Trojan Gates by Helen Frankenthaler
With these words and colors as her… disciplining structures?
Back in January when she went to the awards ceremony, she was delighted with what she packed… (well, getting the award was pretty nice, too!)
black earrings – Kathleen Whiaker; hoop earrings – Roberto Coin; pendant – Cole Haan; brooch – TrueFacet; watch – Rosefield; black top – Eileen Fisher; blazer – J.Crew; black shirt – Lands’ End; print scarf – Missoni; ivory scarf – W Concept; ivory pants – Eileen Fisher; black pants – Banana Republic; teal top – Eileen Fisher; black cardigan – Banana Republic; suede loafers – Callisto; ballet flats – Linea Paolo; black flats – Sam Edelman; bone clutch – Whiting & Davis; tote – Madewell
and now has been chosen to translate HIS biography from French to English. He’s coming to New York for a couple of days, and she has 2 meetings scheduled with him! They’ll probably have dinner, his publicist assures her. Not a fancy restaurant, but a nice place, where they talk privately…
jacket – Eileen Fisher; hoop earrings – Roberto Coin; scarf – Donni Charm; top – Eileen Fisher; watch – Rosefield; tote – Madewell; crossbody bag – Street Level; flats – Softwalk; pants – L.L.Bean
She’s going to try to dress as quietly as possible, so that he’s never distracted…
teal tee – Uniqlo; necklace – Loren Olivia; bracelet – Ettika; black silk shell – Eileen Fisher; beige pants – Eileen Fisher; sequin-trimmed scarf – Faliero Sarti; bone clutch – Whiting & Davis; cardigan – Eileen Fisher; black flats – Sam Edelman; ballet flats – Linea Paolo
She feels clear-headed, and ready to absorb what he has to tell her:
She will dress according to what she feels is appropriate, after she’s met him…
Since she spends her time reconciling words, she finds a wardrobe that needs no negotiating to be a peaceful resource.
love,
Janice
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You're revisiting all my favourite "people!"
Ooo, Janice, I love the caramel and teal/turquoise and black and cream. Just so understated and elegant! I'm curious, my friend–in the one meeting, is she wearing the shell over the teal tee, or the other way around? I'm intrigued! Lovely wardrobe! Shoot, if only I could wear caramel….
Oh wait, I just realized that was an "in the bag" view, not her meeting outfit. Hmm, but this "mistake" made me think out of the box! Interesting idea to contemplate… :-)
Why not? Certainly might be worth trying… So many things are!
hugs,
Janice
I love this so much.
Have you ever written a grouping for a woman who will be traveling on a foreign work camp with her church to help build a school? She wants to pack light. There is cultural consideration – shorts aren't approved for adult women, its the summer. Needs skirts to wear in town. Love your posts. Thanks.
https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2017/07/a-travel-capsule-wardrobe-for-both.html
This includes shorts and pants, but one could substitute skorts or skirts in their place. I will definitely keep this in mind; lots of us travel to places with cultural considerations to remember…
and you're wonderful to go build a school – I love you…
hugs,
Janice
Thanks. For the link. I will let you know my capsule. I leave in June.
Janice,
While I don’t wear black, I am loving the quiet sophistication of this post ! Well done ! And those cognac and black flats —-sigh !
For my part, knowing a few people who write, edit or do translation for a living, I'm having fun imagining this mixed in with the Common Capsule wardrobe, or a version thereof–most of these folks have two distinct wardrobes–the everyday, butt-in-chair clothes they wear to get the deskwork done, and the business part of the wardrobe, for meetings and other "public" parts of their work–this one would work so well in that framework, although in the Common Capsule part the blues in the denim and chambray might need a bit of tweaking, as well as the white/off-white. I realize you probably weren't intending to circle back around to the Common Capsule here, but your character's employment brought it to my mind.
–fidelio
As one of those "butt in chair" people, I completely follow your line of thinking! My wardrobes don't overlap much at all, because it's either gym clothes or something fit to wear in public. Maybe I need to build a wardrobe bridge?
Thanks for sharing your brainstorm!
hugs,
Janice
One of these acquaintances defined her "working wardrobe" as "Clothes I can open the front door to strangers in," so I suspect things can get to the level of casual I've heard described as "At least I'm wearing a bra!" But jeans and t-shirts seem to be common features.
–fidelio
Oooh, I live in a high-rise with doormen and tons of security, so if someone knocks on my door there's a 99% chance that I know them! That means that I have probably been seen be this pperson in my bathrobe, at least once. (our building has a strange custom of residents wandering about in robes…) hugs,
Janice
Oh how I love your blog and appreciate the hours you must spend creating it… Thank you for the hours of pleasure reading it!
Gee
Dear Janice,
I am following your blog for quite a while already and I love the way you extract the colour scheme from the art, and how you build the capsule wardrobe around it. It is a great inspiration.
In this post, I wonder why you did not embrace the orange accent from the painting. For my perception of the painting, that orange accent is a significant part of the overall impression, despite taking up so little space. This little contrast colour spot adds the contrast which brings fun and excitement into the painting. I would consider using it in jewellery or accessories only, for example an orange necklace pendant or an orange detail on a handbag.
In any case, I love your blog and am looking forward to checking a new post every day!
I am sending hugs and wishing a lot of health,
Katerina
This heroine could definitely wear a bright orange ring – carnelian? – to good effect, couldn't she? Or orange socks… I always love a pair of socks that just doesn't seem to make sense…
hugs,
Janice
There is something so appealing about that cognac/camel color! I'm going to have to incorporate that into my wardrobe. I can see it working so well with several other colors! Gorgeous post today!
Neutral combinations always speak to me, and when they include cognac or caramel, well it's obvious I need to add that color to my wardrobe. Beautifully done. I'd purchase every single piece if budget (and closet!) allowed.
This is such a beautiful palette! – nancyo
Where can I find this beautiful scarf?! I want to copy this capsule wardrobe to a “T” – it is so gorgeous!