cardigans Archives - Page 3 of 4

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: May

Warm weather's coming! (I type, as I'm sitting in fleece running tights and a sweatshirt...) When I was pondering what we needed to add to these capsule wardrobes for May, I kept coming back to the idea that we need to be prepared ahead of time for the first warm days. Even if it's no more of an event than going to watch your neighbor's kids play soccer, you don't want to be caught off guard and unprepared. That's how badly conceived impulse purchases make their way into your closet! First up, a reminder of the 6 scarves that we're using as our unifying themes for the capsule wardrobes, through the 12 months:

If you'd like to refresh your memory about the first 4 outfits, and how we got to this point, you can find January here, ... View the Post

How to Wear A Navy Cardigan for Spring – 8 Outfits!

This started out as a Chic Sighting post, but after I saw the first woman, I didn't see ANYONE else... But I really like the idea of buying a new cardigan for spring and summer wear (counter-intuitive as it seems, a lot of us that are in and out of buildings during the hottest weather have to carry a cardigan or jacket at all times, to keep from freezing to death!). Here I'm working with 4 different possibilities for below the waist - white linen pants, beige linen pants, navy linen pants, and dark-wash denim pants. This gives choices that range from cool-ish spring days, to pretty doggone hot dead of summer!

I've still got lots of "1 at a time" color schemes to explore, and I've ALWAYS got a stack of art to study and love, but ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Galaxy by Ibe Kyoko

I saw this Sunday at the Art Institute of Chicago, and I knew immediately that I wanted to show it to all of you:

The contrast between the strong, almost wood-like grey top and bottom, and the cloudy and beautifully color center caught my eye and held it for a LONG time...

Career Enrichment?

Actually, she really does want to go to the training. After all, it's in New York!

Not just any place in New York, but at the VERY prestigious NYU... Having this on her resume can do nothing but good!

So when her employer offered the chance to go - at their expense - she was filling out the application forms before the email had cooled in her in-box. (metaphorically speaking, of course!)

When they confirmed her acceptance ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in Brown, Camel, Cream and Turquoise: 1 Piece at a Time

I decided to pull a scarf into this one, in order to illustrate the color scheme a bit - I think that adding the scarf lends a bit of validity to the possibility that this outfit could be someone's favorite:

I love the possibilities - dark chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, and.... I do NOT have anything except ugly artificially-colored sprinkles to offer in turquoise!

Normally, I try to start building a wardrobe with solid garments, because they feel more versatile. But sometimes, you see something that's just perfect, and you grab it!

Here's a case of "I love it in chocolate, I will probably love it in caramel." That's not at all a bad strategy for expanding your wardrobe with taking huge risks!

These trousers give you a... ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Male and Female Cardinals, in Warm AND Cool Colors

So I'm going to start alternating "1 Piece at a Time" Wardrobes with other fun things, so that we don't collectively burn out on the concept before I've addressed ALL of your color scheme requests. I am absolutely going to look at accessories for these wardrobes - those might be some of the "interspersed" posts. As much as I have an endless attention span for a single subject, I understand that a bit of variety keeps things fresh for us all.

Someone suggested that the male cardinal wardrobe (here) and the female cardinal wardrobe (here) might be combined. I'm ALL OVER that idea!

Do these two look like they get along?

I've often thought that it's possible to build a wardrobe with 4 or 5 neutral colors and just 1 accent. In fact, a long ... View the Post

What I Wore to the French Fete

Wow, what a party! The French American Chamber of Commerce in Chicago had a blow-out part last Thursday in honor of the Beaujolais Nouveau, and it was AMAZING...

There were chefs from all over Chicago handing out samples of wonderful food, a lot of pastry chefs forcing us to each cakes and macarons (oh bother...), and more wine than you could possibly consume, even if you really worked at it. (I did my very best!)

Tish was there (from A Femme d'un Certain Age), and she was as elegantly beautiful and charming as always!

