sweaters Archives - Page 4 of 6

Are You Interested in a New Accent Color? Pantone Autumn 2018 and some French 5-Piece Wardrobes

August 13, 2018

I think most of us wear the same accent colors for years at a stretch - I know that I've been wearing red and French blue since the 1980's...

But it's not that difficult to "test-drive" a new color for a season or 2 - you don't need to buy dozens of pieces to effectively incorporate a new color into your wardrobe; literally 3 to 5 items will do the trick!

So lets look at the "new" colors that Pantone has chosen for Autumn 2018, and see what we could do with them...

(yes, the idea of new colors is absurd - but I always like to take a look at what Pantone has chosen because it might give us some new ideas... and please note that a LOT of these pieces are VERY expensive - they're ideas, not necessarily a shopping ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – March 2018

March 1, 2018

Who couldn't be happy that it's finally March? (I swear, I think February might have been the longest month of my life!) Let's buy some sweaters and skirts, if only in our imaginations...

For some reason it's become a tradition for me to include canvas shoes or espadrilles with the outfits in March. Some of them are a stretch, I'll admit!

This wardrobe is unlike anything else I've ever assembled!

Seriously, couldn't someone get married in this outfit?

I think this is become really pretty...

There's something about stripes with dots... especially in navy! (and the espadrilles have little round perforations...)

I'm loving this one too... It all feels very easy to wear...

There was ... View the Post

Carnations! The “Birth Flower” for January…

Did you know that each month of the year has a flower associated with it, which is supposed to then be "the flower" for people born in that month?

I didn't know until just a few weeks ago...

So let's look at this! It's not going to be as easy as finding birthstones, but what the heck - let's see what's out there...

If you're patient, there are, in fact, quite a few different items that have a carnation "motif," or that are carnation pink in color... If you look really closely at many brocade fabrics (especially those of antique design) you'll see "gilly flowers" which are either going to be carnations, flat out, or close enough to work... This isn't an exact science!

Were I born in January, I'd be madly tempted to make the ... View the Post

November’s Birthstone is Topaz, or Citrine… Some Ideas!

October 30, 2017

I always love these months when we have a choice of stones - although November is a little bit strange because the average observer won't know the different between topaz and citrine... Which is a good thing; gold topaz aren't all that common, while citrine is pretty easy to find!

As usual, I'm starting with 6 really basic outfits in 6 neutral colors - 3 cool and 3 warm. Sweaters and corduroy pants are a good uniform this time of year in Chicago!

This first bracelet makes me swoon, just a little bit...

If you want to wear a "warm" stone with "cool" clothes, don't forget to look for stones set in silver, rather than gold - that balances the impression of the stones quite a bit.

And while we're remembering ... View the Post

Are You in the Mood for a New Sweater?

August 18, 2017

As soon as I saw these sweaters on the Uniqlo website, I knew that I wanted to share them with you. My only purchase for autumn is going to be a black cashmere crewneck - I feel like it occupies a really different place in a wardrobe than a v-neck sweater, because to me it's like the world's most luxurious tee shirt. It's dressy enough to stand up to the most lavish skirt or pants, but it's still simple and acts as a great background for a scarf or necklace. Plus, some of these colors are lovely...

These aren't the kind of cashmere sweaters that will make you gasp with astonishment - nobody will mistake this for Loro Piana! But they're very good value for money, and you don't have to become hysterical if something ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – April 2017

April 3, 2017

If you're new to this project, I encourage you to go back to the posts for the months of January, February and March to catch up with what we've accomplished so far...

This month, I'm pretending that spring is coming, and that it's warm enough to expose our ankles, but that we still are in the mood for a bit of sweater snuggling... (one could always wear a tee shirt, and tie the sweater around the shoulders...)

This first capsule wardrobe has had a lot of brown and black in it so far, so I decided to lighten things up considerably!

Somewhat the same story here - this wardrobe has been heavily dependent on beige as the neutral, and hasn't really addressed the lovely soft grey in the ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – March 2017

March 1, 2017

Always one of my favorite days of the month!

