Build a Capsule Wardrobe Archives - Page 47 of 88

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Navy, Hot Pink and White

October 19, 2016 Classic colors, timeless design:

Scarf – Hermes Flânerie à Versailles; cashmere & silk wrap - Nordstrom

The clever color scheme of this scarf opens the door to a capsule wardrobe with accent colors of red, bright pink, or cobalt blue... maybe even grey? Sisters From Different Mothers They've done it once a month for YEARS...

Scarf – Hermes Flânerie à Versailles; cashmere & silk wrap - Nordstrom

Knit blazer – J. Crew; earrings – GFG Jewellery; scarf – Hermes Flânerie à Versailles; silk tee – Aquascutum London; watch – Skagen; jeans – L.L.Bean; boots – Sam Edelman; bag – Longchamp

They get a hotel room downtown, ... View the Post

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Black, Sand and Teal

October 18, 2016

I love this scarf - in fact, in the next 2 weeks, you're going to see it FIVE times, in 5 different color combinations. I do these kinds of things to show the inherent versatility in simple garments, once you start playing around with the color combinations!

So let's start here:

I'm going to resist the temptation to focus on the black, and use sand as our main color:

Scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; wrap – BP. HOW Did He Do It??? It was the place that's booked until Christmas. Christmas of 2018...

Scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; earrings – House of Harlow; watch – Timex; turtleneck – J.Crew; loafers – Tod’s; cords – L.L.Bean; bag - Tumi

When the ... View the Post

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Black, White and Red

October 17, 2016

As you might already know, I'll be in Italy when this post goes "live"! But I've got 2 weeks of lovely capsule wardrobes lined up for you, all of them starting with a pair of scarves. From there, our protagonist is going to spend one quick (but lovely!) night somewhere...Starting NOW!

Living Beyond Breast Cancer scarf – White House Black Market; shawl – Nordstrom

This is our color scheme, although careful scrutiny of the left scarf suggests that pink might have also been a possibility here:

Living Beyond Breast Cancer scarf – White House Black Market; shawl – Nordstrom Barely Enough Time... Okay, she checks her watch...

Living Beyond Breast Cancer scarf – White ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – Finishing Up

Frankly, at this point in proceedings, you could easily stop building your capsule wardrobe, and be just fine!

But it's always reasonable to stop and evaluate where you are with your wardrobe - are there things that you still need? Items that might make OTHER items more versatile, or get them used more frequently? Are you sure you're ready for whatever events might come up in the future?

The answers to these questions will be different for each of us, but they are worth asking...

The biggest lack of balance that I can see is that I'm "navy-heavy" here. This often happens - it's normal that either you simply like one of your neutrals more than the other, or that it's much more readily available, or that you want to have a solid core ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – Stage Four

October 13, 2016

This capsule wardrobe is starting to look pretty coherent! (Step 1 is here, Step 2 is here, and Step 3 is here)

After one has lived with the above wardrobe for a while, it might be time to buy an entire outfit, all at one time! Or it would also make sense to buy 3 pieces that aren't necessarily intended to worn together, but all of which are useful and integrated additions to the existing wardrobe.

Sticking with the idea that our heroine lead a pretty casual life, I thought that a pair of shorts would be handy for her. Another really pretty cabled sweater in one of her accent colors is an obvious choice, and a simple white shirt is never a bad idea...

Almost any color scheme that I use for a ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – Stage Three

At this point in our starting from scratch capsule wardrobe series, you're in a pretty good position for travel; it wouldn't be impossible to be away for a week with this collection. Toss in a white shirt and white tee shirt, and you would only need to do minimal laundry!

Our next step is to start filling in shirts and sweaters, so it's time to take a quick look at what we currently have. This would be an obvious place to pull in a beige shirt, sweater, or blouse if that holds any appeal. But I'm thinking that my imaginary protagonist is more interested in pretty accent colors, so I've chosen these:

Sweater – Lands’ End; necklace – Karine Sultan; shirt – L.L.Bean

Yes, the necklace is in a very similar vein to her ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – Stage Two

Yesterday we left this capsule wardrobe with five (very carefully chosen) garments, and eight possible ways to wear them. It's about time for some accessories!

