – Lands’ End
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
I would ad a pair of pants and/or shorts in that sage green. Red will go beautifully with it and not look “Christmasy”. The green stems anchor the red tulips, so why not use it in the wardrobe?
Yes! Pants and shorts. Or a skirt. Fill out the green and this would be a dreamy closet. I have my eye on that green plaid top. And I’m watching for red, but Lands End does not fit me.
Janice, I just wrote a big long post about how much I love this…red is my favorite color!
But, I received an error message that says my IP has been marked malicious…is there any way to fix this?
I’ve been seeing your comments being blocked by some magical computer thingy that I didn’t ask for and don’t much like… I can delete my own spam; I don’t need AI to do it for me! Rest assured that you are more than welcome here; I will try to find the solution!
love love love,
Janice
Thank you so much, my friend. And well done for today’s post. I love the red, red, red!!!
This is a great Monday morning wake up! It is no bad thing to put together a small set of clothes that you know will work together. Buying all from the same vendor is smart. Shopping your closet even better. And red! For some this will be fabulous. As to the green, I happen to love that sage color, soft, calming. And sometimes one needs that. A break from high energy red. This approach could work with a lot of colors, and I’d love to see that.
Thanks for this wardrobe, Janice. I love it – and not least because, to use the cliche, it’s perfectly imperfect!
Your blog is a real inspiration, and you’ve helped me to rationalise my retirement closet a lot. But I can’t bring myself to pass on my two orange tops and two red tops, which are a little at odds with my curated cream & denim neutrals, olive, berry & brown accents… Oh, and not to mention the four much loved turquoise outliers! Yes, just an old(er) girl who loves fabric and colours :-)
All the best from sunny Norfolk, UK.
Wear what you love. These are my outliers too. I only wear turquoise in summer because it reflects the sun and looks good when I’m lightly tanned. I only wear red for UK national events when red, white and blue are thematic colours.
This wardrobe is calling my name.
~ beautiful ~
I often combine rust red with this green.
This bag is simply adorable. 😍
At the next opportunity, this heroine will buy a pair of trousers in this green.
This is great! I love red in the summer and have quite a bit of it in my summer wardrobe. If only the weather would warm up enough for me to wear it.
I think the oddest colour I have in my wardrobe is mustard – I have a winter jacket and a necklace and some shorts. None of the items can be worn together, except maybe the necklace and the shorts but I have enough neutrals in my wardrobe that each item gets a surprising amount of wear.
WISH THERE WERE MORE SEPARATES WITH SIMPLE MATCHING PRINTS! I agree with “the options of four matching garments should never be discounted!” I was an exchange student and had two sets of matching skirts and blouses, each with simple prints, so essentially, a “dress” that could also work as separates. Other clothes in my suitcase were solid colors that worked with colors in the prints. I got through the entire semester beautifully.
I search constantly for printed garments – that’s why I was so excited when I saw these four garments in the same fabric. When I bought my little set, I thought I was being insanely extravagant, but looking back it was one of the smartest clothing purchases I’ve ever made!
love,
Janice
I love this! Red is my favorite in all of its shade. The bag is really calling my name! Thanks so much
Very timely. USPS Informed Delivery tells me I’m getting a Land’s End catalog today, for the first time in years, so I’m looking forward to seeing today’s clothing, as well as other Land’s End pieces you’ve shown lately, modeled in photos on glossy paper.
My strangest wardrobe color? Because of where I went to college and where my kids went to college (different schools, same color) I’ve been making lemonade out of bright orange for years. Fortunately, it looks good with nearly all shades of blue.
A scarf and/or a tote that combines the two colors is going on my shopping list, after seeing how well those accessories work in today’s wardrobe.
Janice,
What I am loving most about this post is the totally different looks from day to day ! Conservative me would probably have more of the green instead of all of the red , but to each his own ! A fun post !
And yes, I echo the wish for coordinating patterned pieces that could be offered within a collection that are provided by the industry . I have great trouble finding patterned pieces in the right scale of the pattern, level of contrast, and in “ my” colors !
I just left IN where we celebrated my mom’s 99th birthday. My sister and I spent several hours turning her closet. She wanted to know where her beloved turtlenecks, corduroys and wool sweaters were going. Top rack that she can’t reach. Lot’s of laundry and some tossing but we have three piece outfits hanging! It took a lot of convincing that a tee shirt and blouse could be on the same hanger with the pants! More than once we were told that I never wore those together! Since she has quit wearing a bra (she’s tiny) we told her it’s necessary. We have also convinced her to throw EVERYTHING in the laundry at the end of the day. She is set up with three weeks of outfits and they do her laundry twice a week. She looked at it and decided it was more than enough and that it did make getting dressed easy.
How lovely of you to help her do this. It is so difficult to make elderly people realise that they simply do not need so many clothes. They cling on to the life they used to lead rather than the one they have now. Providing complete daily outfits for three or four weeks is a good plan. She still has variety and can reach everything.
I tried to organize my moms clothes too and she had some lovely things but she still seemed to wear only a couple outfits, very old and not her best. But I guess with dementia, she had her “outfits to wear” and the other things were for nice occasions, so for saving.
one of my closest friends loves green and red. that green is a sage green and in my book it does go with red.
if i was a ‘green’ person, i would so wear it with red.
all they need is a scarf that combines it and some necklaces and/or earrings in both colors. *maybe they can have fun beading their own?
vi
I love this and would totally wear the red button up open with the green tank underneath. Especially with that scarf!! :) Gorgeous! BTW Janice, thanks for years of advice. Last week I got together with my best friend who has been struggling with her wardrobe for years. We did some groupings of a couple pairs of pants with several tops that would coordinate. (little capsules) We had so much fun and we realized that she has a lot that coordinates she just hadn’t thought of wearing the different things together. We also landed on a couple of things she could buy that would round things out really well.
You are a great friend. That’s awesome!
I adore red. For me, red is a basic!