sweaters Archives - Page 3 of 8

Part 2 August 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

August 3, 2022

Have any of you done enough shopping that you can see the trends for this autumn?

I've seen tons of clogs. Literally tons. I know that they're very comfortable for people who work in hospitals, so I would assume that everybody might find them comfortable... Maybe if you need shoes, they are worth trying?

And someone, somewhere, put together a million miles of smocked fabric! Not the traditional smocking, like we used to do on gingham fabrics, where you would join together certain squares in the print with stitching to create beautiful patterns...

Nope - this smocking is machine stitched fabric that is gathered with elastic thread. There's nothing inherently wrong with this fabric, except that you can't swing a ... View the Post

Part 1 August 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

August 1, 2022

We're going to have to do the "Six Scarves, 12 Months" posts in segments this month, because it's just THAT difficult... I hate not finishing in 1 post, but I have to admit when I can't finish in time!

This is a great lesson for how to handle shopping when everything in the marketplace seems to conspire against you.

In a "normal" year, I could easily expect to see piles of cashmere sweaters in 30 colors all OVER the retail world - but not this year...

Websites should be chock-full of cabled sweaters, and corduroy pants, and tweed blazers, and all of the traditional garments of autumn. But not this year!

It might be reluctance to stock merchandise that may not appeal - nobody's really sure how people are going ... View the Post

Indulging in Jackets and Sweaters

July 20, 2022 I think this might qualify as a "Sometimes Extravagant Wednesday"... Treating Yourself... I know that dressing in a solid column is somewhat controversial, but it's also so popular that I wanted to see what possibilities could be found for both navy and olive...

Getting dressed is easier when you wear a solid column every day, but if you're looking for things like matching loafers, you might find that shopping can be challenging!

For a heroine committed to wearing her column, she might have tiny wardrobe of pants and shirts, and then TONS of sweater and jackets, scarves, and nifty shoes...

There are so many color possibilities - I can't think of any color that she couldn't wear with navy!

Everything from relaxed ... View the Post

May 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

May 2, 2022

Let's visit our gradually growing wardrobes, based on beautiful scarves from PJ Studio Accessories!

This month, it was SO easy to shop for this wardrobe! I can't imagine how I personally would get through the summer without a shirtdress in a light fabric...

Each of these wardrobes now includes 19 garments - pretty much enough to get through the summer! If you're inclined to participate in the "21 Garments, 21 Days" challenges, any of these wardrobe plus a couple of tops would get you through the next 21 days pretty easily. Yes, some of these garments are skewed a bit toward cooler weather; some substitutions might be needed...

All the shoes you might need - from boots to sandals!

How might ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year

April 25, 2022

When I started working on this post, it was pouring rain in Chicago. I mean pouring buckets and barrels and VATS of rain...

The next day, the temperature is over 20C, and quite lovely. If the wind doesn't (literally) blow you over...

Which made me realize yet again that there are really more than 4 season in the year; they've apparently always know that in Japan!

So I'm very intrigued by the idea of 24 Seasons - which are divided into 72 wee mini-seasons! I'll stick with this 24 for now, but I never rule out doing something fun with 72 seasons!

My thinking, at this early stage: an outfit for each mini-season, 3 garments. That would be a 72-garment wardrobe - considerably smaller than what I currently ... View the Post

April 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

April 1, 2022

I SO wanted to put dresses into these wardrobes, but (1) we've looked at lots of dresses recently, and (2) I sort of feel like skirts are more versatile. I should think about that, huh?

Let's start with golden leaves against a bright blue sky! (since it's snowing in Chicago as I write this - talk about April fools...)

After much searching, I found the perfect silk skirt! This could be worn a ton of different ways...

Each wardrobe now has 16 garments - I suspect we could pull together a pretty tidy "4 by 4" wardrobe from these...

And each wardrobe now has 12 accessories - this is SO INCREDIBLY WRONG in my world... I suspect that lots of accessories will be showing up in the next few months!

