4 by 4 Wardrobe Archives

Start with a Sweater: Sailcloth Fair Isle sweater from L.L.Bean

September 22, 2021

It wasn't a complicated request, but it has someone stumped: "Can I build a small wardrobe for going back to my office, using this sweater as the inspiration?"

My answer to most questions: Heck yes!

First things first - what colors are in this sweater, anyway?

A pretty straightforward color palette!

Let's start with a couple of outfits that our friend had in mind, and then a couple more that I imagined. You know that I'm always going to find a pair of ivory corduroy pants if at all possible:

Our friend very much wanted a light blue shirt - and I was able to find one that seems to be very close to the same shade as found in her sweater!

I love a grey shirt - I can't explain it at all! ... View the Post

A Step-by-Step Packing Plan in black and beige (with coral and light blue!)

August 18, 2021 They're FINALLY Going... And she's got to pack smart!

Their destination involves a lot of food and wine, but isn't overall a really dressy destination...

She's had a pretty clear color palette in her wardrobe for a very long time: black, beige, coral and pretty shades of blue, so THAT part of preparing is easy enough!

Her first impulse is to grab her "go-to" hot weather clothes:

And with that, she... is... sort of stuck!

But she starts thinking, and not just pitching clothes into her suitcase. Thinking is always a good way to get out of a packing "stall" like this...

How many pieces of clothing does she want to pack? Well, 7 days feels like at least a dozen garments, doesn't it?

Does she want to ... View the Post

Start with Art: Courtesans Strolling Beneath Cherry Trees by Kitawaga Utamaro

April 30, 2021

This post is for those among us who are deeply smitten with a particular color for their spring and summer wardrobe; I think that one can wear quite a bit of their favorite color without sacrificing a coherent wardrobe!

OH, she's got cherry trees...

She's got all KINDS of trees under which she plans to sit; she has a STACK of books that need to be read this summer!

And she has her eye on a particular color that she wants to wear this summer; when she saw this painting she began to formulate her plan:

She eschews the almost green shade of beige, and she chooses to believe that the darkest kimonos are black (while it's possible that they're navy...)

This is what she's starting with:

And this is her ... View the Post

Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Ophelia Among the Flowers by Odilon Redon

September 17, 2020

One last visit to this most wonderful of paintings (unless someone reminds me to look at it again next Spring!), to add some accessories to our Shakespeare expert's travel wardrobe:

To refresh our collective memories, this is the wardrobe on which she settled:

Of course she already has some accessories - but not nearly enough!

She's pretty methodical about choosing more accessories - she works her way through a handful of representative outfits from her wardrobe, and adds accessories that feel right for that outfit, as well as maybe some other outfits from her travel plan.

First up, she really REALLY wants to wear pink earrings, and she realizes that she's long overdue for getting her sunglasses ... View the Post

Accessories! Revisiting Blue Major Elle by Marijah Bac Cam

July 23, 2020

Of course she's packing accessories!

Yesterday, she expanded her initial 8-piece wardrobe to a 16-piece 4 by 4 Wardrobe, since she and her sweetheart are going to be staying up at her sister-in-law's B&B for a few weeks...

Her inspiration?

Her clothes are all good to go - this is what she's taking (or what's already there...):

And these are the accessories that she's already got on-site:

To be sure that she doesn't miss anything, she assembles a handful of representative outfits that she has packed. And then she thinks about what she's going to be doing...

The photographers and other staff want to make it seem as if all of the guests are piled into the kitchen, helping with dinner. It's ... View the Post

Accent a Tan and Brown wardrobe with Sandstone and Amberglow

March 6, 2020

These are the last of those crazy accent colors from Pantone New York Fashion Week 2020/21, along with some restful, timeless warm neutrals... It's the Only Color Palette She's Ever Known...

She has hair the color of the last hot coals in the fireplace... Freckles of a warm caramel brown that look good enough to eat... And dark brown eyes...

Nobody else in her family had coloring ANYTHING like hers, when she was a child. So her mother very wisely just dressed her in the ivory of her skin, the rosy tan of her freckles, the subdued fire of her hair and the grounding darkness of her eyes...

