Start a Capsule Wardrobe With Archives - Page 55 of 153

August 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

The Echo scarf company was so impressed by how many of you commented on the post on which they gave away a scarf that they have extended a 20% discount to ALL OF US for the next 2 weeks... Use code TVF20 to get 20% off of anything on their site: www.echonewyork.com

I'm sure I can find something I will adore...

August 6, 2021

Better late than never!

I was thinking that we could look at some nice "back to the office" outfits for autumn... but then I started reading my email, and I quickly realized that a lot of people were back in their office LITERALLY once or twice, and are back to working from home!

And they're sort of aghast...

So let's treat ourselves to some soft, comfy, but pretty new sweatshirts and sweatpants, as ... View the Post

Can You Pack Nothing but Your Personal Uniform?

August 4, 2021

Yes, I am going to do the "6 Scarves, 12 Months" post on Friday! I've sort of lost track of what month it is; maybe the delay will make it a little bit easier to find things for that "back to school" feeling I always have in August!

But first, let's think about this interesting question that I received...

The gist? Our heroine knows what she likes to wear, but she feels like she should "mix it up" a bit when she travels.

To which my reply is HECK NO - stick with what makes you feel best, and what feels most like you when you get dressed. We all, collectively, need to move away from this idea that we must have a widely varied wardrobe!

She dresses like this in cooler weather:

I'm hypothesizing that our ... View the Post

Start with Art: Green Way by Todd Schulz, and Thinking about a Keynote 10?

July 21, 2021

Oh, I've been thinking... What if the 10 garments you chose - just for thinking purposes - are the 10 things you have that you would keep if you had to start from scratch?

For me, this changes everything - I wouldn't need to keep jeans, nor tee shirts, nor basic neutral sweaters that are always available. No white oxford shirts...

Let's experiment with a heroine who wears an unusual color palette:

She's sorting through her wardrobe, looking for the really HARD to replace pieces that she loves the most...

For me, that would have to start with cardigans!

why yes, she may have skipped paying rent one month to buy that grey cardigan...

And some other sweaters - they may not be amazingly unusual styles, ... View the Post

Wardrobe Cycles, and an Interesting Idea…

July 16, 2021

This whole idea is a work in process; please share your thoughts!

Those of you who have been here with me for a while know that I read (well, I TRY to read...) personal style books from France. It seems only fitting, since Vivienne was from Paris.

My current fascination is with this book:

This book takes an interesting approach to minimizing one's wardrobe - they don't believe that you should even THINK about getting rid of anything in your closet until you've had a good, long sit-down with yourself and made some decisions about what you want to look like!

Particularly, they emphasize the idea that your garments send a message to the world; are you sending the message that you WISH to send?

One of their ... View the Post

Six Good Reasons to Shop During a Sale

July 13, 2021

Why yes, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale start Friday - at least for those with Nordstrom credit cards. (and it might be worth getting their card just to get into the sale before everyone else!) It's in the blogging contract that we ALL tell you about this sale, even though I've always got mixed feelings about it.

Generally speaking, I think that things being on sale is the WORST reason to shop. At the same time (yes, my name IS Janice...) you'd be nuts not to at least take a look at what is offered, because there are always things you want or need. Getting these things at a good price isn't silly...

But bear in mind - these things may have been manufactured specifically for the sale, and thus may not be the quality ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #18 – Dark Neutral Lightweight Pants

July 12, 2021

Even in the hottest parts of the summer, it's smart to have a dark neutral pair of pants handy. Serious life business is no respecter of weather!

Note that you don't have to match colors flawlessly to put together a beautiful outfit:

Classic drawstring pants are so useful in the summer...

You can look perfectly serious at work without melting onto the floor under your desk!

Maybe you really LIKE squares? A little gingham, and some square-ish accessory are just right...

It's not exactly a suit, but it works quite the same way when getting dressed...

I'm always surprised at how good green and grey look together!

Almost like jeans, but a LOT cooler:

For all new visitors, ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Our Echo giveaway winner!

