You all have the BEST ideas! And I’m stealing this and running with it…Starting today, and then on the 1st of each month (yes, the next installment, for February, will be Monday), I’m going to share the “monthly” new outfit for each of 6 different capsule wardrobe color schemes. By the 1st of December, we’re going to have a nice tidy capsule wardrobe, built around a unifying color theme and overall “feel.”
I chose 6 Hermes scarves to define our color palettes:
Navy– Hermes Voyage en Etoffes; camel – Hermes Tyger Tyger; beige – Hermes Le Voyage de Pytheas; olive – Hermes Cheval Mirage; grey – Hermes Cheval Surprise Remix; black – Hermes Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs
These six scarves indicated, to me, six different core neutral colors, and an interesting range of accents. I’ve included a small image of each scarf on the page with each outfit, to remind us of the colors with which we’re working. Of course, you can wear the scarf with the outfit!
I hope it goes without saying that you don’t have to use a scarf, and certainly not one from Hermes, as your unifying “personal style motif.”
Each of these outfits is tremendously similar in structure: long-sleeved tee and pants in a neutral color, cardigan and earrings in an accent color, and a pair of loafers. By keeping the moving parts similar in nature, the power of the various colors is more clearly apparent.
Earrings – Lagos; pants – J.Crew; tee – J. Crew; loafers – Trotters; cardigan – Jil Sander
Earrings – The Real Real; pants – Prana; tee – Lands’ End; loafers – Delman; cardigan – Lands’ End
Opal earrings – JCPenney; pants – DKNY; tee – J. Crew; loafers – French Sole; cardigan – Diane von Furstenberg
Earrings – Cole Haan; pants – Etro; tee – 321; loafers – Pluggz; cardigan – Dorothy Perkins
Earrings – River Island; pants – Joseph; tee – L.L.Bean; loafers – Bandolino; cardigan – Boden
Earrings – Dylan Gray; pants – L.L.Bean; tee – L.L.Bean; loafers – Aquatalia; cardigan – Issey Miyake
Since Monday’s the 1st of February, you’ll get to see the February ensembles then!
love,
Janice
What a great idea! I manage my wardrobe by outfits (keep a list of favourite outfits, each piece must work in at least two outfits, and am trying to purchase just one new outfit per season). So this fits perfectly, I’m really looking forward to it.
Alice
Hi, I am very intrigued by your wardrobe building comments. Purchasing items one at a time is so frustrating; length doesn't quite work, colors are just a little off, or a lot, style change from one season to another. You get it! Would you please elaborate on your complete outfit purchases for me? Do you stay with one mfg? What is your process?
Thanks so much from a sister in style journey.
Pat
Gosh, well, a couple of years ago i got frustrated with how much stuff I had, yet so few successful combinations. So I started keeping a spreadsheet of the outfits that worked best (it speeded up getting ready). I discovered this blog which is so helpful with all its packing capsules etc. But I am realistic, mine will never be perfectly coordinated, with everything mixing and matching, but also there must be some rationale. Then this helped a lot: http://bridgetteraes.com/2015/04/13/casual-wardrobe-capsule/ ..I realised that if each main top or bottom went with say two others, then I would be getting somewhere, so that's the current rule. I also like the ‘french 5 piece wardrobe’ concept, where you add around 5 new pieces per season (I count 4 seasons) to a basic set. Limiting the number helps me focus. But the notion that the 5 would actually form a self-contained outfit was a recent one, I don’t think I’ve ever managed that but I’d be really pleased if I did! Definitely work in progress.
Alice
Yes, everything you are saying ( and doing) makes since. Trying to make a very small wardrobe be completely enter changeable will probably never work, I.e. Pants need longer tops, skirts shorter, etc. Thank you, Alice, for the web reference and I will look up Janice's French 5 piece wardrobe again. I feel a renew in getting my wardrobe in order. I appreciate your help and suggestions. I am recently retired and my needs are changing which is putting me in this state of confusion.
Ha, of sorts.
Thanks again,
Pat
Beautiful idea!
Grey, Camel, Navy, Black Taupe, Olive: definitely something here for everyone. What a great idea for the first of the month :)
Completely inspired! Can't wait!
From Margie in Toronto – Love the idea – can't wait to follow along. Just a tiny quibble – the scarves strike me as very "wintery" in tone – no pinks or real summery brights. The scarves in the first example and in the grey clothing one look very similar in tone and could be interchangeable – at least to my eye.
I'm probably just feeling the need for something more "summery" on this grey morning. I'm sure I'll be happy by the time we hit May.
Go look at yesterday's post??
