Start With a Scarf Archives

Start with a Scarf: Butterfly Wings from Echo

September 7 2020 Pollinators! Yes, people who study pollinators have conferences - EVERYBODY who studies almost anything has a conference most years! And she's going to this one...

Her travel capsule wardrobe is going to be based on this beauty:

Most of her colleagues study bees - and rightly so - but her specialty is butterflies! And so she's going to wear her scarf often, building a wardrobe around these colors:

For no good reason she can think of, she's going to wear her white jeans to get there. She's not worried... She's more thrilled with her new blazer, and matching earrings:

Weather reports for her destination are all OVER the place, so she's going to take her black shirt with her, so she can wear it under ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Revisiting the Beach Roadtrip Scarf by Kate Spade New York

August 24, 2020

You wanted more of this scarf, and who could blame us? It's just THAT pretty...

And it appears to be back in stock at a few places that were sold out last week, when we first looked at this lovely thing...

Specifically, you wanted some brighter colors! So I kept a couple of the white garments that I used before, but I bumped up the accent colors quite a few notches:

As always, when I'm at a loss as to what the best shoe color might be, I choose a metallic accent! Of course, it would be possible to have blue shoes, and rose shoes etc. etc.... I'm not telling you that this is a bad idea!

Coral and white feels perfect for late summer, doesn't it?

And I personally love both of these shades of blue; ... View the Post

How do You Choose a Scarf?

July 14, 2020

Why look at this! One of our very favorite scarf companies has new scarves! Some days we deserve a treat....

I strongly encourage you to click on the link above and check out all of the scarves that I DIDN'T include here...

Why do I do these posts all the time? Well, I think they're pretty, and I think that when you scroll through them and find your eye (and maybe your heart) caught by something, you might be able to learn something about your tastes and preferences...

There are SO MANY things to buy in the world; it's smart to really learn about and commit ourselves to the things that really make our souls sing!

Wouldn't this be pretty with white linen pants, or a white skirt?

I think you understand ... View the Post

July 2020 Six Scarves, Twelve Months, Twelve Outfits

July 1, 2020

After yesterday's birthday festivities (I'm writing this on June 30th) I don't have a ton of energy to write much! Happily, we all sort of know what these post are about...

Since so many of us are still either stuck indoors at home, working, or we're without work and stuck at home being leisurely, I thought that some shorts and tee shirts would be useful this month!

And a sunhat - you are still trying to go out for a walk from time to time, aren't you?

I think leather athletic shoes look nicer than canvas or nylon ones. I know they're not great for running, but for normal leisure wear, I feel like leather elevates the look a bit. What do you think?

As always, if you can't find at LEAST 2 ways (should ... View the Post

Rescuing Forgotten Accessories: The Navy Blackthorn Scarf

June 17, 2020

Maybe it's not really a forgotten accessory - since you just got it. But when a new scarf arrives at your home, it can be sort of overwhelming to figure out what to do with it!

For me, in warm weather, with a rectangular scarf, I would first off try to see if I could wear it in my hair! And then I'd play around with how I would tie it to a handbag. Then I would think about actually wearing it around my neck. The more ways you can find to wear a scarf, the more often you'll be able to incorporate it into an outfit....

Let's ponder how you might wear (or be inspired by) this scarf for the next 4 months...

First month, it's smart to make certain that you've got the necessary solid-colored tee shirts and pants (or ... View the Post

Start with 2 Scarves: A Camel and Olive Green Accented Travel Capsule Wardrobe

June 16, 2020 She's NOT Happy... Business travel? NOW? Yes, she's got to go. No, her employer won't compromise. She very nearly quits... Especially when she learns that the weather where she's going is decidedly cool...

But they've said that she can fly 1st Class, and eat room service, and have any laundry or other services that she needs for her comfort...

So she starts here:

And then she pulls from her closet a tidy core for her travel wardrobe. A tidy, VERY "prone to need to be laundered frequently" core...

