August 24, 2026
Ah, some of you still need to dress conservatively… And there’s a lot of struggle around the wisdom of owning a good navy suit.
If you don’t like wearing navy, DON’T DO IT! But if you like wearing navy, and you’re comfortable in a blazer, and you can envision needing a classic suit, you could do worse than this:
What can you do with such classic beauty? Well, let’s start with a very conservative color palette and see what’s possible!
I’m going to approach this the same way I looked at the striped suit on Friday – a half-dozen outfits, a few additions, and then another half-dozen “remixed” outfits from the 16 garments in our capsule wardrobe.
Let’s start casual:
scarf – Nordstrom; earrings – Color Shout; tee shirt – L.L.Bean; blazer – Banana Republic; jeans – Levi’s; sneakers – adidas
The wine shade that I’m using is “fig” from L.L.Bean. When you find a garment in a color that’s really useful for you, check around for other things they may have made to match…
I don’t think wearing a paisley scarf with a striped shirt is a reach – a men would wear a paisley tie with a striped shirt in a heartbeat!
Cotton cardigan – Alex Mill; earrings – Auree Jewellery; tee – GAP; scarf – Elizabetta; pants – Banana Republic; loafers – Clarks
You can easily wear a blazer over a dress if the top half of the dress is simple – no ruffles, frills or other things that might bunch up underneath:
Earrings – The Pearl Source; blazer – Banana Republic; brooch – Loni Paul Jewelry; dress – Nordstrom; bag – DKNY; slingback pumps – Calvin Klein
Outfits don’t have to be complicated, nor do you have to wear three pieces every day. A simple sweater and pants look lovely – especially when you wear a small scarf at your neckline, and then swoosh on a cozy wrap:
Fig cotton sweater – L.L.Bean; garnet earrings – Macy’s; dotted scarf – Talbots; pants – Banana Republic; navy wrap – Tuckernuck; boots – Trotters
If you’ve ever been near a country club, you’ve seen a man wearing a blazer over a polo shirt. This is a much nicer version of the idea…
Earrings – Ottoman Hands; pearl pendant – Ettika; blazer – Banana Republic; gray merino polo sweater – L.L.Bean; gray pants – L.L.Bean; loafers – Sam Edelman
A really nice silk shirt isn’t cheap, but there’s nothing quite like it to make a simple outfit look special!
Cashmere cardigan – L.L.Bean; earrings – Ana Luisa; silk blouse – Banana Republic; bag – Pom Pom London; pants – Banana Republic; boots – Spring Step
Our heroine certainly needs a couple more grey things, as well as a white oxford shirt to play the same role as her silk blouse. I’m always a sucker for a cabled sweater – especially with piping!
And the skirt? It’s DENIM!!! But it’s dark, and it’s long enough to be warm and modest.
Charcoal tee shirt – Lands’ End; gray cabled sweater – J.Crew; white shirt – Lands’ End; denim skirt – Boden
The complete wardrobe looks pretty appealing!
As soon as I look at our heroine’s 4 by 4 Wardrobe Template, I want to rush out and get her a navy top of some sort – tee shirt, blouse, button-front. Maybe a cashmere turtleneck? But she’s done shopping and she’s ready to travel…
As our heroine carefully wrangles her wardrobe into her suitcase, she takes the time to envision six more outfits she has available. I’m quite sure that this doesn’t exhaust her possibilities:
I love the classic clarity of this…
love,
Janice
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Nice! What a classic and classy color palette. Getting ready for cool weather. Is anyone else having trouble with the links?
Not the link I tried to the denim skirt from Boden, which I ordered. It’s on sale too!
Oh, wow. Just wow. This makes me want to wear a suit….and I’m not a suit person, or even a blazer person. 12 years of wearing a uniform for school will do that to you! I’ am more of a ‘throw a denim jacket on’ kind of gal. However, this one inspires me! I also love the colors and tone of this post. As someone who lives in the northeast, I honestly wouldn’t call a navy, grey and burgundy wardrobe conservative—just normal colors and tone.
