A frequent concern for many of us this time of year is how to take our normal, everyday clothes, and make them “party-worthy”. I don’t like to buy a whole new outfit for a party – I’d much rather figure out a way to elevate the things I already own through the purchase of one strategic item.
There are a couple of different ways to do this; today I’m going to explore the possibilities inherent in a cardigan with some sort of beaded, embroidered or metallic detailing.
If you don’t want to buy a new sweater, this is a great opportunity to do something crafty – I’ve seen some amazing sweaters dressed up with ribbon embroidery, or hand beading, done by the sweater owner. In one case, the initial embroidery was done to conceal a tiny hole, and eventually transformed the sweater into a one-of-a-kind gem.
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The Embellished Cardigans:
grey cardigan – Viyella, metallic argyle cardigan – Blugirl, Red beaded cardigan – Valentino, cream cardigan with chain trim – Moschino, sequined cardigan – Nougat, metallic cardigan – Havren
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The Caramel and Black Starting From Scratch Wardrobe
black tee – Warehouse, blue tee – Majestic Filatures, caramel tee – Hallhuber, coral tee shirt – Warehouse, floral tee – Jason Wu, black jacket – Minimal, black cardigan –Michael Michael Kors, blue cardigan – Lorena Antoniazzi, caramel wool and cashmere cardigan – Customer Lovers, striped tee – Kain, leather jacket – Jaeger, off-white tee shirt – Joseph, black mandarin collar blouse – Closet, coral silk tunic – Equipment, black long-sleeved tee – Mint Velvet, off-white cotton sweater – MIH Jeans, denim shirt – Nili Lotan, blue linen shirt – Jaeger, white shorts – Uniqlo, black turtleneck – Uniqlo, ivory silk top – Jaeger, black shorts – Hallhuber, white shirt – Whyred, short-sleeved sweatshirt – MET, tank top – Dorothy Perkins, coat – Jil Sander, dress – Charlotte, copper twill trousers – Lands’ End, black trousers – Mint Velvet, black dress – Y.A.S., caramel jeans – Toast, black jeans – R13, black skirt – French Connection
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The Caramel and Black Starting From Scratch Wardrobe Accessories
tan bag – Dorothy Perkins, tiger eye oval earrings – Max and Chloe, enamel bracelet – Fendi, gold hoop earrings – Lauren Ralph Lauren, watch – Fossil, light grounded scarf – Play Mantero, beaded bracelet – Tiraphan Hasub, coral print scarf – B.A. Printed Artworks, brown stud earrings – Michael Michael Kors, black d’Orsay pumps – Sole Society, black cord necklace – John and Pearl, brooch – Lanvin, carnelian, quartz, amethyst, lapis necklace– Ritu, brown scarf – Erfurt, black bag – Diane von Furstenberg, boots – BP, black canvas shoes – A2 by Aerosoles, brown ballet flats – Frye, sandals – Munro, black ballet flats – Armani
From this wardrobe, I chose a few of the simplest garments and slid the cardigan over them. There wasn’t a simple gold bracelet in this wardrobe, but the addition of that, or a gold necklace, would be idea.
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The Black and Grey Starting From Scratch Wardrobe
black tee – Hallhuber, blue tee – Hallhuber, abstract tee – Balenciaga, red tee – Oasis, grey cardigan – Mango, black cotton and cashmere cardigan – 10 Crosby Derek Lam, red cardigan –Bottega Veneta, white tee – French Connection, sweatshirt tunic – IRO, black v-neck sweater – Vince, vertical striped top– Malene Birger, grey sweater – Wal-G, white cotton shirt – Diane von Furstenberg, blue shirt – Uniqlo, denim shirt – Nili Lotan, black elbow sleeve sweater – Hobbs London, grey tee– T by Alexander Wang, red blouse – Cutie, black cashmere turtleneck – Jil Sander, black denim jacket – J. Brand, shorts – T by Alexander Wang, striped tee shirt – 10 Crosby Derek Lam, grey skirt – Diane von Furstenberg, red print skirt – Desigual, black jeans – Current/Elliott, grey pleated trousers – Alberto Biani, black skirt – Joseph, black linen trousers – Viyella, dress – Maison Martin Margiela, coat – Sportmax, black leggings – Liu Jo
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The Black and Grey Starting From Scratch Wardrobe Accessories
grey pearl earrings – Lee Renee, onyx bead bracelet -Simon Sebbag, onyx dots necklace – toosis, coral patterned earrings – anzu jewelry, cord necklace– Lamprini, bracelet – Alexis Bittar, teardrop earrings – Toosis, black white and red scarf – Vince Camuto, brooch – Alexis Bittar, red scarf – Isabel Marant Etoile, watch – DKNY, red tote bag – chissene, sandals – Cole Haan, star print scarf – Jimmy Choo, black bag – Gregory Sylvia, nautical scarf – Brooks Brothers, boots – Aquatalia by Marvin K., grey ballet flats – Café Noir, black pumps – Trotters, red loafers – Robert Zur, pointed toe loafers – Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn
This might be the easiest wardrobe to dress up, given the general dressiness associated with black. Red earrings, or a bracelet, might go well here too..
