October 21, 2026
It’s time to bring out the bright colors, if you have them! The crowds these days are pretty drab (and I don’t really do much to help that, unless I’m wearing some purple!)
Maybe this will help?
If you have a good core of navy (and a few white tops of some sort), this color palette is pretty straightforward. This does NOT mean that it’s easy to find this year; it’s a “muted” year in the clothing world!
Well… This year, both orange and turquoise are VERY difficult to find. But I had some success, finally! The snappy handbag is hard to resist…
orange tee – Talbots; earrings – Bling Jewelry; navy merino waistcoat – Boden; navy corduroy pants – J.Crew; Scarf – The Met Store; handbag – Victoria Hyde London; boots – Easy Spirit
This top is described – rightly – as a tunic. Some of us will just let the hem hang out under the bottom of the sweater! But I suspect that if this top isn’t terribly heavy, it should tuck in just fine:
Nautilus blue tunic – Duluth Trading Co.; earrings – Saachi; scarf – The Met Store; navy deep-v cashmere sweater – J.Crew; wool blend pants – J.Crew; loafers – Munro
This heroine knows that a corduroy skirt is one of those garments that looks like you’ve made an effort! And the flannel shirt makes any other garments feel cozy and warm…
Orange wool cardigan – Boden; sapphire earrings – Macy’s; corduroy skirt – Seasalt Cornwall; cyan cashmere sweater – Lands’ End; scarf – Echo; flannel shirt – Lands’ End; ballet flats – Sam Edelman
I’ve finally settled on calling these Domesticated Valise. SO MANY people tell me that they feel better dressed when they travel, because everything is sorted out, and all of the “right” accessories are at hand.
So if we translate this into a “packing to stay home for a week,” that – to me – is a Domesticated Valise!
Here’s our heroine’s clothes for next week:
I noticed early on that these 10-piece capsule wardrobes follow a pretty neat pattern; I’m pondering including a sweatshirt and sweatpants in one of these, sometime. At least for me, clothing for a week in the winter will almost certainly include such things!
I don’t think that this wardrobe is a flawlessly “get dressed in the dark” grouping, but that’s not necessarily an essential thing. There are still a week’s worth of options in these 10 pieces:
But what if our heroine is invited to something VERY dressy?
She looks at all of the rest of her clothes, and finds something suitable; she’s not legally bound to stick with her Domesticated Valise…
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, our heroine was going to the opera ALONE. And why not, we ask…
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