Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
December 11, 2013
As much as I love to use a scarf as an accent to an outfit, once the weather starts to get cold, I find that I often turn to my black, black and white, or grey scarves. A little bit of texture, a subtle print, or a pattern can lend a lot of interest to a monochromatic outfit.Tomorrow, I'll show you scarves from the other 8 neutral colors - I'm now including rust and teal as neutrals!
love, Janice ... View the Post
November 22, 2013 A classic cabled cardigan is always a good starting-point for this travel outfit. After I tossed in a striped top, I thought that a solid scarf with a little bit of embellishment might be a calming touch. This scarf is one of those things that you could wear forever... and if you want jewelry made of genuine stones that don't break the bank, take a look at Novica. You know that these aren't investment-grade gems, but they aren't glass or synthetic, and the unique designs are delightful.
Cardigan – Ralph Lauren, earrings – Novica, pants - Jaeger, cowl top – Phase 8, watch – Skagen, sparkle scarf – St. John Collection, loafers – Munro, Coat– Uniqlo, tote – ... View the Post
November 21, 2013
I love these travel vignettes, and I'm going to share the step by step thought process I go through to build them.
Once you have your two core neutrals chosen, the rest just falls into place. It gives you a great deal of ease in life to have a nicely-chosen wardrobe that is focused...
First off, choose your travel outfit using any combination of the two colors I usually opt for a cardigan and pants that are the same color, and then use the 2nd color for shoes and a coat. A printed tee shirt, and a printed scarf, that include the 2 colors, finishes off your travel outfit.
Your watch and your bag will probably be in one of your neutral colors, and a simple pair of stud earrings give you some ... View the Post
October 29, 2013 Here are a couple of examples of how my Triple Top Secret selection of tops can work for a really casual trip (or just a day to day wardrobe). First, I started with a cool flowered shirt, got really gutsy and tossed in a striped tee shirt, and worked from there. Yes, I would wear the stripes and the flowers together...
I realized after working with this idea for a while that there are, in fact, two "triples" inherent in this idea:
Yes, the button-front shirt is critical! A shirt that can both be worn as a jacket or 2nd layer, but also layered under a sweater or sweatshirt, is key.
Here's an example of how this can work with some ... View the Post
September 27, 2013 Now that we can occasionally pull out our sweaters in Chicago, I've noticed that a LOT of women are wearing a simple beige wrap cardigan in all sorts of lovely ways:
Cardigan – Alpha Massimo Rebecchi, Tweed skirt – Stella Jean, ivory sweater – Stefanel, taupe suede pumps – Naturalizer, black sweater – Stefanel, printed skirt – Weekend by Max Mara, black pumps - Sofft
Cardigan – Alpha Massimo Rebecchi, Grey trousers – Giorgio Armani, grey blouse – See by Chloe, grey flats – Munro, navy top - Shirt C-Zero, navy trousers – Paul Smith, navy fabric loafers – Munro
Cardigan – Alpha Massimo ... View the Post
September 25, 2013 A variety of shades of purple, but all of them using navy as their neutral, from the most simple choices of navy pumps with a purple dress, to a very dressy silk blouse and velvet skirt ensemble.
Earrings – Nikki Baker, dress – Malo, pumps – Trotters, scarf – Esther Bonte, blazer – Aspesi, pants – Cedric Charlier, loafers - Geox
Scarf – Joanna Allsop, sweater- Armani Collezioni, skirt – Pauw, boots – Nine West, amethyst bracelets – Lagos, amethyst earrings – Lagos, cardigan – Malo, skirt – Sofie D’Hoore, navy suede pumps - Clarks
Blouse – Aspesi, clutch bag – Georgina Skalidi, velvet skirt – Vanessa ... View the Post
September 5, 2013 This first outfit is what got me looking for turquoise - the pieces are all really simple, but the color combination was striking, and the proportion of the long tee shirt, the cropped cardigan, and the modestly longer shorts was both pretty and unique. Once I started to focus on looking for turquoise with navy, I saw it quite a few times!
Tee shirt – Proenza Schouler, navy cardigan – Dorothy Perkins, shorts – Jil Sander, flats- Splendid, dress – Diane von Furstenberg, cardigan – Fedeli, scarf – Hermès, pumps – Trotters
Jeans – 7 for All Mankind, tee shirt – Proenza Schouler, earrings – Barbara Rybarova, canvas shoes – Keds, blouse – ... View the Post
August 23, 2013 One of my very longest-standing readers recently asked me about packing with only four garments - which of course is entirely possible. She also requested a variety of colors, rather than my usual four by four of one color. This is easily enough clothing for a 3 or four day trip - even longer, if you have laundry facilities available, and you could easily pack in a tote bag. Keep the 2nd pair of shoes light and flat, add just a few accessories to keep things lively, and make sure you've whittled your toiletries down to the absolute necessary minimum.
Cardigan – Dear Cashmere, blouse – Isabel Marant, trousers –Dorothy Perkins, loafers- Rebecca Minkoff,, earrings – NightFox Jewelry, cashmere ... View the Post
August 19, 2013 I've had a ton of questions from readers about packing for trips that include multiple cities, and a variety of activities. And I've also had a few requests for packing navy, tan (or khaki) and coral. So I endeavor to answer questions and fulfill requests with this post. As usual, I like to start with the travel outfit that includes a couple of capsule wardrobe essentials - I'm always a fan of a cardigan, long pants, loafers, and a big scarf. Simple stud earrings don't get caught on things when you're sleeping on the plane. Dark colors are good because they don't show wrinkles or spills, and a cardigan gives you the layering option for when the plane is cold.
Gold ... View the Post
August 7, 2013 Accessories are an important part of shifting your wardrobe from summer to autumn. While you can get by indefinitely without any jewelry or scarves, at a minimum, you're going to need a pair of shoes...
love, Janice ... View the Post
Ah, we're all pretty interested in how to shift from warm weather to cool. Even if it's not yet time to actually WEAR cool-weather clothes, it's nice to have a plan in which we can do a bit of shopping and look forward. So starting in August, we have this wardrobe:
Sleeveless and shorts seem like natural items to phase out (although that sleeveless navy top, with the navy cardigan, really is 12 month...). So these would be the garments that would be slowing down:
Add in some jeans, a striped jersey, and a long-sleeved pink shirt in a pretty floral...
By October, you've got to say goodbye to the white pants, and it might be time to look for something to take the place of your white tee shirt, and your ... View the Post
