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Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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The French 5-Piece Wardrobe Meets A Common Capsule Wardrobe: navy, grey, electric blue, bright purple

October 8, 2014

There's a lot of talk in books and on the internet about the "French 5-Piece Wardrobe", which is a misnomer if there ever was one! The wardrobe isn't really five pieces; the concept is that you have a core of basic, neutral garments, and you then add FIVE pieces per season. I'm sure some people define a season as every 3 months, but it would certainly also make sense to just do this every 6 months. Whatever makes you happy, right?

But when I read descriptions about the "core" of neutral garments, I kept thinking that it sounded a lot like The Common Wardrobe...  And that this philosophy might be an option for helping us build our wardrobes of basics, while at the same time introducing accent colors, long-term ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch Step 18: One last review, considering Whatever’s Clean, and A Common Wardrobe

July 16, 2014  

Many of you have been following the concepts of A Common Wardrobe, or a Whatever's Clean wardrobe, and you've expressed great curiosity about how those ideas work with this much larger capsule wardrobe-building concept.  So let's see if we need to make any last tweaks to our wardrobe to be as inclusive and versatile as possible...First off, remember this bad boy?  This was the original Common Wardrobe - garments that I saw day after day on my co-workers from international advertising agencies. These garments and accent items were combined in all sorts of different ways, and accessorized like mad:

I threw my analytic brain at this, and defined each of these garments functionally, i.e., the first is ... View the Post

A Floral Blouse in A Common Capsule Wardrobe

June 11, 2014   Floral garments are everywhere this summer - any sort of skirt, blouse, tee shirt or dress your heart may desire is out there somewhere...   But I receive emails every day asking how a floral garment can be incorporated into The Common Capsule Wardrobe.  Let's look at this problem in some detail.   First off - the gorgeous blouse with which you fall in love - is it in colors that bear at least a passing resemblance to the rest of your wardrobe? Or does it include a substantial portion of a neutral (or two)? This blouse might be the first glimpse of rose/dark pink that your wardrobe has seen in decades, but at least it has a lot of neutral khaki in it, and enough black details that it can be worn ... View the Post

My Version of Une Annee de Style – A Common Capsule Wardrobe

May 20, 2014  

After thinking a while about last week's book (Une Annee de Style), I realized that this book was basically just a variation of my old standard Common Capsule Wardrobe - a small collection of neutral, simple garments upon which one can build all kinds of personalized styles and outfits.Let's say that you get a wild inclination to buy a fantastic tee shirt...  You find some pretty outrageous sandals that go with your tee shirt, and also a beautiful, solid scarf...

  If you start with that simple core of garments that we all should own (in some variation or another)...  

You have all of these ways to wear the fabulous new tee shirt, as well as the cool green sandals and the beautiful ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent Color: Linden Green

September 21, 2013   I wasn't crazy about this color when I started looking for accent items for our capsule wardrobe, but when I started putting it against the neutral colors it really began to grow on me.  And I'm also beginning to see the value in an accent cardigan.  I think it's easy to assume that an accent color for a season or two might be best purchased in a blouse, tee shirt or sweater, but upon reflection I can see that a cardigan could be worn more often, and make more of a visible impact...  Food for thought.

 

  While I was combing the internet for this color, I noticed that the brand Schumacher had a variety of garments in this color currently available.  It's not uncommon for a ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent Color: Deep Lichen Green

September 14, 2013   This is another Pantone seasonal color that feels a lot like a neutral to me - and a beautiful neutral!  There are lots of items available in this color; if you aren't comfortable wearing this near your face, there are still a lot of options for shoes and pants...  

Scarf – YuhOkano,  cardigan – Bark, earrings – Nikki Baker, Buddha bracelet – Eastern Mystic, loafers - Munro  

 

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent 2013: Vivacious

September 12, 2013   I'm always amazed when a bright shade of fuchsia or hot pink is considered a "special, seasonal" color, because it seems to me that it's always available in some shape or form...    

Drop stud earrings – Dorus Mhor,  Blouse – Maison Martin Margiela,  scarf – Pucci ,  clutch – Poupee Couture, flats – Adam Tucker  

  love, Janice                        ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent 2013: Turbulence

September 9, 2013   I've had lots of questions about the Pantone Autumn/Winter 2013 colors, and how to integrate them into a wardrobe, so I'm going to show a series of posts that might give you some ideas, or some help.     I'm starting with Turbulence, because it's easy to work with, since it's more of a neutral than a bright accent...  

 

Next, just for working purposes, I'll start with a very neutral wardrobe; 10 pieces that might be in almost anybody's wardrobe, are readily available, and easily combined with other items.

  Just off the top of my head, there are a dozen easy outfits added to your wardrobe.  Realistically, there are a lot more ... View the Post

Integrating a scarf into A Common Capsule Wardrobe: Hermes Coup de Fouet

June 11, 2013   So one of you recently purchased a very beautiful scarf, and now you're feeling.... stuck? unsure?  It's a common situation, and one that's pretty simple to remedy.  

 

This is the lovely object in question, entitled "Crack of the Whip". Striking graphics, and an unexpected juxtaposition of yellow in the middle of the purples and blues - those Hermes people are good... First thing you have to isolate is what color or colors drew you into this scarf? If it was the turquoise, for example, you might find that you already own the following items, to complement your scarf.

  Further, let's assume that you own some version of The Common Wardrobe, a couple of simple dresses, and a ... View the Post