Camel Archives - Page 4 of 13

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – February 2018

I'm still not sure why I always add a dress in February - a long-standing affection for Valentine's Day? Or just a desire to make sure that I'm well prepared for dressy spring events?

It's not quite expected to accessorize a classic black dress with bright spring green...

I didn't find a beige dress that appealed, so I thought that this delicious cocoa brown would be perfect with this scarf, or with a grouping of blush pink accessories.

The red is probably the most expected accent color with a navy dress, so I ignored that and chose teal instead!

This green isn't as yellow-ish as the greens used last month, but since it's a dress, it doesn't have to be "dye-lot matched" to the other neutral in this wardrobe... And ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – January 2018

January 1, 2018

It's that time again! I looked and LOOKED at the Hermes scarves for this year - I wanted to find some unique color combinations... I kept changing my mind until literally the last possible minute!

This year's focal points for gradual wardrobe building are these lovelies:

A word to the wise - these scarves are selling FAST this year - I had to go to the sites for 3 different countries to find these colors, literally just 3 days after I started working on this post! Your best option for finding a fast-selling scarf is to call an Hermes store and ask THEM to find it and send it to you. Their staff is usually delightfully helpful and nice, and it will save you the legwork of trying to mail-order a scarf from a ... View the Post

December’s Birthstone is either Turquoise or Tanzanite – They Go with EVERYTHING…

November 30, 2017

This is the last month of birthstones... I'm already thinking that next year I'm going to look at the flower associated with each month, just for fun!

Turquoise is pretty easy to wear, since it comes in such a range of colors. Tanzanite only seems to be available in shades of that vivid violet/purple - not that there's anything wrong with this color!

First up, greenish-blue looks absolutely perfect with warm orangish brown.. And that touch of hot pink in the scarf is really unexpected, but lovely...

Some tanzanite jewelry is madly expensive, but oh so lovely...

Maybe wearing all of these accessories at the same time would be overdoing it, and maybe it wouldn't! Would you ... View the Post

What IS Dressing Up? Taking a Warm Common Wardrobe into the Winter Holidays

November 24, 2017

Of course I've been thinking a lot about what it means to say that you're "dressed up." In the absence of showing more skin than usual, I think I've learned that there are four ways to go about this process:

Anything metallic or sparkly - if you can find a garment in one of your colors that features some sequins, some beads, or metallic thread, the dressiness quotient is automatically raised. Ruffles, bows, or other trim that you would not normally wear. Swapping out an ivory cotton shirt for an ivory silk shirt with a bow at the neck can make a world of difference, while filling exactly the same role in your wardrobe. Swapping for a fabric with more texture or shine. Satin, velvet, lace, or brocade are all ... View the Post

Navy, Camel and Olive truly can be timeless…

November 16, 2017

I really wanted to look back at another of these wardrobes; they truly were the moment when I began to hit my stride as a blogger and see the goal of "timeless" come into focus.

Of course these clothes would eventually date - in a decade of two! As I said before - they're sufficiently timeless! These images are from a post on December 30th, 2011, and if you saw a woman wearing these clothes today, you'd admire them just as much. Eschew trends and invest in the classics is my motto...

Five pieces of clothing (a cardigan and top, with jeans, pants and a skirt), as well as a piece of outerwear - these are the neutrals around which an amazing number of possibilities revolve... It ... View the Post

Can a More Casual Work Wardrobe have Personality? Start with a Moth…

October 17, 2017

You might think it's just a flying caterpillar, but the colors are so lovely....

Your understanding is that the first interview is going to be most of the day in their offices, and then a break before they take you out to dinner; they want to make sure that you know which fork is which!

It's a kitchen gear company - why would you be interested in their job if you didn't know your salad fork from your dinner fork? Of course you're hired! For the first few days, you're going to have options to dress nicely if there's going to be a meeting, but otherwise the offices seem quite casual...

This is the the tiny wardrobe that you have before your first paycheck arrives - you can get through a week of work ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – September 2017

September 1, 2017

These files are massive, and these posts take forever, but I LOVE them...

For my new readers, the thesis is this: I start with six Hermes scarves, and over the course of a year (on the first day of each month) I choose an outfit based on the colors of the scarf. I accumulate all of these outfits through the course of the year, and thus assemble a pretty excellent (if I do say so myself!) wardrobe...

Please note that I was able to find current links (current as of end of day Wednesday August 30th) for ALL of the scarves - outside of the US, but still available! If you've got serious whappage for one of these scarves, please don't hesitate to call an Hermes store - anywhere - and ask if they can help you get one. ... View the Post

How to Wear the September Birthstone: Sapphires… ooh…

August 30, 2017

Sapphires are so beautiful, but they are really expensive... Feel free to find fakes, or stones in a similar dark blue, and wear without apology; you owe no explanation to anybody for what you can and can't afford to buy! Or where in your budget you choose to be extravagant or frugal...

With budgets in mind, I've chosen to show a lot of second-hand jewelry in this post (as well as a couple of handbags that are still absurdly expensive...). I think that we all are going to need to become much more open-minded about purchasing things that aren't brand spanking new, if only for the benefit of the environment... (and isn't "brand spanking" just about the weirdest phrase ever?)

For this first dress, that collar needs a ... View the Post

An Early, But Timeless Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Camel and Coral

August 14, 2017

This wardrobe was constructed over 5 years ago, but you could still pack every piece of this and wear it today... that's my primary goal. Timeless. Elegant. Classic.

When you know that you can wear something for years, you can feel quite a bit better about buying the very best items you can... It's only logical to make sure that your beautiful things will last, right?

love, Janice ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – August 2017

July 31, 2017

Although most of us in the Northern Hemisphere still have at least 8 weeks of hot weather in front of us, you can't tell it by what's in the stores. Cashmere, leather goods, lots of winter coats... Sigh...

But the August outfit last year, and again this year, is oriented to the season ahead:

As always, I like to see how the newest additions look when arrayed with the earlier pieces in each wardrobe:

It's always wise to make certain that you can wear any new garment in at least 3 different ways, so I like to check on this too!

I went a bit mad dressy here... sigh...

Such lovely colors...

I went a bit overboard here too, I suspect...

The brooch ... View the Post

Warm Neutrals Camel and Mossy Green Accenting Navy and Beige

May 31, 2017

Let's see what happens when we start with navy and beige as our neutrals, and then incorporate two MORE neutrals, in warm hues, to act as accents.

This is the color scheme as I see it; I've made 1 small alteration in that I've given us a range of the accent colors, from lighter to darker, in order to open up the possibilities a bit. These aren't easy colors to find this time of year!

And this wardrobe I'm working with an assumption that we're going to be packing for a more changeable climate - needing both sandals and a sweatshirt, so to speak...

As before, we'll start with six neutral pieces...

Just to keep us mentally organized, let's continue to work with a 13-piece wardrobe template:

The first ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – February 2017

February 1, 2017

I'm back in time to work on this! I'm so happy... I love these growing wardrobes...

For reference, and just to savor, these are our scarves around which we're building our wardrobes:

As always, I have to remind you that you don't have to buy an Hermès scarf (or any scarf at all!) to use this approach to building a wardrobe. Just choose any focal item, or color scheme, and start from there! And if you do want an Hermès scarf, you certain don't have to buy one new - there are a number of reputable secondhand sellers on the internet. If you're unsure about something you're considering, send me a note!

Here's a link to last month, if you want to flash back to the January items...

This black, grey and brown ... View the Post