rust Archives

Accent a Tan and Brown wardrobe with Sandstone and Amberglow

These are the last of those crazy accent colors from Pantone New York Fashion Week 2020/21, along with some restful, timeless warm neutrals... It's the Only Color Palette She's Ever Known...

She has hair the color of the last hot coals in the fireplace... Freckles of a warm caramel brown that look good enough to eat... And dark brown eyes...

Nobody else in her family had coloring ANYTHING like hers, when she was a child. So her mother very wisely just dressed her in the ivory of her skin, the rosy tan of her freckles, the subdued fire of her hair and the grounding darkness of her eyes...

yes, I really struggled to find another excellent brown garment, so I included this sweater instead - it's a sweater worth making an ... View the Post

I Love IT, but Will I Wear IT? Start with a Scarf: Lion & Peacock by Aspinal of London

I know, I should be showering you with holiday gift ideas and telling you about all of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. I'm NOT that blogger, though... sigh...

However, I firmly believe that those of us who are holiday shopping should treat ourselves to one really LOVELY thing for the upcoming season, and of course for the years to come. We don't buy something just to wear it once or twice, unless we're getting married or standing up in someone else's wedding!

So maybe a scarf has caught your eye, and kicked you in the heart... (I love the phrase coup de coeur...)

It's all the right colors - warm and cool, neutrals and accents...

But can you wear it? How will you wear it? You don't want something this beautiful ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The August Fierce Ambition bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs

What rich, luscious colors; there's NOTHING Halloween-ish about this beauty!

"Can You Come For a Month?" She's wanted to volunteer for them for YEARS! Finally, their needs and her computer skills overlap perfectly! And she's taking a sabbatical from her real job to go there...

"You can stay in the dorm with the other volunteers; there's laundry there, and we manage to cobble together meals that we share..."

"There's very little storage here, so don't bring your entire wardrobe! If you're going to be in a public-facing position in the office, you need to look presentable, but nobody needs to bring a tuxedo nor a ballgown... But do be advised that the offices get pretty chilly after the beginning of ... View the Post

Start with Art: Farm near Duivendrecht by Piet Mondrian

May 29, 2019

Her farmhouse doesn't look quite like this...

Gradually... Since she inherited the farm, she's been trying to decide what to do... She rents the fields - she's NOT going to start farming when she retires!

But she is going to live there. Starting just before the end of the year - she will be there by Christmas! There's so much hiking, bird-watching, and just general relaxing there...

She has committed to work through the middle of December, but she wants to start moving NOW, and she has a fairly excellent idea. Why not take things up to the house every time she visits? Some winter clothes, some bedding, some books... If she takes a car-load every visit - say maybe 9 times before the final move - she will save ... View the Post

Updating a Navy Wardrobe for Autumn – Start with Art: Shattered Tree by Otto Dix

October 31, 2017

I thought that this painting might be good for Halloween - it's sort of dark without being macabre or outright spooky...

I see this painting all of the time - it's in the Art Institute of Chicago - and I swear that I see navy blue in the areas near the horizon! At any rate, I think that these colors make amazing accents... One could easily include some gold, some medium blues and a bit of grey and live with the color-scheme forever.

This is my starting point today. This version of The Common Wardrobe is a hair dressier than usual - no jeans, and a pair of navy wool pants in their place. A pair of high-quality trousers can be worn almost anywhere... The navy ribbed tee shirt is a notch more elegant ... View the Post

Build a Foolproof Travel Wardrobe by Starting with Science: The Heart Nebula by Peter Jenkins

September 27, 2017

Just doesn't get much prettier than this, I'd say!

She's Always Hated Shopping... From the time she was a child - so she and her mother devised a wardrobe plan for her...

They picked the colors they would use, and they decided how many of each piece she would need... She's really never deviated meaningfully from the original scheme!

When she began to buy her own clothes, she realized that if she bought the really good stuff, she wouldn't have to shop nearly as often - the time saved was precious, and the ability to wear beautiful clothes was just a bonus...

