pants Archives

February 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

February 1, 2021

Ah, I'm so happy! I love these scarf-based wardrobes...

If you want to catch up on where we left off last month, click on this sentence to jump back there!

Since we are (for now) loosely following the Starting From Scratch wardrobe guidelines, this month brings us to a 2nd pair of pants and a shirt.

For most wardrobes, these pants will be chosen so that our heroines will each have a pair of jeans and another pair of pants that are somewhat dressier. The new shirt will be neutral if that's what they need, and accent if that's what's missing. A few more accessories, and any of us would be in good shape for an overnight trip with what's included so far.

This is our first scarf, and palette. The only possible ... View the Post

January 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

January 1, 2021

Amen and Hallelujah!

This year, I'm going to try to be a little bit more deliberate (from time to time) about how these wardrobes come together. There were years in which I just found the 6 most fun outfits every month, and watched the wardrobes either work or struggle. So maybe being just a tiny bit more practical is an interesting change...

First up, let's refresh our collective memories of the 6 scarves and the color palettes from them:

In choosing these first outfits, I referred back to the "Starting from Scratch" wardrobe building series that I wrote years ago. While the idea of starting with a nice pair of pants doesn't make a lot of sense for many of us right this ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 45: Dark Neutral Lightweight Pants

June 8, 2020

I don't know about where you are, but right now, if I have to pull on a pair of pants, they'd BETTER be linen... (I don't love heat...)

This time of year, if you're going to wear your favorite silk scarf, it might be smart to consider wearing it in your hair, or on your bag, or... (there must be more ideas...)

I can't emphasize enough that we need to be vigilant about reading every word of the descriptions of items that we find online. I searched, SPECIFICALLY, for silk pants, and was returned a ton of satin pants (most of them polyester).

While I'm nagging about careful reading, if you order earrings, be certain that you're getting TWO earrings (unless, of course, you only want to order one earring). ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 32: dark neutral lightweight pants

They're regular long pants, but they're NOT denim, nor corduroy, nor velvet - they're a lovely seasonless (and often no-iron!) cotton pants. The perfect thing to wear on all but the most steamy, or shivery, days...

It's good to remember how versatile these can be; having more than 1 pair wouldn't be a silly extravagance if you wore them a lot!

I kept some of the accessories from last week, and the cardigan... Imagine if you had last week's and this week's clothes (and probably the week before) in black and white, or any of the evolving "color stories" in this series. Options make getting dressed (and thus life) easier...

Of COURSE you can wear hot pink espadrilles with a flower on them! They're perfect with ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 31: Cropped Pants or Capris

Oh, this really feels like preparing for warm weather! That said, with boots and tights, these pants could be worn most of the year...

I like these pants because I feel a LOT more modest in them than I do in shorts. I also feel that I'm appropriate for a wider range of places and activities than I might be in something above my knees; you might feel differently! As with all garments, you have to know what you find most comfortable (both physically and mentally/emotionally) and fully honor your preferences.

The example outfits that follow are gradually changed from last week's outfits, which in turn evolved from the outfits of the week before that. My goal is to show how gradually adding carefully-chosen garments can give you ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 19: Dark Neutral Pants

First off, can ANYBODY explain ankle pants to me? I understand them in warmer weather, but with snow on the ground (I'm writing this on November 1, in Chicago, where we have had snow...) are bare ankles logical?

Do other people have really warm ankles that need to be exposed during the winter?

Are we willing to be uncomfortable, if it means that we're "on trend"? (I hate that phrase, for what it's worth...)

I will never understand!

So when you're shopping for pants, be VERY aware of the length that you're buying. You could be rudely surprised! But if you've spent your entire adult life having pants shortened, this could work in your favor...

And yes, this shade of honey isn't a really dark neutral, but it's uncommon and very ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 18: Dark Neutral Corduroy Pants

I know that it's really Autumn when I pull out my black cords!

Of course, if you're not crazy about corduroy, you have other options:

I love the way corduroy is dressier than denim (by a mile!), but is still relaxed...

Having dark neutral pants for cool weather lets your go a bit crazy with sweaters, socks - everything else!

Note: This following sweater might be accented with navy, rather than black. I honestly can't tell on the website, so I'm showing it... If it's not black, I apologize!

The texture of corduroy makes it easier to blend, rather than match, colors in your wardrobe. So long as things look nice together, they don't have to be perfect matches; who's looking that closely? (perhaps they need a new ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 15: A Dark Neutral Cotton Turtleneck

Planning for autumn makes me so happy!

Even if you're not crazy about these, it's worth getting maybe 1 or 2 if you have a fondness for big chunky sweaters that make you itch! These are like cotton "itch-proofing..."

If you have a sweater that's a bit... bold... the turtleneck can be a simple base. In this outfit, it gives you a nice solid core upon which you could wear all kinds of sweaters, cardigans, or a flannel shirt!

A cotton turtleneck can keep you nice and snug outdoors...

A cardigan and pants that don't match can feel awkward. Add in a cotton turtleneck that doesn't match either and you've got a nicely blended outfit. Notice that the scarf and the cardigan are from the same brand; if you're ... 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

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 12: Pants or a Skirt

I love skirts - they're well worth considering as an alternative to relentless jeans and pants. With opaque tights and comfy shoes, they can be as comfortable as anything else you wear...

And if I was in the market for a skirt right now, this would be a leading candidate:

When you choose your skirt (or pants, if you must), make sure that it is lovely with most of your shirts and sweaters; in a simple, neutral-colored, timeless design...

A denim skirt can be appropriate in a lot of places...

This dark brown skirt could be a perfect base for sweaters and tops in all shades of brown:

A matching skirt and sweater can be the base for all kinds of interesting accessories...

Your black cashmere turtleneck is ... View the Post

What Pants Go With my Warm Neutral Tops?

Last Friday, I sang a small serenade in praise of stone-color cotton pants, as a vehicle for getting more mileage out of a LOT of garments... And some of you asked - rightly - if they would work well with warmer colors...

Yes, but not as well as these:

I think that these pants will go with almost any other color, but I particularly wanted to see how they would work with these neutral colors...

Some are more successful than others - of course! - but I think that these pants are a good possibility if your wardrobe has some "orphaned" tops in warm shades...

These colors are perfect together:

If you're moving from cool colors - especially black - to warmer colors, these pants might help you transition some of your ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 11: Neutral 2nd Layer

Another Monday, and time to add something more interesting and exciting to your Weekly Timeless Wardrobe! Our heroine is adding a 2nd layer to her wardrobe... it could be printed or patterned, so long as it works beautifully with her core neutral garments.

For example, if you're working with a grey palette, with ivory as your light accent color, the above cardigan would be quite useful for you...

Your choice of 2nd layer can be as bold or as subtle as you like...

A cardigan like this is richly subtle:

If you already have a dark neutral 2nd layer, looking at your lighter neutral is worth considering!

Black and ivory always looks good...

This sweater would be great with so many shades of ... View the Post