I tried my humble level best to do justice to the event by being understatedly appropriate. The dress code was "business elegant", which wasn't really the most help I've ever had. Some guests interpreted that ... View the Post

Color and Proportion – Step 4: Some Printed Blouses and Tee Shirts

Here's where a really amazing variety of possibilities begins. I'm starting with the simplest of stripes, but even with stripes there can be all sorts of variations. Imagine, for example, a mostly beige tee shirt with the thinnest white stripe, or conversely, a mostly white top with a very subtle beige stripe. The balance of color WITHIN the top will also influence how the balance of the entire outfit works. You could get really obsessive about this if you let yourself...

One thing I hear that many of you find challenging is the "dumpy" or "square" proportions of the jeans and cardigans. Frankly, I chose these items partly with that in mind - I really wanted the colors of the garments to be what we noticed - especially the ways that those ... View the Post

An Embellished Cardigan: How to Dress Up a Starting From Scratch Capsule Wardrobe

A frequent concern for many of us this time of year is how to take our normal, everyday clothes, and make them "party-worthy". I don't like to buy a whole new outfit for a party - I'd much rather figure out a way to elevate the things I already own through the purchase of one strategic item.

There are a couple of different ways to do this; today I'm going to explore the possibilities inherent in a cardigan with some sort of beaded, embroidered or metallic detailing. If you don't want to buy a new sweater, this is a great opportunity to do something crafty - I've seen some amazing sweaters dressed up with ribbon embroidery, or hand beading, done by the sweater owner. In one case, the initial embroidery was done to conceal a tiny hole, and ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch Step 15: A Versatile Dress and an Accent Cardigan

Many of you have pointed out that we really need something dressy in the capsule wardrobe that can be worn in warmer weather, and many of you have asked specifically for a dress, so that's what we're doing today! These dresses are paired with accent cardigans, which dramatically pull together all sorts of looks... Very neutral, comfortable sandals will be wardrobe workhorses - make sure that they're appropriate for more than just one dressy occasion... Can you see turquoise jewelry here? And this dress with the simple beige cardigan and gold necklace would be lovely.

If you're not mad for sleeveless, just look for a dress with an elbow or bracelet sleeve.

No, this dress and cardigan don't match ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch Step 3: A cardigan and tee

After much consideration, I decided NOT to start our capsule wardrobes with a suit, but I'm going to now pull in a second layer garment that can give you "suit-like" utility if you want it to. These two pieces could certainly be purchased as a true twinset (I personally adore twinsets), or you can find pieces that are closely related in color but not matchy-matchy.

You can buy a cardigan without any buttons - a waterfall style - but make sure that it's nice quality, and doesn't look like "the cardigan that I keep on my desk chair all the time in case it gets cold in the office". And do bear in mind that a cardigan that buttons can be worn without anything under it - as a sweater in its own right. A handy bit of ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Black Cardigans – Great Dresses

Now that summer has arrived with crashing suddenness in Chicago, the quality of Chic Sightings has changed completely. At lunch time today, it seemed that half the women walked out of their cubicles wearing a black cardigan... As soon as they got into the sunlight, the sweaters came off, and beautiful dresses, lovely shoes, and perfectly-chosen jewelry took center stage.

Looking back:

2011: French Music Friday: Camille - I used to post links to my favorite French pop music - including this most bizarre of "mouth music" works...

2012: One of my readers asked me about how to use a monochromatic scarf, in What to Wear With an Hermes Scarf: Peinture Fraiche.

2013: Balancing concerns about coverage ... View the Post

Breaking All the Usual Packing Rules: Navy and Green

Normally, I've always suggested that you pack around a great travel outfit, and then a carefully selected travel capsule wardrobe of separates, chosen separately, all working together. But what if you decided to pack outfits? If you work from a unifying theme around which you choose all of your outfits, this is a very effective idea, which also has the benefit of helping you remember all of your important accessories!For this example, I'm packing for someone who LOVES the combination of blue and green, and who has a variety of clothes and accessories which reflect this. The trip starts somewhere relatively cool, but will include some warmer weather activities, and a dressy dinner for a special occasion. So how does this play ... View the Post