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May 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Based on Winter Cottonwoods by Georgia O’Keeffe

May 4, 2026

I'm back from a college graduation in Boston - at Fenway Park! It was freezing cold - pants and coats were the order of the day...

Today, we're going to look at making a small adjustment in this wardrobe. Originally, I had pictured that our heroine would have a color palette like this - long on yellow and brown, with grey accents:

As we look for additions to this wardrobe, it becomes evident that this much yellow was going to be a LOT of yellow. First up, yellow's not all that easy to wear, even if it flatter you. And secondly, it's not that easy to find!

So after a bit of thought, our heroine made a change in the proportions of colors she desired in her wardrobe:

She might change it again. These things ... View the Post

March 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Based on Ruffled Autumn Clouds by Emile Nolde

March 4, 2026

Give me your honest opinion: is there white in this painting - in the yellow areas? This heroine could use some white at some stage - especially when the weather heats up!

This is our ambitious heroine's wardrobe color palette - perfect for fitting in AND standing out, all at the same time:

At the end of February, our heroine had assembled a 12-piece wardrobe that wasn't foolproof (mixing her accent colors might get weird!), but that's very versatile. One thing that she discovered is that she really likes getting a shirt AND a sweater AND a tee shirt in the same color, if possible.

So when March rolls around, she spies the yellow sweater and knows that this month, yellow is the accent color. ... View the Post

Interested in a Bright Accent for Spring? Start With a Yellow Cashmere Cardigan from Alex Mill

February 18, 2026

If you look good in yellow, treating yourself to a truly lovely yellow cardigan could be a wise move. You can wear it pretty much all year (okay, except for the dead heat of the summer!), and it's a color that brings cheer to anything you wear with it!

For today's experiment with this sweater, I've chosen navy (and dark-ish denim) as our neutral, and included both white and stone. And because a chambray shirt is among the most versatile garments you can own, I included it too!

So this is our palette - chambray isn't shown here, but I think we can assume that every wardrobe includes shades of denim blue, eh?

Here's an example of how versatile chambray and stone can be - I don't believe that there's a ... View the Post

Ready to Start Thinking Spring? Start With Art – Book Illustration by Goyo Hashiguchi

February 16, 2026

It's not quite spring here, although I hear from some of you that flowers are starting to show?!?!?

But it IS the second half of February, which, for the forward-thinking and wise heroine, means starting to look for clothes for warmer weather. The best things sell quickly, especially if you wear a common size...

Our heroine was here last summer...

First, and always most important, let's pause for just a second and appreciate this:

Our heroine has chosen these colors for her wardrobe; it might seem limited, but there's a lot of possibilities if one is patient and focused. We all might want to focus and develop a more signature, personally authentic style...

We're going to start our heroine's Spring ... View the Post

The Impact of a New Accent Color: Start With Art – In Northern Mists by Erik Werenskiold

January 28, 2026

Monday's very pink wardrobe was a success - except there was cloud cover the ENTIRE weekend she was with her friend.

So they're going to try again...

Remember, this is the illustration upon which we're basing all of this week's travel capsule wardrobes:

Our heroine has a denim-focused wardrobe, with three pastel accent colors:

They're trying to encourage clearer skies, so our heroine is focusing on yellow, and sunny earrings!

As a reminder, this is the Six-Pack Plan that she's going to try to select for her second weekend with her new friend:

She's not trying to convince her friend that she has an endlessly large wardrobe, so she packs a lot of the same clothing as before. People who ... View the Post

Want a Fresh Palette? Start With Art – Door of Light by Akada Misao

October 30, 2024 Just For the Night... They tell her that's all she needs to do - just meet with the core workers, take the whole staff to dinner, and then come back the next day.

Unless she gets stuck, because of air traffic, or a strike, or volcanoes...

She's not THRILLED about the trip, so she decides to be inspired by something as unlike work as possible:

She seldom wears yellow. But she's in the mood to shake things up a bit, so this is going to be her color palette. She knows that for a longer trip, she could easily add lots of beige, and bits and pieces of green...

