olive Archives

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Flowers by Sir Cedric Morris

March 15, 2023

Beware the Ides of March...

Or maybe not! Maybe the Ides of March bring flowers to you...

This palette is particularly good for someone who wants variety in their wardrobe - it would be possible to find maybe 10 accent colors in this painting!

Our heroine starts with beige; you can do a lot and go a long way with a simple beige outfit!

Next, she indulges in olive green...

Before she forgets, she tosses in her favorite blue spring sweater, and a pair of jeans in a very light beige...

She wants shorts! So it makes sense to stock up on olive - some accessories will be useful...

Now let's get to those accent colors! A beautiful cotton sweater in a delicious shade of purple? Don't ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Gabriella by Elizabetta

December 30, 2022

Happy Birthday, you down in Georgia!!!

You Have to Choose...

She's a judge. She has to pick. Every time.

Now that she's packing for a few winter days away, she will NOT choose between warm and cool colors. She doesn't want to, and she doesn't feel that she needs to either!

She's heard it all - "it's not right to wear gold with grey," "Olive is only for women with a certain coloring," "shades of green can't really be worn together - especially cool greens and warm greens."

Humbug, she says.

It might not always be easy to find the right things.

It might not always look like what others are wearing.

It might draw a 2nd look.

She loves the subtlety and nuance of these colors ... View the Post

Part 2 December 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

December 5, 2022

Sometimes, heroines don't need sequins or beaded trim to dress up!

I think that it makes sense for most of us to have a beautiful blouse or top in our favorite accent color, though!

If you want to look luxurious and elegant, but NOT frou-frou, these tops might be just right for you!

Although relatively few of her garments are frilly or lacy, this wardrobe still has a pretty feel to it...

And her accessories are lovely... I'm always smitten with accessories!

Such a fun range of outfits are possible from this wardrobe:

This next wardrobe is finally starting to look coherent, to my eye. Sometimes it takes a while!

Our heroine stumbled onto a few pieces in her favorite shade of ... View the Post

Start with Art: Le Grand Bois by Auguste Morisot

November 18, 2022

This is where she's going, more or less...

1/4 Mile off the blacktop road... You know when these are the directions, you're going to be off the beaten track!

And that's what she needs - she has writers' block...

Normally, she would go sit in a café and people-watch, but this time she's going to look inside for inspiration, rather than outside.

She's only going for a couple of days. She's got enough coffee and food for breakfast, and maybe lunch. She WILL go into town for dinner...

But she will have no internet connection. No Wi-Fi, no streaming video, no texting... the cabin has a landline, and a television that gets 3 network channels.

Quiet, dark, and trees...

She's a ... View the Post

Part 2 October 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

October 5, 2022

What do you do if your planned color scheme needs to be edited in some way?

EDIT. Move on!

You'll notice that Ruskin's Meadow color scheme has received a necessary update...

Mauve was the request; mauve is the addition! It's interesting to see how 3 tops and a pair of earrings bring a very different look to this wardrobe:

It's all much brighter now, which means that our heroine has new options for getting dressed:

Her accessories are still mostly green, but she's now got those lovely pink earrings...

How might this heroine wear her new mauve tops?

Now on to what might be my favorite scarf, and is growing to be my favorite wardrobe!

I wore this scarf last week; it's ... View the Post

Part 2 September 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

September 5, 2022

Has anyone else read Ruskin's "Stones of Venice?" I own a gorgeous antique set of the FULL THREE VOLUME painfully thorough books... They're beautifully bound in green leather, with gold tooling, and they're sized to be packed when going on the Grand Tour of Europe.

I confess that I took 1 volume with me a couple of times I traveled to Venice; it was amazing how little has changed there since Ruskin's time...

So, odd as he was, I'm a fan!

This heroine saw her friend's new blue garments, and was inspired to go back to her "source scarf" and take another look. Sure enough, she could easily incorporate more blue into her wardrobe, too!

