Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
January 30, 2015 I love winter, and sometimes a perfect photograph will convey what my feeble words never can about the beauty to be found in this austere, crisp and bracing time of year.
I strongly suspect that either of these button-front shirt would look quite nice under the grey dress. It's a look that a little bit gamine for some women, but for others it can be charming.
love, Janice ... View the Post
January 29, 2015 When this painting was suggested, I wasn't sure it would even be possible to build a wardrobe, because I thought the painting was drab and monochromatic. Shows what I know, eh?
love, Janice ... View the Post
January 29, 2015 There's really no question that I'm going to be looking at warm weather clothing!
Although the overall look of this painting is very light and bright, I always feel more comfortable anchoring a wardrobe with a few pieces of dark neutral, so I took advantage of the birds to work a dark brown into the scheme. The rosy beige of the sky is my 2nd neutral, and after that, the sky's the limit - pastels taken from the grass, the trees, and the distant mountains are all possibilities. What lovely colors...
I would start collecting pastel, bone, earthy accessories...
love, Janice ... View the Post
July 27, 2015
The reader who requested this was particularly interested in the black, olive and camel parts of the painting, so I've taken the liberty of cropping the top third in order to focus on the colors in question. I'm sure Moreau will forgive me, since I'm such a big fan!
Any Moreau painting cries out for an exotic and Byzantine wardrobe, but I wanted to keep things in the realms of the wearable, so I've opted for velvet, silk and cashmere in order to express the more exotic and sensuous aspects of the painting.
Accessories are where you can really express the ornate impulses that seem to spring from this painting (and what that character in the painting is wearing!) - ... View the Post
January 23, 2015
Brown can be so beautiful, and surprisingly versatile...And speaking of versatile, I find that I keep using and using the bright accessories. When I assembled that family of items, I didn't honestly expect that I would get so very much mileage from them!
love, Janice ... View the Post
December 11, 2014
One of your recently purchased a very beautiful pair of new boots, but then began to wonder if you would be able to wear them often enough to get your money's worth from your purchase.The boots are lovely - very practical for walking, but still graceful. So I have a few ideas...
Boots with casual dresses
Unlike "back in the day" when your skirt had to cover the tops of your boots, it's now perfectly appropriate and acceptable to have your legs show in between boot top and hem of skirt. Tights can match your dress or your boots, or if you're particularly comfortable with the idea, they could be a contrasting color. I'm not going to do that, but I've seen it done to charming effect. ... View the Post
November 28, 2014
Jewelry is the most obvious, and the easiest, way to dress up basic garments. If you look around at some of the less "expected" stores, you can find things that you've never before seen - nobody at your event will be wearing an identical item! These items can easily be worn with a number of different Starting From Scratch Capsule Wardrobes, and many of these pieces could be used during the day, as well. And don't forget that the Starting From Scratch Wardrobes already had quite a few pieces of jewelry in them - many of those pieces are well-suited for evening wear, just as many of the pieces shown below could be worn during the day. I've opted to include brooches instead of necklaces, just because ... View the Post
November 20, 2014
A frequent concern for many of us this time of year is how to take our normal, everyday clothes, and make them "party-worthy". I don't like to buy a whole new outfit for a party - I'd much rather figure out a way to elevate the things I already own through the purchase of one strategic item.
There are a couple of different ways to do this; today I'm going to explore the possibilities inherent in a cardigan with some sort of beaded, embroidered or metallic detailing.
If you don't want to buy a new sweater, this is a great opportunity to do something crafty - I've seen some amazing sweaters dressed up with ribbon embroidery, or hand beading, done by the sweater owner. In one case, the initial embroidery ... View the Post
November 18, 2014 It could happen to anyone of us - you're minding your own business, and then... you see it. The garment that makes your heart sing. Something that you admire aesthetically, that looks perfect on you, that is beautifully made, from gorgeous materials, and that will last the rest of your life... But OWWWW... it's expensive. The biggest question to answer: can I wear this wondrous garment frequently enough to make it worth the purchase price? I'm NOT going to say it's an investment, because only in a few cases will you be able to sell something for more than the purchase price, which is the technical definition of an investment. But in a way, if you get more joy from something, and it enhances your image, ... View the Post
November 3, 2014
Someone sent me this gorgeous photograph... I've flipped it sideways so that I could put up a bigger image...
This was my chosen color scheme:
It's hard to introduce "egg-like" elements into a wardrobe, but I did stick with rounded earrings, and I aimed for a sort of softness and subtlety that would honor the gorgeousness of the photograph.
I introduced the most subtle greenish color to blend with the warm beige, tan and brown already here. It's an amazingly effective combination, I think.
To me, these combinations are warm, gentle, and comfortable.
love, Janice ... View the Post
October 29, 2014 Over the weekend, we had an absolutely beautiful day on Saturday - bright, clear, and warm enough to walk for miles. As we neared home, we passed this tree, and Belovedest took a photo of it for me.
In order to really hone in on the leaves, I've cropped down the photograph to a handful of leaves, and isolated just three colors. It's easy to get overwhelmed when you see something beautiful - focusing really closely on one small thing can help a lot to clarify which colors captivate you most.
This seemed like a wonderful opportunity to find a beautiful winter coat! A core of brown, simple clothes make a good base...
For an overnight business trip, ... View the Post
September 19, 2014 Everybody's familiar with the concept of the power suit, but this suit goes far beyond the predictable black...
love,
Janice
... View the Post
