October 20, 2017
A short and sweet post today, because I’ve lost ALL track of time…
Let’s say that you’ve got a well-established core wardrobe of the essentials, in mostly black. So you decide, this fall, you’re going to use this amazing painting as the inspiration for your purchases – your “French 5-Piece Wardrobe” for this season:
Portrait de Greta Prozor by Henri Matisse
You think for a few days, and decide that this is going to be your guideline:
This is your starting point – more than enough essentials to keep you reasonably well-dressed for most casual to medium-dressy events through the season:
black tee – L.L.Bean; white tee – L.L.Bean; white shirt – Lands’ End; black v-neck sweater – J.Crew; grey tee – Uniqlo; cotton turtleneck – Lands’ End; chambray shirt – J.Crew; cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; striped tee – Faith Connexion; black jeans – Fat Face; black cords – L.L.Bean; black twill pants – L.L.Bean
And after some careful, deliberate shopping, this is what you add to your wardrobe for the upcoming cooler weather:
fleece pullover – L.L.Bean; blue sweater – Acne Studios; gold tee – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Sole Society; green linen shirt – L.L.Bean
In addition to the myriad outfits that you could make before with the 12 pieces you originally owned, you can now add at least 15 more different ensembles. These look a little bit basic without accessories, but that doesn’t really worry you… You know the power of the right shoes, or a good pair of earrings!
Once you have the basics in place, it doesn’t take a lot to really personalize your wardrobe!
love,
Janice
Like this article? Save it to Pinterest!
The mustard and olive shades are trending now, which should make finding pieces easier.
I am about to concede to the changing seasons: today I will put away the sandals and sundresses and get out the sweaters and boots.
These are not my colors, but I am enthralled with how well this worked. It is gorgeous.
This is genius. A few days (weeks?) ago we had a discussion about color and how some of us have difficulty with limiting ourselves to one or two accent colors. This is the perfect solution! With just five pieces, we can introduce three colors into our mix but still maintain a cohesive wardrobe! Awesome!!
Agreed!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the color wheel combo – wow xoxox
Janice, I really like the cohesiveness and coziness of this palette! I'd like to see more about the 5 piece French Wardrobe and how easy it might be to make these flow from one season to another, or how to add in maybe a second 5 piece wardrobe to extend a season… How often would one add in a 5 piece addition? Once every 3 months or sooner or more time between? Love all of your suggestions!!
I think quarterly makes a lot of sense – it might be often enough that you get a look at fresh things available to buy, and you also feed that lingering itch to shop that so many of us have. Five or six pieces every three months (assuming that you replace a piece or two of Your Common Wardrobe from time to time…) isn't excessive, I don't think…
hugs,
Janice
Thanks, Janice! I like the idea of having a limited number of new items to focus on, to satisfy that need to shop that strikes me too often!! Each season sounds like a good plan :)
Janice, one other question…Do you buy some of your personal wardrobe from LL Bean and Land's End? I wondered if you feel like the products fit nicely and look classic and stylish…not frumpy? I know they are pictured often in your articles and I know they have a good reputation for quality. I like classic styles, but wondered if they fit in a stylish way, based on your experience. I always like the way your pictured capsules look and want to give them a try…just hesitating based on wanting to get some recommendations :) Thanks!!
I do indeed have quite a lot of clothing from both companies – my family is very prone to giving me gift cards from these 2 businesses! The clothes don't fit "fashionably" – insofar as they're not really tight and form-fitting, but that's fine with me because I find that to be sort of unattractive, not to mention really tough on the clothes! When I want things to fit somewhat differently, I have them altered, but most of the time I'm very happy with the classic, generous but not baggy fit of their pieces.
Your best option if you're unsure is to order a couple of sizes and go into the project assuming that you're going to return the ones that don't suit. It's no different from taking a range of sizes into a fitting room, except you get to do it in the comfort of your home! (and you have all of the rest of your nice things right there to work with…) Get a big roll of packing tape and take advantage of the ability to try on clothes at home.
Friday hugs,
Janice
I have many pieces from Land's End but not many from LL Bean. I find that the pieces I tend to like from LL Bean (they have many different styles) are too boxy for my figure. This is not the case for Land's End and I have two of their sheath dresses (navy and black) and two of their 3/4-sleeve dresses (patterned — one in the sheath style and one in a slightly looser style they recently introdcued) which I first bought after seeing them on Janice's list and hearing people say that they are great staples and hold up really well. I like the fit and quality a lot. Comfortable, washable, great for wearing to my office.
Janice, I'm glad to hear that the clothes are not too tightly fitted, as I don't find that comfortable, either! I appreciate the good recommendations from both you and Gail. I think that I will look forward to trying out both Land's End and LL Bean very soon! I do imagine it will take some trial and error in finding the correct fit from both companies, so packing tape will be in order!
I love this post. I don't like the colors — that is, they don't suit ME, ha ha — but I do love the way it all works together and it gives me the motivation to go do a little more to my fall wardrobe. Temperatures have just dropped from the 80s now! Funny, but when I came home from work today I put on three pieces from my own "common wardrobe" and was thinking how much I liked them just before I signed on!
Love this painting. For me, I would edit out the gold and keep the rich blues, black, and green. Hmmm, my creative mind is working ? Thanks!
I recently came across this posting, Photographer Spends Eternity Waiting For Museum Visitors To Match Artworks And The Result Is Worth The Wait. It is terrific and I wanted to share it with you because it is all about starting with art.
https://www.boredpanda.com/people-matching-artworks-stefan-draschan/?page_numb=1&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=ssb
Karen
Thanks for sharing Karen- lots of fun to look at. I wonder how much these visitors were aware of the extent that they matched these artwork on a conscious level. It is certainly not surprising that they were drawn to these pieces. Janice, would you like to have fun with one of these photos?