One of the beauties of having had a plan for years and YEARS is that she can spot something that will suit her a mile away ... View the Post

How to Pack for a Business Trip by Starting with Art: A Farm by Piet Mondrian

When I think of Mondrian I always think of those black and white grid patterns with little patches of a primary color or two, but in his earlier days he was much more traditional...

Colors are always what catches my eye - I loved the strong blue, the almost acid green, and then the much calmer neutral rust and grey...

"Uses of Color in Distinctive Branding"

Whoever names these conferences needs to get some imagination - how stodgy can you get? This doesn't sound at all appealing.... But she has been writing the book on distinctive color uses for decades; it will be interesting to see what these young people think they can teach her!

Her approach to color has always been to do the "wrong" thing, so the names of some of the upcoming ... View the Post

July Babies – Did you know that Carnelian is ALSO your birthstone?

June 28, 2017

Yes, I know everyone was expecting to see rubies, but I found that working with rubies was a lot like working with the emeralds back in May - very expensive, or else very traditional and staid.

So I did a bit of research and found that almost every month of the year has more than one birthstone - we love having choices!

Carnelian is particularly cool to have as a birthstone because it's very affordable and it comes in a range of colors from a pale, almost blush shade, to really deep, dark red.

And please note, I don't think you'd wear ALL SIX of these accessories at one time; but I could easily see 3 or 4 of them...

You know, if you like red or orange but don't feel ... View the Post

Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Paysage Algérien by Renoir

July 12, 2017

It surprises me that this painting is from Renoir - I always think of him with pastels or clear and cool bright colors. But this is perfect for our current "neutral experiment": it's got navy and beige, and some great rust and green accents! It's easy to think of these as autumn colors, but if you've ever traveled to (or lived in) a hot and arid summer climate, you know that things start to get rusty and deeply green by mid-summer:

So They Bought a Camper... She never, in her life, would have imagined this. But when they sat down together and made a list of where the wanted to travel, now that they were retired, it looked like:

Fly to X, rent car, drive to Y Fly to Z, rent car, drive to A...

OVER AND ... View the Post

How to Pack for a Spa Weekend? Start with Art: Dans le Parc by Maurice Denis

May 26, 2017

Doesn't this make you want to just sit somewhere and watch the world go by?

Someone driving up with friends for a spa weekend is using this color scheme to inspire her packing... (well, it inspires her entire wardrobe, not just one weekend!)

Since they're driving, she can be super-casual and relaxed, but she still has her favorite leaf-motif jewelry - the painting strongly suggests that she's a nature lover.

Once they're at the spa, they'll be living in their robes, but she's going to need an outfit to get home in, and maybe something other than a robe in which to dine. Just because they put you in a robe doesn't mean that you're not allowed to get dressed!

It's a tiny amount of stuff, but she has ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe Around a Statement Tote Bag

February 20, 2017

Someone sent me a link to this beauty... What excellent colors!

This bag includes a bunch of the classic neutral colors - beige, white, shades of rust into dark brown, maybe some black? I'm deliberately NOT including any sort of style guidelines here because I think that this is a case in which a wide variety of personal styles could accommodate this bag.

I'm going to focus pretty much on warm-weather attire here, but imagine for cooler weather - a navy winter coat with camel trousers... a navy wool skirt with an ivory sweater and brown riding boots.... mmm....

This is sort of a styling free for all - I just let my imagination wander toward whatever outfits I would like to wear, or that would be fun for ... View the Post

How to Accessorize a Capsule Wardrobe: Head by Pablo Picasso

This is really growing on me! Remember, on Friday, we started with the painting, "Head" by Picasso (which you may or may not really love - that's certainly up to you!):

Which, through a couple of steps of planning and shopping, gave us this 13-piece capsule or travel wardrobe. This is a wardrobe that's extremely versatile, giving you appropriate things to wear for every activity from a nice evening out to a hike in the park!

I also showed 15 outfits on Friday, but they were bereft of accessories! Now, let's look at the same 15 outfits, with a few nice accessories added in to provide balance, accent, and something to wear on your feet!

Yes, the tan flats are completely superfluous, and you might choose not to pack ... View the Post