blue Archives - Page 12 of 35

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Red, Blue and White

October 28, 2016 It's always interesting to work with red, blue, and white in a capsule wardrobe - the challenge is to do justice to three colors that look great together, without ending up looking like someone's flag... The grey here, the 2 shades of red, and the 2 shades of blue, give us lots of options to avoid a very "bleu, blanc, rouge" kind of look. (unless that's what you want - I'm not going to tell you no!)

For this very abbreviated little ensemble, I focused on just four colors. Introducing a spectrum of grey could give you a million options...

He Falls Asleep.... At the symphony. Always. Audibly...

And that's kind of a drag for her, because she LOVES it. The ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – Finishing Up

October 14, 2016

Frankly, at this point in proceedings, you could easily stop building your capsule wardrobe, and be just fine!

But it's always reasonable to stop and evaluate where you are with your wardrobe - are there things that you still need? Items that might make OTHER items more versatile and get them used more frequently? Are you sure you're ready for whatever events might come up in the future?

The answers to these questions will be different for each of us, but they are worth asking...

The biggest lack of balance that I can see is that I'm "navy-heavy" here. This often happens - it's normal that either you simply like one of your neutrals more than the other, or that it's much more readily available, or that you want ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – Stage Four

October 13, 2016

This capsule wardrobe is starting to look pretty coherent! (Step 1 is here, Step 2 is here, and Step 3 is here)

After one has lived with the above wardrobe for a while, it might be time to buy an entire outfit, all at one time! Or it would also make sense to buy 3 pieces that aren't necessarily intended to worn together, but all of which are useful and integrated additions to the existing wardrobe.

Sticking with the idea that our heroine lead a pretty casual life, I thought that a pair of shorts would be handy for her. Another really pretty cabled sweater in one of her accent colors is an obvious choice, and a simple white shirt is never a bad idea...

Almost any color scheme that I use for a ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – Stage Three

At this point in our starting from scratch capsule wardrobe series, you're in a pretty good position for travel; it wouldn't be impossible to be away for a week with this collection. Toss in a white shirt and white tee shirt, and you would only need to do minimal laundry!

Our next step is to start filling in shirts and sweaters, so it's time to take a quick look at what we currently have. This would be an obvious place to pull in a beige shirt, sweater, or blouse if that holds any appeal. But I'm thinking that my imaginary protagonist is more interested in pretty accent colors, so I've chosen these:

Sweater – Lands’ End; necklace – Karine Sultan; shirt – L.L.Bean

Yes, the necklace is in a very similar vein to her ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – Stage Two

Yesterday we left this capsule wardrobe with five (very carefully chosen) garments, and eight possible ways to wear them. It's about time for some accessories!

This is the stage at which your personality and preference can really begin to show. For this imaginary wardrobe builder, I've decided that she has two really strong "themes" that she likes: Cables (like those on sweaters, or in twisted and rope-like jewelry textures), and Flowers. These preferences will be more and more apparent as we move forward, but it's good to starting establishing these personal style signatures as soon as possible.

Everything is very simple, with a gorgeous scarf to accent all of the navy and pink that she's going to own!

At this point, ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch – First Steps

October 10, 2016

Ever since I did the first Starting From Scratch Capsule Wardrobe series, I've received questions about why I chose the steps that I did, how did I figure out color schemes - well, anything that could be questioned, was questioned!

Which is good. You should always make sure that anyone giving you advice can explain themselves, and that what they're telling you makes sense. In the US right now, this is being brought home to us every day...

So let's walk through another capsule wardrobe, a couple of steps a day, and see if I can answer some of your questions!

First up, color scheme. If you don't really worry about any other step of the process, THIS is the one that deserves your thought. There's no rule ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette – A Touch of Turquoise, with Six Neutrals

September 28, 2016

If I were to advise you, sight unseen, to try an accent color, this would be the one! It's not TOO bright, it goes well with everything, and it flatters most people. Plus it's pretty readily available in all kinds of garments and accessories - what's not to love!

But I struggled to find a "nice enough for you" pair of shoes in this color, so I'm opting to include a clutch bag. When you think about it, a clutch or other small bag in an accent color adds some color to your outfit without being worn near your face, and won't break the bank. If you want to retire the accent color after a season or two, you just pack your accent pieces away for a few seasons... A clutch, wallet, or cross-body bag isn't going to ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette – A Bit of Bright Blue, with Six Neutrals

September 27, 2016 I love this color! To some of us, it's still quite a flashback to the '80s, but we shouldn't let that keep us from wearing it...

sweater – Lands’ End; cardigan – Lands’ End; loafers – Nine West

Yes, the sweaters are a twin-set. You don't ever in your life have to wear the 2 pieces together, if you don't want to. But it wouldn't be crazy to make certain that both of your accents garments are compatible, if only so that you know that your accessory choices work equally well with each piece.And you might want to wear a twin-set some day. Crazier things have happened!

This bright blue with the olive brightens up the outfits quite a bit. For someone who adores olive but who finds it ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Portrait of Marevna by Diego Rivera

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

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Cow’s Skull: Red White and Blue by Georgia O’Keeffe

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

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Portrait of Pablo Picasso by Juan Gris

September 20, 2016 Mmmm, Cubism... it forces us to look at things in a different way, and that's bound to be a good idea...

Remember the author/art dealer from the class reunion?

When she left the reunion, she had only a few days left to pack before she had to prepare for a big art show in Milan...

She's devoted to beige and brown, and her blue eyes insist on blue accents. The show will be casual, dressy, classic, avant-garde, and everything in between. So she's just going to dress like herself, and let everyone else do the posturing...

The brocade shroud, the military uniform, the obsessive caressing of a VERY inappropriate pet are NOT for her...

Let them be all artsy and fey ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Portrait of a Young Woman by Henri Regnault Part 2

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