Hermes scarf Archives

Analyzing 2 Wardrobes: When Your Color Palette is Challenging

The last two wardrobes! These were the most difficult - no question. And I made a couple of early strategic mistakes that I would re-do...

First up, this excellent scarf!

I should NOT have tried to make white one of the neutral colors. White as a neutral really only works well if you live in a hot place and don't mind laundry...

A smarter move would have been to use brown and navy as "co-neutrals" and then white, red, turquoise and orange as accents. This would still have been a big stack of colors with which to work, but it might have been a better balance. It's always easy to look back and say what I might have done differently, isn't it?

I went off the rails in a big way in February - I had designated navy as an accent ... View the Post

Analyzing 2 Wardrobes: Too Few Colors? Or Too Many?

Update on next year's scarf choices: I ordered an Aspinal of London scarf, to see how the quality is. That will be pretty key! I'm sort of thinking, right now, that I might work with a combination of brands. My goal is, as always, to do a wardrobe in each of 6 neutrals: black, navy, grey, beige/tan/camel, brown, and olive. I will keep you posted!

Next up, 2 wardrobe that are both quite good, but feel like they could benefit from better color choices. Or maybe not; it IS possible to over-analyze things to the point of being too critical, and finding flaws that don't exist. This isn't the most important thing in the world, we must remember!

First up, this color palette that worried me, but that is really quite beautiful!

I'm ... View the Post

Analyzing 2 Wardrobes: When Everything Looks Pretty Good…

Let's jump in and see the good, the bad, and the just plain misjudged from this year's wardrobes!

First up - I'm really happy that I chose this scarf. The color palette is delectable, and the clothes were reasonably easy to find. When tied, this scarf would probably look really interesting. All in all, I'm giving myself a pat on the back for this choice!

2 concerns from the first 4 months:

multiple shades of blue aren't the best possible option - for example, the February scarf can't be worn with the January, nor the March sweaters. It's not a huge issue, but if you're really working toward the smallest possible wardrobe, looking for a consistent accent color in the early stages would be helpful. That February handbag is ... View the Post

December 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

I can't believe that this is the last month of these outfits! It seems like yesterday that I was trying to decide if I would continue to use the Appaloosa des Steppes scarf, because of the concerns about cultural appropriation...

Let me say right upfront - not one of these wardrobes is perfect! So for the next 3 Wednesdays, I'm going to take a look at all of them (2 per week) and see what we can learn from my mistakes, over-enthusiasms, and general lack of a good plan. Thus I'm not going to bury you in analysis today...

That said, any of these wardrobes could take you a long way, for a long time. If this was the core of a wardrobe for someone who wears uniforms during the day, she would need never fear having nothing to wear!

Let's ... View the Post

November 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

OH my! It's the first of the month AGAIN? It seems like this happens every 30 days or so... (Did we pay the rent????)

Let's get right to some beautiful colors, and some outerwear. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are finally starting to really need these things!

I wanted to find this heroine a great blue coat, but I didn't see anything that came down over her hips enough to merit inclusion. It can be pretty important to have a coat that covers your longer sweaters...

But this scarf consoled me A LOT...

And yes, MORE Blondo boots. I'm so smitten with them that I want to make sure everybody sees them about a million times. Seriously, I can walk for miles in them, and they're legitimately water-resistant, i.e. ... View the Post

October 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

This month, I looked deliberately at each wardrobe to try to make choices that would be versatile and fill in some of the holes that I could see...

This first color palette still delights me:

A simple outfit; most of these wardrobes could benefit from the addition of a white shirt...

I have these lantern pants - I can't wait to wear them!

Everything still looks wonderfully coherent, doesn't it?

And each new garment added this month gives you plenty of new possible outfits...

I'm still loving these colors...

Yes, another white shirt...

Could you imagine finding this all in your closet?

Here again, the new pieces of the wardrobe fit right in...

When I first chose this next scarf, I ... View the Post

September 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

My favorite post of the month! Although I love everything I give you, I must admit...

For new readers, the thesis is this: in January I choose 6 Hermes scarves from the new season, and then, for a year, I add a new outfit each month to six gradually growing and developing wardrobes. It's fascinating to see how the wardrobes evolve...

Even though the weather is still quite warm (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is!), this is honestly the time to start getting your fall and winter outfits together. The selection is best now, both for styles and sizes. And having these outfits ready for that first cold day gives you both a sense of security AND something to anticipate! (it's good to have something wonderful to enjoy when the weather ... View the Post

August 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

This file is getting insanely big! I live in terror of having it becoming corrupted; I've got it backed up EVERYWHERE...

Now that the stores are beginning to look legitimately autumn-ish, it might be a good time to check the condition of your boots. If you're picky, of if you wear a difficult size, don't hesitate to start looking now, even though it might feel insanely early...

A plain white shirt or blouse would certainly work well here, but I love these dots...

As always, if we choose a new outfit based on the same scarf, the garments will pretty much by definition work with the rest of the wardrobe:

And as always, these new pieces add a lot of new possible outfits to your small wardrobe!

Purple!

Why ... View the Post

July 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

Ah, finally we have warm weather in Chicago, which makes these choices look logical!

This month, I fell warmly into the wonder of white shorts. I do not EVER get a tan, but I find that my legs tend to look reasonably good in white shorts. Don't ask me how that works - I'm not complaining! If shorts aren't your thing, anything that helps keep your legs cool will work: capris, or a swishy mid-calf skirt...

How did this wardrobe get this far without a black tee shirt????

This wardrobe has a range of shades of blue, but the core of black makes everything work pretty well...

As always, new additions to the wardrobe offer more than just 1 option. This should almost always be a rule when you buy something; if you can only ... View the Post

June 2019 -12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

I'm sitting in a kitchen in Washington DC right now, where it is HOT!!! Putting together outfits with summer dresses felt just right...

This just feels cool to look at, doesn't it?

I'm still smitten with this - maybe it's all the stripes?

While dresses aren't as versatile as separates, there are still at least a few options with any dress...

Still loving this color scheme...

Technically, they call this a kaftan, but let's not haggle over terminology...

All looking good...

One might wear this dress often in hot weather!

I still find this palette intriguing. It's not common, but it seems to work well!

Such a classic dress...

Even though this is an unusual palette, it hangs ... View the Post

May 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – Based on 6 Hermes Scarves

I was fascinated to see how much these wardrobes became versatile this month; when a wardrobe gets to about 10 garments or so it seems to be the critical mass...

So this is your "dial-up warning;" there are lots of images here!

Here's the first scarf and color palette:

As always, I'm assembling simple outfits with timeless garments that can be worn through the summer, and can be mixed in with other items in a wardrobe...

I so easily could travel with this:

This heroine's new garments are quite versatile...

Would this be a fun color palette for someone with greying hair? I find this idea very tempting...

A pretty tank top is such an easy way to brighten things up...

This makes me ... View the Post

April 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – Based on 6 Hermes Scarves

It's time again to revisit our six growing wardrobe based on Hermes scarves - always one of my favorite posts!

Since the weather is somewhat warmer, I'm including cropped or capri pants for all of our heroines. And since it's still cool, I'm pairing their pants with lighter weight sweaters in linen or cotton. Some shoes and a couple of pieces of jewelry finish off these simple, timeless outfits...

It's possible that this heroine is going to have too many striped things. Or is it possible?

Her wardrobe is really starting to take on a coherent feeling:

And we're finally at a point at which we can pull together a few new outfits using our new garments with pieces already in this wardrobe. THIS is when you start seeing ... View the Post