The piece that most jumps out at me is the posh denim skirt. I think I need this one. To quote my very preppy, posh Boston daughter, denim skirts look “tradwife” to her. In her opinion, denim skirts should be relegated to women who homestead, have a dozen kids, homeschool and are deeply religious. That being said, this one is anything but that. While I have a less drastic vibe about denim shirts, this one definitely fits the bill for my lifestyle. There is nothing wrong with women who choose the vibe above…it just isn’t our family’s take on fashion–or life.
It’s back to school week for me…please send all the good thoughts. I have quite a class this year, so I’ll need them. I hope to give them a safe space of learning and growth.
Sending you good vibes. I have not doubt you will create a safe space of learning and growth.
Thank you so much! This is my 38th year in the classroom, which is hard to believe. I love what I do…but, there are tough days. I’m so happy to be the person who teaches children to love literature…and to feel confident in math.
Those Alex Mill cardigans with the little frill at the neck: how do you wear them over a button-front shirt?
The neckline on these cardigans isn’t nearly as high as it looks in the photographs – there’s plenty of space for a shirt, and it looks quite nice. I have a cashmere argyle cardigan from Alex Mill in this style and I can wear it with a tee shirt, cotton turtleneck, or button-front shirt. I’m pleased with how versatile it’s prove to be!
love,
Janice
I was totally surprised when a suit consisted of a blazer and PANTS! I guess when I was dressing more formally, pants were somewhat less common, i.e., what Hillary Clinton wore — and was always ridiculed for. I’m glad to see at least this much progress in women’s clothes. But would it be acceptable at a truly conservative firm? Anyway, as always, I find your articles informative and inspiring.
I looked for a matching skirt, to no avail. Things have changed for sure! If you want a matching skirt suit, you shop someplace like Theory, and plan to spend $800 or so for the two pieces. Oh my…
love,
Janice
Love the colors! I am especially smitten with the FIG color, my fall wardrobe needs thst color added for sure.
The Pom Pom bags are wonderful. I have a similar black one that has traveled the world with me and looks brand new. Can’t recommend them enough.
Ugh, Tuckernuck is beloved by the MAGAts.
This reminds me of my college wardrobe on the early seventies. I had a pair of pants in a tiny houndstooth pattern of navy, burgundy and cream. Wore them with a variety of tops and sweaters in those colors, plus a navy blazer/jacket. Gray pants and tops were a natural addition to the burgundy and navy. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Sounds very classic!
Love the color combination, but for me it’s a toss up between wine and pink. Both? At one point I found 2 suits with blazer skirt and pants for work. So versatile!
I bought a navy dress one year for Easter and a little white sweater because it was sleeveless. My wise daughter vetoed the white sweater and replaced it with a pretty coral one and found a coral necklace and bracelet. I still get compliments every time I wear that combination and I thought navy was boring before.
Oh wow, this post came at exactly the right time for me. I’m wondering whether cream would work instead of grey, and whether a soft pink would go well with burgundy too.
I vote yes, and yes!
love,
Janice
I have a black trouser suit and a burgundy one so this post resonates with me. Love those burgundy earrings rings.
Ooooo! If I had to truly pare my wardrobe down to one palette, it would very likely be grey and navy with burgundy and white. So classic.
Love this colour palette!
(And especially the grey dress!)
Navy IS my black. But I love pastels, too. I pair my navy suit with mint green, lavender, misty blue, and dusty pinks. I also have an A line navy skirt and dark denim skirt to add more softness to the blazer. A nice navy cardigan gives me another layer option. Throw in some gray and white for neutrals and I can dress for almost any occasion and still not need black.
PS I have somewhere between 18 and 24 scarves…we all have that one weakness, right?
Oh my, I have many more scarves than that; I keep mine in an old suitcase that belonged to my mother. They FILL the suitcase…
It’s almost, but not really, embarrassing!
love,
Janice
I WOULD have many, many more, but I don’t have room to store them. I find them at thrift shops, charity shops, etc., and when the drawer gets too full, I have a friend who receives some lovely gifts, and I get some new lovely accessories.