coral Archives

National Stripes Day? 10 Ways to Wear a Striped Skirt

I honestly don't know if National Stripes Day is anything more than a made-up thing by J.Crew to sell more striped things, but the idea amuses me...

So I saw this skirt and saw both the potential and the challenges:

These colors are lovely, but they're certainly not easy to find in the world of clothing...

Just to make things interesting - and tough - I'm sticking with the general structure that I used for the last skirt for which I conjured 10 Ways to Wear...

In warm weather, a denim jacket might seem odd, but in the world of excessive air conditioning and unpredictable weather, it might make sense. Right now, in Chicago, it's plenty cool enough to wear it!

A simple tee shirt is always such an easy way to pull ... View the Post

May Travel: Knitting a Stocking by Sir Francis Grant

She Could Scream... but it wouldn't help... She's supposed to visit a client, to help them choose which software, and for how many people, they will buy. But she's being given shockingly little direction about how to prepare! So she channels her inner calm knitting woman:

She was told that the office is very casual.

She was told that the office is casual, but that she needs dressy clothes to meet with executives.

She was told that it was always really warm in the office.

She was told that they run the air conditioning so high that it's like a meat locker there.

AGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

She can do this...

When she arrives, she's just going to stop by the office to drop off her laptop and some information for all of the ... View the Post

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Blooming Dahlia

Maybe black and white isn't your thing... maybe now that warm weather is approaching, you're in the mood for LIGHT...

And maybe you're very casual. Not a scarf person. Really, VERY casual, relaxed, leisurely...

Maybe start with this:

You've got every kind of white top from sleeveless to long-sleeved, and everything to cover your legs a little, a bit more, or all the way! Layer on a sweater or a sweatshirt and you're good to go.

This is NOT boring.... this is subtle!

You're ready for an update, and a bit of an accent color for the upcoming warm weather. But nothing overly dressy - why buy things you won't wear? You can update just as easily with canvas shoes, tee shirts, and a fresh backpack...

Everything just looks a little ... View the Post

A Colorful Moon by Alain Paillou – Start with Nature to Inspire a Tote Bag Travel Wardrobe

Once in a .... She almost didn't pick up the call when it came in; she didn't recognize the number, but something told her that it was important...

It was the Probate Court down in the capital... She needed to come down because she was a beneficiary of her great-aunt's estate...

And - oh yes - there was a check being FedEx'ed to her to offset her expenses. She was planning to take the train down, so she didn't really expect to have expenses...

A REALLY BIG CHECK! With a note from her great-aunt telling her to spend it ALL on herself, and to really be silly about it...

Well okay, if that's what she really wants, I must respect her wishes, right?

If this is the expense money, it's anybody's guess what the actual inheritance ... View the Post

Updating a Navy Wardrobe for Autumn – Start with Art: Shattered Tree by Otto Dix

I thought that this painting might be good for Halloween - it's sort of dark without being macabre or outright spooky...

I see this painting all of the time - it's in the Art Institute of Chicago - and I swear that I see navy blue in the areas near the horizon! At any rate, I think that these colors make amazing accents... One could easily include some gold, some medium blues and a bit of grey and live with the color-scheme forever.

This is my starting point today. This version of The Common Wardrobe is a hair dressier than usual - no jeans, and a pair of navy wool pants in their place. A pair of high-quality trousers can be worn almost anywhere... The navy ribbed tee shirt is a notch more elegant than the white cotton tee shirt, so ... View the Post

An Early, But Timeless Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Camel and Coral

This wardrobe was constructed over 5 years ago, but you could still pack every piece of this and wear it today... that's my primary goal. Timeless. Elegant. Classic.

When you know that you can wear something for years, you can feel quite a bit better about buying the very best items you can... It's only logical to make sure that your beautiful things will last, right?

love, Janice ... View the Post

3 FINAL French 5-Piece Wardrobes for Spring: Lavender, Coral, and Labradorite (?)

It's apparent that I could do these for a while - I'm going to have to remember to tackle this idea again the the autumn! But for now I decided to venture into the idea of lavender, confront the controversy surrounding just exactly what color IS coral (well, in many places in the world, coral is turning white...) and then throw in a complete wild-card multi-colored accent based on one of my favorites stones!