July 9, 2021

Sharon was our winner! And her choice of scarf was...

But we're going to be looking at VERY different colors than normal with this scarf!

Sharon is dreaming of a wardrobe for a getaway to Italy! Her dream includes ALL of the good stuff: museums, churches, shopping, a boat tour, lounging in cafes, romantic dinners, and maybe an alfresco concert!

Where's my ticket?

Sharon was thinking of a short getaway because she lives in the UK, but I went a little bit overboard with her packing! Summer clothes pack small...

I was trying to be careful about modesty - I can't count on both hands (and feet!) the number of people I've seen turned away from churches in Italy because they weren't appropriately dressed. ... View the Post

Start with Art: Locus 87 by Susan Osgood

July 7, 2021 The Call Came... and she's expected to be in the office 2 or 3 days a week, starting in September...

She can't wear her old work clothes - her size has changed in the last while, working at home!

And she's overall not thrilled about the whole "back in the veal feeder pen cubicle" office environment. At least they aren't "hot seating" in a bench environment...

She's going to be as super-professional, organized and mature as she can manage!

Starting with an inspiration that will leverage her navy and grey wardrobe core - almost mandatory in an office that's mostly men, and in a conservative industry.

She loves her colors...

Her office isn't non-stop suits, but she still has to be pretty serious some ... View the Post

July 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

July 2, 2021

I've got a special treat for us today - the kind people at Echo are offering a FREE scarf (of your choice, of course!) to one of you...

How to win? Leave a comment, and I will choose a random number on Monday morning; the reader who left the comment that corresponds to that number will have a new, beautiful scarf!

And if they let me know which one they choose, I will do a travel wardrobe based on it, too!

Pretty nice, eh?

And if you're an Instagram person, DEFINITELY follow Echo Scarves there, too...

Let's get started!

It occurred to me that these wardrobes do not yet have a dress! What is one to wear to the weddings and other festivities of summer?

How about a simple dress, with a sparkly ... View the Post

June 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Tropical Hibiscus Bracelets

June 25, 2021

please note that all sorts of things are selling out at a shocking rate; I literally chose our hat at 11 a.m. and by 1 p.m. they were GONE... Seize the day indeed! She's going to sit under an umbrella...

and watch everyone else get sunburned, and get sand in their creases and crevasses...

Her color palette is easy - bright and summery! (even though cool evenings are always possible...)

It takes about 90 minutes to get there on the bus; she's ready with her mask and something to read!

Once she's there, she can hang up a few things, grab another book, and head down to either the bar, the deck, or the nearest reaches of the beach...

Her friends don't expect her to have a vast wardrobe with her - ... View the Post

June 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

June 2, 2021

In building these wardrobes, I was trying to follow the Starting from Scratch guidelines... but the next items in order would include a jacket...

So I'm skipping over THAT step, and moving on to the "complete outfit" step. With warm weather coming, I could neither find nor face jackets!

And I'm introducing some prints into these wardrobes - not a moment too soon, eh?

This wardrobe only had the lone gold tee shirt to represent the yellow/gold accent color, so when I saw these pants, I knew this heroine might want to branch out in this direction:

This wardrobe offers 2 distinctive accents - the brightness of gold, or the gentle prettiness of pink...

And her new garments blend seamlessly with her ... View the Post

May 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Desert Lynx

May 28, 2021

They Might Buy a Camper... But they're renting one for a long weekend first, to see if it's what they're hoping for...

Limited clothing space, for sure! So she's planning carefully...

There's no point in calling just 1 outfit "In Transit," since quite a bit of their time will be on the road! But one must start somewhere, and this is where our heroine is starting:

She's sticking with cropped pants - no shorts because she does NOT want the back of her thighs sticking to the seat!

And driving shoes, because she might get to drive. Maybe...

So for the 3 or 4 days that they're away, our heroine will have this wardrobe from which to choose; frankly, it's difficult to put together a bad outfit ... View the Post