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The Brown and Beige Starting From Scratch Wardrobe
tan tee shirt – Uniqlo, blue blouse – Uniqlo, yellow top – Uniqlo, brown Henley tee – Uniqlo, tan jacket – Lands’ End, light blue cardigan – Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, tan marled cardigan – Junarose, chocolate brown fleece cardigan – L.L.Bean, brown cotton tee – Uniqlo, off-white tee – Chloe, denim shirt – Nili Lotan, light blue tee – Velvet, brown tank – Uniqlo, lace tank – Uniqlo, brown back-buttoned blouse – Alberto Biani, brown patchwork tee – Szen, khaki skirt – Merona, ivory silk blouse – Jaeger, light blue floral shirt – Equipment, brown sweater – Gestuz, yellow floral blouse – Topshop, light blue sweater – Dear Cashmere, yellow sweater – Topshop, camel sweater – Warehouse, blue dress – Dorothy Perkins, denim skirt – CC, brown twill trousers – Lands’ End, beige pants – The Row, tweed skirt – Precis, Coat – Tomaso, brown jeans – Viyella, paisley lounge pants – Uniqlo
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The Brown and Beige Starting From Scratch Wardrobe Accessories
square scarf – Radical Chic, blue necklace – Oliver Bonas, pearl and chain bracelet – Givenchy, solid blue scarf – Nordstrom, hoop earrings – Alexis Bittar, beaded bracelet – Chan Luu, necklace-Givenchy, brooch – Luisa Viaroma, blue and brown scarf – Paola Pecora, brown round earrings – Kasturjewels, watch – Timex, smoky quartz earrings – toosis, bag – Ferragamo, tote – Coet, tassel loafers – The Flexx, boots – Frye, suede oxfords – G.H. Bass and Co., brown pumps – Vaneli, tan ballet flats – Michael Michael Kors, sandals – Jimmy Choo
These are colors that aren’t usually associated with the winter holidays, but they’re YOUR colors, so you wear them because they’re right for you – who wants to blend it? A few sequins are all it takes to make this wardrobe perfectly suitable for all sorts of festive activities.
Stuck in the kitchen until the last minute? Hang your cardigan in a corner somewhere, and when you whip off your apron, you slip on your cardigan, and it’s instant party time!
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The Khaki and Olive Starting From Scratch Wardrobe
Turquoise tee – Kin by John Lewis, khaki tee – Target, maroon tee – Linea Weekend, Off-white tee – Chloe, turquoise cardigan – Fedeli, olive cardigan – Merona, maroon cardigan – Distante, khaki cashmere cardigan – La Garconne, beige blouse – French Connection, olive tee – Shu Moriyama, turquoise angora sweater– Roberto Collina, floral sleeveless top – Dorothy Perkins, beige hoodie – Uniqlo, turquoise silk blouse – Ralph Lauren Black Label, green cashmere sweater – Jason Wu, denim shirt – Nili Lotan, ivory shorts – Erika Cavallini, turquoise sweatshirt – Blumarine, sleeveless top – La Fee Maraboutee, beige skirt – Vicky Tiel, ivory silk blouse – Jaeger, floral shirt – Uniqlo, maroon floral shirt – Zanetti 1965, green tee shirt – James Perse, coat – Mary Portas, sweatpants – American Vintage, olive trousers – Isabel Marant Etoile, ivory dress – Roberta Guercini, maroon velvet jeans – J. Brand, skirt – Derek Lam, tan trousers – Hallhuber, beige jeans – Morgan
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The Khaki and Olive Starting From Scratch Wardrobe Accessories
Turquoise earrings – Ippolita, maroon bag – Longchamp, jasper and pyrite necklace– Nangara by Julia Fusinato, turquoise bag – Sondra Roberts, pearl necklace – Maria Calderara, wooden earrings – Hring eftir hring, tiny beads bracelet – Chan Luu, garnet earrings – Khun Boom, watch – Armani Exchange, leather brooch – Hoss Intropia, zigzag infinity scarf – Brazen, turquoise bracelet – Argento Vivo, tile print scarf – Mosaique, sheer scarf – Missoni, suede wedges – French Sole, boots – Cobb Hill, olive canvas booties – Matisse, sandals – Cole Haan, penny loafers – Cole Haan, olive ballet flats – Chloe
At first glance, this wardrobe doesn’t look very “holiday” either, but these colors shine when paired with deep red. The cardigan can go from quite dressy, over your best beige dress, or can be relaxed enough to go to a pub for an after-work party, with trousers and a blouse.