As she grew older, it never occurred to her that there were other colors she might want to wear; she was busy playing, ... View the Post

Accent a Bone and Tan wardrobe with Rose Tan and Classic Blue

February 26, 2020

I'm currently in Florida, and the weather is changing every few minutes, it seems! So I thought that I'd share a wardrobe that spans a range of warm-ish weather...

Let's start with some pink!

Some days it's plenty warm enough to go swimming, and other days you definitely want "real" shoes, socks, and a sweater! If you're traveling to a destination like this, you've GOT to plan ahead...

It makes sense that the bone garments will be for the warmest weather...

These last 4 pieces offer a lot more options...

I have a blonde friend (or 10!) who would be beautiful in this wardrobe. These aren't my colors, but I could travel for a long time with this in a bag:

When I started looking at ... View the Post

Accent a Navy and Gray wardrobe with Fire Brick & Peach Nougat

February 21, 2020

This next mix of colors is interesting - the brick, navy and grey could come together in a pretty conservative wardrobe, but the addition of the peach changes the whole feel of things!

Here's where I broke down and added a simple white top - I was struggling to find a really nice item in this color, and I just began to think that we might need a break from colors! Sometimes?

I kept the same navy clothes - partially just to show how versatile simple garments can be when you mix them with accessories and accent pieces! I changed the scarf though; I couldn't believe how hard it was to find a burgundy and navy scarf. This coming autumn, in the Men's Department... That's where they'll be!

And gray, or ... View the Post

Accent a Navy and Stone wardrobe with Ultramarine Green & Samba

February 19, 2020

I thought that I'd try something slightly different with these most recent Pantone colors; start with a "2-Neutral" wardrobe base, and then add in 2 of the accent colors to pull together a 4 by 4 Wardrobe...

My theory (correct me if I'm wrong!) is that most of us have 2 neutrals in our wardrobes, and would like to have more than 1 accent color.

The only hesitation I have here is that there's no light neutral tee shirt or top; I'd be tempted to toss in a simple white tee and white button-front shirt into this wardrobe too!

Let's see how this works...

First up, the accent pieces in Samba:

A different heroine might want a red dress - why not? But this heroine is working now 3 days a week in an office ... View the Post

How Do I Know I Have Enough Accessories? Revisiting Double Vision 1974 by Edwina Sandys

September 20, 2019

It's one thing to get a good work wardrobe sorted out (as we did for our heroine on Wednesday), but how do you know that you've got the accessories that you need, and moreover want?

Let's remember our source of inspiration...

Our heroine's going to have to go back to work in her office, after years of being able to work from her home 95% of the time. She's got her clothes sorted, but she's not sure about her accessories...

So she pulls together 5 outfits - 1 for each bottom in her work capsule wardrobe - and then determines what accessories she would wear with each outfit.

First up, she knows that she will be wearing her black pants a lot...

And she knows that her tan pants will be important, so ... View the Post

Revisiting Double Vision 1974 by Edwina Sandys

September 18, 2019

She spent most of the summer at the beach house; she had been allowed to work from home for years, so she was able to work while sitting on the balcony, looking out at the shore...

You'll Have to Work in the Office... Since the acquisition, she knew that things would change, but she hadn't expected this. But they're giving all of the staff who had been telecommuting a small bonus to re-establish their commute. (or their office wardrobe?)

So she reverts back to her favorite painting, and starts planning...

She knows that she will need some neutrals, so she gets a great cardigan blazer, some washable wool pants, and a really cool coated denim skirt! But she's determined to include her favorite red and tan ... View the Post

Can a “Color” be a Neutral? Start with Art: Double Vision 1974 by Edwina Sandys

March 22, 2019

Someone mentioned it a few days ago - if you plan well, you could use a "color" as a neutral. Of course I had to see how that might work!

And I've got a fondness for this artist's work, so it seemed an opportune time to use this as an inspiration for a very fun-loving heroine:

"If We All Chip In... We can rent the big house up at the shore... At least a handful of us could be there almost any weekend. And since it's so big, we can leave some things up there for the summer, so we could even go at the last minute!"

A compelling argument, and she agreed immediately. The chance to spend the weekends at the shore, instead of in the city, was pretty persuasive, and to spend that time with her friends made it even ... View the Post