color palettes Archives - Page 3 of 9

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

Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette – A Soupçon of Scarlet, with Six Neutrals

September 26, 2016 You asked for "soupçon," you get it!

If you're going to have a red sweater, why not a cozy cashmere cardigan? This is one of those garments that you could keep forever, and wear it mostly for Christmas and Valentine's Day, but there are a lot of other times when it could be just the ticket. Some gloomy day in November, when the sun has never shone...

First up, scarlet and olive! This is a combination that might veer too far into the Christmas-y, if the green is too bright. (Which isn't a problem, unless you don't like the look.) However, this olive green mutes those holiday associations, and provides a good base for the brightness of the scarlet.

I've worn red with grey for ... View the Post

Stop the Presses! New Colors are here….

Well, of course there aren't new colors here - there ARE no new colors...But Pantone has announced their colors for Spring 2017, so it's always interesting to see what in the world they've found that's interesting...

It's considered very significant, in fashion circles, that they chose to make this announcement hot on the heels of New York Fashion Week (yes, it's capitalized!). I'm not sure why.

These are their choices:

They're lovely colors, of course. All colors are lovely... (and yes, if you compare these to the colors of the year for 2016, you're going to see some REALLY familiar things; there are a finite number of colors in the world!)

In the interest of seeing how these color look when mixed in with neutrals, ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes – a Half-Way Through Bonus

June 11, 2016 I've been thinking about how these capsule wardrobes would work for additional outfits, now that we're up to a dozen pieces of clothing in each wardrobe. So I played around and came up with another six outfits for each grouping. Enjoy!

love, Janice

... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: June

June 7, 2016

These are really SUCH fun...Remember, these are our six original color scheme/inspirations for our capsule wardrobes:

Dresses this month! If you're not a dress wearer, I encourage you to reconsider; check out these... things, to wear under dresses. Your thighs will be SO much happier... They revolutionized my relationship with dresses!But if you're certain that a dress isn't for you, you could always substitute a simple top and capris or shorts, of course!

This jewelry was chosen to echo the detailed, intricate patterns in each of the garments shown on the scarf:

Earrings – Wirabhuwana; tote – Longchamp; denim dress – Dorothy Perkins; bracelet – Achara; sandals – Sam Edelman

Now ... View the Post

What to Wear with a Navy Cardigan and White Skirt

May 12, 2016

This is just a "flipped over" version of the white blazer and navy trouser, but quite a bit more casual and relaxed. And I chose all button-front shirts, just to show the range of possibilities available!

Our very simple starting point:

You can wear any possible shade of red, pink, coral, blush, or whatever else the fashion people name these colors:

All kinds of orange are equally lovely:

If you like yellow, this is a good, classic base with which to wear it!

I really like the looks of both the mint and the dark olive here - very different colors, but equally at home in this ensemble.

Turquoise, because... well, ... View the Post

Part 2: L’Harmonie des Couleurs, and 13 MORE Accessory Families

April 27, 2016

Some of these color names could be debated for WEEKS... and then you can spend even more time trying to find just the right item! But why would you settle for something less than ideal, just because it was the easy choice? We have high standards...Just a suggestion - if you choose to search for these colors, be very creative and open-minded when coming up with words for your search. While the book called the 2nd color turquoise, many of the items that I found here (for Blue-Green) came up under a search for turquoise. And don't get me started on the whole lilac/lavender/light purple/mauve conundrum!

Yes, the royal tote is from Nike; some people NEED a washable nylon ... View the Post

L’Harmonie des Couleurs, and 13 Accessory Families

April 26, 2016

I had never seen this book in the US, although it's been available for years! But I saw it at the Pompidou Center in Paris and grabbed it right away - it's right up my alley...Below are links to the book in both English and French - links at Alibris.com. Alibris is a collective of private, small bookstores; I'd rather keep them in business than give that river in South America more money...

The section of the book that intrigued me first was one that linked a range of colors to certain personal or abstract qualities. I'm showing you the first half of them today, along with some ways that each color could be incorporated into your wardrobe.It's particularly thought-provoking to me that red is a symbol of ... View the Post

Pantone Fall 2016 “New” Colors, and Way to Try Them

March 16, 2016 Always a favorite time of year for me - Pantone finds "new" colors to share with us! Of course, there's no such thing, but I always like to spend some time looking at the colors, and trying to see if I can find them represented anywhere in the world of merchandise. Gone are the days when these colors dominated retail offerings! While a couple of these colors are nothing more than cleverly named neutrals (the grey and the taupe), the other 8 might serve as a fun new accent color for a season or two. With that in mind, I looked at accessories, nail polish, and a few tee shirts, to see if anything was tempting.... And don't forget that canvas shoes are available in about a billion different colors, ... View the Post

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

February 24, 2016

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 ... View the Post

The Last 4 Steps: Shifting a Wardrobe from Cool Colors to Warm Colors

February 13, 2016

Okay, let's finish shifting this wardrobe!By now, you should be REALLY comfortable with the colors of your new clothes, and you should also be feeling slightly uneasy when you wear your older things. If you aren't finding this shift to be a big improvement in your love for your wardrobe, STOP SHOPPING. Don't make this shift if you're not 100% sure it's the right thing, and don't continue the move if you feel at any time that you might be making a mistake. There's no shame in stopping at any stage for a lengthy reassessment, and there's no shame in deciding part way through that it was a bad move. The only shame would be in persisting in taking advice from someone else about your wardrobe, when your instincts ... View the Post