cool weather Archives - Page 3 of 23

Finding Inspiration Anywhere! A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Grey with Bright Accents

You won't probably be surprised to hear that I look for color combinations and wardrobe palettes in just about EVERYTHING I see! So when we were in the hotel in Kilkenny, the carpet in the halls caught my attention; on a ground of shades of grey were scattered bright color squares...

I struggled to get any sort of a photograph of the carpet, and failed miserable. Just trust me that these were pretty much what the colors looked like...

After Wednesday's VERY black and white travel wardrobe, I thought that this would be an interesting experiment. I'm going to keep neutral 2nd layers and pants, and use the accents for the tops. And lots of fun accessories, of course!

So let's start by getting our heroine on the road, eh?

I ... View the Post

What I Packed for Ireland – 3 Clusters and Some Carefully-Chosen Outerwear

I'm back from Ireland (and 1 night in England...)!

When we stopped at Kells Priory, there was not ONE SINGLE SOLITARY person there. It was an amazing experience! This is one of the best parts of traveling in the off-season - fewer crowds, and some completely deserted delights...

Of course I packed black! The first 24 hours of our vacation, I was wearing my denim shirt, black corduroy pants, and my great marled cardigan from L.L.Bean. I can't stress often enough how your choice of travel outfit is really important; you have no idea, when you're traveling long distances, how long you will have to wear that same outfit! You don't want to be unable to get into your hotel room in some lovely city for 3 or 4 hours, and be wearing pajama ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 15: A Dark Neutral Cotton Turtleneck

Planning for autumn makes me so happy!

Even if you're not crazy about these, it's worth getting maybe 1 or 2 if you have a fondness for big chunky sweaters that make you itch! These are like cotton "itch-proofing..."

If you have a sweater that's a bit... bold... the turtleneck can be a simple base. In this outfit, it gives you a nice solid core upon which you could wear all kinds of sweaters, cardigans, or a flannel shirt!

A cotton turtleneck can keep you nice and snug outdoors...

A cardigan and pants that don't match can feel awkward. Add in a cotton turtleneck that doesn't match either and you've got a nicely blended outfit. Notice that the scarf and the cardigan are from the same brand; if you're ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting Yellow Tree by Linda Jacobson

Five years ago, I talked at some length about how to assemble a 4 by 4 Wardrobe, using this painting as the inspiration for the color palette. I used the most muted colors visible in the painting, at the time...

Someone recently asked me to take a look at the brighter colors - there are plenty from which to choose, aren't there?

So You Can't Travel Anymore? When her medical condition began to strongly suggest that wearing dresses or skirts was going to be MUCH better than wearing pants, her friends suddenly assumed that meant that she was going to sit at home, wearing your grandmother's mu-mu, and watch daytime television...

So she packed her tote bag, made dinner reservations and bought concert tickets, and headed for the ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 14: A Light Neutral Cotton Turtleneck

Even though the days are still lovely and warm in Chicago, the rational part of my mind knows full well that it's wise to start planning for winter!

In all fairness, the cotton version of these turtlenecks aren't particularly dressy! But if you need something a bit more formal, consider looking for merino wool turtlenecks; they're light and lovely...

For those of us who live in cold climates, layering these tops under another sweater is the single best way to stay warm. And I like the way they look; they frame your face nicely...

A simple, light color can be very versatile...

Blending shades of a color is always nice...

Your light neutral might not be white or ivory, right?

If you are concerned about ... View the Post

Start with Art: Heron in Snow by Ohara Koson

Oh dear... I may never look at another artist... (except of course I'm going to the Art Institute of Chicago tomorrow, and I'll see something else that catches my fancy...)

But this artist is pretty amazing! His style lends itself perfectly to inspiring a minimal palette, and if you're using tan/beige as a neutral, the color of his backgrounds is meant for you...

Ornithologists Have Conferences too... She's studied waterfowl since she could see. She loves herons, swans, pelicans... there's really no bird that she doesn't admire.

