cardigans Archives

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #19 – Dark Neutral Short-Sleeve or Lightweight 2nd Layer

July 19, 2020

Time to check in on our neutral, timeless wardrobe pieces; today we need something to wear on those freakish days in the summer that turn cool, or for the air-conditioning that turns normal places into meat lockers!

First, a simple column of white (or any color, really) can take on a ton of different looks with an overshirt and some accessories:

For me, this is the quintessential summer 2nd layer - a black cardigan that's warm enough to do what needs done, but sheer enough not to look like it's October!

It's kind of a suit... And here again, you could use a LOT of different accent colors!

A black "suit" can also be worn in a million different ways - some days you just want some silver and onyx, and a ... View the Post

July 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

July 2, 2021

I've got a special treat for us today - the kind people at Echo are offering a FREE scarf (of your choice, of course!) to one of you...

How to win? Leave a comment, and I will choose a random number on Monday morning; the reader who left the comment that corresponds to that number will have a new, beautiful scarf!

And if they let me know which one they choose, I will do a travel wardrobe based on it, too!

Pretty nice, eh?

And if you're an Instagram person, DEFINITELY follow Echo Scarves there, too...

Let's get started!

It occurred to me that these wardrobes do not yet have a dress! What is one to wear to the weddings and other festivities of summer?

How about a simple dress, with a sparkly ... View the Post

I Love It But Will I Wear It? Bright Patina Green cardigan

March 17, 2021

Yes, I used to live in Ireland. And I'm married to an Irish citizen. And I don't own a STITCH of green clothing!

But one of you has been very tempted by this classic cardigan in this very lovely color:

I was specifically asked about wearing this with beige, so I was able to avoid trying to find camel clothing at this "almost spring" point. Hallelujah for that!

You can see that the olive is going to be an interesting issue...

Are we all convinced that owning a simple white shirt and classic jeans is a good idea?

This was a specific question, and I personally think that this color looks lovely with beige. The earrings and scarf are sort of perfect with this, I think.

And the bag is quite a few ... View the Post

March 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

March 1, 2021

Hurray! February is OVER....

Let's check back with our 6 heroines who are assembling wardrobes loosely along the guidelines of Start From Scratch, and trying to stick to color palettes suggested by 6 scarves.

The guidelines in Start From Scratch suggest finding a core outfit in the 2nd neutral in our wardrobes, as well as an accent top and scarf...

Starting here!

This heroine has neither grey pants, nor a black cardigan! And a tee shirt that almost matches her pink oxford will give her a chance to layer the 2 together. Filling in those gaps gives us something that's not really an outfit, but more a group of useful wardrobe additions:

It makes more sense when you see the 8 garments, plus ... View the Post

January 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

January 1, 2021

Amen and Hallelujah!

This year, I'm going to try to be a little bit more deliberate (from time to time) about how these wardrobes come together. There were years in which I just found the 6 most fun outfits every month, and watched the wardrobes either work or struggle. So maybe being just a tiny bit more practical is an interesting change...

First up, let's refresh our collective memories of the 6 scarves and the color palettes from them:

In choosing these first outfits, I referred back to the "Starting from Scratch" wardrobe building series that I wrote years ago. While the idea of starting with a nice pair of pants doesn't make a lot of sense for many of us right this ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 50: A Lightweight Second Layer

July 13, 2020

Can this month be almost half over? Are US Income Taxes due on Wednesday? Yes and yes...

Let's look at finding something nice to wear over our summer outfits when we venture into air conditioning, or to grab when we're sitting outdoors until the wee hours...

This is a pretty easy item to add to your wardrobe - you're looking for something lightweight, but still enough to feel covered when you need a little bit more than a tank top or sundress during warm weather:

If you're mentally assembling a wardrobe to go with one of our six "Six Scarves, 12 Months" scarves, there are still good options available.

And for what it's worth, these scarves cycle in and out of being on sale; keep your eyes open!

