Build a Capsule Wardrobe Archives - Page 29 of 87

What if You Want LOTS of Accent Colors in Your Wardrobe?

February 8, 2019

Maybe you don't want to limit your wardrobe to just a few accent colors... It could be that you've received scarves as gifts that you want to keep, and wear. Maybe you just like a range of colors - you really don't have to explain yourself to anyone!

But you also don't have to buy tons of things...

Stick with me here!

Let's start with this most lovely scarf, and the color palette that it suggests. It's not an outrageously odd color scheme, and it lends itself beautifully to a travel capsule wardrobe.

This heroine seems to love the juxtaposition between a skirt and a somewhat rugged jacket...

She's only going for a few days - mostly dressy-ish activities, but she will also want a pair of pants at ... View the Post

Packing Accessories for a Cruise, in a Navy, Blush, Grey and White Travel Capsule Wardrobe

February 6, 2019

Monday we chose some clothes for our heroine to pack on a springtime cruise to Italy and the islands near there; we used this lovely painting as our inspiration:

We left her with these clothes:

So let's start with shoes! They're always the most difficult thing to pack - they take up a ton of space, and they make a great deal of difference in the appearance of an outfit. Dress shoes especially...

The dresses she is packing - and the navy skirt - can be worn with any of the 2nd layers. The lace jacket is quite dressy, and of course the denim jacket is quite casual. What shoes will work?

(of course, lots of tops can be worn with the navy skirt - I'm just using the navy top for illustrative ... View the Post

Packing for a Spring Cruise, with some Inspiration from Caillebotte

February 4, 2019

Lots of you go on cruises! And right now, my mail box reflects that; anticipation is running wild in at least a few minds right now...

So how about a spring cruise in Italy and the near islands? The temperatures might reach into the 70s Fahrenheit, and evenings will be in the 60s. Right now, that sounds SO appealing!

I picked this painting to inspire us, although it is from a French artist, and has nothing to do with cruises... but it's lovely, and I find this woman getting dressed feels very... hmmm... romantic and evocative to me.

And yes, I suspect that her skirt is indeed black, but this wardrobe is built around navy, so I'm fudging that a bit. You could certainly use black here, or a wide range of shades of ... View the Post

Living Without Shopping – 1 Month Completed!

January 30, 2019

On New Year's Eve, I made the brave commitment to not purchase any clothing during 2019! My plan for managing this is to have 4 5-piece clusters each month from which I will get dressed. Because I spent so much of January in Florida, my normal wardrobe didn't really apply (when I'm there, I wear a lot of gym clothes, and just the occasional "normal" outfit...) and so I only put together 2 clusters for January.

But now, moving into February, I'm going with the original plan. Four clusters, 20 pieces of clothing. From this, I'm going to pack for 10 days in Ireland!

Two of these clusters should look pretty familiar:

This last cluster is for getting dressed up - we won't be in Chicago ... View the Post

Packing for a Car Trip, with a Gradual Change of Temperatures

January 25, 2019

What if your trip is by car? And what if you're going to take your time, and drive from the single-digit temperature fun of Chicago to the balmy deserts of the Southwestern United States? And what if you're going to take your time - every day in a slightly warmer place?

I'm thinking.... Pack separate, but closely related, outfits for 4 different kinds of weather. That way you're prepared for each warmer day, and at the same time the "relatedness" of the outfits gives you options for interchanging your garments to adapt to unexpected conditions.

A basic application of this idea would look like this:

When you start out, you're going to need to be warm, so a couple of layered jackets, and a warm scarf, will ... View the Post

Traveling with a Group – Keeping Your Luggage Small when Your Gang is Large!

January 23, 2019

I heard from her last week - she and TWELVE of her friends are traveling to England and Scotland in September! Twelve... oh my...

They share an interest - somewhat of a hobby, a little bit of an obsession. It doesn't matter if it's growing a particular flower, or baking a specific delicacy, or delving into the history of a certain historic figure. They've all decided that they want to travel together! I admire and respect this in so many ways...

