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Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Two sides of the whole “color” system question

I was appropriately named (if spelled differently), in that I can see two sides of many issues.  And that's certainly the case with the question of having a personal color season, or palette, or other scheme for clothing and personal adornment.

First off, I believe that it's absolutely essential for almost all of us to limit our wardrobe color palette to a manageable 6 to 8 colors.  Ideally, I'd think three neutrals and three to five accent colors.  This limitation makes it much easier to shop, to coordinate garments and accessories, and to have those serendipitous moments when (this happened to me this morning) your can reach into your closet and grab a scarf that exactly matches the stripe in the argyle of your sweater. ... View the Post

How much do you need? Really?

December 8, 2012

My commenters are the most insightful people...  Yesterday, someone pointed out that, to her, having 33 pieces of clothing didn't seem like a big sacrifice - it in fact felt like a lot of clothing to her.  And she continues by asking me - is this a cultural thing?Well, I know people who have over 200 tee shirts.  Over 100 pair of jeans.  Over 100 pair of shoes.  More than a dozen handbags.  Who buy 2 or 3 items a week, EVERY week, although when you do the math, you can clearly see that they're not wearing 10% of what they ALREADY have...

The average American DISPOSES of 68 pounds of textiles per year.  Yea, this includes towels and bedding, but it's still a LOT of stuff...  and that doesn't even touch the huge ... View the Post

Do you HAVE a clothing budget?

I field a LOT of criticism because I show very expensive clothing in my prototype wardrobes.  Constantly, I am told that "I can't afford ______."

So I ask the writer to tell me what their clothing budget is, and I will try to work within their budget to find some things that they will like.

Nobody - EVER - has come back to me with a number.

We all know, possibly to the penny, what we're going to spend next month on our housing costs.

We know within reasonable limits what our utility costs will be.  Ditto for transportation, food, retirement savings, and personal care expenses.

Is clothing LESS of a necessity?

But for most of us, the clothing budget is like a force of nature.  Or driven completely by whims.  Or ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Garden in the Rue Cortot

If you were ever afraid of mixing shades of blue, this might give you courage!

Garden in the Rue Cortot – Renoir, flower earrings & necklace – Julia Failey, dress – Madewell, navy sandals – K Jacques, linen cardigan – J. Crew, tee shirt – Debenhams, loafers – Avec Moderation, silk pants – Stella McCartney      

Garden in the Rue Cortot – Renoir, tee shirt – Chinto & Parker, shorts – Oasis, sandals – Bruuns Bazaar, blue sweater – Yves Saint Laurent, bracelets – Asos, moccasins – Minnetonka Moccasin, cotton pants – Paul & Joe      

Garden in the Rue Cortot – Renoir, earrings – Amanda Sterett, silk halter top – Michael Kors, silk pants – Bottega Veneta, teal pumps – Miu ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Alphonse Mucha Summer

Yes, there's plenty more to come from Paris, after jet lag has released it's relentless grip...This painting made me want to find things that were soft, feminine, but with a certain inner strength or control.  The expression on her face is pretty confident!

Tee shirt – Thakoon, corduroy jeans – Current/Elliott, ankle boots – Mango, cashmere turtleneck – Eickhoff, skirt – 3.1 Phillip Lim, pumps – Salvatore Ferragamo    

Top – Moschino Cheap & Chic, skirt – Jenni Kayne, sandals – Dorothy Perkins, halter dress – Missoni, sandals – Manolo Blahnik    

Dress – Diane von Furstenberg, slingbacks – Miu Miu, blouse – Aubin & Wills, pleated skirt – Alexander McQueen, ballet flats - ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Water Dreaming, by Tjapaltjarri

Words are difficult... but something to do with nature, and clarity, and an organic feeling...