For no good reason I can explain, the earliest glimpses of spring make me want to wear a skirt, but not really get dressy. It's hard to explain, but I'm a firm believer that a skirt in a casual fabric can be a great substitute for shorts or pants; the world will think you're all dressed up, when in reality it's just a simple garment switch...

So - let's see what I found this month:

I really tried to find the perfect brown, black and grey scarf in "current production," but I finally realized that this Missoni scarf was going to be my choice. It's second-hand (but probably never worn, as is so often the case!); I have confidence that Missoni will do this color ... View the Post

How to Assemble a Warm-Weather Capsule Wardrobe – The Dandelion Cardigan

January 31, 2017

One of you has fallen in love....With a cardigan! And you're somewhat concerned that you won't wear it enough to make it worth the purchase...

This is the winsome object of her affections:

She assures me that she really loves the yellow, but has never worn it. And she's very devoted to her black and white neutrals:

I don't think she's going to have any problems at all - realistically, I think she need to maybe buy 1 thing for each of these outfits to pull everything together.In these first 2 outfits, she'll want to grab those delicious sandals, and the bracelets will be essential...

Another pair of yellow sandals might be overdoing it. Maybe. And the yellow tee shirt - assuming ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette – A Soupçon of Scarlet, with Six Neutrals

September 26, 2016 You asked for "soupçon," you get it!

If you're going to have a red sweater, why not a cozy cashmere cardigan? This is one of those garments that you could keep forever, and wear it mostly for Christmas and Valentine's Day, but there are a lot of other times when it could be just the ticket. Some gloomy day in November, when the sun has never shone...First up, scarlet and olive! This is a combination that might veer too far into the Christmas-y, if the green is too bright. (Which isn't a problem, unless you don't like the look.) However, this olive green mutes those holiday associations, and provides a good base for the brightness of the scarlet.

I've worn red with grey for years, and I've ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: April

April 1, 2016

What fun! I was really eager to get to these outfits, and see how the assembled capsule wardrobes continue to grow. For April, I was thinking of an outfit that provides a transition between seasons, and gives us a couple of solid basic garments (and some fun jewelry!).Capri or cropped pants are the kind of garment that can be worn twice a week for the next six months, so it's important to get these into your wardrobe early. I chose really basic neutrals for all six wardrobes, so there's lots of different ways for them to work for you.

A sweater might seem sort of counter-intuitive going into warm weather, but these sweaters are all either linen or cotton, so they can be tossed over your shoulders as necessary, without ... View the Post

One Sweater, Six Ways

June 16, 2015 Sometimes I get the best surprises! The lovely people at House of Fraser send me the nicest sweater/top... a layered look, with a subtle white and grey underlayer - a great weight to wear on cool summer days, but something that will carry through beautifully into cooler weather. Thanks, House of Fraser people! This is the lovely goodie:

I'm an avowed believer that you should KNOW how you're going to wear something before you buy it, although in this case, since it was a gift, I let myself off the hook. But, of course, as soon as I opened my package, I was scheming... These were a few of my thoughts - everything from the dressiest silk pants or skirt, to grey jeans on weekends, or ... View the Post

A Mid-Winter Refresh: Cashmere Sweaters for All Seasons

January 31, 2015

Fear not, I'm FAR from finished with Start With Art. (frankly, it's a theme that I will never stop doing - it's just too beautiful, and too much fun)But there are so many really lovely cashmere sweaters on sale right now - for those of us who are growing MADLY tired of winter, and our winter clothes, this is a great time to grab a well-considered and carefully integrated new sweater into our wardrobes. (mine is a red cotton cabled crewneck, which will have legs far into the spring...)

If you're in the market for some winter clothes to brighten up the end of the season, it's well worth browsing sites like The Outnet, Saks Off 5th, or Neiman Marcus Last Call. Major retailers are dying to get ... View the Post