And while I'm at it, I thought I would see if I could provide some ideas for those among us who don't want accent-colored shoes, and those who aren't in need of a cardigan!

(Where do you stand on accent shoes? I have very average-sized feet, and wear monochromatic outfits most of the time, but I can NEVER bring myself to put on a pair ... View the Post

Build a “Six-Pack” Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With… Art? Fabric?

The Art Institute of Chicago currently has an exhibit of velvet fabric, tucked away in the basement rooms that seem to be reserved exclusively for fabrics. It's a small exhibit, but SUCH beauty...

Mental Health Break

It sounds terribly dramatic, but she really just wants to see her toes... with polish, if possible!

So a long weekend away, at a very un-chic beach. Renting a very un-chic suite with a kitchenette...

She wants to wear something on her lips that isn't Carmex or ChapStick...

She doesn't want to "dine." She wants to walk, on sand, maybe in her bare feet!

She wants to carry a tote bag with a snack, something upon which to sit, and maybe a book.

She wants to sleep with the window open. She wants to take a nap ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Hermes Jardins d’Hiver in Navy

A friend received this as a gift, and doesn't know where to start... I have some ideas; I ALWAYS have ideas!

The red in this is actually a hair closer to rust, but since we're moving toward warmer weather here, and rust us IMPOSSIBLE to find, I'm working with a more poppy red. These accent colors don't have to be a flawless match to the color in the scarf, nor to each other. Unless you plan to wear pieces together, you needn't be madly rigorous in making the colors perfect in a capsule wardrobe.

Of course, when building around a single accessory, 1 outfit at a time is a good approach:

I reused a skirt in a couple of outfits, and a pair of pumps - in the normal world, you wouldn't buy complete new outfits each month. You ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe of Accessories: Turquoise, Coral, Black and Ivory 1 at a Time

Yesterday's "1 Piece at a Time" capsule wardrobe is a great base for accessories - although trying to find turquoise and coral that are the same shades can make you a bit daft... This is our starting outfit:

Shoes are critical, and I thought that a simple ballet flat would be pretty with the swing and movement of the black skirt. A small-ish bag is my next accessory choice. I'm particularly smitten with that octagonal bag...

I love earrings, so they're next! While I'm not usually a big fan of "matchy-matchy" accessories, I think there's some wisdom to purchasing the earrings that were manufactured in the same batch as your necklace; you know that they're the same overall mood and color. You don't have to EVER wear them at the ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe in Turquoise, Coral, Black, and Grey: 1 Piece at a Time

What beautiful summer colors, and what exciting accessory possibilities!

Coral was a specific request...

Normally, I would build solid columns and suits, but just to show you a different way to go about building a wardrobe, I'm adding an accent tee shirt first. This can be a wonderful idea if you're still "on the fence" about a color scheme; if you buy an accent piece and find that you don't reach for it every couple of days, it might mean that you need to rethink your choice of colors.

Okay, NOW we're putting together the black suit. These kinds of monochromatic outfits really come into their own when the accessories show up!

Since we're fast moving into summer, I thought that a pair of light pants would be fun - and it gives ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Still Life by Cornelia van der Mijn

These aren't just flowers, they are a tour de force of power and beauty!

And while the composition is certainly classic, those accent colors are just a little bit unusual...not quite a red red, and the blues are just a wee bit teal-ish...

Organically Sourced

They'd seen it for months; they would run out of Queen Anne's Lace, but still have long-stemmed roses... The arrangements with Black-Eyed Susans would outsell the ones with gardenias...

yes, the watch is PERFECT!

So the 3 co-owners decided that she should take off for a full work-week of visits to regional greenhouses, and those eccentrics who keep land completely undeveloped, to see what kinds of windflowers and local color she could source!

Driving, walking among ... View the Post