July 1, 2026
While many of us are struggling with the lack of brightness and contrast in this wardrobe, I think most of us at least really admire this painting:
At the end of June, our heroine the landscape designer had this capsule wardrobe – 28 garments:
And these are her accessories. While the clothes are quite simple, her accessories are a bit ore interesting. Yes, she does indeed have the exactly same tote bag in two colors! And her scarves are deliciously lovely…
Our heroine found some casual things that will be useful for when she’s meeting clients outdoors. She doesn’t do this as often as she had once believed she would – a couple of visits to the site seem to be sufficient for her part of the work. But it’s always good to be able to actually SEE what you’re doing!
sweatshirt cardigan – Lands’ End; necklace – Panacea; bracelet – Panacea; beige denim shirt – Banana Republic; striped top – Banana Republic; pants – Madewell; sneakers – Dr. Scholl’s
At the end of last month, we had completely filled a 28-garment template with this wardrobe:
So now we’re going to start working with a 56-piece template. I tried to assemble a 52-piece template, but it was awkwardly proportioned, and didn’t ever feel right!
I guess this means that at the end of December, our heroines can choose a bonus 4 pieces of clothing…
Yes, this gives us tiny little garment images. But I think for those of us who can pick our clothes out of a lineup, this might still work. One could always just write in descriptions of clothes, too.
Today’s heroine now has this template:
And here’s what her clothes look like in a less structured image, sorted by color:
And her accessories become more and more appealing each month!
And as always, we know that our heroine will be able to wear her new clothes without a lot of “Monday morning anguish.” Getting dressed in a well-organized wardrobe should take no more time than it takes to check one’s schedule for the day, and the weather report…
I could wear this wardrobe. I can really appreciate the calming and subtle beauties of these shades of brown…
love,
Janice
If you would like to see how we got to this point with this wardrobe, all of the earlier blog posts can be found here: Christmas Eve Preview, January, February, March, April , May, June
I’d add pale blue in the form of the lightest blue denim jeans, similar shade tops/sweaters and some dark charcoal somewhere, if we are allowed to alter the proportions of the painting’s colours. It’s an interesting exercise!
This is one of these posts in which I find myself loving individual pieces, but not the overall wardrobe. I adore each of the pieces you picked for this month. However, I keep envisioning them with other colors. I see the adorable brown & white striped Breton shirt paired with pink pants and the white topper blouse with a fabulous skirt in a bright print. Individually, these pieces are all rock stars. I just need “more”. At the very least, she needs a 5-pack of chambray/denim.
That being said, it’s HOT, even here in Maine! My landscaping is FINALLY going in here at my new house. My landscape architect and his crew are always welcome to come into the house for air conditioning breaks. But, their clothing, for both men and women on the team, are shorts, tanks and work boots. I’d love to see our heroine here with some shorts…maybe brown, maybe yellow…that she could wear on site when gardens are going in. Landscape architects are still on site, placing plants, outlining for stones, and getting their hands dirty. They just have a team to help them!
Whether you’re in Paris now, or Chicago, I hope you’re finding ways to stay cool!
I love the soft subtlety of this collection, and wish I had the discipline to emulate it… But I don’t, even with the nice addition of pale denim blue as Helen suggests. I am very tempted by the Lands End sweatshirt cardigan though.
I love the low contrast and calming effect of this wardrobe. Arranging by color vs. the grid has a more relaxing effect for me. Though not my colors, this is one of my favorites! Well done.
On a side note, love my ABEO sandals. I never even heard of them before you recommended.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Sharon
They are wonderful, aren’t they? I wore them relentlessly in Paris and never even NOTICED my feet. That’s an achievement on a walking vacation!
love,
Janice
I’m a fan of this wardrobe because it gives me a useful new lens on similar colors I already had, but I have to say, that striped shirt was a really solid add – just that teeny bit of pattern & contrast wakes things right up!
For the templates, my two cents is to just add a second 26 piece template – the larger one makes the images too darn teeny.
Amd yes, that button up sweatshirt! If it’s polished enough in real life, it’s definitely tempting!
I really like this wardrobe, but I would want to include denim and blue. The yellow is lovely in the painting, but it seems to stand apart in the wardrobe and doesn’t show up in the options that are put together very often. I could say the same thing about the grey. Maybe you can have too many light tones that play a similar role and the ivory always seems to look the best (if given a choice). However, sometimes it is nice to have a smaller, separate capsule in a colour you like, but know you won’t be wearing that often.
I’m coming to the conclusion that almost every wardrobe includes denim and chambray i.e. the range of denim colors from light to dark. There are a few of us who don’t do denim, or who wear it in black, but it’s become a universal neutral.
One could include the spectrum of denim blue in every wardrobe now! It certain goes with everything, and is available in the garments that most of us wear at least occasionally…
love,
Janice
So true about denim. My husband absolutely does not wear denim…..ever. He may be one of the few. However, he wears dress shirts when he is out gardening (minus a tie, but he could pull it off). I couldn’t live without it and it is a neutral for me, so it is hard to imagine a wardrobe without it. We have managed to work out our differences LOL. I am surprised at how I miss it in some of the wardrobes you post, but I also am aware at how its absence is just as inviting. Thanks for all of the wardrobe inspiration and forcing me to think about the choices I make and why.
I have not yet read the post, but I came here immediately to say I am thrilled with the new template. I think it is perfect. Brilliantly done.