warm weather Archives - Page 32 of 37

Start with Art: Abstract by Nicolas de Stael

February 15, 2014 This beautiful work is Abstract, by Nicolas de Stael, and these cool, subtle colors are amazing for the upcoming summer. First, I'm looking for a neutral from within this painting. If you're comfortable wearing white, or if you have a good relationship with your dry cleaner, I would start with the crisp clarity of white for the initial four summer garments. Sandals that pair white with silver, and some silver loafers, might be all the change you need to update your existing wardrobe in this direction. If you're nervous about wearing this much white, substitute the deepest petrol blue...

If you've got budget and ambition to add to this summer wardrobe, look to the cool ... View the Post

A Variety of Colors: A Simple Summer Wardrobe

February 13, 2014 I've been thinking a lot about how to plan a wardrobe that gives you options for a wide variety of accent colors. There are other way to go about this, and I'm going to figure them out, but my very first thought was the following. Here's what your summer wardrobe will look like, after we've worked out way through the steps.

Assuming that you're going to be carrying over a few garments from your cold weather wardrobe, I've pulled together this core of four in grey. I'm also including neutral footwear - canvas sneakers, and a simple pair of suede loafers.

As much as I know that the point of this is to introduce lots of accents, I think it's pretty important that we ... View the Post

Warm Weather Travel in Brown and Pink – Step by Step

February 11, 2014 What are you going to pack?? You need to know the answers to three questions: (1) How long am I going to be away? (2) What am I going to be doing? and (3) What kind of weather can I expect? Then you have to choose your colors. The easiest way to do this is determine what trousers you want to wear for travel, and build around that. Having the right travel outfit is the most important choice! In this case, it's monochromatic khaki/tan, with accents of deep rose... Having a cardigan for travel helps you adjust to changing temperatures, gives you something to wrap around little peeps who need a cuddle, and helps cover up any unexpected ... View the Post

Warm Weather in Navy and Pink: A Long Weekend, or a Week?

February 8, 2014 Ooh, it's nice to dream of summer clothes and warmer destinations! Some of you are headed out with family for vacations that suggest shorts, capris, and flowing summer skirts and dresses, and the colors navy and pink are ALWAYS requested! So here's a plan that starts with a long weekend, and then adds key garments if your trip is longer than that. Always, for travel, I will recommend long pants, real shoes with toes and heels, and a cardigan - I always find airplanes are cold... This outfit has the added benefit of giving you two core garments in navy around which you can work throughout your vacation.

A couple of pretty skirts, a pair of shorts, a dress (that will ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: “A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” by Jan Toorop

January 3, 2014

This painting is currently at the Art Institute of Chicago, as part of the Celia and David Hilliard Collection exhibit. I'm not sure if it's oil - I suspect it might be pastel - but it captivates me immediately...My impressions from this were of warmth, and simplicity - clear lines and powdery soft colors, with matte finishes.

“A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” – Jan Toorop, blue topaz ring – Zayd Makarim, blue linen tee shirt – Isabel Marant Etoile, natural linen shorts – Comme des Garcons, denim blue sandals – Popet seafoam linen dress – Paul Smith, scarf – U-NI-TY, silver sandals – Dr. Scholl’s

“A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” – Jan ... View the Post

Petrol Black and White for Uncertain Weather: A 12-Pack for Mostly Warm Weather

December 16, 2013

You probably remember that we started last Friday with a core of six garments that would be suitable for a long weekend, and then on Saturday, I expanded the capsule travel wardrobe to a 12-pack, for cooler weather. Now I'm going to do basically the same thing, only oriented toward a much warmer visit...Again, six carefully-chosen garments:

Shorts - I like white, but you could easily choose black or petrol. A great printed tee shirt that includes all three of your colors. A beautiful fluid top in your accent color, and A skirt that combines your accent color and either of your neutrals. Another top - dressier than a tee shirt - that can be worn with either of your neutrals, and A ... View the Post

