June 29, 2026
Happy Birthday To Me! I should be sitting in a cafe in Paris when you read this…
It seems from your emails that traveling in September is very popular – except for that whole “warm weather? cold weather?” question.
Of course, we all watch the weather like hawks before we leave, and we adjust accordingly. But it’s comforting to have an idea before you start flinging clothes into a bag…
How about a centering inspiration, in the form of a scarf WITH LEMURS!!! I love the detail of their striped tails throughout this:
These are the colors that I chose to try to find. Is anybody else having the experience that LOTS of things are sold out, or are only available in strange assortments of sizes? It’s a bit maddening…
I’m starting to really like the plan of packing with three core outfits, and then adding in a few more tops and a dress. You can take your time choosing accessories, and you will already know what goes with what when you put things in your suitcase.
Finding an excellent shade of teal was a good start:
Kelp tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; earrings – The Met Store; scarf – Lost Pattern NYC; cardigan – L.L.Bean; handbag – Radley; ankle-length chinos – L.L.Bean; gold flats – Sam Edelman
More teal, with perfect shoes! And a cardigan in the darkest shade of brown I’ve included in our palette:
scarf – Lost Pattern NYC; earrings – Anthropologie; kelp linen tank top – Eileen Fisher; cotton & silk cardigan – Banana Republic; pants – Eileen Fisher; ballet flats – Everlane
Maybe you’ll never need your sweater vest. Maybe you will wear it without anything under it! And just maybe, it will save you on that cool, drizzly and grey day…
Earrings – Karine Sultan; rich ginger cotton vest – Lands’ End; ribbon scarf – Strathberry; linen shirt – Alex Mill; chinos – Lands’ End; sneakers – Easy Street; tote – Longchamp
A simple dress, a hot weather top, and a tee shirt that can be layered or worn alone. I’m rarely a fan of great big earrings, but these caught my eye!
Earrings- Dhwani Bansal; linen dress – Alex Mill; sleeveless sweater – Lands’ End; belt – Nordstrom; tee shirt – Coldwater Creek; cognac slingbacks – Franco Sarto
If you wanted to stick with our frequent habit of having a 13-piece travel capsule wardrobe, you could certainly add an ivory tee shirt, or a print top in these colors. I couldn’t find a print top, but your lucky is certainly different from mine!
This wardrobe would be great for a long trip during which you wanted to be sure of lots of options. When you’ve sent two or three pieces of clothing to the laundry, it’s comforting to know that you can still look good!
Of course, if you wear a uniform for work, this might be all of the “real” clothing that you need for late summer, shading into autumn…
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, I did some shopping, and had some thoughts about linen. I’m delighted to report that everything that I bought on the day in question is still in my closet! I came within inches of packing all of it for Paris…
Love this travel wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
Bonne vacance and Happy Birthday!!! I hope you are luxuriating in a Parisien cafe drinking a crème and that it’s cooled down a bit for you!
Happy birthday, enjoy Paris. I found this and thought of you…….someone who loves purple is called a porphyrophile.
Happy birthday! I hope you enjoy your time in Paris, and that it is not too hot there.
Happy Birthday and stay cool!
Joyeux anniversaire!
And what a totally lovely scarf you have found for us to drool over. My laptop interprets what you refer to as teal (a colour I love but rarely wear for no good reason… perhaps I should dye my rarely worn turquoise pieces into teal?) as a rather dull charcoal grey, which is a pity, but I get the concept, and love the versatility of this collection and those of last week – when it was simply too hot here in the UK to comment! I can imagine this as an everyday wardrobe which would give the heroine so much confidence every day.
Stay cool!
Happy birthday, Janice! Whether you’re in Paris, Chicago or somewhere else fabulous, I wish you all the happiness possible! You have made such a difference in my life with this blog. I look forward to it Monday, Wednesday and Friday more than you can imagine. It brings me joy…and it has for over a decade. I appreciate you and your hard work.
This is a gorgeous scarf. The colors in it are stunning and the adorable lemurs make me smile. I can only think of “King Julien” from the Madagascar movies singing “I love to move it”….and I’m here for it.
These are beautiful clothes for the right woman. I also think you’ve included the right number of white pieces too…they are enough to create a beautiful outfits and show a sense of lightness, but not so much that it feels like too much white. I especially love the teal and chestnut pieces together. They create truly a rich palette!
