October 30, 2026
At least October is almost over! Although here in Chicago it’s still been VERY warm… not even sweater weather yet. Sigh…
But one of you is looking for classic neutrals (navy and brown – cool & warm!) and classic patterns. This sweater was sited, and our heroine asked for plaids and stripes – let’s see what we can do starting with this sweater:
The color palette is pretty obvious, although if our heroine wants to add a couple of additional tops, sage green and yellow would be nice. A couple of turtlenecks or shirts in those colors could go a long way…
One of the great gifts that this sweater brings to a wardrobe is the flexibility to mix all kinds of shades of brown!
Sweater – Madewell; earrings – Missoma; cotton turtleneck – L.L.Bean; cotton pants – J.Crew; cashmere scarf – Nordstrom; handbag – Donna Karan New York; boots – Sam Edelman
This plaid shirt is perfect. Look at those matched plaids, and the bias fabric on the cuffs! Yes, it’s not the cheapest plaid shirt in the world, but the details will always tell…
Navy cotton/cashmere cardigan – L.L.Bean; earrings – Kendra Scott; scarf – Petrusse; plaid shirt – Barbour; corduroy pants – Lands’ End; navy crossbody bag – HOBO; loafers – Vionic
If the weather isn’t going to be bitterly cold for months and months, maybe we should start looking at cotton sweaters rather than wool or cashmere? And of course if you live somewhere with moderate winters, this could make sense!
Ivory & navy striped turtleneck – L.L.Bean; scarf – Elizabetta; ivory cotton rollneck sweater – J.Crew; navy wool pants – Alex Mill; brown striped sweater – Boden; sneakers – Naturalizer
This is what our heroine will have hanging in the front of her closet (or on a separate small rack, or on the back of the powder room door…) for the upcoming week. This Domesticated Valise could ABSOLUTELY function as a travel capsule wardrobe, eh?
Let’s share a short week of outfits, to give our heroine some ideas and guidance:
If you add the sage green and yellow accents, this could be the basis for a much larger wardrobe…
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, I was just back from my trip to the Abruzzo – what an amazing trip!
I like this a lot. It has a bit of everything as in stripes, solids, patterns. I would like another accent colour just not sure which one. Maybe green as you suggested.
Now, you’re talking. This pairing is SUPERB! I love the inspiration and I adore all of the clothes. Every single piece here is a knockout and I’d be proud to own any (or all!) of them. For my life, I’d need to add a nice, crisp white (or ivory) button down, a pair of dark wash jeans and a good dress to dress up or down. Out of the blue this dress from Boden crossed my feed and it seems as if would fit in perfectly here:
https://us.boden.com/products/women-contrast-tipped-knitted-dress-navy-d1858nav?variant=50980551164156&tc_ch=ps&tc_ve=goog&tc_so=pmax&tc_me=cr&tc_campid=21662115492&tc_adgroupid=&tc_targetid=&tc_locphys=9002599&tc_matchid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21662116701&gclid=CjwKCAjwgJHXBhBGEiwAHohJq-PqG7PmMs-4JwI7zgV89EsHexRhVBf9s3G7KRfPZWebSZUqGXfoQRoCdI8QAvD_BwE
Happy Halloween to all! May you all be safe from “ghoulies and ghosties and long leggedy beasties” this weekend.