sweaters Archives

I Love It, But Will I Wear It? A Bright Pink Fair Isle Sweater

December 14, 2020

My mail box often contains requests for assistance (or cries for help!), and this one seemed like a bright, cheery question to share. I personally adore Fair Isle sweaters, and this one is pretty gorgeous:

Rather than write a tale of glory about one of our heroines, I'm going to share my thought process as I try to answer our friend's question; I hope that's okay!

My first thought was that this is lovely, and a color combination that would flatter many of us, so my first inclination is to make this work!

Secondly, I looked more closely at the colors included here, and found 2 neutrals - white and navy. (okay, Diana Vreeland assures us that "pink is the navy blue of India" but I'm not in India...) And since ... View the Post

November 2020 Six Scarves, Twelve Months, Twelve Outfits

November 2, 2020

Oh my, THIS is massive...

Our heroines collectively looked over their growing wardrobes and realized that, if they continued to accumulate clothing 1 outfit at a time, their wardrobes would become more and more unbalanced.

So they went sweater shopping! And for some other tops too...

And some fun socks, because as cold weather sets in in the Northern Hemisphere, we will all be wearing socks frequently. Some of us see our toes only while in the shower for months on end...

This heroine went for 3 well-planned neutral choices, and then a wild-card floral shirt! Heavens yes...

It all fits in well:

And she already has new outfits planned:

This heroine has all kinds of choices right now! I ... View the Post

Is It Time for a Cold Weather Wardrobe Treat? A Whole Rainbow of Cashmere Sweaters…

August 25, 2020

A few people are still longing for summer clothes - I'm sorry, but they're getting to be SO hard to find in stores. As I may have mentioned in the past, I don't like to show you anything that isn't available in the full range of colors and sizes - why taunt you with things you can't have if you really want them? Thus, summer clothes are becoming difficult to share...

And a LOT of retailers are only bringing into stock the bare minimum of styles and colors for cooler weather - WHAT FUN IS THAT? We're stuck inside for most of our time, and we need cheer. Color! Brightness! Variety!

With that in mind, I'm sharing some lovely cashmere sweaters with you, along with a few other accessories to give you little accessory ... View the Post

Pantone London Autumn 2020/21 Colors – Some Accessory Families

July 8, 2020

I've wanted to look at some colors, and some accessory families, for a while! And if I'm not mistaken, Spring 2021 colors should be around soon? But I saw these colors - specifically for the London Fashion Week (go figure) and I thought I'd visit them....

Yes, some of these color are familiar; We looked at the New York version of these back in January!

This might be a good time for me to share with you a few of the things that I keep in mind when I'm putting together a blog post for you:

I try to avoid showing anything that isn't available in almost every size originally available; nothing's more irritating that seeing something that you really like, and finding that you can't have it! I try to never show ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 36: Textured, printed or patterned short-sleeved top

It's starting to feel (some days!) as if spring is on the way; I'm trying to have my wardrobe primed to go from the first hint of warmth...

A sweater with a bit of sparkle might be a fun little wardrobe update, eh?

As with last week, the only real goal here is to provide an additional "top" that gives you some variety. It's much harder to really find something with texture in warmer weather, but there are always interesting options like stripes, prints or maybe a touch of shine...

Even if it starts to become too warm to wear your silk scarf, you can always continue to build your wardrobe around the colors! (and don't discount the idea of tying your scarf to your handbag...)

Yes, the mint green sweater is NOT ... View the Post

March 2020 Six Scarves, Twelve Months, Twelve Outfits

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to wear a skirt! As the weather begins to flirt with spring, I become more and more eager to take my knees out for an airing...

So for March, I thought I would add skirts to these gradually growing wardrobes. Of course, if you don't wear skirts, you could easily substitute pants, shorts, capris, clam-diggers, etc etc...

Let's get started!

Most of the wardrobes this month are going to see a new neutral skirt and an accent sweater!

Adding an accent sweater to a growing wardrobe gives a fresh new look:

The 2 new garments this month blend in seamlessly, to give our heroine some fresh options:

Ah, THIS scarf screams spring to me...