Once more…happy birthday and best wishes for your next trip around the sun. Love and light to you, my friend.
Ellen you made me laugh…
We love to move it move it!!
Happy birthday. What a perfect way to celebrate. May you find all the most intriguing art and soul-soothing gardens!
What I’m noting these days is how much I love the beautiful off white/ivory range of color. With gold accessories, it all looks a bit more posh. Bought a top for $17 at Costco a few weeks ago in a color one might call cream or ivory or vanilla. Simple cut. Tone on tone delicat embroidery on the yolk— very subtle. It looks a lot more expensive than the cost.
The honey color in that scarf could easily slide in if our heroine decides to expand her wardrobe.
Happy Happy Birthday Janice! May your day, year, and years be filled with joy! And what a beautiful present you’ve left for us to enjoy – love those lemurs. Beautiful rich colors – we’re due for a heat-dome in the US later this week so the thought of trousers is making me wince – but I will love this wardrobe in September! Stay cool!
Wishing you a wonderfully Happy Birthday, Janice! So very glad you got to go to Paris. Love these kelp EF pieces you found. And the lemur scarf! If you’re ever near Durham, NC, you would love the Duke Lemur Center. I did a behind the scenes tour and it was awesome! https://lemur.duke.edu
Happy Birthday! You bring so much color and joy into so many of our lives. I hope you have a wonderful celebration visit.
Bon anniversaire, Janice ! Hope you have a great time here in Paris. Are you familiar with the brand Armor Lux? Their identity is Breton, and they specialize in marinières but have lots of other offerings. To me their clothes are very wearable, prices reasonable (but not cheap) and decent quality. Store I go to is rue Vavin.
For some reason I keep thinking that their largest size doesn’t even fit me well – I need to look again. They’re sort of low-key famous in France…
love,
Janice
Have a lovely birthday and enjoy Paris! You’ve inspired me to make my first Eileen Fisher purchase!!!
Happy birthday, Janice!!!!!!! Love that teal!!!!!! Have a fabulous day wherever you are!
Happy Birthday🎉 Thank you for the wonderful blog and all the help and joy you have given to so many of us. Today’s wardrobe is lovely. Those teal shoes are quite the find. Hope you get to Paris when it is a wee bit cooler.
Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday, congratulations on another trip around the sun! You a correct, that is indeed a most excellent shade of teal, I will be shopping this collection. Complimentary colors are refreshing, and these work well for me, absolutely. What a goldmine with those skinny scarves, I see where my clothing budget is going this year!
40 degrees isn’t fun. I hope you packed some linen after all.
Beautiful post.
Happy birthday Janice! I love these colors!
I walked through Macy’s this week and noticed lots of rusty colors. Nothing I liked, but enough of the color to hope I see more. I’ve been told that teal is my best color and I love complimentary color schemes, since elementary school when I wore complimentary socks and bows with my dresses.
Bon anniversaire Janice. I rarely comment but your blog always makes me smile.
You are in my happy place and I hope that you find the perfect shaded terrasse and the best cooling drink ever!
Teal is one of my favorite (and best) colors and it’s been hard to find. This color palette is perfect for me! Unfortunately Eileen Fisher is out of my price range but I have high hopes that Quince will start to add some teal soon. I have found a few brown pieces there this past year which I enjoy wearing.
Have a wonderful week and a great year to come.
Happy birthday! When I saw the (absolutely wonderful) scarf, I thought: Oh yes, teal with black and white/ivory plus cognac leather – what a nice inspiration! Of course the rust/chestnut and the beige/brown look great here, but I still could see it with black and white instead if a heroine has/likes a core wardrobe in those colors.
Dear Sally, I was thinking the exact same thing!
Happy Birthday! Best wishes for a wonderful year ahead! Loving the use of ribbon scarves; a perfect way to introduce scarves into my wardrobe.
A Very happy birthday to you!
Janice,
Happiest of Birthdays ! I hope the weather and temps are cooperating !
These are my colors, though I have never been brave enough to wear teal pants, though you may have just changed my mind ! Love this grouping and the 3 interchangeable outfits core concept for packing ! Didn’t you provide that concept once before ? I’d like to find it again !
I am a teacher and my students and I will dance to this too!
Janice, wherever you are, have a blessed and happy birthday 🎂! As everyone’s saying, you bring joy to our daily lives (and wardrobes!).
Happy Birthday and have a fabulous trip! :)