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The Navy and Beige Starting from Scratch Wardrobe
Denim shirt – Nili Lotan, green shirt– Silvian Heach, navy blouse – Vince, white cardigan – Labo Art, navy and tan jacket –Madewell, navy wool cardigan – Miu Miu, beige cardigan – Marella, long tee shirt – Uniqlo, green floral tee – MSGM, beige tank top – Uniqlo, navy silk tee – Theory, white tank top – Oasis, mint green tee – Reiss, tunic – East Gracie, white silk blouse – Nic+Zoe, tan shorts – A.P.C., navy tee – Lands’ End, yellow tee – Warehouse, navy floral blouse – Sugarhill Boutique, navy cashmere turtleneck – Jil Sander, yellow sweater– Woolrich, bone cardigan – kaliko, tan cashmere sweater – Masters, tan pants – Uniqlo, yellow dress – Miss Selfridge, flaired skirt – Hobbs London, navy leggings – Wallis, coat – Marella, navy print dress – Sea, navy trousers – Viyella, navy jeans – Uniqlo
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The Navy and Beige Starting From Scratch Wardrobe Accessories
navy earrings – Dorothy Perkins, silk necklace– Saako Design, watch – Anne Klein, brooch – Brooks Brothers, gold hoop earrings – Argento Vivo, enamel bracelet – Hermes, navy floral scarf – Dickins and Jones, rope bracelet – Brooks Brothers, silver and amazonite earrings – Alexis Bittar, beige and navy checked scarf – Aquascutum, boots – Attilio Giusti Leombruni, navy bag – Halogen, yellow diamond necklace – Allurez, pastel checked scarf – Collection Weekend, beige bag – Marc by Marc Jacobs, pumps – Jimmy Choo, canvas shoes – Wanted, sandals – Via Spiga, ballet flats – Me Too, black penny loafers – Cole Haan
If you’re mostly a sporty sort of person, don’t forget the power of a little bit of metallic thrown into an otherwise quite casual pattern! And don’t forget that a dress you already own is almost certainly more than appropriate for a winter holiday party – even though the weather is cold, the parties are usually over-heated. Your mid-weight dress from warmer weather can get another airing in these environments and be both appropriate and comfortable.
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The Grey and Navy Starting From Scratch Wardrobe
lilac tee – Nougat London, white tee – Majestic, silver grey tee – Hallhuber, navy silk blouse – Theory, pink merino cardigan – Uniqlo, navy cardigan – Dorothy Perkins, navy seed stitch cardigan – Joseph, grey cashmere cardigan – Jaeger, pink wrap blouse– Velvet, navy cotton sweater – Closed, white cotton shirt – Diane von Furstenberg, grey hoodie – Uniqlo, denim shirt – Nili Lotan, navy tee – Lands’ End, floral blouse – Parker, pink short-sleeved shirt – FennWright Manson, navy skirt – Nina Ricci, grey shorts – Dorothy Perkins, cloud print tee – Second Day, grey tweed skirt – Marc Jacobs, sweatshirt – Topshop, lavender blouse– Marni Edition, navy cashmere turtleneck – Jil Sander, grey crew sweater – Dear Cashmere, navy trousers – Jacques Vert, silver grey trousers – Viyella, dress – Jaeger, lounge pants – Sonoma, coat – T by Alexander Wang, navy jeans – Valentino, grey dress – Diane von Furstenberg, grey jeans – Rebecca Taylor
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The Grey and Navy Starting From Scratch Wardrobe Accessories
Silver earrings – Anne Klein, pink amethyst brooch – Alok Jain, grey pearl bracelet – Majorica, knotted scarf – Nina Ricci, fabric necklace– Saako Design, pastel bracelet – Anne Klein, amethyst pendant – Lee Renee, navy and grey scarf – Hinge, grey pearl earrings – Majorica, floral scarf – Twisted Muse, pink earrings – Lagos, watch – Fossil, grey bag – CK Calvin Klein, boots – Roberto del Carlo, navy bag – Brooks Brothers, grey wedge pumps – Trotters, canvas shoes – Reebok, sandals – Munro, tasseled flats – Trotters
A little more metallic – which jazzes up monochromatic grey very well! A tweed skirt becomes much more festive when paired with something that shimmers in the light…
Again, your best dress, with beautiful jewelry, might be all that’s required. As much as we are pressured to buy new things – better things – DIFFERENT things – for this time of year, don’t forget to take a step back and consider the possibility that you have everything you need already, and that you just have to be confident enough to wear something that someone might recognize. After all, that says more about them than it say about you.
