August 17, 2026
Last weekend, Belovedest and I walked down to the Art Institute of Chicago to see a current exhibit: Beyond Form: Abstraction at Midcentury. As you almost certainly have figured out by now, I’m a big fan of abstract art…
Before we look at art, we usually go up to the third floor of the Modern Wing to The Member Bar, where we can get coffee and pastries. (note, if you’re a member, and you can get free regular coffee…)
This is one of the great people-watching venues in Chicago. I think that those of us who purchase memberships to museums are a special bunch! Every time I’m there, I see at least one woman who is strikingly attractive, usually because she’s “got her own style.”
(“get your own style” is a big comment in our household…)
I was thinking of the women I saw, and then we went to look at the exhibit, and I saw THIS:
And I began to sense a theme to my entire museum visit!
The first woman I saw was wearing this:
Cardigan – Alex Mill; necklace – Saachi; earrings – Way to Chic; cotton shirt – Alex Mill; ecru pants – Alex Mill; sneakers – Kizik
Of course she had blue eyes! And grey/blonde hair, pulled back in the most flawlessly sleek pony tail… She was stunning, in a low-key, subtle and relaxed way!
I didn’t realize at the time that this was the theme of the day – at least among four women that I saw!
(if you see enough people, you can find any theme you want, right?)
The second woman was coming out of the special exhibit space as we went in. Her hair was VERY short, and silver grey.
I considered wrestling her for her necklace, but realized that I would embarrass Belovedest, possibly get hurt, and likely lose…
Grey cashmere cardigan – L.L.Bean; necklace – Saachi; earrings – Ana Luisa; cream tee shirt – Lands’ End; jeans – Levi’s; sneakers – Kizik
I should mentioned that the weather was intermittently pouring rain (absolutely bucketing down…) and rather cool. Sweaters made good sense…
The last two women were in the flocks of people either in the exhibit itself or in the galleries through which we passed on our way out of the museum.
Rain jacket – Lands’ End; necklace – Saachi; earrings – Dhwani Bansal; ivory sweater – J.Crew; linen pants – J.Crew; sneakers – Quince
Why yes, you can wear sweatpants to the art museum! Especially if they’re dressed-up like this:
Linen shirt – J.Crew; necklace – Anthropologie; earrings – Oradina; tee shirt – GAP; sweatpants – Lands’ End; sneakers – adidas
When I got home and started thinking about these women and the way they were dressed and accessorized, I realized that this was a capsule wardrobe waiting to happen!
I feel comfortable thinking of this as a “whatever’s clean” wardrobe – you couldn’t put a foot wrong getting dressed from this!
Some possibilities:
I confess, I didn’t really notice anybody’s handbag, if they had one at all! But to me, metallic would be obvious:
If you come to Chicago, don’t miss one of my favorite places…. We go to the Art Institute at least once a month – more like every two weeks. This makes it possible to go into one or two galleries, absorb something at length, and then leave before we become overloaded. No Stendhal Syndrome for us!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we started with one yellow dress, and figured out FOURTEEN ways to wear it. Don’t hesitate if something bold really speaks to your heart….
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Love love love this. I wear a lot of white and cream in the spring and summer but not so much grey. Maybe something to consider for next years additions.
I wear silver grey linen trousers with a silver grey cardigan and an ivory top underneath. My shoes are silver lace-ups and my bag is grey leather. I love the idea of wearing contrasting jewellery – turquoise, light purple or pink would be my choice.
I love the look back. Just changing accessories can give a new lease of life to the garment that you love but don’t wear often.
Absolutely love this! The lightness. The style! The accessories! Elegant in a very low key way. And the comfort, especially of sneakers. This would be a great early fall sort of capsule for me, and I already have some similar things.
This is absolutely beautiful. I love that people watching is so fabulous at the art museum in Chicago. I always try to dress nicely–not black tie or anything near that level of formality–but presentable and unabashedly me. I am shocked by the number of people who dress like slobs in public. I mean REAL slobs—stained, ill fitting, too big (or too small) and just plain old messy. My very chic, very posh San Francisco Nob Hill grandmother would be rolling over in her grave.