Water Dreaming – Mick Namarara Tjapaltjarri, white shirt – Acne, pants – Haider Ackermann, scarf – futabaya, monk-strap boots – Jil Sander, scarf – Oolmoo, sweater – Organic by John Patrick, skirt – J. Crew, boots s- See by Chloe  

Water Dreaming – Mick Namarara Tjapaltjarri, striped pullover – T by Alexander Wang, skirt – Christophe Lemaire,  ankle boots – Rag & Bone, turtleneck – Dsquared2, cords – Isabel Marant Etoile, suede sneakers – Isabel Marant  

Water Dreaming – Mick Namarara Tjapaltjarri, sweatshirt dress – Carven, leather bracelet – Miller & Jeeves, black pumps – Elizabeth and ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: The Shoe Shop, by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones

Subtle, neutral, graceful...    

Painting: Shoe Shop, by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, blazer – Topshop,

 slingbacks – Circa Joan & David, scarf – futabaya, dress – Narciso Rodriguez,

 coat – Rachel Comey, scarf – Tamakiku, boots – Gabriella Rocha  

Painting: Shoe Shop, by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, wrap sweater – Stella 

McCartney,  silk tank – Kain Classic, ankle boots – Debenhams, skirt – Donna 

Karan, taupe sweater – Vince, scarf – milleneufcentquatrevingtquatre, 

bracelet – Paige Novick, jeans – Helmut Lang  

Painting: Shoe Shop, by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, blazer – Malene Birger, 

brooch – Cara Accessories, pants – Brunello ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Mondrian Composition in Oval

Yes, you CAN combine "warm" and "cool" colors.  If Mondrian can do it, any of us can!  

Painting – Mondrian, sweater – Topshop, jeans – Seven for all Mankind, pink flats – Fitzwell, grey hoodie – L.L.Bean, jeans – Maison Scotch, hi-tops - Converse  

Painting – Mondrian, tweed jacket – Red Valentino, dress – Dorothy Perkins, pumps – Soft Style, tank – Malene Birger, sandals – Kors by Michael Kors, pink capris - DKNY  

Painting – Mondrian, sweater – J. Crew, suede skirt – L’Agence, boots – See by Chloe, trench coat – Calvin Klein, scarf – Scotch-Soda, flats – Pied a Terre  

Painting – Mondrian, sweater – Acne, pink skirt – J. Crew, flats – Ara, blouse – Mauro Grifoni, skirt ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Sonia Delaunay’s Rose des Ventes

Using this painting as the focal inspiration for outfits really demonstrates how you can start with a core of neutrals, and then build out with some unexpected accent colors...

Painting – Sonia Delaunay, hooded sweater – N. Peal, beige jeans – MAJE, blue espadrilles – Boohoo, white jacket & coral dress – Dorothy Perkins, coral espadrilles – Pied a Terre  

Painting – Sonia Delaunay, cardigan – J. Crew, dress – Dorothy Perkins, sandals – Opening Ceremony, scarf – Filippa K., dress – Valentino, coral pumps – Dorothy Perkins  

Painting – Sonia Delaunay, cardigan – Crumpet, tee shirt – Alexander Wang, grey twill pants – Seven for all Mankind, oxfords – Jil Sander, sweater – Maxmara, scarf – ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Mary Cassatt’s Lydia Seated in the Garden

Sweater – Topshop, Pants – The Row, Brogues – John Lewis, hoody – Patagonia, cropped jeans – Acne, boots - Bogs  

Dress – Vanessa Bruno, scarf – All Saints, flats – Carvela, blouse – Givenchy, skirt – J. Crew, pumps - rsvp  

Blue cardigan – Romwe, scarf – Malene Birger, woven flats – Mia, dress – Go Green M by M, cotton shirt – Organic by John Patrick, skirt – Cacharel, pumps – Salvatore Ferragamo  

Aquamarine earrings – Ponponella, silk dress – Issa, nude pumps – Rupert Sanderson, scarf – Faliero Sarti, green coat – Sonia Rykiel, boots – KG by Kurt Geiger   ... View the Post