Navy Blue Archives - Page 17 of 60

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

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

Packing for a Long Trip – with only Skirts!

July 23, 2021

I've been asked for wardrobes including only skirts for a while now... So when a question was sent to me about packing for a three month visit to Poland, using only skirts, I figured it was time to address this!

A long trip can be daunting - about 20 years ago, I traveled for work for six weeks, on a trip that included six countries, and temperatures from shirt-sleeve warm to light snow!

This is what I packed:

My clothes were mostly from Eileen Fisher, and by the time I got back to Chicago I was SO SICK of every stitch of them!

But I was traveling alone, with a gigantic laptop, and so this was how I carried all of my clothes:

I was lucky - as soon as I got to a new city, I sent at least 1 outfit of ... 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.

So 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 days, so she starts with the "the Board of Directors is ... View the Post

2 Spring Capsule Wardrobes – Navy and Green, Green and Beige

June 18, 2021

Lots of green! I don't really have a good explanation - I just happened across quite a few pretty things!

I feel like our first heroine must be going back to her office; a wardrobe like this might reconcile me just a little bit to such a fate:

She has choices galore for serious work days, casual work days, and work from home days:

And what will be our last Spring Weekly Timeless Wardrobe is for a heroine who is relaxed, but likes to feel pretty and pulled-together!

I don't think I could be pulled together right now if 2 snow-plows pushed directly at each other, with me in the middle...

This wardrobe gives her the option of outfits that are all green, or subtle beige, or a mix of the ... View the Post

Two Spring Capsule Wardrobes, Using the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe

June 9, 2021

Ah, you would have laughed if you could have seen me starting this post - I thought that I would just open ALL THIRTEEN of the earlier posts, and copy things from there...

Now remember, since the beginning of the pandemic, I've been blogging from a laptop!

Just as well it didn't work out - many of the garments from early weeks are long gone in many sizes...

So I've used quite a few familiar garments, and picked up some new things to fill in the blanks!

I really like to show these wardrobes to reinforce my personal conviction that these classic garments can come together to give you a great travel wardrobe, or the base of a Garde Robe du Mois.

I love the subtle elegance of these colors:

Just imagine this ... View the Post

Are You Ready? Stress Dressing for Warm Weather

June 4, 2021

Emergencies and last-minute changes of plan don't stop just because the weather gets nice, right?

So it behooves most of us to have a plan in mind in case we're called away for a day or 2 of work at a remote location, or a quick trip to a fun destination, or a quick trip to an urgent family situation...

This first wardrobe is the sort of thing you would grab if you had to go babysit for a day or two, or care for an older relative:

Your friends need you to go stay at their summer home for a couple of days while the windows are being repaired? You can be ready in 10 minutes...

Someone from your family needs to show up for an estate issue... You might just need to BE there, but you may have to hang ... View the Post

April 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Gentle Lynx

April 23, 2021

She just wants to be calm. Quiet. To walk the streets and admire the architecture and the window displays. Rain or shine...

Her colors are simple - her favorite navy, with the pastels that reflect her desire for peace and harmony:

It will rain. The sun will shine. The temperature could be all over the map. She doesn't care! She can always sit in a cafe until the rain lets up...

She starts with her navy cardigan and skirt, so she knows that she has her neutrals covered! Then she adds a few tops, and her favorite yellow dress...

And why NOT 3 pairs of ballet flats? They're comfortable, they're flattering, and they make her happy - what else might anybody want?

It's not a wardrobe for everybody, ... View the Post

Start with Art: On the Train by Jacqueline Osborn

April 21, 2021

We've spent a lot of time together looking at the colors in paintings and other photographs, and building little wardrobes around those colors.

But what if a painting gives you a feeling - an urge - that's not really related to the colors in the art?

This painting has given one of us the desire to travel.... She hasn't been alone in over a year, but by the same token, she hasn't been out around strangers, in crowds, people-watching for over a year.

She wants to go, for a long time, alone!

She's going in the autumn; she will start in London or Paris, and as the weather cools, she's going to hop a train and go to the next city to the south! Lyon, Marseilles, Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples... It will depend on ... View the Post

Accessorizing a Swim Suit-Centered Wardrobe

April 9, 2021 She's Going to Swim, This Year On Wednesday, we started with this:

Our very happy heroine's travel capsule wardrobe is this:

But she can't travel - and she certainly can't go to the beach - with only 1 pair of shoes, no sandals, no hat, and no sunglasses!

So let's work our way through getting her travel wardrobe completed!

This is 2 of the most important things to pack; surely by now we all understand the need for covering up from too much sun, right?

If she's outdoors a lot, she may not need a mask constantly, but we're all going to want to have masks with us for the foreseeable future. Of course she wants a towel, and good sandals... I couldn't resist a cover-up too!

Simple earrings, the ... View the Post

Start with Swimwear: Paradise Aqua Space Dye Tankini from Lands’ End

April 7, 2021 This Year, She's Going to Swim...

She read last year on her favorite blog that these swimsuits were so flattering that any self-consciousness about being seen in public in swimwear will change forever! So true, and after a missed year at the beach house with her extended family, she's not going to skip anything...

This is her planned palette:

Most relatives will drive to their MASSIVE shared beach house, but she's going to take the train... Experience has taught her that she really needs a cardigan; those trains can be FREEZING in warmer weather!

She's thrilled to see a long-sleeved swim tee! And a swim skirt - now she has 4 swimwear pieces, which gives her 4 combinations... She could even be tempted by ... View the Post