Start a Capsule Wardrobe With Archives - Page 54 of 153

October 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

October 8, 2021

Life is almost back to normal; thank you SO MUCH for your patience, your kindness, your generosity, your lovely messages...

Before I jump in, I want to explain what I'm thinking with all of these white turtlenecks! But I really can't... I just kept feeling like each wardrobe needed 2 things - a bright accent color, and then a clean, bright neutral top to wear under it!

Many of us love accent colors that don't necessarily flatter us - this white turtleneck (or a white shirt with a collar) can change the impact of a color on your complexion dramatically.

And many of us find ourselves called upon to wear colors (because of work, sports, schools...) that aren't our very best. Breaking up the impact of something (like ... View the Post

September 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Cozy Lynx Bracelets

September 24, 2021

Finally.... She's going to go up to the cabin, and she's NOT LEAVING until the fireplace works properly...

She's saved money through the pandemic for just such a project, and it occurred to her (in the middle of the night, as such things will) that this would be the best investment she could make.

Winter in the cabin. Without frostbite. Without frozen water in the mornings.... sigh....

She knows that she will need warm clothes for this trip - there won't be any heat at first, and the people working on the fireplace will be in and out.

Her first thought is to pack her usual denim and shades of grey; then she looks at her favorite bracelets, and tweaks her palette just a bit!

She picks out her ... View the Post

Start with a Sweater: Sailcloth Fair Isle sweater from L.L.Bean

September 22, 2021

It wasn't a complicated request, but it has someone stumped: "Can I build a small wardrobe for going back to my office, using this sweater as the inspiration?"

My answer to most questions: Heck yes!

First things first - what colors are in this sweater, anyway?

A pretty straightforward color palette!

Let's start with a couple of outfits that our friend had in mind, and then a couple more that I imagined. You know that I'm always going to find a pair of ivory corduroy pants if at all possible:

Our friend very much wanted a light blue shirt - and I was able to find one that seems to be very close to the same shade as found in her sweater!

I love a grey shirt - I can't explain it at all! ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Secret Garden in Autumn by Fetolia

September 17, 2021 Subtle....

She doesn't need to be recognized. She never cares if she turns heads, or if she stands out in a crowd. When she travels, she blends into nature, and takes pictures that are hard for others to take, because they disrupt the peace and quiet...

She's taking a long weekend to a small town a couple of hours away from where she lives. All kinds of raptors have been seen in the fields and wooded areas near there.

She loves to photograph raptors; their speed and precision thrills her...

She wants to look reasonably nice - she does have to go out for dinner every night! And she needs to be warm-ish, but nothing outrageous. She will unfold her little chair, prop up her camera, and sit. Quietly. ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Homecoming Mum by ImageDiary

September 10, 2021

When ImageDiary released this scarf, it was meant to be a "one of a kind" piece. I bought it immediately, but realized that she really SHOULD make more than just one... it's that beautiful!

So Scottie has agreed to have 5 more produced, if there are orders for them. This scarf is huge, and breathtakingly lovely. Trust me... This Year, She's Going... After her book was on the Times Best Sellers list for most of the winter and spring, she began to get invitations. She expected that.

But when she was asked to be the Grand Marshal at her college's Homecoming Parade, and flip the coin for the big football game, she was... conflicted.

College wasn't the party and socializing fest for her that it can be for so many ... View the Post

Start with A Scarf: The Robin Scarf in Midnight Blue, from Aspinal of London

September 8, 2021

Bird Watching, of a Sort... She started with this - it was an irresistible urge to own this scarf that got it all rolling...

The color palette was pretty obvious - she already had plenty of grey and navy with which to work...

Her only plans for her trip are to sit in a cafe, or a restaurant, or outside a museum, and watch the world go by. Bird watching - if you use the term "bird" to refer to young women!

She just wants to see youth, and individuality, and distinctive personal style as worn by the women of her favorite city. She's happy to just look appropriate, and be warm and comfortable!

