black Archives - Page 17 of 54

I Don’t Know Where to Start my Wardrobe…

May 3, 2019

I've been asked this a couple of times in the last few days - what do I do when I really have no idea where to start with my wardrobe?

Years ago I tried to think of how one could start a wardrobe from scratch; I think that my ideas might still be useful...

First up, I want our heroine to have some unifying inspiration to get her started; she's not stuck with this for the rest of her life, but it will at least help her focus her initial choices:

I can't emphasize this idea of mine enough - if you struggle to get dressed, make certain that you have a really GOOD, basic, neutral pair of pants. No studs, no embroidery, nothing that will make it difficult to wear your pants with all kinds of things...

And shoes. ... View the Post

April Travel – Start with Art: Verre et Paquet de Tabac by Juan Gris

April 19, 2019

Remember our heroine who helps non-math types learn to work with data and statistics? She's on the road again!

She likes structure, and clear-cut plans. She was wise enough to realize that she would NEVER find clothes in this "wet cardboard" color, so she substituted her favorite bright yellow/gold for the beige... This is her inspiration:

She likes bright, and cheery, and she's happy to hold the attention of her "students" while she's persuading them that numbers will not hurt them...

Because she works for an advertising agency, she doesn't have to get super dressed up, but she always likes to have something with her to look businesslike. You never know when office managers and assorted executives might ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The April monthly bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs!

April 17, 2019

Why yes, I am buying this one NOW...

These are colors in which I can (and do!) live...

Summer Long Weekends... In the United States, there are 3 "built-in" long weekends during the summer - Memorial Day, at the end of May, the 4th of July, and Labor Day, at the end of August. Clever women manage to sneak in 1 or 2 more...

This heroine and her family have decided that they're going to take a handful of "medium-sized" road trips this summer and see some attractions within a 4-hour drive of home.

It's going to be a treat, though - they've committed to hotels with pools, and at least 1 good restaurant nearby!

And so our heroine is putting together her travel wardrobe for ALL OF THESE TRIPS... ... View the Post

Could You Wear Your Dresses in Different Ways?

April 15, 2019

WARNING: This idea may very well NOT appeal to you. And this is as it should be - nobody should love EVERYTHING that they see; that would be ruinous for one's budget, and be completely the antithesis of developing a personal style!

That said, I know a couple of women who do this and it works quite nicely for them...

First, we start with a dress that is roomy - some space around the (preferably v-neck) neckline, armholes that aren't tight, and an overall silhouette that's got some flow:

This is a magnificent dress - simple, but beautifully well-made. And it could hang in your closet most of the time. That would be a sad waste of a lovely dress, and an eye-popping investment...

But do you own any of these ... View the Post

April Travel – Start with Art: Street, Berlin by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

April 12, 2019

After retirement, they decided that they were going to travel to a new destination every 3 months for the first year! Just for a few days....

In the winter, they went somewhere warmer - I'm not sure, but it might have been Barcelona?

When our heroine and her sweetheart hatched this plot, our heroine chose this very evocative painting as her color inspiration:

Yes, April in Paris She's very excited...

Maybe a striped top is cliche to wear to Paris, but she loves her travel outfit - classic, simple, comfortable...

And since retirement is rekindling the romance in their lives, she's sticking with some pink accents. Something about pink just feels romantic to her. And her true love seems to ... View the Post

April Travel – Start with Art: Rhythmisches by Paul Klee

April 10, 2019

Ah, our friend who just got the job running a quilt museum! She's going to her first quilting conference...

Her work surrounds her with colors - brilliant colors, brilliantly combined by (mostly) women with unsung artistic skills. As much as she loves the colors, she has decided to dress more neutrally - she doesn't want to distract from the beauty of the work that she's curating. Thus, she's chosen a simple, but quite interesting, painting as her travel wardrobe inspiration:

She will be going straight into seminars as soon as she arrives, and she will be met at the airport from an official of the conference, so she's wearing a dress to fly in! (it's a short trip, in all fairness...)