This is the stage at which your personality and preference can really begin to show. For this imaginary wardrobe builder, I've decided that she has two really strong "themes" that she likes: Cables (like those on sweaters, or in twisted and rope-like jewelry textures), and Flowers. These preferences will be more and more apparent as we move forward, but it's good to starting establishing these personal style signatures as soon as possible.

Watch – Skagen; bracelet – Vanessa Mooney; scarf – Gucci; earrings – Nordstrom; bag – Louise et Cie

Everything is very simple, ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – First Steps

October 10, 2016

Ever since I did the first Starting From Scratch Capsule Wardrobe series, I've received questions about why I chose the steps that I did, how did I figure out color schemes - well, anything that could be questioned, was questioned!

Which is good. You should always make sure that anyone giving you advice can explain themselves, and that what they're telling you makes sense. In the US right now, this is being brought home to us every day...

So let's walk through another capsule wardrobe, a couple of steps a day, and see if I can answer some of your questions!

First up, color scheme. If you don't really worry about any other step of the process, THIS is the one that deserves your thought. There's no rule ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Cow’s Skull: Red White and Blue by Georgia O’Keeffe

September 21, 2016 She's a medical examiner, and she's got her own, very deliberate, way of doing things! When we saw her at the class reunion, this was what she had with her:

cardigan – J. Crew; necklace – Swarovski; ring - Armenta; earrings – Alexis Bittar; scarf – Image Diary; bracelet – Alexis Bittar; scarf – Etro; watch – Movado; sweater – L.L.Bean; black and white tee – Rag & Bone; blue tee – The Mercer N.Y.; dress – Lands’ End; jeans – .L.Bean; pants – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ End; handbag – Lautem; pumps – Cole Haan; boots – Munro; flats – Vaneli; tote – Orciani This is the unifying style inspiration that she uses for her appearance and image; not for just anyone, I'd ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Portrait of Pablo Picasso by Juan Gris

September 20, 2016 Mmmm, Cubism... it forces us to look at things in a different way, and that's bound to be a good idea...

Remember the author/art dealer from the class reunion?

When she left the reunion, she had only a few days left to pack before she had to prepare for a big art show in Milan...

She's devoted to beige and brown, and her blue eyes insist on blue accents. The show will be casual, dressy, classic, avant-garde, and everything in between. So she's just going to dress like herself, and let everyone else do the posturing...

The brocade shroud, the military uniform, the obsessive caressing of a VERY inappropriate pet are NOT for her...

Let them be all artsy and fey ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Portrait of a Young Woman by Henri Regnault Part 2

September 19, 2016

Remember her? Of course you do - we first saw her as the inspiration for this six-pack capsule wardrobe in black and blue.

The CEO Travels

When she left her reunion, this was her travel capsule wardrobe:

black and white tee – Rag & Bone; bracelet – Nest;brooch – One Kings Lane; watch – Movado; necklace – Natasha Accessories; cardigan – L.L.Bean; clutch – Urban Expressions; earrings – Irene Neuwirth; square scarf – Talbots; rectangle scarf – Fraas; turquoise tee – Lands’ End; turtleneck – Armani; dress – Lands’ End; jeans – L.L.Bean; pants – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ End; pumps – Cole Haan; boots – Munro; flats – Vaneli; briefcase - Eddie

She ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Portrait of Marevna by Diego Rivera

September 9, 2016

This is another of those works that I often see at the Art Institute of Chicago. She's not exactly pretty, but I think she's rather handsome:

Class Reunion/Homecoming

earrings – Kate Spade; scarf – Nordstrom; dress – Lands’ End; lipstick – Bobbi Brown in Uber Beige; cardigan – Miu Miu; bracelet – Robert Lee Morris; watch – La Mer Collections; nail polish – Chanel Le Vernis in Cavaliere; shoes – Cole Haan; tote – Marni

"After looking at the RSVP list, I certainly hope SHE's coming. We're going to need a calm head in this crowd..."

Sweater – Jil Sander; cashmere tee shirts – J. Crew; ring – L. Erickson; necklace – Natasha; scarf – Klements; jeans – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ ... View the Post