Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
October 8, 2015 Not many people wear dresses as often as I do, and I think that's a shame; dresses are amazingly versatile, and super-easy to wear. I've written about how to accessorize dresses a lot in the past, and I hope to do so more in the future.
"Dressing Up" A Simple Dress
More "Dressing Up" A Simple Dress
One dress, six ways: A Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress
Another DVF dress; 1 dress, 6 ways love, Janice ... View the Post
September 4, 2015
This color scheme had to be revisited one last time, because there's an eccentric aunt lurking in the background who wants a bit of attention. (just for the record, I'm the eccentric aunt in my family's tree...)
She persists in believing that orange and red are meant to go together! They're side by side in the color wheel, they're both in flowers, and fruits, and lots of beautiful prints. Why not pair them - it's a singular style statement that you don't see every day!
You would see this woman... on a plane, train, you name it, she's going to be visible. Happily, her sunny personality is equal to the level of high-intensity color.
For reference purposes, and to give credit where artistic credit is due, ... View the Post
March 14, 2015 Belovedest and I are leaving Wednesday for New York for what is either a very long weekend, or a rather short vacation - six days. B lived in New York a few different times (he had one of those jobs that required frequent transfers), and so we know the city very well. Our anniversary is next Friday, so we have an excuse for some festivities. Overall, it will be a nice opportunity to spend some time together and reacquaint ourselves with a favorite city. My biggest packing constraint for this trip is the desire to take gym clothes with me. Normally, for European vacations, I just throw my workout routine into the shredder and assume that my walking will stand in for exercise. (uh, it really doesn't work that ... View the Post
December 16, 2014
I happen to know for a fact that one of you will buy this design scarf for yourself for the holidays, and that you are struggling to decide which color you want. I further know that your wardrobe is basically navy, so I thought I'd play around a little bit with some ensembles to show what kinds of other preferences you have that might help make the choice clearer. First up, the most lovely Hermes Ors Bleus d'Afrique - the Blue Gold of Africa. That refers to indigo, which was commonly used in textiles of this type.
And I picked a couple of outfits - very simple - in order to create a base for my ideas.
First up, this scarf cries out to have the rich browns emphasized and ... View the Post
October 17, 2014
This is a plan for someone who has the Common Capsule Wardrobe in grey and off-white, with a camel sweater, because they're moving away from wearing black. (more on this idea another day). This someone has a special occasion coming up, and they want to expend their ENTIRE French 5-Piece Wardrobe on a new dress and some accessories:
These purchases aren't "single-use", of course; the scarf and jewelry could be worn with almost any of the outfits in The Common Wardrobe. The pumps will go nicely with our grey skirt (or with the jeans, if that's a preference). And the dress is simple enough that it can be worn more casually, after the special occasion. Dark tights and flats or ankle ... View the Post
July 11, 2014
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 ... View the Post
May 9, 2014 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.
love, Janice
Looking back:
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 and climate can be a challenge, and I tried to address this concern about Dressing modestly in a hot ... View the Post
January 2, 2014 I had a few more variations of this floating around my computer, so for those of us who continue to party through the 12 days of Christmas, here are a few more suggestions!
This first look is low-key dressy, with a hint of sparkly cardigan, some serious silver earrings, a wee silver bag and a hint of silver trimming the shoes. All the accessories come from the same general family without being too matchy matchy. The 2nd ensemble features a wonderful ornamented cardigan, so I kept the earrings small, the cross-body bag a bit lacy, and the slingbacks (low-heeled, thank you!) have that touch of white that echoes the pearls.
Silver earrings – Oscar Figueroa, dress – Acne, ... View the Post
October 2, 2013
Cardigan – Chinti and Parker, Grey pumps – Everybody, teal cardigan – House of Fraser, teal-trimmed pumps – Carolinna Espinosa
Black & brown pumps – Softspots, brown cardigan – Paul & Joe Sister, camel cardigan – Burberry, Camel and black pumps – Enzo Angiolini
Grey cardigan – Massimo Alba, Floral slingback – J. Renee, maroon cardigan – Sonia Rykiel, pumps – Marvin K.
Dress – Stefanel ... View the Post
June 7, 2013
I thought a lot yesterday about the mystique of the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. I've never even tried one of these on; I'm super-skeptical about how a traditional wrap dress will work with my short-waisted, full-balconied, and generally no-waist torso. But I browsed through a lot of Diane's other dress designs, and found the beauty below. This really calls out to me in all kinds of ways - it's got my favorite colors, a much less dangerous décolletage, and some side shirring that seems as if it would be very flattering...
Sigh...
love, Janice ... View the Post
June 6, 2013
One of my friends is very committed to her black and white wardrobe, which she accents with jade and aventurine jewelry. When she saw this Diane von Furstenberg dress, she was very tempted, but just couldn't commit - she wasn't sure that she would find enough ways to wear it.Now,I can't make the decision for her, but if she knows that she will want/need a dress in the next year or so for a number of events, she will have ways to wear it...
aventurine pendant - Tiffany, green wrap - Faliero Sarti, black and white slingbacks - Semilla Scarpe, pearl and black crystal earrings - Majorica, pearl necklace - Slane, black cardigan - J. Crew, black pumps - ... View the Post
May 28, 2013
let's revisit our friend who had the navy and pink Common Wardrobe. Her accessories look kind of like this:
Striped scarf - Missoni, navy sandals - John Lewis, square patterned scarf - Dareen Hakim, bracelet - Luv Aj, Pink quartz earrings - Fantasy Jewelry Box, pink necklace - J. Crew,pink watch - Radley, tote bag - Jack Wills, navy linen scarf - Isola Marras, white sandals -Hotter, pink scarf - Faliero Sarti, silk bracelet - Brooks Brothers, Hermes Passementerie scarf - vintage , navy penny loafers - Bass, pink flats - Sperry Top-Sider, pink socks - Bank, pink argyle socks - Chrissy's Since this friend is ... View the Post