I ... View the Post

April 2020 Six Scarves, Twelve Months, Twelve Outfits

April 2, 2020

Oh MY this is quite the load of images!

I think that it's time for a short-sleeved tee shirt, some cropped pants, and a pretty cardigan...

When these new pieces are put into the existing "closet," you can see how nicely they blend in:

And as you should always find when you buy something new, there are easy ways to wear the new garments right away. If you can't integrate a purchase into your wardrobe without buying a bunch of OTHER things, you should reconsider!

Let's bask in the sheer prettiness of this scarf, and these colors, for just a second:

Don't shy away from an accent necklace, if it calls your name loudly enough!

Imagine, if you could travel, and if this was your springtime ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 37: A Lightweight 2nd Layer

I think our current need to spend a great deal of time at home is a great opportunity to really sort out and clean out things that have been neglected for a while; I have a plan with my closet that is probably going to drive Belovedest COMPLETELY over the edge...

But right now, let's look at some cool cardigans, shall we?

You might feel that you don't really need another cardigan for warmer weather - you know your requirements best! But I find that I have to have at least an over-shirt or some kind of 2nd layer with me most of the time, if I'm going indoors at all...

Of course there are wonderful sweaters that look beautiful with our six favorite (current favorite!) scarves:

I love the feel of a long, "duster" style ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 33: dark neutral lightweight cardigan

February 17, 2020

I always find it a real milestone into warmer weather when I swap out wool or cashmere sweaters for something in silk, cotton or linen! It's the baby steps that add up to a change of season...

As usual, I want to share with you what I have in mind when I'm choosing these sweaters. I know that some of you really DON'T like sweaters that are just open in the front, so you can of course substitute a buttoned sweater in your wardrobe!

Before I show you some outfits, I thought I'd visit the 6 scarves that are part of our growing "One Outfit per Month" series, along with the cardigan that seems to be best suited for that scarf. (wait 'til we get to accent colors!!!!!)

First up - my favorite black and ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 20: Dark Neutral Warm Cardigan

November 11, 2019

Ah, now that some of us have been snowed upon, it's time to swap out a warm-weather cardigan for something a bit more cozy...

Since this cardigan is a pivotal part of your wardrobe, you want to choose carefully!

I've kept quite a few garments from last week, to illustrate how all of these pieces might go together in your wardrobe...

Sometimes, all you need for an accent color is a tee shirt and some socks! (maybe earrings...)

You might stumble on a new accent color that you really like!

Twin-sets don't have to be purchased together; you can find garments that look perfect together...

The simplest outfit can come together perfectly with a scarf, or the right ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 11: Neutral 2nd Layer

September 9, 2019

Another Monday, and time to add something more interesting and exciting to your Weekly Timeless Wardrobe! Our heroine is adding a 2nd layer to her wardrobe... it could be printed or patterned, so long as it works beautifully with her core neutral garments.

For example, if you're working with a grey palette, with ivory as your light accent color, the above cardigan would be quite useful for you...

Your choice of 2nd layer can be as bold or as subtle as you like...

A cardigan like this is richly subtle:

If you already have a dark neutral 2nd layer, looking at your lighter neutral is worth considering!

Black and ivory always looks good...

This sweater would be great with so many ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 7: A Second Layer

August 12, 2019

While the first 6 pieces of this wardrobe are versatile, our heroine could certainly use something to keep her a bit warmer, and give her that "finished" look that you get with a jacket or cardigan...

I'm a fan of keeping this first cardigan (or jacket) as simple as possible; simple = versatile when we're talking about clothes...

In all of the earlier weeks, we've been looking at pants, so I thought that I would show that a good cardigan is the perfect thing to wear with a dress. If you want to look more casual, or wear a summery dress when the weather cools down, a sweater is the answer!

Why yes, that handbag is absurdly expensive... But I like the way it looks here; I'm sure we can all find something a ... View the Post