Six-Packs Archives

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

Start with Art: The Dark Lady by Anna Katrina Zinkeisen

September 28, 2020

Oh MY...

Her bow inspires me...

She Just LOOKS Serious... She always has, even as a child. She wasn't a sober child, really. But her resting face was always pensive...

But she wisely took a positive aspect from this impression that she left - she could dress in practical, gorgeous dark colors - they suited both her coloring and her demeanor!

Thus, when she was forced into the head office for a couple of days of 1st quarter 2021 planning (a woman can dream!), she has no trouble packing:

yes, some of this will look very familiar, but quite different when different colors are involved!

These meetings aren't overwhelmingly dressy, but it's always smart to be prepared for the lovely dinner to ... View the Post

Start with Art: Untitled by Svenja Deininger

September 25, 2020

Another wonderful artist...

Pulled in SO MANY Directions... It's what life has been, for quite a while. But she has a chance to get away for just a few days - it's her turn to go take anything she wants from her great-aunt's home...

She has always allowed herself just a little bit of "all for her" in her life, and in her wardrobe. A wise, careful woman can do great things with a black, camel and cream wardrobe, of course.

But someone who needs to express herself, just a wee bit, is going to grab an occasional accent color!

This isn't going to be a case of rummaging through dusty stacks of worthless debris... her great-aunt had some amazing costume jewelry, beautiful scarves, and some books that ... View the Post

Start with Art: pink mineral by Elizabeth Magill

September 23, 2020

Oh my, did I find a new artist for us!

You're Going to WHAT??? Yes, she's going to the Oil Industry Convention thing... She's a mineralogist, but her big specialty is showing the damage that's done by fracking...

These guys, and they ARE mostly guys, don't love her...

Still, it's her responsibility to try to find a little bit of headway, an occasional conversation, that will keep environmental concerns visible in this crowd. It's not easy!

So she takes the soft power route...

Yes, her scarf is a breast cancer fund-raising item...

Happily, she only needs to dress up just a wee bit, for the dinner the last evening. The other 2 days are seminars, and LOTS of meeting and greeting types of ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Start with Art: White Peacock & Blue Delphinium by Jessie Arms Botke

September 21, 2020

I found this painting last week when my arms were killing me - I thought I'd find some whimsical painting that had lots of ARMS in it...

But this artist's middle name came up in my search!

What good luck is that? I'm Wearing White ALL Weekend...

The possible color combinations are many - I could easily have looked at that intense green at the top, or the deep brown of the branch...

But this particular heroine is being rebelliously dressy, so this is her palette:

They're all driving in from all around the region for the 100th anniversary of the Aviary. Her great-grandparents founded it, and it's still going strong!

There won't be any big festivities - just a special weekend for visitors, and a ... View the Post

Start with Art: Ophelia Among the Flowers by Odilon Redon

September 9, 2020

FULL Academic Professional Mode

Dear Heroine,

This might seems like a very forward email, but since you are such an expert on Hamlet, I thought that I would ask for your assistance in preparing our community theater for OUR upcoming production of Shakespeare's greatest play...

oh great heavens...

If you could come up to Cambridge for the weekend, we would be delighted to offer you the finest accommodations, and excellent dining. In return, we would like for you to sit through a read-through of the play with us and give us your advice and insights.

oh great grief, this could be SO MUCH FUN...

Please note that all of our meetings are being held outdoors, as will our performance. COVID ... View the Post

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Icebound by John Henry Twachtman

The first day of Spring! And our anniversary...

Quite Enough Solitude, Thank You... Now that they're free to travel again, they're making plans...

Their favorite apartment in their favorite city is available for a few days, and they are OFF!

No more wearing sensible sweatpants and warm shirts while working from home. No more being sensible PERIOD, for a while....

They've walked miles every evening in their neighborhood; they've exhausted pretty much any avenue of exploration left to them! Now, in their favorite city, they're going to go down every alley, every turn that seems uninteresting, any corner that appears to lead to a dead end...

This will eat out - of COURSE they will! But they will also pick up some ... View the Post

Start with Art for Cold, Wet Weather Travel: Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Remember our art/architecture Gothic specialist? She was a guest lecturer back in 2016, took a group of students to visit the Cloisters, and then was invited to lecture in Paris...

Nobody has the first clue how old she is; her white hair is braided into an intricate crown (how DOES she do that by herself?), her fingernails are always a practical length, but red and flawless... I still suspect that denim has never touched her body, except in passing!

She's inspired by these 2:

The Saddest of Projects

She's off for a couple of days in Venice. Things are going to have to be moved, and she's going to make some suggestions about what needs to go first... The flooding isn't going to get better with time, and some things ... View the Post

Start with a Jacket: Travel Six-Pack

I saw her in O'Hare last week, wearing a deeply amazing and eye-catching jacket...

I've chosen NOT to use that jacket as the core of this wardrobe, because of both the price and limited availability. But it wasn't difficult to find another beautiful jacket in a bright and joyous mix of prints!

Destination: To Be Determined! She's going to Europe, but beyond that, nothing is definite. Maybe cool, maybe warm...

So she's dressing for the unexpected...

Since she's not sure where she's going to go (probably where the train tickets are least expensive!) she's packing small, and very versatile:

She's erring a bit on the dressy side, because she plans to sleep quite a bit, and do some very lovely dining... Of course ... View the Post

Spring Travel: Pilgrim of the Absolute by Brian Fahlstrom

She's Very Excited... Her company is organizing a pilgrimage from Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel! She's never been there... She's arranged for pilgrimages from Paris to Chartres, but this is new! (in an ancient kind of way!)

She's going to drive up from Paris, along the route the pilgrims will walk. She will stop to walk small segments of the route, to make sure that there aren't unexpected construction issues, or other blockages that will be a problem... And she needs to pack with a plan; her rental car is tiny!

Our heroine starts with her inspiration painting and color palette:

The weather will be warm when she lands in Paris, but she knows that she would be insane to fly without a cardigan or other warm layer; airplanes can ... View the Post

May Travel: Knitting a Stocking by Sir Francis Grant

May 20, 2019 She Could Scream... but it wouldn't help... She's supposed to visit a client, to help them choose which software, and for how many people, they will buy. But she's being given shockingly little direction about how to prepare! So she channels her inner calm knitting woman:

She was told that the office is very casual.

She was told that the office is casual, but that she needs dressy clothes to meet with executives.

She was told that it was always really warm in the office.

She was told that they run the air conditioning so high that it's like a meat locker there.

AGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

She can do this...

When she arrives, she's just going to stop by the office to drop off her laptop and some information ... View the Post

April Travel – Start with Art: Verre et Paquet de Tabac by Juan Gris

Remember our heroine who helps non-math types learn to work with data and statistics? She's on the road again!

She likes structure, and clear-cut plans. She was wise enough to realize that she would NEVER find clothes in this "wet cardboard" color, so she substituted her favorite bright yellow/gold for the beige... This is her inspiration:

She likes bright, and cheery, and she's happy to hold the attention of her "students" while she's persuading them that numbers will not hurt them...

Because she works for an advertising agency, she doesn't have to get super dressed up, but she always likes to have something with her to look businesslike. You never know when office managers and assorted executives might drop in!

She ... View the Post