But everybody is going to have to come to an agreement about not packing stacks of luggage. It's a sure way to slow things down appallingly, run the risk of losing things, and over-crowding hotel rooms.

Thus, there has to be an understanding among these women, which (in ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Street, Berlin by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

January 21, 2019

When they retired, they had a list of places that they wanted to visit. So, this first year of freedom, they're going to a new destination EVERY THREE MONTHS! Just for a few days, but they're going to do as much as they can manage, while they're still young enough to enjoy it!

When she started planning for all of these trips, she chose this painting as her inspiration. They're going to visit large cities, somewhat glamorous (to her!). So she's going to dress up and enjoy every minute!

There are quite a few colors in this painting, but she has isolated her wardrobe plan to these:

If you look closely, you can easily find grey, and 2 other shades of blue...

Their destination is warmer than where they ... View the Post

How to Dress and Pack when Traveling from Cold Weather to Warm Weather

January 18, 2019

Someone asks me this question almost every week in the Northern Hemisphere winter - how do I dress when I know it's going to be warm when I get off the plane?

I do this often - I spend quite a bit of time in Florida! My system is to layer 3 tops (what I call the Triple Top Secret...), and then peel off layers when I'm on the ground in my warm destination.

My other trick is to leave room in my carry-on bag for my shoes and socks, and I carry my sandals with me - that's a change I make right away! I also make certain that I can fit my cardigan and long-sleeved shirt in my carry-on, so that I can just wear a tee shirt, pants and sandals for the rest of my travel day. So far, this is working well...

I thought that I ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Madame Leon Clapisson by Renoir

January 14, 2019

Oh my... She sings in the opera. Not one of the stars, but she works all the time, and enjoys it immensely!

Even though she's not the primary singer, she's still a bit of a diva; she identifies quite a bit with the woman in the painting:

So when she purchases her clothes, she uses this color scheme - enough neutral colors that she can find what she needs, but with lovely soft accent colors that appeal to her feminine side:

Her opera company is travelling to give a few performances in another city. She will be spending most of her time rehearsing or performing, but she will have a bit of time to sight-see, shop, and dine.

She's quite dressy...

She realizes that packing only dresses and cardigans ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Rhythmisches by Paul Klee

January 11, 2019

She quilted for years - ever since she was a teenager. So when they offered her the position managing the quilt museum (THE best quilt museum in the country, in many opinions...) she jumped at the chance.

The position involves travel... So she's going to try to be organized about this!

It might not be her favorite painting, but this is what she's chosen as her core inspiration:

She wants to dress in neutrals, but she's really reluctant to be pinned down to just cool (or warm) colors; she's going to mix it up! Her palette is this:

She likes to be comfortable and sort of... low key? when she travels - she's visiting women who've made quilts, or other smaller museums, so she doesn't want to show up ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Briqueterie a Tortosa by Pablo Picasso

January 9, 2019

Solar panels. She designs installations for solar panels - big installations, small ones - whatever is ordered, she will optimize both the appearance and the productivity. She's very proud of what she does...

So when she saw this painting, it spoke to her - the angles, the bright sunny feel, the combination of grey (like metal frames) with orange and green - the colors of things that grow and bloom:

She decided to choose a color palette that she could use for all of her travel wardrobes (and maybe all of her clothing, eventually):

One challenge she always faces is that she travels to place where it is inevitably warmer than where she lives! So she dresses warmly for her departure, and ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Between Breath and the River 4 by Susan Osgood

January 7, 2019

She predicts flooding. Flood plains, coastal erosion, river bank frailties - she's the expert. And this is her favorite painting...

Long ago she decided to limit her wardrobe to her favorite shades of blue, and to use navy and shades of grey as her neutrals. She has lots of serious things to think about, so having a simplified way to get dressed every day saves her time and energy for her work!

She's often contracted out to television channels which focus on weather disasters - she will spend a few days at their headquarters helping their permanent staff make predictions about areas that need to be evacuated in the face of upcoming storms...

Ice blockages are particularly hard to evaluation - they can ... View the Post