Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
December 28, 2014 When you think of a tweed coat and pink accessories, how do you imagine them? It's great fun to remember that there are so many options available...
love,
Janice
Looking Back:
2013: From Desk to Dinner Party: Pastel Silk, Some Earrings, and a Nice Bag 2012: What to wear with a scarf: Hermes Reve de Corail 2011: A Field Guide to Winter Sounds ... View the Post
Looking Back:
2013: From Desk to Dinner Party: Take off a Cardigan, and Add Some Bracelets! 2012: Lavoisier and your luggage, or folded versus rolled 2011: When was the last time...? ... View the Post
Looking Back:
2013: From Desk to Dinner Party: Cardigans go Solo 2012: will you be in Chicago January 5, 2013? (an invitation to a group tea; anytime you're going to be in Chicago, get in touch with me and we can have breakfast/coffee/lunch/tea together!)
... View the Post
December 22, 2014 I'm away for the week; there are a couple of posts scheduled for the upcoming week, but I won't be able to respond to comments. Have a wonderful week - I'm back soon! Love to you all, JaniceLooking Back:
2012: What to wear with a scarf: Hermes Concours d'Etriers 2011: Michigan Avenue Style Lab: brown and blue, twice ... View the Post
December 17, 2014 I know I seem to talk about this same idea a lot, but I can't sufficiently emphasize the benefits of building your wardrobe around a unifying theme of some sort. Your theme could be a particular color scheme, a painting, a photograph, or a scarf - there are really no limits to what you might choose. This theme doesn't have to last throughout your entire life, nor does it have to define absolutely EVERY purchase that you make. However, it should be an overarching guideline that helps you make the hard decisions when you see something appealing - does it fit? does it clash? does it harmonize? does it make NO SENSE WHATSOEVER in the context of your chosen style theme? So, when someone asked ... View the Post
December 16, 2014
I happen to know for a fact that one of you will buy this design scarf for yourself for the holidays, and that you are struggling to decide which color you want. I further know that your wardrobe is basically navy, so I thought I'd play around a little bit with some ensembles to show what kinds of other preferences you have that might help make the choice clearer. First up, the most lovely Hermes Ors Bleus d'Afrique - the Blue Gold of Africa. That refers to indigo, which was commonly used in textiles of this type.
And I picked a couple of outfits - very simple - in order to create a base for my ideas.
First up, this scarf cries out to have the rich browns emphasized and ... View the Post
December 13, 2014
It can happen to any of us - you wake up in the maturity of your life to find that you own a piece or two of really REAL jewelry - the kind of stuff that requires a special mention on your home owner's insurance. The kind of stuff that could be flogged in an auction, or pawned in a moment of spite. But instead, you decide that this stuff is really quite beautiful, and you'd like to wear it more often. Much the wisest course, I'd say. Before you get carried away, however, let's address a couple of serious (and frivolous) essentials:
Make ABSOLUTELY sure that your goodies are insured. Ask a lot of questions about deductibles, conditions of when and where you were when the item might ... View the Post
Since I started the Start With Art Series, building wardrobes based on works of art (or photographs, or other objects), I've received a lot of suggestions for which art works I might want to consider. I've been keeping a file of all of them, and I've finally decided that I should share my thoughts and ideas with you by making the file available.
The file has 100 works of art (a few scarves, a couple of photographs, and a plate, but mostly paintings), and then a 2nd page that includes my proposed color scheme, and my thought process around what I would look for in a wardrobe. The whole file is available for $5. I included a table of contents, with hyperlinks to each painting. I am really eager to know ... View the Post
One of the more interesting things in life is coincidences. You KNOW, in your rational mind, that it's just a random confluence of events, but your heart wants to find a connection, or a reason, for these things to occur at just this time...
So if anybody's got a good explanation, tell me why, for BOTH random numbers I generated, the answer was 37?
I love these kinds of little events...
AND THE WINNERS!!!
The Novica Gift card - Julie Bower
The Hermes Knotting Cards - Beatriz Fortes
Will you each please contact me at [email protected] and give me your mailing addresses? Julie, I think I can just email the card information to you, so you can start shopping immediately!
We are a lucky bunch, ... View the Post
December 4, 2014
Since we had so much fun yesterday thinking about our "official" or self-determined seasonal palettes, I thought I'd pursue the idea a bit more today. While I've been quite lucky to have been told by trained color evaluations that I'm wearing the right colors, I can easily sympathize with those who get conflicting advice, or who like other colors. Ultimately, I really believe that the happiness that you radiate from wearing colors that you love will overshadow any possible lack of compatibility between you and the garment. That's just a fancy way of saying that you should wear what you want, and you'll radiate loveliness just from being happy. Your mileage may vary, of ... View the Post
Leave me a message telling us all about your very favorite winter holiday food indulgence (remember, this ranges all the way from Thanksgiving through Valentine's Day - my definition of winter holiday is VERY generous...) to be entered to win these knotting cards! I'll let you know next Monday who the luck winner is. Don't need knotting cards? These would be an excellent candidate for "regifting", you know.
ANYBODY, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD CAN WIN THIS - I WILL SHIP IT TO YOU!
Still sealed, so I can't honestly tell you what the cards will be like, but I know that they can be a source of inspiration for a new way to tie your scarves (not just for Hermes, of course!), or they can be a source of laughter when they suggest wearing a scarf ... View the Post
I suspect that I've given this away before - I know I've written about it! It's a funny little guide (in fairly easy French) about building an ideal closet if you're lazy - who can't enjoy that? Copies of this float in and out of my library without explanation; I suspect they might reproduce...
The "Paresseuses" is a series of books, and a blog. Check them out; there are fewer more entertaining ways to improve your French language skills!
So leave me a comment, and please let me know what your biggest wardrobe challenge is as we move toward the "winter" holidays. (Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, but I always REALLY want to hear from those of you in other climates, please!) Sunday evening when I'm working on next Monday's ... View the Post