As ... View the Post

A Personal Uniform Inspired by Art: Resting by Paul Klee

March 28, 2022

It's been her favorite painting for a long time; she never thought of it as anything more than just calm beauty...

She uses the painting as the "wallpaper" on her laptop - she loves catching a glimpse of it during her work day!

Then, one day, she realized that she was wearing something quite a bit like "her" painting - at least the colors were VERY similar:

Suddenly, everything looked different! She began to image what she might wear to that event coming up very soon...

She has been thinking for ages about HOW to dress up her denim dress just a little bit - suddenly it was obvious:

As the weather began to warm up, and she started to look for a couple of new outfits, she kept her new ... View the Post

March 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

March 2, 2022

It's pretending to be spring here in Chicago! Not quite tee shirt weather, but close...

I looked at the 10-piece wardrobes that we had on hand at the end of February, and concluded that what was most needed right now are tops - specifically, a cardigan and 2 tee shirts...

I think I will be adding neutral tee shirts to all of these wardrobes... and maybe a fun accent tee shirt. And I know that we've seen this cardigan before, but it's a tough one to resist!

This wardrobe now has a lot more options...

If you're a fan of the Queen of England, take a close look at this scarf; it's a tribute to her 70th anniversary. (no political observations, please!)

Some of this heroine's new ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #50: An Accent 2nd Layer

February 28, 2022

Either you deserve a new sweater because you've made it this far into the winter without going crazy, or because your autumn is just beginning and you are ready to get in the mood!

But an accent 2nd layer - with or without a coordinating tee shirt or blouse - can bring a lot of new life to your cool weather wardrobe...

note: all of these pants are the same as I shared last week; you should be able to wear a good pair of pants a dozen different ways!

This might be a smart time to grab a cotton cardigan and lightweight tee shirt - these pieces would be useful WELL into the early summer:

A pretty spring color can give you a little bit more mileage for your corduroy pants:

You don't HAVE to ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #49: A Textured Top

February 21, 2022

Sweaters! By the time late February rolls around, many of us are SICK of our sweaters...

A new sweater, with some texture or pattern, might be all it takes to get us through 'til Spring without deciding to wear bathrobes 24/7...

And if you find something in a lovely color, that you could wear well into the Spring, all the better!

I would wear this entire outfit in a (ahem...) heartbeat:

Maybe the end of winter is easier to tolerate if you have a brightly warm-hued sweater, and a cheery wee neckerchief!

note the angle at the neckline of the scarf, with the rooflines on the scarf...

Mixed textures is an easy and low-key way to bring some interest into your wardrobe; don't forget the ... View the Post

Accessories “Families” based on Pantone’s Spring 2022 colors

January 12, 2022

It's time to look at some "new" colors. (Yes, I never cease to be amazed by the hubris of calling a color "new"...)

But the announcement of these colors does give us a chance to think about what accent colors we prefer, and what we might want to consider. During these VERY short days (in the Northern Hemisphere!), which are very VERY cold, something to brighten up your wardrobe routine isn't crazy...

Please note, when you're shopping for socks, make absolutely sure that you're ordering what you have in mind - some socks are NOT meant to be worn with shoes! They're for lounging, or sleeping, or maybe worn under heavy boots. Trying to get a pair of those into a trim little loafer is going to be disappointing... ... View the Post

I Love It, But Will I Wear It? Cream Space-Dyed Crewneck Sweater

January 7, 2022

I recently received a plea for some ideas about how to wear a really nice sweater...

They're currently calling this type of pattern "space-dyed;" I would have described it as variegated. Back in my youth, you could buy yarn or embroidery thread that was like this, in all sorts of color combinations...

But the young people must have their own terms, right?

Right off the bat, I was sure that this would be lovely with rust, blue or green because those colors are very easily seen in this sweater, even from a distance.

But just for fun, let's look closely!

I have to warn you - just because a color is present within a garment doesn't automatically mean that wearing that color WITH said garment will be ... View the Post