Janice,
Yaaaaa ! Sitting here clapping like a little kid ! Super idea ! In the end, you can only wear one outfit at a time anyway, and working intentionally around one or two neutrals plus accents makes a very cohesive wardrobe.
Thank you Janice!! This is going to be so much fun for us, and I love that you chose the same type of clothes in different color palettes. This approach gives us time to think about where we want to head and is less intimidating for our wallets. And for those of us losing weight, it will be a great treat to reward our success!
Sue in WI
Brilliant idea. And so interesting to see the vast differences in mood even though they're all essentially the same outfit.
It strikes me (yet again) that color is emotion. So, you've got to choose SHAPES of clothes that work for your body and life – some pants will fit, and some won't. Some people wear skirts, some don't. But almost SEPARATE from that equation is the choice of color. You can find just about any shape in just about any color, and if you sew or can work with a seamstress, you can create any combination you please. (Example: as a knitter, I have to sort of ignore the color when I'm browsing for patterns, because you can literally knit ANY pattern in ANY color!) So once you've worked out the shapes that fit your life and bod, it all comes down to: how do you want to FEEL in your clothes? And what's so lovely about your site, Janice, is that you provide such a WIDE range of color "stories" for us to experiment with – a reader could look over just a month's worth of posts (or the whole archive – it's worth it!) just focusing on "how does this feel? and how does THIS feel?"
Loving this idea – I can't wait till next month's post! Camel is my favourite so far, followed by olive, however that may very well change on Monday!
Wow, fabulous post! You are the best wardrobe consultant a confused closet ever had. And priceless too!
Loving the idea already!
Excellent, yet again. This is a terrific idea. Thanks for all the hard work.
Brilliant!
I echo everyone else. Love this idea and can't wait to see every month's outfits. Maybe by the end of the year I'll FINALLY decide which neutrals I want to have as the base of my wardrobe.
I woke up late today and there's nothing left to say….all lovely posts before me have said it all.
I too am so excited about this wardrobe building process. Janice, you are the best!
A faithful fan,
Pat
This is a great idea! I already own my January ensemble, (not the Hermes scarf, but one that works for my colors and budget) so perhaps I am on the right course after all. I love that this concept can be dressed up or down, depending on the style and materials of the clothes. There is something for everyone here! Looking forward to Mondays post. Mary
What a brilliant idea! Many thanks to whoever thought of it, and many thanks to you, Janice, for taking up the challenge. And I'm so glad that one of the scarves is the beige Voyage of Pytheas — I love that scarf, I love those colors, I love Pytheas' story. What a shame his book didn't survive.
Just another happy echo.
Deb from Vancouver
I'm so excited you picked olive as a core color. to have 12 different oufits to study and compare or develop for my own wardrobe is great for someone like me who cant always quite get it together. thank you for this approach. someone commented on how im dressing he other day and in my mind I thanked you and the core wardrobe approach
Your endless creativity and new ideas astound me! Love this approach. You make life so much fun for all your followers! Going shopping in my closet right away for the January outfits in my best neutrals. I like the olive as a neutral because it looks great with all of us who have hazel eyes. I got the "package"…hazel eyes, brown hair, olive skin…yet they classified me as a winter. hmmm
I have the same combo (ok, HAD, since my hair is graying), and have always looked best in "winter" colors *plus* olive. I think the color seasons approach is like so much else – one size never fits all :) I did learn, though, how to chose the colors that are flattering on me so I no longer tote every color I think is pretty into the dressing room only to be disappointed.
You are amazing! I love all the outfits shown and appreciate all the hard work you put into this blog. I was able to put together the navy outfit out of my closet and have something to wear to church this weekend. Thank you again.
You are amazing! I love all the outfits shown and appreciate all the hard work you put into this blog. I was able to put together the navy outfit out of my closet and have something to wear to church this weekend. Thank you again.
Brilliant! Such a great idea!
I love this! I already see so many possibilities!
I love this! I already see so many possibilities!
Thanks Janice this will be fun. I have a question for you. I started reading The Vivian Files in the fall and began building my wardrobe with Navy and Grey neutrals with burgundy and sea green heather as accents. I am so happy with how all goes together. I feel more put together and it's much easier. I'm wondering how to transition to spring summer as I'm already feeling stifled by how dark everything is. Any suggestions would be very appreciated.
Warmly,
Kay
I'd migrate to light grey cotton and linen, with sea green accents, silver accessories, and sea green jewelry. The green is still great with navy – you can always toss in a few navy cotton pieces to handle situations like travel where getting spilled upon might be a problem!
regards,
Janice
I also love burgundy in the fall and winter. In the summer I find colors like light plum and cool pinks.