In order to keep ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Hermès Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris

March 29, 2019

Yes, this is the scarf that I received for our anniversary.... Let's Be Slightly Reckless! When her sweetheart came home with a big bonus, they really wanted to celebrate...

Would it truly be insane to go to Paris for just a long weekend? (yes... it's madness!)

She's already inspired:

They agreed on a couple of key things:

1 suitcase - a big one - that they will share, and check. If it is lost, they will BOTH have to go shopping! Not even going to TRY to get over jet lag - sleep 'til noon, dine 'til midnight... SERIOUS dining... They will dress up (not black tie, but nice) every day, do a modest amount of sight-seeing, and focus on evening meals!

She's going to keep things very ... View the Post

Start with Art: From the Lake by Georgia O’Keeffe

March 9, 2019

Planning a wardrobe with mostly neutrals doesn't mean that your wardrobe will be predictable...

Let's start with this most wonderful painting:

It's pretty simple - we can start with the same neutral clothes that we used a few days ago...

Ah, but the accent pieces are quite different. One of the neat things here is that this heroine could have 5 neutrals... the brown and the grey would both be excellent secondary wardrobe neutrals, don't you think?

This wardrobe feels very different to me than the earlier version with bright accents:

I've kept the silver earrings, and then added in brown and aqua...

Same with the bracelets - her neutrals are still perfect for her wardrobe, but ... View the Post

March 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – Based on 6 Hermes Scarves

March 1, 2019

Possibly my favorite blog post every month!

You can see the January post here, and the February post here...

First up is this quite abstract scarf, in my favorite black and white with 2 shades of blue:

Normally I would look for a solid skirt for this outfit, but I couldn't resist the stripes here! And the juxtaposition of more stripes appeals to my fondness for pattern mixing:

Next is this lovely scarf with all of those shades of purple, lavender and pink. I'm not sure how it's all going to look when this is finished, but I love the colors together!

I'm on a one-woman mission to convince everyone that skirts don't have to be dressy...

The balance here between warm and cool colors is going ... View the Post

Can You Have Too Many Neutrals? Start with a Scarf – The Tropical Scarf by Pig, Chicken & Cow

February 27, 2019

I am often asked if it's possible to have a wardrobe that's TOO neutral...

Hmmm. My first thought is that if someone is concerned about feeling this way, maybe their wardrobe is too neutral for them. Conversely, maybe these questioners are perfectly happy with their wardrobe, but they get critical feedback from others. (how often do those of us who love wearing black get criticized for being Goth, as if that made any sense...)

The answer, I think you already know, is NO, no wardrobe is too bright, nor too neutral, nor too pastel, unless it doesn't suit you, and doesn't make you feel beautiful and happy and free to do your important things.

But in the interest of investigating a wardrobe that's 75% neutral, ... View the Post

Bringing New Accent Colors into a Wardrobe

February 11, 2019

Back on Friday, I showed you a small travel capsule wardrobe based on a beautiful scarf - black and white with yellow and turquoise accents. The final wardrobe looked like this:

You don't have to be all that alert to see that the majority of this wardrobe is black, with white touches in stripes, dots and prints. The only accent color items are these 5:

So what do you do if you're just simply not in the mood to wear yellow and turquoise? Maybe you'd like some pretty pastels? Change the scarf, change 2 sweaters and 2 pieces of jewelry...

We make the minimal changes necessary to the original travel outfit, and it now looks like this:

2 adjustment to her travel capsule wardrobe that she's ... View the Post

What if You Want LOTS of Accent Colors in Your Wardrobe?

February 8, 2019

Maybe you don't want to limit your wardrobe to just a few accent colors... It could be that you've received scarves as gifts that you want to keep, and wear. Maybe you just like a range of colors - you really don't have to explain yourself to anyone!

But you also don't have to buy tons of things...

Stick with me here!

Let's start with this most lovely scarf, and the color palette that it suggests. It's not an outrageously odd color scheme, and it lends itself beautifully to a travel capsule wardrobe.

This heroine seems to love the juxtaposition between a skirt and a somewhat rugged jacket...

She's only going for a few days - mostly dressy-ish activities, but she will also want a pair of pants at ... View the Post