Petrol, Black and White: A Six Pack for Uncertain or Changing Weather

December 13, 2013 Maybe the question I am asked most frequently - how do I pack when I'm not sure what the weather will be, or when I know that I'm going from cold to warm (or warm to cold) temperatures? Things to keep in mind:

Avoid any garment that's overtly "one climate" - like a bulky cable knit sweater, or a filmy linen tunic. Try as much as possible to choose what you pack from that middle-ground of transitional clothes. Consider:

merino sweaters (or cotton, or silk, or a blend of these), cotton blouses and tee shirts, pants in flat finish fabrics like crepe, twill or gabardine, and dresses that can be layered under a sweater or worn alone.

Plan around a color scheme that will be ... View the Post

Transition: Whatever’s Clean in Navy and Pink

Ah, we're all pretty interested in how to shift from warm weather to cool. Even if it's not yet time to actually WEAR cool-weather clothes, it's nice to have a plan in which we can do a bit of shopping and look forward. So starting in August, we have this wardrobe:

Sleeveless and shorts seem like natural items to phase out (although that sleeveless navy top, with the navy cardigan, really is 12 month...). So these would be the garments that would be slowing down:

Add in some jeans, a striped jersey, and a long-sleeved pink shirt in a pretty floral...

By October, you've got to say goodbye to the white pants, and it might be time to look for something to take the place of your white tee shirt, and your ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333 continues, with 3 substitutions

July 11, 2013

Now that I'm home during the day, I've found that I don't need to dress like a serious business executive all of the time, and I'm able to indulge my fondness for ballet-ish garments, and a lot of dark neutral colors. I find that being able to have a simple, monochromatic wardrobe makes sense for me... This month's additions: the most excellent Preloved tee shirt that I bought in Toronto, a charcoal tank top from Eileen Fisher, and a pair of black skirted leggings. You either LOVE, or HATE, skirted leggings. I've found that I love them - they're comfortable, flattering, and just unusual enough that they make me happy.

This was what I was using for Project 333. I ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: White

June 27, 2013 As soon as the weather warms up, white clothes are a common choice, even in Chicago. I personally would be more likely to go out naked than to wear white - especially a white dress, but I admire many of these choices. They bring a freshness to summer, and color to the streets. And note that there are, indeed, a pair of leggings in the mix here. Worn, modestly, with a tunic that covers all of the anatomically graphic bits...

Pink cardigan – L.K.Bennett, Earrings-Shanny Alon, White pique dress- Damsel in a dress, Pink ballet flats-Ras, White sheath – Dorothy Perkins, Purple belt – Ralph Lauren, Purple tote – Lacambra, Purple jacquard sandals – ... View the Post

Chic sighting: Mixing bright colors, with metallic shoes

May 15, 2013

Yesterday was the first truly spring-like day here in Chicago. This was the kind of outfits that I saw often on the street - bright colors, floral sleeveless tops, and metallic flats. Bright and springy, but still very appropriate for most offices!

orange and pink tank - Topshop, orange cardigan - Mango, Pink chinos- Levi's Made & Crafted, gold flats - Rocket Dog, yellow and green tank - Madewell, green cardigan - Paul Smith, yellow capris - Erika Cavallini

blue tank - Uniqlo, blue cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, hot pink capris - Miu Miu, green tank - Uniqlo, mint cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, lavender capris - Mother Denim, silver ... View the Post

Packing for a warm-weather vacation, in red & navy

May 13, 2013

This was an interesting question - how do you pack if you want to carry on your bag, and you're on one of those airlines with a really LOW, and really STRICT, weight limit? (At least the destination was a warm weather vacation spot...) My first advice was to get the lightest bag possible - nylon, with no structure at all. You should consider lining it with dry cleaning bags, or packing your clothes in plastic bags, because these bags are not waterproof. Beyond that, a very few items of clothing, in silk, linen or cotton. No jeans -they weight too much! The other aspect of this request that really piqued my interested was the desire to wear navy, red and white - a color combination ... View the Post