sweaters Archives - Page 3 of 8

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

Start with a Sweater: An L.L.Bean Fair Isle Sweater, and a 1 Piece at a Time travel wardrobe

December 10, 2021

I am asked 2 questions pretty often - how do you build a wardrobe around a specific garment, and how do you decide WHAT to pack?

This post is going to try to answer both questions!

First up, let's start with this classic sweater, perfect for this time of year in much of the Northern Hemisphere:

For me, the 1st step is to look, really look CAREFULLY, at the colors in our focus garment. You're looking for the easily seen, visible at a moderate distance colors.

Like these:

By now, you know full well that I'm going to go a bit nuts emphasizing how important your travel outfit is - you could easily have to wear it for 36 hours, so you need to love every stitch of it!

It's an obvious ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #38: A Neutral 2nd Layer

December 8, 2021

Time for another 2nd layer! In honor of all of the gift-giving occasions in the recent past and near future, I'm suggesting cashmere sweaters! (and yes, you can indeed purchase a gift for yourself? Who better to buy, and who better to receive?)

I'm recycling last week's skirts, showing them in a less dressy way. If you're going to own a skirt, you may as well get some mileage from it, right?

A simple, beautiful sweater can be worn with lots of things, and will always elevate your outfit by a notch or two; if I were to only own 1 sweater, it would be a black cashmere cardigan:

The same plaid skirt that you wore for a holiday neighborhood gather can be worn to work too....

The brown toile skirt ... View the Post

October 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

October 8, 2021

Life is almost back to normal; thank you SO MUCH for your patience, your kindness, your generosity, your lovely messages...

Before I jump in, I want to explain what I'm thinking with all of these white turtlenecks! But I really can't... I just kept feeling like each wardrobe needed 2 things - a bright accent color, and then a clean, bright neutral top to wear under it!

Many of us love accent colors that don't necessarily flatter us - this white turtleneck (or a white shirt with a collar) can change the impact of a color on your complexion dramatically.

And many of us find ourselves called upon to wear colors (because of work, sports, schools...) that aren't our very best. Breaking up the impact of something (like ... View the Post

I Love It, But Will I Wear It: Camel Silk Skirt

September 15, 2021

You asked, and so I will try to help! One among us is having a serious internal conversation about this skirt - it seems to check all of the right boxes for her wardrobe, but she's still hesitant. Are there really that many ways to wear a camel skirt?

Frankly, the answer is HECK yes...

This is the culprit:

This skirt has a LOT going for it - a classic color, in a pull-on style which can be worn as dressy or as casual as you want, in silk, which can be worn every day of the year. (yes, you might want a warm slip and some heavy tights...) It's lined, it has pockets, and IT'S MACHINE WASHABLE! What the heck else could we ask for - someone to come over and iron it for us?

Just off the top of my ... View the Post

September 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

September 6, 2021

yes, there's no Weekly Timeless Wardrobe this week; of course the schedule got tossed in the bin when my back started acting up! But this doesn't work out badly - the 13 weeks of Autumn clothing will nicely align with the dates that feel like Autumn to me...

When I looked at these wardrobes and pondered what I might want to add at this point, I was (as always!) drawn to a nice neutral sweater, something to wear under it sometimes, and a skirt. Of course, you can swap out the skirt for pants, the shirt for a tee shirt or lightweight layering turtleneck, and the v-neck sweater for crewneck, or cardigan, or whatever is best for you!

But I'm pretty thrilled with my finds for some of these ... View the Post

Are You Thinking of Autumn? A Rainbow of Sweaters…

August 20, 2021

For much of the Northern Hemisphere, the weather is still decidedly summer. But (I know I've said this before!), if you have a specific desire for your cool weather wardrobe, this is the time to look!

I think that this is especially true this year, because so many retailers are keeping inventories very small; I've been interested in items that - literally a day or 2 after my first look - will be sold out.

So let's dream about sweater weather!

This first ensemble has my name written ALL OVER IT... sigh...

For those among us who are eager to cuddle up in something warmly brown and gold, this might do the trick:

If you live in jeans, you can still look amazing!

Some of us try to avoid things ... View the Post

Can You Pack Nothing but Your Personal Uniform?

August 4, 2021

Yes, I am going to do the "6 Scarves, 12 Months" post on Friday! I've sort of lost track of what month it is; maybe the delay will make it a little bit easier to find things for that "back to school" feeling I always have in August!

But first, let's think about this interesting question that I received...

The gist? Our heroine knows what she likes to wear, but she feels like she should "mix it up" a bit when she travels.

To which my reply is HECK NO - stick with what makes you feel best, and what feels most like you when you get dressed. We all, collectively, need to move away from this idea that we must have a widely varied wardrobe!

She dresses like this in cooler weather:

I'm hypothesizing that our ... View the Post