Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
October 21, 2016
Strong, classic colors, with LOTS of accent possibilities in the Hermes scarf:
But for just one night, we only need a couple of accent colors in the capsule wardrobe color palette...
She LIKES Carmen... But nobody else seems to... so she's going to the opera alone!
A nice pre-theater dinner is in the cards too; if she's going to do this, she's going to do it right!
And she's got a knockout brunch planned for the next morning...
love, Janice
... View the Post
October 20, 2016 Subtle and dark, but NOT boring:
Window Shopping As soon as the weather is VERY cold, and the holiday decorations are everywhere downtown, she goes into the city...
She leaves her bag with the hotel staff, and then she walks, and walks, and WALKS... All alone, for hours...
Can anyone explain WHY this duffel bag is for men? Then she goes back to the hotel, takes a long hot shower... Room service and a good book are her only companions...
The next morning, she's prepared for anything that the holidays can thrown at her; a little solitude and contemplation is good for the soul.
love, Janice ... View the Post
October 18, 2016
I love this scarf - in fact, in the next 2 weeks, you're going to see it FIVE times, in 5 different color combinations. I do these kinds of things to show the inherent versatility in simple garments, once you start playing around with the color combinations!
So let's start here:
I'm going to resist the temptation to focus on the black, and use sand as our main color:
Scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; wrap – BP. HOW Did He Do It??? It was the place that's booked until Christmas. Christmas of 2018...
Scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; earrings – House of Harlow; watch – Timex; turtleneck – J.Crew; loafers – Tod’s; cords – L.L.Bean; bag - Tumi
When the ... View the Post
October 17, 2016
As you might already know, I'll be in Italy when this post goes "live"! But I've got 2 weeks of lovely capsule wardrobes lined up for you, all of them starting with a pair of scarves. From there, our protagonist is going to spend one quick (but lovely!) night somewhere...Starting NOW!
Living Beyond Breast Cancer scarf – White House Black Market; shawl – Nordstrom
This is our color scheme, although careful scrutiny of the left scarf suggests that pink might have also been a possibility here:
Living Beyond Breast Cancer scarf – White House Black Market; shawl – Nordstrom Barely Enough Time... Okay, she checks her watch...
Living Beyond Breast Cancer scarf – White ... View the Post
September 23, 2016 A calm, balanced woman, able to see all sides of an issue.... Remember her from the class reunion? This was her visual cue:
When we met her at the reunion, this was what she had with her to wear; she was deftly straddling the divide between warm and cool colors:
Just a few days later, she's headed to Europe for a 10-day... attempt to talk some more extreme individuals down off of a political ledge. It's all pretty quiet - no fanfare...
(yes, she seriously considered packing the matching leopard shell...) She's going to have to talk to a wide variety of people, in a WIDE variety of settings. She will certainly see the inside of a conference room, but also ... View the Post
September 21, 2016 She's a medical examiner, and she's got her own, very deliberate, way of doing things! When we saw her at the class reunion, this was what she had with her:
This is the unifying style inspiration that she uses for her appearance and image; not for just anyone, I'd say!
Now, she's preparing for an interesting vacation. She's agreed to go with someone on their lengthy business trip, even though they don't know each other all that well...
The promise of 10 days in a new city is compelling, and the idea of having 8 or 10 dinner dates with him is... sufficiently intriguing that she's willing to give it a try!
She packs meticulously, as would be expected. ... View the Post
September 19, 2016
Remember her? Of course you do - we first saw her as the inspiration for this six-pack capsule wardrobe in black and blue.
The CEO Travels When she left her reunion, this was her travel capsule wardrobe:
She knows that in about 6 days, she's leaving for a 10-day trip to meet potential investors. She was pretty happy with what she had packed for the reunion, but realizes that she's going to need a few more business/dressy ensembles. Her agenda is going to be full of meetings and meals with these... people... so dressy but completely covered-up and professional are key.
And she doesn't want to pack a pile of shoes; black shoes are the only color in this bag!
She'd much rather dine ... View the Post
September 16, 2016 Depending upon whom you consult, this is NOT plum. However, I like it, and so for now we're going to roll with it... There are going to be more colors in this series, so some other interpretations of plum in a capsule wardrobe are entirely possible!
Purple is an interesting color in shops; a great deal of what's available looks very... goth? Sort of like you're living on the fringes of normal society? Just plain strange? It's such a pity, because purple is a lovely color, and goes so well with all of our neutrals.
(I've had a deep fondness for the "stitchworks" L.L.Bean cardigan for years. I'm really happy that I've finally found a good place to show it to you!)
I was ... View the Post
September 15, 2016
Sigh... there are NO teal foods. If a food is teal, it's a genetic mutation, or a scary misuse of food coloring!So we've abandoned my very fun food theme for post titles, but the general concept of accenting neutral outfits holds true. And teal is SO pretty in the capsule wardrobe...
The teal tee shirt has a slightly different neckline than usual, and it's tunic-length. We like to keep some options available!
I wasn't at all sure how olive and teal would be together, but I could cheerfully wear either of these outfits (and olive isn't a good color for me...) Remember, when looking for scarves, to check out the men's departments. Why some scarves are only for men is a mystery to me...
I don't know ... View the Post
September 14, 2016 I found some lovely things in that russet color that was so elusive... And it occurred to me, again, that garments that aren't in the same fabrics don't have to be the precise same color! This tee shirt and cardigan would look gorgeous together in a capsule wardrobe:
This is a great combination:
I wasn't at ALL sure how this would work, but keeping silver metal in the jewelry made all the difference...
These colors worked wonderfully together; I particularly like this scarf. It's more of a blend of close colors than any exact matching.
Here's a case of 2 colors that are opposites on the color wheel, and which are therefore MADE for ... View the Post
September 13, 2016
I'm still looking for nice pieces in rust (russet? warm red?), so I decided to skip that color for now and head directly into deep gold!What to call this color? When you're searching for things like this online, try gold, yellow, mustard, and saffron, for a start; I'm sure that there are lots of outlandish color names that I missed. Why do companies believe that calling something "burnished autumn" is going to help potential buyers find their stuff?
This isn't an easy color to wear, but it's present in so many school colors that you see it fairly often in the US in the autumn. (if you're from outside the US, please note that many people here take high school and college football - American football - very ... View the Post
September 12, 2016
Many of you have asked me how to integrate an accent color into a neutral wardrobe; this is my attempt to give you some suggestions, and a gentle bit of guidance.Let's assume, for the sake of conversation, that you have your core ensemble for cooler weather, in your favorite neutral:
Some of these are easier to assemble than others; if olive green is your favorite neutral, you're not going to see yourself coming and going on the streets...
I've put together a few ensembles in more "business-y" looks, and others that are more casual. You can alter your personal neutral outfit to suit your preferences and your lifestyle!
All colors don't have to be absolutely ... View the Post