I love the light neutral base here. If I had a different lifestyle, this would be extremely tempting as a wardrobe palette. That being said, I’d love to copy some of these outfits can translate to any of us!
The real stars here are the jewelry. I am mad for all of it!
Also, I will add some soft yellow that I have…
This is exactly my goal in dressing. Sneakers in every outfit, lovely jewelry, monochromatic color scheme, elegant comfort. This color scheme is what makes it more refined and lovely than what I can pull off. I think navies and blues read more sporty, but I give it my best shot. This is absolutely dreamy and I love it! A great start to the week. Thank you!
Oh wow, love this!!! Maybe when I let my hair go fully to the grey/white its begging for (alas, youth-via-chemistry is in my cards for at least the next 10 years..) But my favorite parts: tonal and classic clothes, with pa-POW jewelry, and SNEAKERS. I bet there are some other colorways where this would work too…
As soon as we cool down enough, I’m pulling out the pa-POW jewelry again. Its been a while, it was too hot for necklaces this summer, and, even if its overkill – why not? It’s *my* style ;)
Thanks for showcasing some more real-life looks, and even tying it to art! As always, you have an amazing eye Janice!
Never a fan of warm- and cool-based colors in the same outfit.
Sorry. But the grey, blue, and white is lovely.
Oh my! This is inspiring. Can’t wait to go hang at my own little art gallery once I pull out some similar pieces.
We stayed in Chicago for six months in 1994 as our infant required special medical care-all resolved now. Our very favorite spot was the Art Institute. The exhibit you describe sounds amazing.
I love this strategy of cream and grey…or tan. But I’d always throw in a very bright scarf or necklace. I’m glad you explained the slightly cooler, wet weather because the idea of a sweater is challenging in our 95 degree heat. Then again, so many places crank air conditioning to what you’ve called “meat locker” temperatures.
I oohed and aahed at the sight of that artwork! So calm yet interesting. What a perfect base for all my blues, I thought. All to scroll down and see your take on it!
As a white-haired, blue-eyed, fair skinned now 70-year-old (HOW did that happen?!), I live mostly in grays, blues, soft white and touches of orchid or pink. But, the hardest part of building a cohesive look and style has been nailing the low to medium contrast aspect and not veering too much towards navy. (I agree with the earlier comment about navy reading too sporty.) Mid-tones like chambrays seem to be my happy spot, though I sometimes risk of becoming a one-trick pony style and color-wise!
Thanks for the tutorial on blending these lighter tones and still allowing for the pops of whatever our favorite colors may be! I may even spring for an updated pair of sweats to get me to the gym on time!
AND, thank you for choosing one sneaker style that comes in wide!
I forgot to mention – the art work is pieces of fabric! You can see the edges if you look carefully, and tiny bits of raveled thread…
love,
Janice
Even better! Inspiration to play with the fabric stash!
Lovely wardrobe for the right person. I would be washed out in this unless i had a very bright scarf. Nice look at soft neutrals.
Wow wow wow
When I arrive home later, I need to purchase some of these items. Perfect capsule wardrobe especially for travel. Some colorful accessories and maybe a pair of shoes with a few colors in them!! Love this. Thank-you, Janice!!
Robbin
Ohh my. These are gorgeous! You really can’t go wrong with these colors if you have a cool complexion. And the necklaces! I adore pretty necklaces and bracelets. I can’t wear earrings since I’m allergic to most metals it seems, and scarves overwhelm my face. But a great necklace is the perfect accessory.
The look back mentions wearing a shoe that matches your skin is sometimes the best option. It reminded me that I believe I learned of Jeneba Barrie’s line of nude shoes from this blog. She offers at least seven shades in loafers and pumps of various heel heights. They are a bit pricey, but are beautifully made. The site includes shade descriptions like foundation (i.e. Medium Tan with a cool undertone) which are extremely helpful, but you can also get a swatch book which is credited to the price of the shoes if you order a pair. I ended up getting two pairs since I tan in the summer.
A belated “Thank You”, Janice, for telling me about them (if it was you 😬).