ivory Archives - Page 3 of 7

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch, Stage 5

It's tempting to say we've reached the home stretch of building this capsule wardrobe, but in reality, you're never finished building your wardrobe. Things wear out, or suddenly shrink, or you just plain can't stand the sight of that tee shirt EVER AGAIN... (after travel, you might need to find something new just to retain your sanity!) But for people who don't put all that much worry and fuss into clothing, this wardrobe is at a pretty good stage for a long time:

Here's where I like to stop and lay things out in an orderly fashion, to see where I've gone awry, and what needs to be supplemented, and what needs to be avoided, for the last little bit of shopping:

It's important to me to share with you that we all have ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch, Stage 4 – I MUST Have a Winter Coat

The capsule wardrobe we finished with yesterday would make a GREAT travel wardrobe; you could wear 3 pieces, and pack the other 12. With our new silk pants (and the silk blouse from the first steps) you could be prepared for a dressy event, and obviously the rest of the wardrobe is ideally suited for... wandering Chicago in November? New York? Montreal? The choices... sigh...

At this step, I always plan for a complete outfit. This time, I thought that some brightness and a real emphasis on our accent colors would be a good idea!

Even though we haven't (in Chicago) see anything that resembles cold weather, we all know that eventually we're going to be greeted some morning with sub-freezing temperatures and gale-force winds! Think ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch, Stage 3 – Do I Have to Own a Dress?

Ah, this capsule wardrobe is starting to have some personality! Here's where we left off:

As always, this would be a good point in wardrobe-building to pause, especially if you're purchasing all of these items. Wear all your new goodies in every possible combination (which will take quite a while!) and make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that you're comfortable with the styles, the colors, and the overall mood. It's not a dreadful thing to stop at this point, if you feel that it's the right thing for you. It WOULD be dreadful if you kept on shopping and consuming and spending money without being certain!

As I look at these 9 pieces, I clearly see that we'd better get some teal into this picture soon! And the balance is swinging to "more beige than ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch, Stage 2

When we paused at the end of yesterday's capsule wardobe building, we had five pieces of clothing - not a ton, but still enough for a tidy handful of outfits:

Clearly, this wardrobe is going to take on some real depth of color with the addition of some accessories. I'm sticking with this gorgeous rich brown leather for as many things as I can manage, including a really nice bracelet!

Generally speaking, a well-balanced wardrobe should have more "tops" than "bottoms." Jeans and trousers don't need to be laundered as frequently, and because they're worn below the waist, they're under your desk, they're under a dining table - they're just farther from our eyes than a blouse or tee shirt. So a change of shirt will have a bigger impact ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Starting From Scratch, First Steps

Another step by step, starting from scratch Capsule Wardrobe exercise! This week, I'm tackling olive and beige as the neutrals, with teal, rust and ivory as the accent colors. Our primary emphasis is going to be on the "very casual, lots of jeans and corduroy" sort of style. Many of you have told me that you have very little need for dressy clothes in your wardrobe, so let's see what can be done with that in mind.

And fear not, when I do this in December, it's going to be conservative-office dressy!

First up, let's visualize the colors:

Since these colors are definitely pretty warm, with the exception of the teal, my current plan is to use warm deep brown leather goods, and gold jewelry. Our heroine's style is going to be one of ... View the Post

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Olive, Denim and Ivory

This just feels like cozy autumn clothes, doesn't it?

The primary neutral in this capsule wardrobe could easily be denim blue, and you could include accents of red or yellow, too...

She Owns ONE Dress...

And ever month or so, in the cooler weather, she puts it in her messenger bag, and she goes downtown for the night, with her sweetheart... Sometimes she feels like she should get something different, but...

He loves olive green. He loves the dress. He loves these special evenings when they go to the theater, or just dinner...

But he loves her, most of all... love, Janice ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Spirit of Autumn by Albert Pinkham Ryder

Thanks for suggesting this painting to me! I love the art ideas I receive from you...

