Why yes, I did miss week 9! and I don’t have any clear recollection what I wore that week, which is as it should be… Oddly enough, my life does NOT revolve around what I wear…I’ve long been convinced that, so long as you are appropriate and attractive, nobody really pays too much attention to what you’re wearing, day in and day out. So I thought I’d test that theory by wearing head-to-toe black clothes for a week, paired with a scarf in the same design, but different colors, each day for a week.
I didn’t expect ANYBODY to notice that the scarves were the same design, but I did sort of think that 5 solid days with a scarf would elicit comment. And I sort of wondered if anybody would think I’d fallen into a deep depression if I wore black continuously.
Belovedest didn’t even notice. If anybody DID notice, they didn’t say anything (and in my office, someone would have said something…)
love,
Janice
I probably have said it be before, but your collection of scarves is stunning. They elevate every outfit to something special. I love wearing a scarf almost daily. My neck is always cold –I'm part giraffe ;) …
Fascinating experiment! I'm curious about how you tied the scarves. Did you wear them the same way each day or did you use different styles?
I love what you've done today with black! With a new puppy, I immediately thought of how many lint brushes it would require for me to copy this look. Currently I'm finding it easier to just dress in the colors of my dog's hair. Have you ever been asked to build a wardrobe around a dog's coat colors? If not, I'm submitting my request to match a white and red English bulldog. :)
I appreciate and look forward to your posts each morning. Your style and sense of humor are a wonderful start to my day.
"Have you ever been asked to build a wardrobe around a dog's coat colors?"
This comment made me smile! :)
Janice, I just wanted to say what a wonderful guide you are to the wardrobe-lost, like me. I've been doing a major clean out and one thing is very clear – total disorganization – looks like I just went out and bought a bunch of random garments with no plan, no-co-ordination. Oh the mis-matches between my bags and my coats/jackets…..how did this happen! Hard to believe that I'm actually very well organized in other areas of my life. Guess I never took the time or paid enough attention to what I was wearing.
I'm retired now and can't afford, in many ways, to keep doing this. My life is much more casual than yours right now, don't need all those work clothes but the principles are the same, right? Once I'm down to what still works for me, I can use your concepts to build a wardrobe that I won't have to think much about, it will just do it's job. I'm finding that making lists is helping to bring things into focus. As well as reading your blog and absorbing the visual lessons. Thank you.
I notice you often show outfits with both a scarf AND a necklace as accessories. I'm curious as to how you wear/tie the scarf so the necklace shows. However I do it, the necklace always gets lost under the scarf, never to be seen.
Martha
For scarf tying including tying with jewelry, may I suggest Mai Tai's Picture book, especially the post called "Scarf and Pearls How To"?
http://www.maitaispicturebook.com
Hope this is helpful!
Janice, I once worked with a librarian who wore black every day for six months. It took me several weeks to notice! She was in mourning for her father. She had been reared in an upper-class Italian family, and it was evidently still the done thing to wear mourning for close relatives. (She also wrote the former king of Italy to notify him of her father's death!!)
I have the same question as Fiddlestyx…………….I have never been able to make a scarf and necklace work together. I think the look is fabulous and would appreciate a little "how to make it work" advice.
Thank you for all the wonderful inspiration!!
Love all these outfits! I think black is so "normal" no one would question all black. I think if you wore nothing but purple or bright yellow for a week you might get a different reaction though.
I want to third Fiddlestyx's question! And raise it…how do you tie those standard size silk square scarves? Your blog made me love scarves this winter but I can only tie the oblong kind. I've had zero luck getting the squares to work, and even no luck finding guides. Even on YouTube, all the videos I find are about either the oblong kind or really huge squares that can roll up like oblong.
Finally, wow you must love that scarf design to get it in all colors!
I'm surprised no one at all commented on your all black week, unless you already wear a lot of black anyway. I love black, wear it all the time, but if I go all black too many days in a row I get comments from my sweetheart and family, along the lines of 'did somebody die?' I wonder if you did the same experiment in the summer if you'd get more comments?
Oh, I totally would have noticed, especially with the scarves….I'm THAT person when it comes to textiles.
And the suggestion to repeat this experiment in summer is a great one.
Hi Janice, love your blog! Even before reading the other comments, I wanted to ask the same question about the necklace with the scarf. So I'm the fourth. I think it would be beautiful, but how fo you do it? I've been meaning to ask this for some time.
We must be on the same wavelength, because last Thursday I decided to wear an all-black outfit with the a scarf as the only accessory.
black silk rib knit v-neck sweater, old Dana Buchman
black straight leg Gerard Darel pants
black heeled oxfords very much like the ones in your picture
Missoni silk twill scarf in pinks, teal and white
I thought the whole thing worked very well, and boy was it easy to get dressed! I hadn't thought of a whole week's worth of black outfits, but maybe I'll do that before Spring officially arrives.
PS: I also wanted to say that I don't wear black but I have similar pieces in navy. I think I'll try this for a week to see if anyone notices ;) and I agree with Sisty- it should be real easy to get dressed each day!
My problem with all black, is getting the shades of black to match as one.
I would love to wear all black in separates but how do you get them to work together?
This has been something that I have tried to make work for me but can't seem to get it "together". Does anyone out there have any input?
All my black stuff is different textures – knits, velvet, corduroy etc. so I guess I've never noticed if it's not exactly the same color. And I was all my dark stuff in Woolite for darks, which seems to keep it all in the same general color family. Maybe you're looking too closely? It's hard, when we have high standards, and are attentive to details, to accept that some things can just blend rather than match exactly.
Why would anyone own 5 Hermes scarves of the same pattern?
I am guilty of having the same style of flats in about ten colors. I don't know if after reading that Jackie O would frequently buy the same articles in numerous colors that I picked up that trait, but no one is the wiser when I switch colors.
Must be because they really like the design>
Did some serious retail therapy this weekend and it was so easy. I am committed to black, white, and gray with either pink or aqua for a pop of color. So, shopping … everything I bought will work. As we move from winter to early spring I am adding a bit more aqua (lots for summer) and lighter pinks, so I was able to pick up some end-of-season lighter weight winter sweaters that I can wear on into early May and slowly transition from the darker to the lighter in the same family.
Not a single thing that I didn't love. Not a single thing that will end up in the Goodwill bag in three months. I love you!
Love, love, love that scarf in black!
So brilliant, but easy! As usual! I wonder, have you ever thought of doing a man's wardrobe now and then? My husband is losing weight and clearing things out. Soon he will have to rebuild and he's at a bit of a loss…admittedly, so am I. You've helped me work out my own wardrobe, but even with limited pieces, we have so many lengths of pants and skirts with which to play. Just a thought!
-Minda
HI Janice, Just popped over to pay my respects! I was talking about you with our mutual friend Tish Jett; me saying how much I'd need someone like you to re-organise my wardrobe … my life actually! And Tish answering, that yes, Janice has a real gift and what's more she's such a lovely person!!
Anyway, just wanted to say how much I love all these wardrobe combinations that you put together, thank you!
Sharon
x
All these scarves look different, even though they are the same pattern. Would you share the pattern name? And, would you share what went through your mind in deciding to acquire this many scarves of the same pattern (but different colorways)?
I also don't worry about my black matching exactly.
Great post! I love the posts which show what you really wear.