Remember when we visited this gorgeous painting?
Our heroine was sent off to visit a corporate service center because of a major client complaint… and this is (an approximation of) what she packed for that trip:
labradorite earrings – Heather Hawkins; tortoise earrings – Vanda Jacintho; necklace – Nest; brown earrings – Latelita London; silk scarf – Hermès Les Legends de l’Arbre; lip stain – Yves Saint Laurent BlackRed Code; nail colour – Chanel Pirate; teal cardigan – L.L.Bean; teal shirt – Lands’ End; ivory silk blouse – Equipment; bracelet – Auree Jewellery; ivory sweater – Lands’ End; dress – Dusan; jacket – L.L.Bean; high-waisted pants – Uniqlo; corduroy pants– L.L.Bean; clutch – Inge Christopher; watch – Skagen; handbag – Orciani; teal tee – L.L.Bean; leopard scarf – Saachi; boots – Marc Fisher Ltd.; pumps – Athena Alexander; totepack – Knomo London
Global Service Director?
Well, of COURSE she’ll take the position! She’s been doing the work for months, so it’s about time she was given the title, the office, and the SALARY…
When they called her into the Executive Suite to give her the news, they cited her ability to get along well with people at all levels of the organization, without being abrasive or seeming to be too much “home office-ish.”
She attributes at least a tiny bit of her success to her image – warm and approachable. And what could be warmer than a cozy brown wardrobe – nothing inappropriate, but nothing too stuffy, either.
The plan is to build on success, starting here:
She realizes right away that a simple brown sweater would make a LOT of difference…
jacket – L.L.Bean; sweater – Uniqlo; high-waisted pants – Uniqlo; corduroy pants– L.L.Bean
As much as she would like to use more teal in this wardrobe, she quickly realizes that finding teal pants, or a nice teal skirt, is going to take a lot more time than she really has, so she decides that she’s going to take advantage of the rich beauty of blending shades of brown…
This wasn’t at all taxing to find, and she absolutely loves the possibilities. Some of the places that she has to visit are in Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota – there’s NEVER too much cashmere when you’re going there in February!
sweater – L.L.Bean; cardigan – L.L.Bean; twill pants – L.L.Bean; suede skirt – Vince
This is quickly becoming very versatile, and quite attractive…
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All she wants now for her 4 by 4 Wardrobe is a couple of printed tops – maybe a nice blouse to wear with her suede skirt, and something that has both teal AND brown in it, to help merge those two colors in outfits:
blouse – Blue Les Copains; tee – Ojai Clothing
Here is her finished wardrobe – if she wears a 3-piece outfit when she’s traveling, she will pack the other 13 pieces… For a 10-day or 2 week business trip, it should be just right…
She takes a few minutes to play around with different combinations (snapping photos with her phone, to her help remember when her possibilities are…).
She realized almost immediately that it was time to pick up at LEAST another pair (or 2) of shoes… More accessories are in her future; she’s going to try a 4 by 4 plan for those too!
love,
Janice
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Wow, beautiful colours! I have things in those colours, and I definitely need to wear them together! Linda M
Love how this came together. Examples like this make it easier to see how to expand a small set of clothing into a real wardrobe.
BTW – the complete wardrobe in the Pinterest image incorrectly shows a previous wardrobe.
Oh Janice,
For me, this is perfection ! My colors , with some accessories that would include red ! Even the portion of the painting title is fitting ! My license plate says “ Madame” , as that is what my husband has been calling me ever we went on a cruise to Alaska with an all international staff who always addressed me as “ Madame “! LOL !
It’s so true, color is memorable…..my colors for an upcoming Baltic cruise next fall!!! Better get started now,…can I include some olive?
Your style sister,
Pat
I think olive would be lovely with this…
Happy New Year!
hugs,
Janice
Beautiful – can't wait to see how she adds that little slice of "cranberry" – I think she really needs this wool/cashmere stole – it even has a thin cranberry stripe. https://www.garmentory.com/sale/teal/accessories-scarves/211198-niche-stole-in-teal#sm.001jkat5x2y7dgu113m297p36uugx
lovely! – nancyo
I had fun imagining cool gray/pewter and slate instead of brown – same other colors, different neutrals. Yes, that's my idea of fun…
Teal just makes my heart sing, and I love it with the brown. It would take a bit to switch over from my pumpkin and peach, but a lot of my pumpkin, peach, and coral is old and needs replacing.
How would you work this for a summer wardrobe?
Beautiful! I hope her accessories will pull in some of that luscious cranberry. Maybe a bag, and some garnets?
A 4 X 4 for accessories? Can't wait to see the categories!
How would that touch of red fit in? I have all these colors in my closet now. I just haven't quite figured out the red piece.
I'd be looking at a red tee shirt and jacket, or a twinset, and maybe a piece of jewelry or a scarf that would tie the red in with the brown. I think red and brown together might look nice!
hugs,
Janice
Gorgeous color combos. I love how approachable brown is, yet still so elegant. Thank you for revisiting this one!