navy Archives

Start with Art: Untitled 20191210 by Takayuki Yoshida

January 25, 2021

She's dreaming of warmer weather, and she's determined to at least FEEL like spring is coming...

She starts here:

And this is her color palette - her base is going to be navy and white, but she's really interested in these accent colors!

Before she tears off into this project with blinding enthusiasm, she pauses to consider if it's realistic:

their home is always warm in the winter, she's not going to be going out much at all - wearing white pants won't be a problem because she can skip them if she needs to go out into the slush, and she can layer her chosen garments if she needs to warm up.

She starts by choosing her navy and white Common Wardrobe - the base upon which she will ... View the Post

Start with Art: A Garde-Robe du Mois based on Moonlight, Winter by Rockwell Kent

January 20, 2021

She's decided to plan a Garde-Robe du Mois, based on the clever and very useful suggestion made by Fiona Ferris in her recent book, The Chic Closet. (Fiona is VERY chic...)

She knew she wanted navy and white - they're her favorites! But beyond that, she was stumped! Something warm? Something with a bit of an organic feel, and a sense of radiance, to combat the darkness of deep mid-winter?

She scrolled through all sorts of museum websites, and art websites, and WHAP! - there it was:

The colors were obvious, if not something that was usual for her:

This is going to be a process that takes a few iterations, so she starts slowly - a small, 9-piece Common Wardrobe that includes all of her favorites - a ... View the Post

Start with a Ruana! Navy Lofty Plaid Ruana by Echo

December 18, 2020 She Knew Ahead of Time...

It's her favorite accessory - it includes all of her favorite colors!

So when she dressed up, rather more than usual, for the staff meeting, she knew that she wanted to wear it. As well as some rather... bold accessories!

Because when they announced that she had won the employee of the year award, which comes with an extra week of vacation, she was READY!!!

She had her suitcase stashed in her office; her boss already knew that she was taking the next week off. She's good at planning...

It's not mad cold where she's going - just cool enough to layer up sweaters and scarves! And walk, walk, walk, all around town...

The "normal" people in her office thought it ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – Winter Wonders by Fierce Lynx Designs

December 9, 2020

In a Sea of Green and Red... She's going to stand out! Not that we don't love green and red for the holiday season - where would we be without them? But she's going to take the train into the city for a couple of days of admiring decorations, maybe some shopping, and eating room service while watching movies!

And she won't be blending in, thank you!

The weather will be pleasantly cool - no blizzards this year! If she finds that she needs something warmer, she will stop into Uniqlo and pick up a down vest or jacket... But she expects to be very comfortable just like this:

She's really packing quite light - with a clear winter theme!

Looking over her wee travel ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Navy Heirloom Series Scarf by Echo

December 4, 2020

She lives a simple life, but she loves the idea of indulgent masses of jewelry. While that's not practical for her, a scarf that shows such a thing is perfect!

The Bones of the Trees This is her plan for a long weekend away, looking at trees...

She's going to drive, so it's not a terribly long trip. And she's not quite sure what she will find for weather; hopefully she will see beautiful late autumn days!

Nobody can quite figure out why she's traveling to look at trees, now that the leaves have fallen!

She's got things for very cool, for moderately cool, and for swishing along a paved path in a skirt and sweatshirt or sweater! She pretends that it's a kilt...

She's ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Echo Patchwork Painted Floral Silk Square

November 30, 2020 You Want Me to WHAT??? Yes, fly to Chicago for ONE meeting....

"If you go to the meeting on Wednesday, you can take the rest of the week off..."

Okay... She will go up to visit a friend with a lovely home along Lake Michigan, about an hour north of the city.

And since her employer is paying for her to check her luggage, it's going to be a pretty big suitcase!

She starts here:

Her favorite wardrobe colors are navy and white, so she chooses this color palette for her trip:

First, she pulls out her Common Wardrobe that she's been wearing this autumn. She includes her white jeans because (a) she loves them and (b) there will be days when she and her friend don't leave the house! Why not?

