August 21, 2026
This is the third year that I’ve started with Boden’s autumn suit (it seems to be something they do each year) to build an autumn/winter capsule wardrobe.
The first one was here, and the second one was here. You could ABSOLUTELY justify having all three of these suits, if you’re in a suit-wearing environment, you love these colors, and you’re happy wearing bold prints!
Our heroine works for political campaigns. I feel for her…
But how about this suit?
I absolutely believe that this heroine could own all three suits, and pack two of the three for each trip. Return home occasionally, swap out one of the suits, back on the road!
This is the color palette I picture for this suit – there is indeed a red stripe here.
Of course our heroine can wear this suit AS a suit, with a navy, camel, red, or white top, but what about separating the pieces and thinking of options?
Most obvious – camel top, navy pants:
scarf – Elizabetta; earrings – Talbots; tee shirt – L.L.Bean; Blazer – Boden; navy chinos – J.Crew Factory; loafers – Frye
When looking for a scarf in colors like this, which are common in menswear, don’t forget to look in the Men’s Department! If you can wear men’s sizes (or boys!), check there for sweaters and tee shirts. Better quality, and often lower price.
If our heroine HAD to have a second blazer, navy would be easy; I’m thinking cardigans though…
Cotton cardigan – Alex Mill; earrings – Talbots; white tee – L.L.Bean; suede bag – Talbots; pants – Boden; loafers – Talbots
If could be warm. She could want a dress, but not an eye-popping cocktail dress. Dark wash denim seems like a really versatile option:
Blazer – Boden; brooch – Panacea; earrings – Argento Vivo; camel scarf – tirillm; dark denim dress – Lands’ End; pumps – Trotters
Our heroine has traveled with a ruana the last couple of years, so there’s no reason to change. And I have to say it again:
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A TRAVEL SCARF! ALL SCARVES ARE TRAVEL SCARVES
I need to get that out into the world every few months; it’s absurd to be sold specific things JUST for travel…
Red sweater – Boden; earrings – Heaven Mayhem; necklace – Tuckernuck Jewelry; pants – Boden; navy wrap – Tuckernuck; boots – Munro
Our heroine also needs to be prepared for cold weather. I swear that there is nothing in my wardrobe warmer than my cashmere turtleneck:
Blazer – Boden; earrings – Nadri; cashmere turtleneck – Lands’ End; scarf – Mark & Graham; chinos – Lands’ End; sneakers – Tory Burch
Camel, and cables. Quintessentially autumn!
Cardigan – L.L.Bean; earrings – Ana Luisa; silk blouse – Banana Republic; bag – Pom Pom London; pants – Boden; boots – SoftWalk
What else might our heroine want? A skirt makes good sense for her, and a comfortable but still “nice” sweater too. And let’s not neglect her accent color…
Here’s her travel capsule wardrobe for the last two months of the campaign. Yes, everybody traveling with her will recognize her clothes. And she will know theirs pretty well too. Traveling for long periods of time with the same people breeds a deep familiarity with their wardrobe, and this is completely unimportant. Repeat outfits! Wear out your clothes!
This is a sort of 4 by 4 Wardrobe – I probably should have put the camel pants in the 2nd Core of 4… But you get the idea!
How is our heroine going to wear this wardrobe? Well, we’ve shown six outfits, but there are plenty more possibilities:
I’m sure our heroine is a nervous wreck much of the time, but at least she’s not freaking out about what to wear….
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we explored the possibilities of a red dress, and fourteen ways to wear it…
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I like everything about it.
Very classic, timeless colors and outfits.
A very harmonious capsule—arguably the most understated of the three. The suit is perfectly neutral, though I’ve noticed that, year by year, the protagonist incorporates fewer and fewer red accents… If this reflects an evolution in her political sympathies (I know we aren’t discussing that topic here), then it fills me with hope.
Laughing along. I too take hope from this, although I saw the most gorgeous ensemble yesterday that featured red pants with a sky blue button-down shirt. The color combination looked so fresh to my eye. I was greatly intrigued. But as a consequence of age, wearing strong colors like red is harder for me so there is no red in my wardrobe now. And following Janices advice, I am a staunch adherent to my color scheme. Best to you.
I was really hoping that art and fashion were a safe escape from the political atmosphere we live in. I am truly disappointed.
Ooh, I thought, a suit, how great! And, since I retired, I haven’t even thought about wearing a suit… but why not? Then I realised that it’s camel & navy, not camel & brown. Sigh. It’s a great collection you’ve put together, Janice, and, having looked back, I really like the previous two years as well. But is it just me, or does blue, white, and red feel a bit… well, too conservative (and/or nationalistic)? I’m a Brit, and it does for me. Boden have a cool pink dogstooth suit and an even cooler pink & green striped Woodbridge (!) blazer. Can pink be autumnal? Or am I just having a grumpy Friday?
