September 21, 2026
Autumn shopping – so much fun, so much stress!
When in doubt, don’t.
Take the time and effort to figure out what you need, what you REALLY want, and how it can be happily integrated into your wardrobe.
One among you is longing for this skirt, to use as a “keynote” item for a quick weekend trip with her sweetheart. She’s a big fan of crewneck sweaters, button-front shirts, and flowers…
So first let’s admire this lovely thing:
She likes the Slot Machine approach to packing for a long weekend, so let’s start there:
First – the sweaters! Simple, classic, in her three main wardrobe colors. And to make it just a bit romantic – a beautiful rose brooch and pink pearl earrings:
Earrings – Ninemoo; brooch – Ninemoo; ivory cotton sweater – J.Crew; marled blush cashmere sweater – Alex Mill; green sweater – Banana Republic
Now that she has the top layers in hand, she looks for three shirts. And when she stumbles across another floral brooch, she doesn’t hesitate!
Floral brooch – The Met Store; twine beige shirt – Banana Republic; earrings – The Met Store; rose shirt – Coldwater Creek; ivory silk shirt – Banana Republic; ballet flats – Sam Edelman
Although their long weekend is going to be romantic, it’s not necessarily terribly dressy! She doesn’t pack sneakers, nor jeans. Her chosen pants are certainly casual, but not sloppy…
Floral earrings – The Met Store; cashmere scarf – Nordstrom; ivory corduroy pants – Coldwater Creek; deep olive chinos – L.L.Bean; silk scarf – Emily Carter; loafers – Gentle Soul
When our heroine gets this wardrobe all in one place, it’s clear that she could probably get dressed in the dark. That’s never a bad situation!
Although she knows that she’s not going to have any trouble assembling outfits, our heroine does take the time to make certain that she’s happy with the results:
The more I work with this Slot Machine template, the more I like it. Maybe Paris in December will be based on this… maybe TWO groupings of nine?
We must think…
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we revisited the medical examiner who was inspired by a skull painting by Georgia O’Keeffe. Not for everyone, but the black, white, red and blue palette is eye-catching…
Very pretty.
Perhaps she’ll find a blouse in that very pale (sage) green.
And a cardigan—though I prefer wearing those myself. Some might choose a slipover instead.
I prefer cardigans too, but I find they are harder for me to shop in retail (i.e., I don’t see that many). I always end up “settling” for the pullover sweater.
I also prefer a cardigan. It’s fairly easy to add – or have someone add – a zipper to a pullover sweater.
Luckily, I don’t get rid of things too quickly, so I have some nice cardigans in my wardrobe.
But I’ve also found a few second-hand ones.
I think it’s wise to hold onto things for a while – certainly, our old clothes are probably much better quality than most things we can buy now! And if we liked something enough – once upon a time -to buy it, we might find that it appeals to us again in the future.
love,
Janice
Thank you, Kathy. That is very good information.
Oh, I love this colour palette and especially the floral jewelry!
To make it work better for me, I would choose a green colour closer to sage than olive, and I know I would not be able to resist adding something in lavender. It is curious how rose and lavender are colours so closely linked in my mind – how can one choose between one or the other..?
I love this! This skirt is EVERYTHING. Liberty prints are so very classic and I’m thrilled that they partnered with J. Crew. This skirt would also be excellent for these transition weeks…we want it to be cool and crisp, but we’re not quite there yet, but we still want to wear fall colors. The soft palette is romantic, but I can also a striped top for pattern mixing and a denim jacket.
Way to go, Janice! I hope the TVF’er you’ve created this for loves it as much as we all do!
I love this nine piece slot machine, and I’m actually using it myself for an upcoming trip! As always, you continually inspire me!
Actually really like everything BUT the skirt, little twee for me but the colours are beautiful. Garments like the skirt really cry out for some tension to give them style, a leather or denim jacket or slouchy suede boot. The flowery brooches and ballet shoes are the expected accessories and make it look too prim and a bit ho hum.
I totallly agree with you, Ally, it needs a bit of edge. As it is, it’s very sweet and romantic – and takes me back to the 80s and 90s when so many people, at least over here in the UK, were doing the prim/preppy Sloane Ranger look.
This comment about the accessories is a good one. It makes me think. How could we change the whole feel of this wardrobe by changing the accessories. I would like to see that. BTW I do like the skirt and the colour scheme. I love olive green and pink.
I’m loving the slot machine/3×3 outfits. My husband and I are going on a Rhine River cruise in late October for 12 days. I have been planning my travel capsule for months. It is red, white, navy and denim to be cohesive. Today is the first day of my test run. I’m going to wear the outfit schedule I came up with to see what is practical and what needs to be tweaked. This way I will have time to adjust.
My base layer is made of solid cashmere tops from Quince
My layers are 2 patterned button-ups and a pattern cardigan which are flexible in that the button ups can be layered under at least one of the bases,
I’m breaking the packing “rules” and carrying a pair of blue jeans and a pair of off white jeans and traveling in my navy joggers. I’m adding one navy knit skirt because we will be traveling on our anniversary and we may do something nicer that evening.
I’m also taking wool undergarments to lighten the load and they can be washed and dried by the next morning if needed and they don’t hold smells.
In all I’m just looking at 10 items of clothing + 2 scarves + my puffer jacket + cap + 2 pjs
I’m kind of excited to see if this works. It would be awesome if I can more than “get by” on such a small scale. But it will also potentially show me that I have too many clothes. 🫣🫣
Thank you for all of the ideas over the years. I have definitely been using you capsule wardrobe tips even before the travel videos online were explaining the strategies.
I recently did a similar trip. I planned originally to bring a navy skirt for dress up. In the end, I brought navy dress pants. They were good for sightseeing and for dressy dinners. That decision eliminated the need for a pair of shoes I would only wear with the skirt. You do you. Enjoy your trip!
Delicious. Inspirational. I love everything. I will look at this Slot Machine approach. The only thing I would add is a pair of tights or leggings that she could wear under the skirt if the weather were a little nippy.
Such a feminine, pretty capsule. Like many of your other readers, I have a trip coming up so will try this slot machine type template. Enjoy your week everyone.
Love this! I’m concerned about wearing that lovely brooch on the cashmere sweater, though. Will it sag? IOW, is the brooch too heavy for the cashmere?
Inquiring mind here ;-)
I’ve been known to loop a brooch through my bra strap…
love,
Janice
I’ve found the slot machine to be such a super easy way to travel. I have a powerpoint all set up and I must send a copy through to you for fun.
This time around I think you’re missing the true advantage of the slot machine for moving up and down levels of formality. That’s where each row is a different level of dressy. It’s brilliant for weekends away that require a soft and squishy outfit to travel in, then a smart outfit for a funeral / work function, then perhaps meeting family friends the next day for a walk etc or out to dinner that might be unexpectedly casual or smart. You did an amazing example in black and beige that I use as my template despite not owning either of those colours. I keep going back to it when I want inspo for starting a new job, attending funeral overseas, Work weekend conference, city break etc.
Love that extra element to the slot machine!