And she found earrings that included "her" blue and olive green - those ... View the Post

Indulging in Jackets and Sweaters

July 20, 2022 I think this might qualify as a "Sometimes Extravagant Wednesday"... Treating Yourself... I know that dressing in a solid column is somewhat controversial, but it's also so popular that I wanted to see what possibilities could be found for both navy and olive...

Getting dressed is easier when you wear a solid column every day, but if you're looking for things like matching loafers, you might find that shopping can be challenging!

For a heroine committed to wearing her column, she might have tiny wardrobe of pants and shirts, and then TONS of sweater and jackets, scarves, and nifty shoes...

There are so many color possibilities - I can't think of any color that she couldn't wear with navy!

Everything from relaxed ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting Understanding by Parscha Mirghawameddin

November 24, 2021

Remember this heroine? Nobody seemed to think that she was beautiful, except her! And possibly someone that she met while traveling....

"Did You HEAR What She Told Her Great-Nieces?!?!"

"You mean the part about moving to the city?"

"NO!!!! The part where that silly frog ring is her engagement ring!"

silly is in the eyes of the beholder - this ring is legitimately very fine jewelry...

"Well, I knew that she met someone while she was there, but I assumed that it was just a platonic thing; what's someone her age doing getting involved romantically?"

What's someone her age doing? Feeling beautiful, feeling loved, having buckets of fun, and treating herself to all sorts of frog ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Secret Garden in Autumn by Fetolia

September 17, 2021 Subtle....

She doesn't need to be recognized. She never cares if she turns heads, or if she stands out in a crowd. When she travels, she blends into nature, and takes pictures that are hard for others to take, because they disrupt the peace and quiet...

She's taking a long weekend to a small town a couple of hours away from where she lives. All kinds of raptors have been seen in the fields and wooded areas near there.

She loves to photograph raptors; their speed and precision thrills her...

She wants to look reasonably nice - she does have to go out for dinner every night! And she needs to be warm-ish, but nothing outrageous. She will unfold her little chair, prop up her camera, and sit. Quietly. ... View the Post

13-Piece Spring Wardrobes – Black and White, Olive and Beige

June 11, 2021

I can clearly see that I want to do at least 2 more of these after today! The denim/chambray/soft pink idea MUST be investigated, as well as... what other color?

But today, we look at black, and then at my nemesis, green!

First up - a wardrobe that I could envision buying if I lost every stitch of clothing that I own... the pink skirt would be a real adventure for me, but why the HECK not try it?

This may not qualify as a completely "Whatever's Clean 13" wardrobe - I can see some of us feeling uncomfortable wearing the blue tee shirt with the pink skirt. But if one could find the right scarf, necklace, or bracelet to tie them together, or if one just plain and simply LIKES the 2 colors together, why not? (it's ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Revisiting Tiger in the Grass by Echo

March 26, 2021

She's going back for another long weekend, after she set everybody straight back in December...

This is still her favorite scarf - she's not so fickle that she would find a new favorite in just a few months!

But she's changing her color scheme to something softer and more approachable; after her last visit, she doesn't need to be as assertive as before!

For the first meetings when she arrives, she's going to be positively quiet, and let everyone else air their opinions, grievances, and silly ideas:

The balance of the long weekend is going to be casual - informal conversations and projects, so she packs an assortment of relaxed clothes that all still echo the colors of her scarf, albeit in a lighter ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #2 – Dark Neutral Tee Shirt

March 22, 2021

Hurrah! I love these posts...

And I've been really disciplined about NOT showing you yet another black tee shirt. While in my world, a stack of black tee shirts is a necessity - almost as important as coffee! - I know that for many of you, black is anathema...

So let's go olive!

Just for reference purposes, here's the master list. I'm going to try to replicate the 13 items for Spring in my own wardrobe, soon...

This is a great color - hard to find, but lovely, warm and rich:

This is a perfect color with beige...

If you feel like your skirt's a little bit dressy, a simple tee shirt will bring down the dressiness quotient a lot!

And don't miss this handbag; it costs as much as a rent ... View the Post