July 27, 2026
The email was not unexpected, but she still wasn’t thrilled to read it – everybody should be IN THE OFFICE three days a week, starting at the beginning of September…
She hasn’t been in the office on a regular basis in years. Literally.
So she’s going to plan a small work wardrobe that will see her through three days a week without a lot of thinking. Just making the trip back and forth is going to be quite enough additional effort!
She’s got green eyes, lots of freckles, dark reddish brown hair, and a fondness for autumn colors. Her inspiration is going to be this:
Unlike so many other wardrobe plans, this one’s starting with accent colors! When our heroine found both burgundy (that delightful Fig color from L.L.Bean), she knew that was where she wanted to begin. She decided to make the camel-ish tan in the painting a bit darker, to flatter her complexion. And a classic denim shirt and jeans MUST be part of her wardrobe. She knows full well that at least a few of her co-workers will wear NOTHING but jeans…
Fig tee – L.L.Bean; toasted coconut heather tee – L.L.Bean; fig cashmere cardigan – L.L.Bean; chambray shirt – L.L.Bean; 100% cotton jeans – 1822 Denim
After thinking about it for a few days, our heroine realizes that she can indeed manage getting dressed for work with just 16 garments. That makes staying organized easier…
So now that she has accent colors in place, maybe a few neutrals would be logical!
forest moss tee – Lands’ End; sea salt cotton shirt – Duluth Trading; forest moss shirt – Lands’ End; sea salt cardigan – L.L.Bean; forest moss chinos – Lands’ End
For some reason, adding the three forest moss green garments helps this wardrobe look a lot more coherent. Well, it helps me!
One of the nice things about having a small wardrobe: if you want a cashmere sweater, you get one! And if you want cool corduroy pants, you get them too!
I’m not telling you that the cashmere sweater below is $98, and comes in 11 colors…
Olive cashmere sweater – Nadaam; ivory tee – Lands’ End; striped sweatshirt – J.Crew; corduroy pants – Eileen Fisher
All of the essential are here – except another pair of pants! But I think our heroine can also add just about any kind of shirt or top that she wants…
The shirt is a departure! The corduroy pants are a staple. The best wardrobes include a mixture of fun things and neutral classics…
Here is where our heroine finds herself after her sorting, organizing, and little bit of shopping:
Take the clothes out of the template and arrange them in a more relaxed way, and it’s clear how easy our heroine will find it to get dressed for the office:
But as always, it’s wise to assemble specific outfits ahead of time! Finding wardrobe problems should NEVER be a “Monday morning” event…
Yes, the first few weeks of September might be too warm for much of this, but by mid-November, this will look pretty smart!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, our heroine had a “chocolate box” wardrobe of brown, ivory, beige and pink! We did some cooler weather shopping for her in this post.
Loving these colours – and envying the heroine for not having to stick to the conservative office blacks, greys, whites. and navies, which would suit neither her nor me! I’d be swapping out one of the pairs of trousers for a swishy skirt, and of course adding scarves and boots. This is a great denim-inclusive series you’ve put together, Janice, thanks.