August 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Lonely Erika Giovanna Klien

August 3, 2026

Time to drop in on our graphic and typography expert. You just have to imagine that she has a clear view of how things look on paper or on screen; that doesn’t necessarily translate into a crispy-edited wardrobe! But we are doing our best for her…

First, her beautiful painting inspiration:

By the end of July, we had migrated her wardrobe onto a 56-piece wardrobe template:

This is how it looks in a color-sorted, more relaxed view. Sometimes the grid is the most helpful, and at other times you need the more “mixey” look at things:

There’s no grid for accessories! I’ve been thinking about a plan for accessories for at least 15 years, and I still conclude that they’re the really personal part of a wardrobe. Thus, they defy structure!

This month, since our heroines are absolutely deluged with possible purchases, I’m going to try to focus on what seems like a gap in each wardrobe.

For me, I felt like this heroine could use more black! (heck, I think everybody could use more black!!!) (just kidding!)

Right now, she has 9 black garments, which in a wardrobe of 32 pieces, is 28%. Not quite what one would expect for someone’s dark neutral…

This raises the question – is this the right dark neutral for this heroine? Or has she just been caught up in the uncommon abundance of green garments, and just not gotten to filling in black things?

black cotton sweater – J.Crew; black linen shirt – J.Crew; merino cardigan – L.L.Bean; black linen top – Caslon; black tee – Lands’ End; black long sleeve tee – Lands’ End; black sleeveless top – L.L.Bean; jeans – J.Crew; black linen crop pants – Caslon

I’m working with the assumption that she really does WANT to wear black – especially with autumn hovering on the horizon!

So let’s stock her up with some classic cold weather, relaxed things:

Small silk scarf – Lilia Munn; sweater vest – Mavi Jeans; cashmere turtleneck – Lands’ End; earrings – NEST Jewelry; sea salt cotton shirt – Duluth Trading; corduroy pants – Coldwater Creek; loafers – Gentle Souls

Now, her template looks a little bit more as if bone and black are really her neutrals!

And when everything’s in her closet, black will assume it’s rightful place as the dominant color:

Her accessories are so great – a balance of bright and muted…

Now, all our heroine needs to do is wait for those first cool days!

Has anyone else ever rushed the season, and worn an autumn outfit on a really WARM September day? I remember a sweater, a plaid skirt, and a matching plaid scarf…

love,
Janice

If you’d like to look back at the history of this heroine, you can find all of the earlier posts here: Christmas Eve Preview, January 2026, February 2026, March 2026, April 2026, May 2026, June 2026, July 2026

p.s. Ten years ago, our heroine was packing a six-pack for a business trip by choosing clothing that matches her hair, eyes, and complexion!