And I'm finally finding pretty ... View the Post

New (?!?) Colors – Pantone New York Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2020/21 colors

So after the fashion shows in New York end, Pantone get their heads together to choose 10 MORE "new" colors...

Humbug.

But this is always fun to look at, and to imagine updating a Weekly Timeless Wardrobe of simple neutral clothes with these pretty, and sometimes VERY noticeable colors. This is a great time of year to indulge in a few pieces that give your existing winter wardrobe some life, and that bring a smile to your face!

This first color, which I call ORANGE, would be nice any time of year - this would be lovely and warm with beige, grey or navy in the middle of the winter:

This next color is SO PRETTY. It's a notch off of a "true" red, or something warm and tomato-y. With the classic loafers, and the feminine ... View the Post

I Love IT, but Will I Wear IT? Light Blue Cotton Tunic Sweater

This seems to have happened to quite a few of you this holiday season; you received a sweater as a gift, and you're not really sure what to do with it!

I've heard from a few people who are concerned that the only way they know to wear a new sweater is with jeans - especially if the sweater is blue. (apparently, LOTS of us consider blue our favorite color!)

Let me offer a few ideas...

First up, this is a great sweater - "sweatery" enough to wear all winter, but since it's cotton you can keep it in your closet forefront all year. Even in the heat of summer, you're going to go into a restaurant or store where they've got beef carcasses hanging somewhere.... (at least it FEELS that way, doesn't it?)

This sweater is available in ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 24: A Neutral or Accent 2nd Layer

December 9, 2019

Great heavens, it seems like it's Monday every 7 days...

This week I feel like looking at the wonderful versatility of a lovely cashmere cardigan. If you keep your eyes peeled, these are often on sale. It is well worth the wait!

How to choose a color? If you don't already have an obvious favorite accent color in mind, you could look at a scarf from which you'd like to get a bit more mileage (or a colored necklace?) and pick something happily compatible.

And no, it's not wrong to hint for a sweater for a gift! Nor to hint for a scarf... (insert big cheesy smile emoji here, in your mind!)

Yes, warm accents look lovely with cool colors. Look to nature, where warm and cool combinations are ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 23: A Textured Neutral Top

There are few garments I like more than a good sweater...

The only real guideline is keep it a solid neutral with something interesting going on!

A simple ribbed sweater, with some festive earrings and a fun brooch, can be all you need for a nice outfit!

Note that Talbots now is THE source for holiday/winter themed accessories. They have been a go-to place for these kinds of things for pretty much my entire life! Fun for you, fun for gifts!

If you want a sweater with a "woven-in" texture, search for cables or pointelle. This sweater actually includes BOTH terms in the description!

If you're attending one of those events where the door is constantly open, a cuddly sweater is a good call...

The ... View the Post

Dressing for the Winter Holidays – Festive but not Foolish

November 15, 2019

It's an indelible memory: a corporate holiday party, back in the 80's. Most of the women were wearing those silk jacquard dresses that were so easy to find back then. (mine was red, with a dropped waist, and a big bow on my left hip, at the dropped waist; the skirt was a bit flaired below the dropped waist, so that it moved when I danced. And THE SHOULDER PADS were a thing of wonder...)

One women showed up in strapless sequins. Oh my. I felt bad for her...

Since then, dressing for holiday events has been stressful for me; I've always been frightened that I would make that kind of "career limiting move," or otherwise just not fit in.

So let's be sensible, and intelligent in this planning, eh? Since ... View the Post

New Colors? The Pantone Colors for Spring/Summer 2020

Oh hurrah, new colors.... Which of course is absurd, but it always give us a chance to look at a whole bunch of French 5-Piece Wardrobes (which is also absurd...)

These are little ensembles of a sweater and some accessories, based loosely upon the colors that Pantone has chosen to feature for the upcoming Spring and Summer. The items that I've chosen do NOT match the Pantone colors exactly, because that's the road to madness!

First up - RED! Always available, and a color that you either love or just never wear...

Saffron is the "Color of the Year" for 2020. If you can wear it, jump in and stand out in the crowd - the rest of us will just stand back and admire...

This looks like a muted navy to me!

This might be ... View the Post