Class Reunion/Homecoming

"She was always so GLAMOROUS - I was afraid to even speak to her..."

"Well, I know that she got a veterinary degree; she probably takes care of little teacup designer dogs for movie stars..."

"She's about the size of a teacup - that would be a perfect job for her!"

Actually, she's working with her partner on a big ranch in the mountains of the western United States; glamorous, it is not... love, Janice

p.s. Completely off-topic, but very important. If you have jewelry (costume or precious metal/stones) in need of repair, I can't recommend Costume Jewelry Repair House in Chicago highly ... View the Post

A Capsule Wardrobe in Navy, Hot Pink and Ivory: Expanding Your Accessories

When we last saw this travel capsule wardrobe, it had some accessories - probably enough for a short period of time:

It would be great if I can figure out an Accessory Template, but right now I'm still pondering how that's going to work; it might take me a few weeks, or months!

But I was thinking about the role of accessories in our lives, and I was able to conclude that there are realistically very few that you actually NEED; most of them are for fun.

Of course, if you live in a warm climate, you're not going to need gloves, nor a hat:

That said, we're still going to add a BUNCH of accessories to this wardrobe! When I was scanning this one, the first thing that really jumped out at me was that I would want a pair of low-heeled ... View the Post

A Capsule Wardrobe in Navy, Hot Pink and Ivory: from Travel Wardrobe to Four by Four Wardrobe

Yesterday's capsule wardrobe really felt like it would be interesting to expand, didn't it? So let's plunge in and see what we can learn from the process!

This is the entire travel capsule wardrobe - the travel outfit and the Six-Pack:

The easiest way for me to really look at a group of clothing and find the "gaps" is to plug them into a template - either the "Whatever's Clean" template, or the 4 by 4 Wardrobe. I don't honestly feel like this color scheme is going to be a "Whatever's Clean" possibility; there are 2 accent colors here that might not work together in all cases. (which is fine...)

So I'm going to go from the clothes that we have up to 16 pieces, by filling in the blanks shown here:

It would be ... View the Post

Packing Light – a Six-Pack Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Navy, Hot Pink and Ivory

A reader has fallen in love with the scarf below, on the left, and was wondering how it could be used as the basis for a travel capsule wardrobe. I love these colors:

In a World of Chaos...

She likes straight lines. Corners. She's actually unnaturally fond of squares. Which is fine, since she's an architect...

For the longest time, she thought that the only way to indulge her fondness for regular shapes was through her work. She knew her color scheme perfectly: the navy, ivory and light blue of the suits and shirts of her male co-workers, paired with her favorite lip and nail color. But gradually, she saw squares and lines make their way into her wardrobe:

She loved the way it all came together when she had to ... View the Post

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

This capsule wardrobe looks so much more interesting with just a few simple additions! Remember, we started with this gorgeous jacket, and I put a simple black column of clothing under it. So shoes will be an essential first step:

Since the jacket pattern is so striking, I thought that a simple, solid scarf would be a good choice:

And I can never go too long without earrings; to me, they give a touch of shine and a feeling of polish to any outfit:

In a lot of wardrobes I wouldn't introduce a 2nd pair of shoes this early, but since this is specifically designed to be a travel wardrobe, making sure the right shoes are chosen is key. If we wait too late to pick shoes, there's a danger of panicking and packing too many pair; that's ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 by Georgia O’Keeffe Part 3

Remember our friend in the cabin? She's made a bold decision...

WWSM

(Widowed Woman Seeking Man) for sporting events, opera, symphony, dining, and whatever else we want to do... (she thought about specifying an age range for respondents, but she really doesn't care if her new friend is just out of college...)

Must be a man who appreciates simple pleasures, and is unimpressed by logos, bling, and obvious displays of wealth or debt. (if they're hanging around with her thinking that they'll get written into her will, they've got another thing coming!)

I will buy tickets if you do the driving! (maybe this will give them a hint that she remembers when Nixon resigned...)

If you want a new friend with a wide range of ... View the Post