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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