She will probably only need to dress really "up" once, so she's going to need a balance of casual and dressy. She pulls her scarves out of her dresser drawer and spreads them out on the bed, and then starts to ... View the Post

Start with 2 Scarves: A Teal and Hot Pink Accented Travel Capsule Wardrobe

June 12, 2020

It seemed like a good idea - take a couple of the scarves from yesterday, along with the accessories, and see how they would work for a travel capsule wardrobe. So let's go!

There are the 2 scarves that are going to be the starting point for this wardrobe:

First up, I added a tank top to both of these Accessory Families, so that the accent colors would be well-represented in the clothing for this trip...

Navy would be a lovely neutral with these 2 accents, but I thought that I'd go full-on summer with beige and white:

This would be such an easy trip - travel wearing the beige cardigan and pants, and the beige espadrilles, with any of the 4 tops. Pack the other 6 garments and the accessories, and ... View the Post

Rescuing Forgotten Accessories: Butterflies by Echo

April 28, 2020

She decided she was going to wear them ALL. One, every 3 or 4 months...

So she dug into the very bottom of her scarf drawer, and found this beauty:

She didn't worry about a color palette; if she bought the scarf for herself, she's going to assume that it must go with something in her wardrobe...

So her plan - wear her newly special scarf twice a month, with clothes that she already owns!

April has remained practically a winter month, this year, so she's wearing sweaters... and her butterfly earrings!

May, on the other hand, is all over the map, weather-wise! So she decides that cropped pants, with sleeveless tops and a cuddly cardigan might be her best option.

By the time June rolls around, ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: A Long Weekend with a Robin Scarf from Aspinal of London

April 16, 2020 Urban Heart... She misses the city. So much. Just to sit with a cup of coffee and watch the people walk by - the stories, the personalities, the style...

And she's tired. She wants to be able to get dressed without any exertion! So she pulled out her favorite scarf, and her favorite dresses, and started to pack:

Black. White. Gold. No muss, no fuss...

Her favorite dress is a bit roomy - she can easily layer a tee shirt or other shirt under it! In unreliable weather, this is SO helpful. And in a travel capsule wardrobe like this, it is really ALL about the accessories, isn't it?

She start packing - 2 more black dresses! The "fit and flare" dress is perfect with cardigans, or alone with a gold wrap for ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Working from Home with a Ferragamo Scarf

April 14, 2020 Daily Teleconferences... She's sick of them, frankly. But they're going to be the way business is conducted, for at least a while! And she knows that, even from home, she should try to look like she's in control, and in charge, and the boss...

So she went crazy and spent all of the coffee and lunch money that she hasn't spent for the last while:

This scarf will be perfect with just about anything that she's wearing these days - denim, black, and ivory. And those delicious hints of plum that she can't find right now, but when she has to go back to her office, she's going to treat herself (again!) to a couple of lovely things...

Most days she's been dressed like this:

And so she assembled another ... View the Post

How to Plan What Accessories to Pack – Cloud Rainforest scarf by Klements

April 9, 2020

Bright colors tomorrow, I promise! But I've got this scarf and it's colors on the brain right now, so I wanted to think about how I would accessorize this heroine's wardrobe for a longer trip...

First up, let's remember that she's starting with this scarf. It's SO intriguing...

Packing isn't easy - you want to be prepared for everything possible, while at the same time not lugging your entire home with you in 37 suitcases! You can't "get away from it all" if you take it all with you...

I've tried to think of a relatively logical, methodical way to look at what accessories to pack:

Let's start with the accessories that our heroine is already accustomed to packing for her long weekend trips; I'm assuming ... View the Post

One Way to Expand a Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Cloud Rainforest Scarf by Klements

April 8, 2020

I'm very infatuated with this scarf; it it were in my colors, it would be in my closet!

These colors feel like autumn, but in lovely linen this is a great palette for warmer weather:

You may remember back on the last day of March (which seems like it was about a year and a half ago!) our heroine was hopping on trains to visit new cities and towns, and was using these colors as the basis for her wardrobe. These were the clothes that she was packing:

Our heroine has decided to go on a longer vacation - there's no reason to hoard vacation time... She's been so happy with her tiny travel wardrobe that she chooses to use it as the base for her larger wardrobe. How can she make this work?

First, she ... View the Post