Brown Archives - Page 24 of 42

Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette – A Dash of Cinnamon, with 6 Neutral Colors

September 14, 2016 I found some lovely things in that russet color that was so elusive... And it occurred to me, again, that garments that aren't in the same fabrics don't have to be the precise same color! This tee shirt and cardigan would look gorgeous together in a capsule wardrobe:

This is a great combination:

I wasn't at ALL sure how this would work, but keeping silver metal in the jewelry made all the difference...

These colors worked wonderfully together; I particularly like this scarf. It's more of a blend of close colors than any exact matching.

Here's a case of 2 colors that are opposites on the color wheel, and which are therefore MADE for ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette – A Dab of Mustard, with 6 Neutral Colors

September 13, 2016

I'm still looking for nice pieces in rust (russet? warm red?), so I decided to skip that color for now and head directly into deep gold!What to call this color? When you're searching for things like this online, try gold, yellow, mustard, and saffron, for a start; I'm sure that there are lots of outlandish color names that I missed. Why do companies believe that calling something "burnished autumn" is going to help potential buyers find their stuff?

This isn't an easy color to wear, but it's present in so many school colors that you see it fairly often in the US in the autumn. (if you're from outside the US, please note that many people here take high school and college football - American football - very ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette – A Drop of Wine, with 6 Neutral Colors

September 12, 2016

Many of you have asked me how to integrate an accent color into a neutral wardrobe; this is my attempt to give you some suggestions, and a gentle bit of guidance.Let's assume, for the sake of conversation, that you have your core ensemble for cooler weather, in your favorite neutral:

Tee – J. Crew; pants – L.L.Bean; cardigan – H&M; boots – Sarto

Some of these are easier to assemble than others; if olive green is your favorite neutral, you're not going to see yourself coming and going on the streets...

Sweater – J. Crew; pants – J. Crew; cardigan – J. Crew; boots – Corso Como

I've put together a few ensembles in more "business-y" looks, and others that ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Portrait of Marevna by Diego Rivera

September 9, 2016

This is another of those works that I often see at the Art Institute of Chicago. She's not exactly pretty, but I think she's rather handsome:

Class Reunion/Homecoming

earrings – Kate Spade; scarf – Nordstrom; dress – Lands’ End; lipstick – Bobbi Brown in Uber Beige; cardigan – Miu Miu; bracelet – Robert Lee Morris; watch – La Mer Collections; nail polish – Chanel Le Vernis in Cavaliere; shoes – Cole Haan; tote – Marni

"After looking at the RSVP list, I certainly hope SHE's coming. We're going to need a calm head in this crowd..."

Sweater – Jil Sander; cashmere tee shirts – J. Crew; ring – L. Erickson; necklace – Natasha; scarf – Klements; jeans – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Spirit of Autumn by Albert Pinkham Ryder

September 8, 2016

Thanks for suggesting this painting to me! I love the art ideas I receive from you...

Class Reunion/Homecoming

"She was always so GLAMOROUS - I was afraid to even speak to her..."

Sweater – Jardin des Orangers; necklace – Bauble Bar; ring – Pomellato; ivory tee – Jaeger; metallic tee – MM6 Maison Margiela; scarf – Santorus; belt – Levi’s; clutch – Elliott Lucca; cords – Mother; corduroy skirt – Dorothy Perkins; ballet flats – Bernardo; jeans – Closed; loafers – L’Amour des Pieds

"Well, I know that she got a veterinary degree; she probably takes care of little teacup designer dogs for movie stars..."

"She's about the size ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Portrait of Pablo Picasso by Juan Gris

September 6, 2016 I see this painting frequently, and am always riveted by the impact that two colors can provide:

Class Reunion/Homecoming Weekend

Earrings – Black; dress – Eleventy; boots – Madden-Girl; cardigan – Lands’ End; scarf – Ralph Lauren; watch – Emporio Armani; nail polish – Dior in “Junon”; tote – Under One Sky "I don't know if she'll make it - knowing her, she's probably living in an ashram somewhere..."

