August 10, 2026
So many of our heroines this months are absolutely buried (metaphorically speaking, of course) in advertising for fall clothes. It’s so easy to see a handful of things that catch your eye – you buy on impulse – your tidy wardrobe starts to be less and less tidy…
Our heroines are responding by taking a hard look at what they already have, and identifying gaps in their wardrobe. Rationally, if our heroines are able to get dressed every day, their wardrobes don’t actually have gaps! But we are going to shop for a new season (most of us!), and thus our heroines are going to try to do it sensibly…
Today’s professional listeners has chosen this painting as her style-defining inspiration:
This wardrobe is actually quite well-balanced!
Her accessories are lovely – but she doesn’t have a pair of boots! If you wear boots, NOW is the time to start looking. (it took me THREE tries to get a pair that are comfortable…)
But our heroine realized that she only has one pair of dark brown pants – and they’re corduroy. It would be nice to be able to wear her darkest neutral during warmer weather… Our heroine took all of her dark brown things out of her closet to consider at length. Maybe a tee shirt, at least, would be handy:
French press cashmere sweater – J.Crew; brown cashmere cardigan – Aritzia; cowl-neck top – J.Crew; Brown shirt – Alex Mill; brown linen blend skirt – GAP; cords – J.Crew
After a few moments of thought, she decides to take advantage of the huge amount of brown clothing available right now!
Striped cardigan – Alex Mill; earrings – Kendra Scott; tee shirt – L.L.Bean; striped tee shirt – Lands’ End; checked bandana – Lost Pattern; cotton twill pants – Alex Mill; boots – Munro
Yes, the small scarf seems to be the same colors as the striped tee shirt! If you focus on your signature colors long enough, this kinds of coincidences will happen…
Her 56-piece template is filling in nicely:
Seeing her wardrobe in a less structured arrangement makes it clear that our heroine has choices!
Her accessories seem chosen to bring attention to her face – earrings, necklaces and scarves. Interesting – do they bring attention to her ears, so that it’s clear that she’s listening?
Our heroine’s new clothes are easy to wear with her existing things – she could almost get dressed in the dark:
Does anybody else find it amazing how much brown clothing is currently available? I can remember a time when you couldn’t find a brown cardigan or tee shirt for anything…
love,
Janice
If you’d like to start from scratch with this heroine, you can see every step of her wardrobe journey here: Christmas Eve Preview, January, February, March, April, May, June, July
p.s. Ten years ago, we added even MORE accessories to a capsule wardrobe. There’s a list of “essential accessories” and “frivolous accessories” in this post…
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
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