It's not a madly dressy office, so she knows that she doesn't have to dress up. Comfortable pants will make all the difference if she's stuck on a ... View the Post

Love the Primary Colors? Start with a Scarf – the Rufai Zakari Silk Scarf by Echo

June 24, 2024

Okay, I think this is spectacular:

And I know the woman who wears this scarf - she embraces the primary colors, with black and white, and lives with a wardrobe that's truly foolproof. This is her palette:

Packing is simple for her, as is getting dressed every day - reach into closet (in dark, with eyes closed - why not?) and get dressed...

But she does want to be sure that she doesn't pack four dresses (well, maybe...) or four pairs of shorts! So she start with complete outfits. More and more I'm thinking that packing outfits that are part of the same family is a great way to assemble a travel capsule wardrobe - do you agree?

An outfit that can span moderate to warm temps is sensible:

Something ... View the Post

A Big Multi-Destination Trip? Start with a Scarf – Michela Picchi scarf by Echo

March 13, 2024

One of you has a BIG trip coming up - a week in New York, and then a yacht cruise!

WHERE TO START?

For me, I'm thinking that a color palette is a good place to start...

I'm particularly drawn to this scarf for this particular trip, because it includes the black that seems almost obligatory for New York (although I can assure you that it really isn't...), and then includes white for the cruise. Although, of course, this heroine is going to be able to wear ALL of her colors at both destinations.

The turquoise is perfect for this time of year, as is the yellow. This really could be the ideal color palette!

First up, let me state that for a trip this varied and this long, I assume laundry. At least once. ... View the Post

Preparing for Spring: Start with a Bracelet – Voyage to Santorini by Fierce Lynx Designs

January 29, 2024

It's certainly not Spring yet (in the Northern Hemisphere!), but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't start planning...

Our heroine is going to travel at least once this spring, for long weekends to destinations that might be warm, and that might be cool-ish... That's sort of the charm of spring, isn't it?

So while you could certainly plan a glorious summer travel wardrobe around these color (turquoise and white for DAYS...), you can also enjoy the feel of the colors in clothes that aren't all linen, cut for 30 degrees Celsius...

So our heroine is sensible - a fun striped top, but with sleeves, and a snappy striped sweater...

A dress (that comes in a stack of colors!) that just screams "sunny day," ... View the Post

A “Two-Neutral” Capsule Wardrobe? Start With Art – Five Women by Max Beckmann

September 25, 2023

I don't generally think of Max Beckmann for wardrobe inspiration - his paintings always feel very cluttered and busy. But this one has a special charm:

Our heroine really wants some variety in how she can dress this fall - as much as she loves black, she wants to be able to wear quite a bit of "beige/tan/oatmeal" too...

She wasn't sure that this was something that one is allowed to do (what folly!) until she saw this painting, and realized that she would LOVE these colors:

She's very organized - the first thing she wants to be certain of is that her black wardrobe core is perfect:

Next, she very carefully selects her oatmeal/camel/buttercream/twig grouping - four garments, four color names! But ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Beige with Warm Accents – Start with a Scarf: The Curiosity Cabinet Silk Scarf by Emily Carter

June 16, 2023

The Annual Pollinators Study Conference

It's just a couple of days - mostly scientists who work in VERY specialized fields, talking about bugs! How to count them, how to help them thrive, how to encourage new and different insects to step into the void of dying populations...

She's a bit of a star in this world!

She's spearheading the information campaign about the possibility of ants as pollinators - it's not something that will be a worldwide solution, but in small areas it may work...

Her silk scarf is amazing - this designer does scarves from paintings...

When she decided to attend the conference (as if she serious might miss it!), she chose her favorite scarf as the theme for her wardrobe; ... View the Post

Accessorizing! Adding to a Navy, Green & Yellow Wardrobe

November 28, 2022

It has only been a few days - I'm sure you remember the wardrobe that we looked at last Wednesday!

I left that heroine with almost no accessories...

My favorite approach to adding accessories to a wardrobe is to choose a range of outfits, and then accessorize each outfit with what they need. After the 2nd outfit, I find that I can start re-using shoes, at least!

If you can find a lovely pair of shoes in your accent color, consider grabbing them! Some of us don't feel comfortable with accent shoes, but other people look amazing in them:

A seasonal brooch and a dressy bag will make it possible to wear an otherwise "not really dressy" outfit to all kinds of events:

Accent socks! And a scarf ... View the Post