And ... View the Post

Start with Nature: Inside the Orion Nebula by Drudis and Goldman

October 28, 2020 Star-Gazing for a Living! There's an opening at the observatory complex, and it's her turn to spend a month working on her research...

The complex is a combination of labs, residential and dining areas, meeting rooms, and of course the telescope. There are laundry facilities, so she doesn't need to pack clothes for 30 days. Her wardrobe is built around the navy of the night sky, and this is her chosen accent inspiration:

She ses the colors this way:

She starts with the core of her cool-weather wardrobe - her "Common Wardrobe" of timeless, versatile pieces:

She hesitates.... for a good LONG while. But then she remembers that she's going to be up there with a bunch of scientists, who won't ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting Church Tower in Zeeland by Piet Mondrian

October 12, 2020 It Didn't Take Long...

When she was initially invited to the cathedral for a long weekend of leading tours, she carefully chose her color palette...

and she packed a very pretty travel capsule wardrobe. She has a bit of a crush on the Choir Director, and is happy for a chance to spend a few days hanging about...

Well... it was wonderful. The tours were among the best that she's ever given - the participants were all VERY interested in what she was teaching them, and there weren't an excessive number of "know-it-all" guests...

And dinner with the Choir Director was... magical. Amazing. Better than she could have hoped...

So when the members of the Congregational Committee asked ... View the Post

Start with Art – Revisiting Poem by Bunya no Asayasu by Hokusai

October 8, 2020 It Was the Kids' Idea... Remember this heroine, and her gang of friends that were going to the lake house?

The children asked for a "Meeting of the Commune" after dinner. Nobody quite knew when they became a commune, but if it entertains the kids, right?

The bottom line? Let's stay here until at least the end of 2020.

The adults can all take turns going into town for essentials, and to mail their ballots; The internet service is more than adequate for all of the kids to do their school work here; Everybody will be able to spend a LOT of time outdoors, which they can't do in town; The kids have volunteered to help cover the windows in their rooms with the clear plastic stuff that helps keep cold ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting Foxes by Becky Kelley

October 7, 2020 The Sculpture Bienniale is OUTDOORS... And it's expected to rain the entire week. So guess who gets to go?

Yep, the heroine that we've seen before, visiting a small museum before a client's show, and then at a multi-artist show, looking for new clients...

She's a fan of a bright, bright color palette!

She knows, without doubt, that someone is going to be wading through the mud in 7 inch heels (probably some animal print!) and will SNAP them off, about 15 seconds after they arrive. And they will make a BIG spectacle of the whole process...

Not for her; she understands that you can stand out in a crowd, be your own person etc etc without dressing inappropriately for the weather and the resulting ... View the Post

Revisiting Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay

October 5, 2020

The last time she went to Paris, it all turned out to be... very interesting!

At the end of the 2nd day she was there, she walked up to the woman who had been following her, and asked WHAT was going on?

Well... the woman was looking for another photographer to join the group of official government staff who were documenting all of the most obscure and hidden sculptures and monuments in Paris, and wanted to know if she wanted to be considered...

Uhhh... okay!

She still doesn't know what her new boss saw in her and her photography techniques, that caused her to want to hire her. She frankly doesn't care!

So now, ever other weekend, she takes the train to Paris. She's able to sleep on the train, so she ... View the Post

Start with Art: Church Tower in Zeeland by Piet Mondrian

September 30, 2020 Can You do the Tours?

That would be the tours of the cathedral, that are a part of the upcoming anniversary celebration... Since she's both an architect and an architectural historian, the tours would be simple for her - delightful, in fact...

And frankly, she's been looking for a good opportunity to spend a weekend there, because she has a MAD crush on the Choir Director...

They're both single. They're close in age, and have a LOT in common. This is going to be her opportunity to get know this amazing person better, and see if there's anything there...

Thus, her travel capsule wardrobe is a festival of feminine touches!

One day the tour will be the crypts, so warm pants are essential. One ... View the Post