Thank you for the suggestions. ☺
I hadn't thought of grey linen. That sounds lovely. Janice
SJ. I have some of these pinks and light plums as well. This should see me through the summer months well.
What a great idea. This should be fun.
Hey there Pat! I started with the Starting From Scratch section & read through the whole thing before deciding where to start. Looking at what I already own, my neutrals are blue (jeans) & black. My accent colors plummy purple. I've gone with shade & tint for variety. So my range goes from black to white & all the grays in between and from deep plum to orchid and from dark wash denim to super faded almost white denim.
Again, this is just from what I already own. When I get the urge to shop or to have a new color, I hit the thrift store & only buy something if it's in excellent condition & a higher quality brand.
I hope this gives you a place to start.
-Andy in Florida ��
Thanks, Andy. I love your monochromatic control in your wardrobe. You have achieved exactly what I am looking for. I don't need, or want, every color of the rainbow in my wardrobe but some colors are more suitable for winter and some for summer. Ii'll follow your advice and re look at the starting from scratch and I'll photo your comments as a reference point for staying on tract. I love tonal dressing and you've achieved this perfectly,
Thank you so much or sharing your knowledge and experience. Part of why I love fashion blogs is the wonderful women helping each other. It's the best!
Thanks again,
Pat
Soooo looking forward for each months installment! While not all the colors work for the styles may!
Soooo looking forward for each months installment! While not all the colors work for the styles may!
I love this idea too. What keeps me from participating in much of what you do is my uber casual lifestyle (and I keep coming here often because of your common wardrobe). So I'm wondering if you would consider adding indigo (blue jeans) to your monthly series? I'm retired and spend my life outside in the garden and/or on the beach. I still try to keep up so I can be presentable when I'm in town running errands. I can't be the only one who barely ever wears business casual.
Oh and a Hermes scarf paired with blue jeans could be very cool right?
Scarves and jeans are VERY cool… and you're more than free to substitute the pants in the first outfit for a pair of jeans – you can plug jeans in where I use any kinds of pants or skirts. It's pretty impossible for me to build a wardrobe that suits every lifestyle in the world, so I always encourage everyone to change things up to fit their own, very personal needs.
Jeans will show up in the wardrobe, in the autumn, I think… But do your own thing!
Thank you! It never occurred to me to just jeans in one of the sets you styled and just dial it down.
Love this idea! Looking forward to these posts.
Terrific ideas, thank you so much!
Love this! Wish there was more rose pinks. Going to use the black but switch to pink accent! Already have it pulled together. Scarf shopping today. Thanks!
By doing a post for every month of the year the whole gambit of weather conditions are covered. If living in hotter climes then duplicate more clothes from the summer months and less from the winter etc. My winters rarely get below 1 or 2 degrees C so don't require the snuggly winter wear. I'm from the southern hemisphere so months are back to front but I can cope… Carol S
Hi. I absolutely think this is a brilliant idea. I will follow every post faithfully and build my core wardrobe along with you and others.
So what I learned today is to pick a core color and buy pants/lightweight knit sweater or tee shirt/shoes in that core color. Add a cardigan/earrings in a coordinating color. Seems perfect.
I've followed your blog for a few years and am regularly inspired by your ideas. This scarves post is wonderful. I travel frequently for business and get tired of the same ol', same ol'. Scrolling through the scarves post, I found three different color combination/outfits that were perfect for me. A few minutes in my closet and I have three "brand new to me" outfits ready to pack for Chicago this week. Thank you!
Pat, you are my new favorite! :)
I picked up an olive green Chicos brand sweater at Goodwill last week for a little seasonal variation. It has a deep V neckline so my purple tops show & are next to my skin. At the end of winter I'll donate it. I see the 5$ as a rental fee for testing a new color.
I'm thinking of maybe a hot pink item as a summer accent to the purple.
I love your wardrobes. A little late getting here to Jan. What color is the cardigan in the tiger print scarf grouping? It looks orangey but I don't see that color on the site. Maybe it is sold out. And, that is my palette along with navy as another neutral so I too struggle with how to lighten up for warmer weather. My coloring is very warm autumn-like so high contrast and very light are not best for me.
For some reason, I want to say that it was described as pumpkin or squash or some other "high in vitamin A" gourd… I tried to find it again, and I'm afraid that it is indeed sold out. But check with both Lands' End and L.L.Bean starting in late July or early August, when these colors will be back in season. (what a silly thing – orange is ALWAYS somewhere…)
hugs,
Janice