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Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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EXPANDED Start with Art: Bouquet des Fleurs in the style of Jan van Huysum

October 23, 2017  

Quite a few people wanted to see what I would do to expand last Thursday's travel wardrobe, based on a beautiful floral painting...

 

I enlarged the color palette to include the softer shades of pink, all of the possibilities in green, and the various shades of blue...

This was the wardrobe that we had for the original travel wardrobe:

First wave - I thought that I would look for a couple of different shades of rose pink, in 2 different silhouettes. The scarf isn't an identical match for either of the tops, but it works well with both - always remember that scarves don't have to be dye-lot matched to work! The green sweater is classic, and when paired with the green loafers, can be worn ... View the Post

How do you Choose a “French 5-Piece Wardrobe?” Start with Art: Portrait de Greta Prozor by Henri Matisse

October 20, 2017

A short and sweet post today, because I've lost ALL track of time...

Let's say that you've got a well-established core wardrobe of the essentials, in mostly black. So you decide, this fall, you're going to use this amazing painting as the inspiration for your purchases - your "French 5-Piece Wardrobe" for this season:

You think for a few days, and decide that this is going to be your guideline:

This is your starting point - more than enough essentials to keep you reasonably well-dressed for most casual to medium-dressy events through the season:

And after some careful, deliberate shopping, this is what you add to your wardrobe for the upcoming cooler weather:

In addition to the myriad ... View the Post

Start with Art: Bouquet des Fleurs in the style of Jan van Huysum

October 19, 2017

You love this - romance, gracefulness, a deep color palette that remains feminine and quite pretty...

And so for a short trip, you've isolated these few colors for your travel wardrobe. (yes, you acknowledge that the background might really be black, but you prefer navy!)

You've Been Invited to the Beach, in Autumn... Yes, it's sentimental, and romantic. And you're more than equal to a weekend of quiet time together!

You don't need a lot of things - just enough to keep your feet dry, and your heart warm...

You can carry your bag easily enough, although a gallant companion might carry it for you...

You have plenty of options - all of them lovely!

Even rubber boots are ... View the Post

Build a Foolproof Travel Wardrobe by Starting with Science: The Heart Nebula by Peter Jenkins

September 27, 2017

Just doesn't get much prettier than this, I'd say!

She's Always Hated Shopping... From the time she was a child - so she and her mother devised a wardrobe plan for her...

They picked the colors they would use, and they decided how many of each piece she would need... She's really never deviated meaningfully from the original scheme!

When she began to buy her own clothes, she realized that if she bought the really good stuff, she wouldn't have to shop nearly as often - the time saved was precious, and the ability to wear beautiful clothes was just a bonus...

 

One of the beauties of having had a plan for years and YEARS is that she can spot something that will suit her a mile away ... View the Post

How to Pack for a Business Trip by Starting with Art: A Farm by Piet Mondrian

September 11, 2017

When I think of Mondrian I always think of those black and white grid patterns with little patches of a primary color or two, but in his earlier days he was much more traditional...

Colors are always what catches my eye - I loved the strong blue, the almost acid green, and then the much calmer neutral rust and grey...

"Uses of Color in Distinctive Branding" Whoever names these conferences needs to get some imagination - how stodgy can you get? This doesn't sound at all appealing.... But she has been writing the book on distinctive color uses for decades; it will be interesting to see what these young people think they can teach her!

Her approach to color has always been to do the "wrong" thing, so ... View the Post

How to Accessorize a Navy-Based Fall Capsule Wardrobe – Start with Nature Central Cygnus Cloudscape

September 8, 2017

When we left our heroine on Wednesday, she had a tidy 16-piece wardrobe, but no accessories!

Of course, she probably still had lots of accessories that can work really well with her new clothes; let's go piece by piece, step by step, to choose some essential additions for her...

Shoes seems really important, I'd say!

And I'm going to be really practical and get her a bag pronto!

Now a bit of fun - some stars!

Scarves! Always remember that you might find the perfect scarf in an unexpected place - someplace you don't usually visit...

Don't discount the impact of a great watch... (yes, that last watch doesn't go with everything in this wardrobe, but if you were the kind of woman who didn't ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Central Cygnus Skyscape by Robert Gendler

September 6, 2017

If you don't know about the Astronomy Picture of the Day site, you're in for a treat. Some of these are amazing, and many are also amazingly beautiful...

Our heroine today was very inspired by this particular image...

Finally Released... After 6 weeks in the hospital, and then in rehab, she's finally free! But her clothes are positively hanging off of her - never let it be said that hospital food isn't good for something. And with her surgery and weight loss came a new phenomenon - she often feels cold. She missed a large chunk of the summer, and now fall is staring her in the face, and the only pants that she can wear have drawstrings, and look more like pleated skirts than anything else!

Shopping is ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Les Glaciers by Alexandre Sergejewitsch Borisoff

August 25, 2017

I don't remember where I found this painting, but the colors are absolutely stunning:

I hope for the artist's sake that he was painting from memory, or a photograph!

Let's dream an extravagant, completely unrealistic dream today... Remember that big conference of CEO's? "The one in Breckenridge? The board decided that you should fly out with the Chairman, because you're the best person to help explain the financial projections..."

the suitcase came in a perfect shade of aqua blue, which I didn't find until the very last minute...

"It's been described as "posh casual," so we assume you're going to need to buy a few things for the trip. Submit your receipts with your expense report and we'll take ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Both Coolness and Modesty: Baie de Cannes by Picasso

July 26, 2017

You have asked me this question a lot - how can you handle traveling to a hot destination, where you need to be appropriately dressed when occasions or locations require modest attire?

Modesty almost always means 1 or more of 3 "things" need to be covered: 1. your shoulders 2. your knees, or 3. your head

So we've got to make certain that we have available to us at all times (in the backpack!) a shirt with sleeves, a skirt (or the zippy-on pieces of zip-off pants...) and a scarf... If you're one of those clever people who can wrap and tie a scarf in such a way that it works as a skirt, you're in luck...

Let's start with a lovely abstraction of a wonderful beach destination:

These are lovely ... View the Post

If I Were Shopping, What’d I’d Buy at the Nordstrom Sale…

July 21, 2017

I tried. Yesterday I went into the Nordstrom store on Michigan Avenue here in Chicago. The store is 4 floors, so I have to believe that it's not one of their smaller stores...

And I struggled. First up, so MANY of the things that they have online are NOT in stores. That's a bit maddening when you walk in looking for something specific, only to find that it's not there...

Of course the store is arranged in a way to make your browsing as inefficient as possible; it's in their best interest to have you wander as much as possible, for as long as possible. I'm okay with that, if I can figure out a way to still make certain that I've seen everything in a certain category. In fashion jewelry, for example, I'm not at all sure ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Demoiselle Cranes and Lotus by Jessie Arms Botke

July 19, 2017

I could use paintings from this artist for WEEKS! She had an amazing career, and her body of work is beautiful - graceful, colorful, yet true to nature. Genius...

Please be aware, when looking at paintings online, that a LOT of work has been "touched-up" by people gone mad with Photoshop. If something seems wildly out of the normal style for an artist, look for multiple versions of the image. Especially once something gets to Pinterest, it is widely circulated, even though it might NOT be authentic. This is also true if you see a photograph of a bird that seems unlike anything found in nature - some of those pictures have been really altered... sigh... Same Lake House, Different Weekend... "You know that there are ... View the Post