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Can You Build a Wardrobe with Colors that Clash? Start with Art: Painterly Architectonic by Liubov Popova

November 27, 2020 She Really Loves This Painting...

And she has all of these colors in her closet! So she figures that she will pull together her "Garde-Robe du Mois" (wardrobe of the month) for the end of November and the start of December based on this...

First, she's trying to figure out how often she will wear things, based on the "How Many Pieces of Clothing Should I Own?" worksheet.

She starts with 31 days - a longer month, perhaps.

And then, because she never leaves her home these days, she knows that she only wants to wear 1 outfit per day.

She will probably evenly split between 2 and 3 garment outfits.

And finally, she plays around with the "How many times do you want to wear each piece during your time ... View the Post

Start with Art: Colored Rhythm: Study for the Film by Leopold Survage

November 18, 2020

a question first - does anybody else have ankles that get cold? I was out today, and saw many people appropriately bundled for winter, except they were wearing cropped pants with nothing covering their ankles... Shaking Up the Routine She still has to go to her office - she's often the only person there. But she sits by a window onto the street, and people often stop to read the real estate ads posted very near where she sits. So she feels that she has to dress nicely, even if she's alone!

In the normal world, she wears black and white, with accessories. She likes to mix patterns, and the austere discipline of her wardrobe pleases her.

But THIS year? It's time for some fun!

And this is what inspired her! ... View the Post

Start with Art: With My Back to the World by Agnes Martin

November 6, 2020 Calm...

She wants accents for her wardrobe this month to be calm, relaxed and gentle - like this:

Her core wardrobe is grey - she loves it. She looks good in it, she likes the way it looks in her closet, and it just feels like her!

But this year, she wants a little bit of gentle color! And so she starts with yellow, including a skirt that might not be a perfect fit in her wardrobe, but which she chooses NOT to resist...

Sometimes, you have to break out a little bit!

The next color isn't at all easy to find! It doesn't make it any easier when it's called all KINDS of names - mineral blue, light turquoise, silver blue, aqua...

But she persists and is delighted:

She originally thought ... View the Post

Start with Art: Adding Accessories to a Wardrobe – Poem by Bunya no Asayasu by Hokusai

October 19, 2020 She Chooses LOTS of Accessories! She has her inspiration:

And her clothes are all chosen (as well as 1 scarf!):

So she heads into the kids rooms with a handful of garbage bags, and duly loads ALL of their clothes into the bags.... It's what they wanted, and she's so happy that they're going to be away from civilization for a few months that she's NOT going to quibble about odd wardrobe requests....

And then, she walks into her bedroom. She needs to pick up some shoes, and whatever other accessories she might want for the next few months. Her first inclination is just to grab her loafers and a pair of slippers and call it a day, but then she pauses, to take the time to think about this with herself and her ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting Foxes by Becky Kelley

October 7, 2020 The Sculpture Bienniale is OUTDOORS... And it's expected to rain the entire week. So guess who gets to go?

Yep, the heroine that we've seen before, visiting a small museum before a client's show, and then at a multi-artist show, looking for new clients...

She's a fan of a bright, bright color palette!

She knows, without doubt, that someone is going to be wading through the mud in 7 inch heels (probably some animal print!) and will SNAP them off, about 15 seconds after they arrive. And they will make a BIG spectacle of the whole process...

Not for her; she understands that you can stand out in a crowd, be your own person etc etc without dressing inappropriately for the weather and the resulting ... View the Post

Revisiting Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay

October 5, 2020

The last time she went to Paris, it all turned out to be... very interesting!

At the end of the 2nd day she was there, she walked up to the woman who had been following her, and asked WHAT was going on?

Well... the woman was looking for another photographer to join the group of official government staff who were documenting all of the most obscure and hidden sculptures and monuments in Paris, and wanted to know if she wanted to be considered...

Uhhh... okay!

She still doesn't know what her new boss saw in her and her photography techniques, that caused her to want to hire her. She frankly doesn't care!

So now, ever other weekend, she takes the train to Paris. She's able to sleep on the train, so she ... 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: Expanding on a Wardrobe based on Ophelia Among the Flowers by Odilon Redon

September 14, 2020 Well, THIS is Interesting.... She went to Cambridge, met with the lead actors, sat with them through a read-through of the entirety of Hamlet. It was great fun - she loved the people and the setting and their whole approach.

She thought it was finished when she got back in her car and left Cambridge...

Remember, this is the painting that she's using as her inspiration:

When she packed for her initial visit, it wasn't too tough; wear 1 3-piece outfit, pack 2 more 3-piece outfits that go with each other, as well as what you wear while traveling. In theory, you could have as many as 36 outfits...

WELL... The director has an ill family member, and now must quarantine. And now our heroine has been invited ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting The Visit by Marie Laurencin

September 11, 2020 The Documents MUST Be Signed in Person...

Oh RATS. It's only a couple of hours to drive to their offices, but she's NOT going to make the trip there and back in 1 day!

So she makes her plan - she'll go for a couple of days, and take care of a few other small shopping errands that have been delayed for the last six months!

She finds a LOVELY hotel room, at a screaming discount. The night before her meeting, she drives down...

A quiet dinner near the hotel, unpacking, and reading for a bit fills her evening...

With all of the disruption to her life right now, having a travel capsule wardrobe that's so harmonious gives her a little bit of comfort:

She's on the fence ... View the Post