According to something I watched yesterday, light pink plus brown is gaining traction for fall. So not grumpy.
Thanks, Mama Squirrel!
I’m tempted to take a closer look at the pink and brown suit…
love,
Janice
I love the colors and the clothes. This is about as close to my preppy heart and sensibility as I’ve ever seen. I love the blazer and the trousers. But together? Yikes. It reads a bit circus tent to me when wearing both. That being said, splitting the up and wearing them with the other gorgeous pieces shown? Perfection. I think I’ve mentioned that my daughter’s best friend from college worked on a presidential candidate’s campaign before she went to Law School. She was posted in Illinois, Colorado, Iowa, Washington (state) and Arizona. Her wardrobe had to fit into one suitcase and she lived out of hotels and short term rentals for 6 months. This is very much how she dressed then…and still dresses now as a busy attorney and mom of two littles in Boston’s Back Bay, where closet space is at a premium.
My three favorite spots to shop for my own clothing are Talbots, J. Crew and Boden. What I have found is that they’re amazingly long lasting and stay in season from year to year. I also love thrifting and I’ve been able to find all three of these brands doing so….and saving a fortune in the process.
I think any of your “living out of a suutcase for an unusually long time” scenarios can give a good base for a home wardrobe as well (thinking of stories like the family at a cabin during lockdowns, or the woman who spent a season at an observatory). If we *were* living away from our closets for an extended time, what would we want with us? And the rest could then, theoretically, get stored away.
I have never needed to wear a suit but I do like the idea of a matching jacket and trousers as the basis of a mix and match wardrobe.
This was one aspect of colour coordination that I inherited from my Mum. She had several skirt suits (she never wore trousers). My mother-in-law liked suits but again, she would often mix and match.
It is a good idea to buy two pairs of trousers though. When Dad bought a new suit, he’d always buy two pairs of trousers because the trousers always wore out before the jacket because he’d often wear suit trousers for smart-casual wear. Worn out trousers were relegated for DIY or gardening.
I myself do like a dress and coordinated jacket. This summer I have worn more dresses and skirts than I have for a long time. I’ve bought two new dresses and skirt. My favourite dresses are from East.
Someone to whom I was very close, years ago, used to have his suits made, and he ordered THREE pairs of pants to go with each jacket. His jacket hung on a hanger on the back of his office door quite a bit, but the trousers take a beating!
I’ve always thought that it was one of the smartest things I’d ever seen. It helped revolutionize the way I look at clothes…
love,
Janice
That is a lot of suit for someone like me, but when broken into separates, it is fabulous. I am amazed at how much I love this wardrobe. And sometimes it is nice to step out of your comfort zone.
Navy and camel is such a classic colour combination, just love this!
Happy Friday everyone 🤗
This reminds me of a suit an ex-female boss had in the late 80s. Navy and cream stripe with a bit of gold. It was designer and super expensive. The first time she wore it she realised the fabric of the suit was an exact match to the fabric of the boardroom chairs! She was mortified and would never wear it for in-house presentations again.
I might have been tempted to pretend that the room was decorated specifically for me…
But I’m occasionally delusional!
love,
Janice
Hi Janice. I have a request: it would be great to see a wardrobe for a really cold winter climate. My home is often 16 degrees Celsius during the winter. Outside can be anywhere from -15 to 3 degrees (but when it’s above freezing it’s often wet and windy too). I have an insulated coverall that I put on for dog walks and such, but I struggle to stay warm and nicely dressed for other occasions. When working at home I could have a woollen house coat, I suppose. That would go on top of all my other layers. All advice is welcome!
All the best.
This color combo is classic. Substituting cream for white, this is a palette I wore a lot in the 1990s back when we still wore suits in the office. I had a houndstooth jacket with all these colors along with solid-color suits in red (3-piece, skirt and pants, navy accents), navy, and warm brown. I generally wore silk shells in solid colors, and it was easy to mix and match all these pieces. If I recall, I shopped a lot at Casual Corner as well as Lazarus where Mom was the Liz Claiborne rep and got a nice discount.
Oh, how I miss my ‘90s Liz Claiborne pants. Haven’t found a brand yet that fits as well (though I am a bit fluffier than I was then).
Ha! We all are…haven’t heard it described as “fluffier” in a while, a kinder word to describe weight gain. I miss wearing tailored clothing but it’s no longer comfortable on my older body.