So she starts with her travel outfit:

She doesn't really know how much she can get ... View the Post

September 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

September 6, 2021

yes, there's no Weekly Timeless Wardrobe this week; of course the schedule got tossed in the bin when my back started acting up! But this doesn't work out badly - the 13 weeks of Autumn clothing will nicely align with the dates that feel like Autumn to me...

When I looked at these wardrobes and pondered what I might want to add at this point, I was (as always!) drawn to a nice neutral sweater, something to wear under it sometimes, and a skirt. Of course, you can swap out the skirt for pants, the shirt for a tee shirt or lightweight layering turtleneck, and the v-neck sweater for crewneck, or cardigan, or whatever is best for you!

But I'm pretty thrilled with my finds for some of these ... View the Post

Accessories – Neutrals and Brights! Start with Art: Stargazing by Helen Frankenthaler

August 27, 2021

I don't image that you've forgotten this lovely and inspiring painting:

When we looked at a wardrobe inspired by this painting, I started with a simple Weekly Timeless Wardrobe in navy and white; I thought it was important that this heroine have a good neutral base for her clothes...

And then we of course moved into bright colored clothes to spark up things...

So I was thinking - what if we started with a handful of essential neutral accessories, and then added bright things to go with the bright clothes?

In this approach, we start with this handful of classic things to wear with navy and white:

Then let's take each accent color and find some accessories that will also serve as ... View the Post

August 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Resolute Lynx Bracelets

August 25, 2021 You Don't Want to Go by Yourself! They keep telling her that. But she's been saving money for a year and a half, just to be able to go out to eat, in her favorite city...

And if nobody else can go with her right now, that's fine; she enjoys her own company!

She's starting here:

She's only going to pack what she can easily carry, so she narrows down her color palette:

It's not a long train ride, but she still wants to look nice; this whole idea of traveling in pajamas leaves her cold, in so many ways!

I'm not telling you that this 39-inch square silk scarf costs only $49...

She frankly isn't going to do a ton of sightseeing; she plans to eat at the second dinner service when the serious diners ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #24 – A Lightweight 2nd Layer

August 16, 2021

Ah, let's continue to ponder what essentials we might want in our warm weather wardrobes!

Many of us are going back to our offices - reluctantly, I might add. If you're like most women, you find the office to be bitterly cold, and then when you walk outdoors you melt immediately! So a 2nd layer is essential to stay warm indoors, while something relatively light and cool underneath is important to be able to survive the commute, or the walk to lunch...

This might do the trick!

One of the many beauties of the cardigan above is that it could easily be worn through the winter with something heavier underneath...

This next cardigan, on the other hand, is pretty strictly a hot-weather garment:

When you ... View the Post

Start with Art: Stargazing by Helen Frankenthaler

August 13, 2021

Happy Friday, the 13th!

We often ponder the merits of having a LOT of accent colors in a wardrobe... I think this post might offer an idea of how to manage them all!

This heroine understands that she needs quite a bit of navy to establish a base for her wardrobe. After that - watch out!

She starts with this - yes, it looks familiar:

Of course, I would be perfectly happy with this - I'm content with neutrals. But our heroine has other ideas, starting with bright blue!

Just out of curiosity, this is what her wardrobe would now look like with these additions. Yes, it gets her to a "4 by 4" Wardrobe plus 1 garment:

But she's just getting started - let's toss in 4 pieces in bright ... View the Post

July in August 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Fierce Explorer Bracelets

August 11, 2021

It's nice to know that I'm not the only person around who gets their dates confused and loses track of time! An Open-Ended Plane Ticket The settlement was large, as was only fitting. She quit her job the next day, and now she's going to start her roaming where the weather feels like early fall; as soon as the weather gets too cool, she's going to hop a train and head a bit south...

Eventually, she will have to buy clothes. But that's for later...

She knows that she's only packing a carry-on bag. Originally, she planned to limit all of her clothes to navy and grey, but then her bracelets caught the light...

She's going to wear her current favorite outfit on the first leg of her voyage...

And she's ... View the Post