In my one-woman crusade to encourage the wearing of jewelry, today we’ll look at some possible additions to various Starting From Scratch capsule wardrobes.
This addition doesn’t necessarily mean shopping; it’s entirely possible that these beauties are already lurking in jewelry boxes or dresser drawers. Let’s bring them into the light!
And you all know that I’m a firm opponent of the “it bag” phenomenon, but I do believe that having more than one bag is entirely reasonable. A bag in one of your accent colors, or in each of your neutrals, isn’t outrageous, especially if the bags serve different purposes, or if they make you really happy! (which, after all, is the whole point of your wardrobe)
Ms. Caramel and Black found a bracelet with her two neutrals included – how fortuitous! With this color scheme, searching for keywords “onyx” and “tortoise” could never be wrong. (just make sure the tortoise is synthetic, of course!)
Earrings – Michael Michael Kors, gold hoop earrings – Lauren Ralph Lauren, brooch – Lanvin, bracelet – Fendi, necklace – John and Pearl, bag – Diane von Furstenberg
Coral print stud earrings – anzu jewelry, pearl earrings – Lee Renee, brooch – Alexis Bittar, bracelet – Alexis Bittar, onyx necklace – toosis, tote bag – chissene
If, like La Femme Brown and Beige, you like browns, don’t forget to search for smoky quartz, which is brown with great oomph. And an accent blue bag? If it’s truly your favorite color, you can carry it forever!
Hoop earrings – Alexis Bittar, quartz leaf earrings – Toosis, brooch – Luisa Viaroma, bracelet – Givenchy, necklace – Oliver Bonas, bag – Ferragamo
Pretty pastel jewelry is delightful, and a gorgeous, classically designed navy bag will never go out of style. (this one’s half price right now…)
Silver earrings – Anne Klein, pink earrings – Lagos, pink amethyst brooch – Alok Jain, bracelet – Anne Klein, pendant – Lee Renee, bag – Brooks Brothers
If you love turquoise, make sure that you’re consistent with your shades of turquoise, or that you’re sure you don’t care – turquoise can vary from very pale to quite intense, like these earrings. And picture this brooch on the lapel of the gorgeous maroon coat.. mmm…
Turquoise earrings = Ippolita, garnet earrings – Khun Boom, leather brooch – Hoss Intropia, bracelet – Argento Vivo, necklace – Maria Calderara, bag – Sondra Roberts
Warm yellow diamonds, soft green earrings, a whimsical brooch and a timeless enamel bracelet – sometimes jewelry is so much fun! If you adore soft green, there’s a stone called amazonite that you’ll want to remember to look for…
Silver and amazonite earrings – Alexis Bittar, gold hoop earrings – Argento Vivo, brooch – Brooks Brothers, enamel bracelet – Hermes, yellow diamond necklace – Allurez, bag – Marc by Marc Jacobs
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Brilliant , but so hard to pick your core colors. I am wondering, what happens as ones hair coloring changes to gray. What do you suggest? What has worked for me for a life time, might not be the best choice as I turn to gray.
Karen
Beautiful…in every capsule, it was the brooches which caught my eye.
Thank you so much for this series! I am building – or replacing – my wardrobe almost from scratch, now that my hair is all gray, and using the black, grey, white, red combination, as a reference.
Contrary to another reader, I am so glad when I can order an item from from a British/ European supplier! I live in Europe, of course ;-) This is just to say that the readership of the Viviene Files goes far and wide, which is no wonder, as Janice is the wardrobe genius!
Greetings from Germany,
WR
Thank you so much for this series. I applied your formula at the weekend and created two different coloured capsules from my current clothes! You have worked so hard on this, and it is much appreciated.
GH
*sigh* I love this series. I think we should do this at least twice a year. ;)
Accessories are like the icing on the cake….I love how they can be so personal.
You have chosen some fun options.
Fabulous, utterly fabulous, all!
Oh, I agree with those that loved the brooches. They are all gorgeous. I want to wear necklaces. I want to like wearing them. But they annoy me and get in my way and I hate the feel of stuff hanging around my neck. They feel like such a bother. Is there a way I can get accustomed to them or make them work for me?
Thanks, LindaC
It is Ok not to like necklaces if they annoy you. Sometimes it helps to determine what it is about wearing a necklace that annoys you. If the chain is rolling and irritating your skin, you might want to try a simple pendant necklace with a flat surpentine chain, which is much smoother and lies flatter against the skin and is much less irritating than a linked chain. You might also try wearing a longer chain around a shirt collar or over a turtleneck sweater rather than having it touching your skin directly. If you seem to get a rash, skin irritation or skin discoloration when you wear a necklace, you may be allergic to nickel. In this case you will probably need to buy only high quality jewelry that is at least 14 karat gold or sterling silver, which does not have the nickel. If you are concerned it may catch on something and become a hazard, such as catching on moving machine parts or electrical equipment at work, don’t wear it at all. Maybe you don’t like pendants because they fall forward when you bend over and get in the way. You may be able to pin the pendant down with a hidden safety pin so it doesn’t fall, or “fake the look of a pendant necklace” by wearing a chain and pinning a nice brooch through the chain and the cloth of your blouse to keep it in place. You can even buy a short necklace and have a jeweler put claw hooks at both ends, then sew small elastic loops hidden inside your blouse so that the necklace hooks to the loops and doesn’t go around your neck at all! Or pin a small safety pin on each inside side of your collar and run a longer chain through to get a multi-stranded look without it touching your neck.
If you don’t like necklaces but want something with a little bling around the neck, why not look for clothing with some interesting detail around the neckline instead? Perhaps you could have a blouse with a scoop or v neckline that is edged with beading, lace, embroidery, or sequins, or has interesting seaming or pleating instead of wearing a necklace.
You've done such an amazing job with these wardrobes in this series, it boggles my mind! Thank you for all the time it must have taken. You've made me want to go through my costume jewellery and dig out some treasures. I've been trying to work out which wardrobe is more me, colour-wise, but I cannot pick just one. I think I love the most the first black/camel wardrobe and the last navy/beige wardrobe.
Sometimes a change in your life activities will cause a change in your enjoyment of jewelry. As long as I was teaching, I couldn't stand a necklace that hung down in my way. I could only wear a very simple bracelet on my left hand because on my right hand it got in the way when I was writing. Now that I am retired, I wear more jewelry and love it. I even enjoy sparkly jewelry. I'm not sure whether that is because styles are changing or I'm just getting gaudy in my old age! Love seeing your suggestions!
This is a fantastic series. So useful – like one of the commenters above, I have more than enough clothes to assemble sets using Janice's excellent selections as a guide. However on my own I would never have thoughts of putting together sets like this. Somehow I always thought buying something new would help, but it is really not necessary -more a case of being organized.
Love your choices. The blue bag really caught my eye.