Her favorite Saturday activity is to get to the lake early, and set up her camera and tripod. Then she sits, quietly, sipping coffee from her thermos, and waiting for that moment! Her patience ... View the Post

How Do I Know I Have Enough Accessories? Revisiting Double Vision 1974 by Edwina Sandys

It's one thing to get a good work wardrobe sorted out (as we did for our heroine on Wednesday), but how do you know that you've got the accessories that you need, and moreover want?

Let's remember our source of inspiration...

Our heroine's going to have to go back to work in her office, after years of being able to work from her home 95% of the time. She's got her clothes sorted, but she's not sure about her accessories...

So she pulls together 5 outfits - 1 for each bottom in her work capsule wardrobe - and then determines what accessories she would wear with each outfit.

First up, she knows that she will be wearing her black pants a lot...

And she knows that her tan pants will be important, so she wants to be ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 2: A Dark Neutral Top

Ready for another week? This week, we're going to the darkest logical version of last week's top...

As always, (I don't think I can emphasize this enough!) this is a guideline, not a carved in stone life rule. If you don't wear dark colors, or you don't wear tee shirts, or you don't wear long sleeves, this will NOT apply to you exactly like this. You can choose a substitute, or skip this week entirely.

And this does NOT mean that you have to go buy something! This could be as easy as checking your closet for the appropriate garment and making sure that it's clean and in good repair before the cooler weather arrives. (right now, it seems as if it will never come again...)

If both of your neutrals are relatively dark, this is ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 1: A Light Neutral Top

We could talk all day about why I'm starting with this particular garment, but I finally determined that I had to start somewhere, so this makes as much sense as any other!

If you're interested in buying a tee shirt like this, consider getting one in your dark neutral, as well as your accent color(s) at the same time. Lots of retailers have discounts on multiple purchases, or will have some sort of site-wide discount in the next few weeks. Get on the mailing list of your favorite tee shirt source, and strike while the price-cut iron is hot!

I want to make this really clear, right from the start: I'm NOT telling everybody to rush out and buy this particular tee shirt! I'm suggesting, rather, that you figure out what the ... View the Post

Start with Art: Farm near Duivendrecht by Piet Mondrian

Her farmhouse doesn't look quite like this...

Gradually... Since she inherited the farm, she's been trying to decide what to do... She rents the fields - she's NOT going to start farming when she retires!

But she is going to live there. Starting just before the end of the year - she will be there by Christmas! There's so much hiking, bird-watching, and just general relaxing there...

She has committed to work through the middle of December, but she wants to start moving NOW, and she has a fairly excellent idea. Why not take things up to the house every time she visits? Some winter clothes, some bedding, some books... If she takes a car-load every visit - say maybe 9 times before the final move - she will save some moving ... View the Post

What I Wore, What I Packed, and What I Bought in Dublin

Packing for unpredictable weather is always tricky... And since it's been snowing CATASTROPHICALLY in Ireland, off and on for the last few weeks, this trip was really a challenge!

But I managed to cobble things together well enough - hallelujah! Of course, knowing that I would have my coat on most of the time makes things much easier.

2 things were really issues, the expected cold weather, and the unexpected moving out of the AirBNB into a hotel. I packed relatively lightly (for 10 days) because we were counting on doing laundry pretty regularly during our stay. Belovedest ran TWO Parkrun 5K's when we were there, so there were gym clothes in need of care...

So, theoretically, I would have been okay with just the clothes on my back when ... View the Post

Adding Just Enough Accessories

Yesterday she managed to wrestle her wardrobe into shape, so today she want to be certain that she has enough accessories. She's not mad about having tons of stuff, but it is pretty important to have at least some appropriate shoes!

Her color palette looked like this when she was finished:

She thought for a bit, and chose gold as the metal color for her jewelry (maybe just for this season - who knows?)

And she's going to rely a bit on navy as a "cooling" influence on her wardrobe, as she moves away from those warm olive-ish greens that made her feel drab. So she drafted a 2nd color palette, like this:

Now that her colors are all settled, she things for a minute about what she's going to look for in her closet, and then buy ... View the Post