Blouse – Peter Cohen; earrings – Ippolita; ring – Geraldine Valluet; necklace – Wild Lilies; marled sweater – M.I.h Jeans; blue sweater – Roberto Collina; pants – Fabiana Filippi; scarf – Nordstrom; skirt – Lands’ End; clutch – Edie Parker; ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: September

September 1, 2016

It's really starting to sink in with me how big this file is! 31 pages of images, all but 1 of which gets changed each month... But it's such a fun exercise! As always, let's first look at the scarves around which we are building the 6 capsule wardrobes:

For all six outfits for September, I included a flannel shirt, corduroy pants, shorts boots, gloves, a scarf, and some kind of vest. Within those fairly strict guidelines, I still was able to pull together some wide-ranging looks! And yes, I would wear a plaid scarf with a plaid shirt. In a heartbeat...

Only 21 pieces of clothing, but it just feels like more, doesn't it?

The new additions are going ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Wing of a European Roller by Albrecht Durer

August 29, 10`6 Durer was, unquestionably, a genius:

There are only about a TON of colors here (yes, ton is not a number, but you know what I mean...). I actually went back to the Internet to look at photographs of the actual bird in order to get a sense of what they really look like!

Uncompromising She knew that she had some... difficult... preferences.

shirt – Lands’ End; earrings – Aurélie Bidermann; boots – Frye; scarf – Etro; jeans – L.L.Bean; cardigan – J.Crew; watch – Nixon; tote – Allsaints; suitcase – Bric’s

Even though her wardrobe is largely black and white, she prefers brown leather. She doesn't care if anyone else thinks it's a good idea...

Shirt – Lands’ End; loafers ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: August

August 1, 2016

In August, the stores have VERY little warm-weather apparel, so we'd better be prepared to plan ahead and pick up some things that will be useful in autumn and winter...For reference, the earlier installments of this series can be found here:

January February March April May June July

And for reference purposes, these are the 6 scarves with which we started the capsule wardrobes: (I can't wait to choose NEXT year's 6 scarves - maybe we'll vote?)

Navy– Hermes Voyage en Etoffes; brown – Hermes Tyger Tyger; beige – Hermes Le Voyage de Pytheas; olive – Hermes Cheval Mirage; grey – Hermes Cheval Surprise Remix; black – Hermes Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs

This ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in Brown, Khaki and Pink – Additions for Fall and Winter

July 27, 2016 You asked; you get! What does the woman with the "chocolate box" wardrobe buy for cooler weather in fall and winter? First off, let's remember that we left her (here) with this capsule wardrobe:

By the time August rolls around, even if you don't NEED warmer clothing, you're certainly thinking about it! A long-sleeved shirt can layer under anything, warm socks in pink are just plain fun, and a sweater that combines all of the chocolate, caramel and cream colors can be worn A TON...

For illustrative purposes, here are a few new outfits that result from the modest shopping excursion show above; There are certainly more combinations than these:

Next up, the weather takes a ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe of Accessories 1 at a Time: Brown, Khaki and Pink

July 25, 2016

She was enjoying the shopping...Of course, she had to start with shoes. There are women in the world who don't need shoes, but that's not the general rule. So she started with something in her favorite dark chocolate brown:

Shirt – Lands’ End; pants – Lands’ End; sweater – Uniqlo; scarf – Givenchy; top shoes – OluKai; boots – Pikolinos; bottom shoes – Born

She couldn't WAIT to get some earrings - she'd been wearing demure, tiny studs for years, and she wanted something more fun. And something PINK!

Tee – L.L.Bean; pants – Lands’ End; sweater – Uniqlo; top earrings – Charriol; middle earrings – Matta; bottom earrings – Latelita London

And a scarf, ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe 1 Piece at a Time: Brown, Khaki and Pink

July 22, 2016 No More "Dress For Success" Every day, every year, the same....

Navy suit, white shirt. Grey suit, white shirt. Navy grey white navy grey white....

It served her well - she was very successful. She worked 7 days a week; she really didn't have a leisure life - her idea of being dressed down was to wear an old work shirt with old pants from a pantsuit. Jeans? Not in her vocabulary. A cardigan? Would get you a visit from the chairman of the firm...

But now that she was leaving the office world, her heart cried out for brown. The color of dirt. The color of chocolate. And khaki - sand, and stones, and natural things....

And PINK. Because she would never have dared to wear pink in her old, very conservative, work ... View the Post