I have a few other ideas of how we can dress up these wardrobes for the holidays – do you want to see these suggestions? Let me know!
love,
Janice
This is a great post Janice! Love how you've dressed up these different wardrobes. I'd love to see your other suggestions for dressing up the holidays too. Also, I want to let you know there are no links to any of the cardigans. At least not on my computer. I'm loving that first gray cardigan for my particular wardrobe.
Oooh, thanks for letting me know – those just weren't broken – they'd reverted back to my original text notes! I love computers…
big hug,
Janice
This is wonderful! Who doesn't love a sparkly cardigan? Also love that deep, rich color.
Fantastic. I love bling and how one item can dress up and enhance what you already own.
You do such beautiful work, Janice. The black and grey with red and blue accents is totally me!
That is my favorite too! The fancy cardigan is a great idea! Thanks Janice!
Janice, even though it says that I am following your posts on Bloglovin, they're not coming in anymore. Has something changed ? I don't want to miss any of your posts –you are my wardrobe guru ! Hugs !
Hi Janice,
I have been following your blog daily for at least two years and thought it time to tell you how much I enjoy it. I admire you for keeping it fresh and informative over time. I would love to learn your other ideas for dressing up our wardrobes.Perhaps your ideas will entail shoes? When I was in Paris last month the sales person in Agnès B stressed that comfortable, beautiful shoes are an investment that
changes the whole feeling of an outfit. I was buying a dress and not shoes there. I find Agnès B clothing simple and low key enough that this is true. She is a designer I learned about on your blog!
I love these embellished cardigans. I own two vintage versions and am looking for another in a classic black.
Hi Janice,
I am wondering if you have ever visited the famous Ikrams in Chicago? I'll bet she has wonderful and outrageously expensive things to dress up a wardrobe. I am a firm believer in the impact of a great chandelier earning or necklace.
Deb from Vancouver
I meant earring!
more ideas for dressing up an everyday wardrobe would be really welcome… I tend to either have very workaday clothing, with a few "party" clothes, and until I read your post today hadn't thought of using a decorative cardigan, which is somewhere in between those two extremes… Am now considering making an Alabama Chanin style cardigan in the more decorated/beaded style for just such an effect. Thank you so much for what you do here – though my personal style is quite different than the clothing you show here, I learn a LOT from how you combine colors, shapes, and the general principals of wardrobing. Your writing and blog posts are the best and most accessible explanations I have found anywhere
Hi! I've discovered your blog this past summer and loved it so much I devoted time to reading all your posts from day one (I love your new menus btw, makes searching your blog so much easier!). By doing that I got a good understanding of what a nice yet minimalist wardrobe might look like (something my dear auntie had desperately tried to teach me since I was a teenager… Never too late to learn!).
You see I always loved bright colors and crazy patterns and hated looking dull and dark. So over the years I bought a lot of pretty items that either weren't very practical or didn't match each other well. I didn't know how to work that out so I usually ended up wearing jeans and sneakers with my favorite t-shirt and whatever sweater I could find. It wasn't great, but doing better seemed too complicated. Add to that the fact that I had to move a lot in the past five years so I've been going into some pretty intense decluttering.
And now thanks to you I realize that dark colors and plain solid clothes are perfectly acceptable, in fact, they're exactly what I need to be able to wear more daring clothes in a pretty way. I'm also starting to learn the power of accessories.
I keep reading your blog daily, I think you do a great job sharing something you love and know well with us, thanks!
I particularly love this article about dressing up your ordinary clothes with one statement garment, nice! I'm curious to see what you come up with next. Fancy thighs maybe??
Sorry this comment is so long, I've put off writing to you for quite a while! I have one request for you : I wonder if you could do an article about incorporating hats, gloves and scarf into our basic wardrobe? I'm in need of those but I still haven't bought anything cause I don't have a plan yet. (Shop with a plan, shop with a plan!)
PS: Sorry if my English is a bit off. I'm actually a Frenchwoman with no innate sense of fashion :-p
What great timing! I just remembered that we will be attending my husband's office Christmas party, but since I am a Project 333 convert, I am determined to use what's in my current capsule instead of buying something.
I will be adding my pearl necklace and leopard ballet flats to a long-sleeve black V-neck sweater and beige mini-wale corduroy pencil skirt, all of which are in my current capsule. I had decided on this before your post, but was feeling a little nervous about it, since I will more than likely be underdressed, but your post has confirmed my decision. This is who I am, and that says more than going out and buying a one-time outfit. :-)
Janice,the links for the brown and beige accessories show incorrectly (as garments). I'm keen to know where to find the scarf,top left.
I think the links are repaired, but those items are from a few months ago, and might very well no longer be available. But I think the link for the scarf still works. If not, go to Boticca.com, and look for a designer called Radical Chic – the scarf is called Leonardo!
thanks,
Janice