August 1, 2018
Oh, THIS caught me off-guard! Somehow, I managed to forget that a new month was coming… But I did manage to get this done in time – taking care of my readers are a really important part of my life! Still, if these links are a complete hash, or if this just doesn’t make any sense at all, let me know and I’ll work on it some more…
This is the time of year to look for the perfect outfit for the upcoming cooler weather. Maybe it’s that “back to school” feeling that I get this time of year, but I like looking for a nice skirt outfit for each of our 6 wardrobes…
Scarf – Hermès Fouets et Badines; brooch – Givenchy; cardigan – Lands’ End; black silk top – Eileen Fisher; boots – Frye; skirt – Eileen Fisher; rings – Freida Rothman
While this outfit might feel a little bit “Pittsburgh Pirates” to some, putting the scarf on with these pieces breaks up the black and gold, and brings some other colors into the ensemble.
These pieces also fit beautifully into the existing wardrobe built around this scarf:
Best of all (maybe?), the new clothes added to this wardrobe are very versatile:
This wardrobe’s hard to shop for, but the results are always so pretty!
scarf – Hermès The Horsawards; brooch – Nadri; cardigan – Eileen Fisher; blouse – IRO; boots – Blondo; skirt – J.Crew; ring – Gorjana
Because this wardrobe is being built with a clear guideline, the new garments fit right in!
Each new piece of clothing can give you quite a few new outfits, if you choose things that are timeless and classic…
One thing I’m learning – more and more – as I travel and see people wearing lots of different things, is that shades of blue can look really good together!
scarf – Hermès Les Tresors d’un Artiste; brooch – Matara; cardigan – Lands’ End; tee – Lands’ End; boots – Aextra; skirt – Uniqlo; pearl ring – Matara
This wardrobe has an unusual mix of colors, but I think it all “hangs together” rather well…
Lots of ways to wear these new goodies:
I so love these colors, but finding them can be SO difficult…
Scarf – Hèrmes Merveilleuses Lanternes; brooch – Lanvin; cardigan – Lands’ End; blouse – Uniqlo; boots – Kork-Ease; skirt – P.A.R.O.S.H.; ring – Feather+Stone
This wardrobe is starting to take shape really well, don’t you think?
While this isn’t a huge number of garments, there’s a lot of versatility here. This is because of the disciplined choice of garments that have to look good with the focal scarf; this gives us a unifying color theme that gives you a signature personal style as well as a very flexible wardrobe!
These colors are so rich…
Scarf – Hèrmes Jardin a Sintra; brooch – Ben-Amun; cardigan – Lands’ End; short-sleeved sweater – Lands’ End; boots – Clarks; skirt – Sies Marjan; ring – Lafonn
I haven’t worn grey much since the ’90s, but this wardrobe could tempt me…
Plenty of new ways to wear these beauties…
AND NOW…
I’m breaking all of the rules. This outfit looks wonderful with the focal scarf, and it’s a really gorgeous outfit…
scarf – Hermès Ndop; brooch – Roberto Cavalli; cardigan – Ming Wang; brown top – Ming Wang; boots – Madewell; skirt – Ming Wang; ring – Melinda Maria
This outfit has it all – a combination of black and brown that’s clear in the scarf, but really tough to find… The skirt also has the stripes that echo the linear motifs in the scarf – I really couldn’t have designed a better ensemble for this part of this post!
The outfit doesn’t look bad or conspicuous in the wardrobe either:
HOWEVER…
It’s really difficult to use these pieces in additional outfits. The twinset looks great with brown pants, and possibly with the print skirt, but beyond that, it’s hard to integrate these pieces very well into a ton of new outfits.
But you know something? Sometimes, everything doesn’t have to be infinitely versatile and interchangeable and “Garanimal-ish.” If you love it, and if it’s in your overall scheme, and you know that you’ll wear it, go for it!
The only rules that count are the ones that you make…
love,
Janice
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A highlight of my month. Blush and sand always, but love so much about all the other wardrobes and really makes one reflect on having a central theme to guide your clothes decisons, not just the palette. Thanks!
Thanks for your post Janice, so many gorgeous outfits!
Ndop is fantastic! I would put the brown cardi with the green sheath dress and dark brown shoes, and maybe over the caramel skirt and tank combo. A little experimenting – not everything has to go with everything perfectly . . . But it could still be a workhorse outfit.
Love the gray Jardin a Sintra – perfect for a cool complexion. And the olive P.A.R.O.S.H. Skirt for the Lanternes outfit is beautiful! Nice work, Janice!
I was thinking the same thing. The brown jacked with the brown pants and the dark green t-shirt. The brown jacket over the sage dress with the dark pumps. Brown tank with the light capri pants (or light shorts) and loafers. Or with the caramel skirt with dark bag and sandals.
Love this!
One question, are maxi’s here to stay? I hope so! I enjoy them and appreciate that they cover some skin issues I have on my legs. I don’t want maxi length to go away! Your choice of the grey flounced maxi is great. That skirt would work great in my wardrobe.
I don’t seem to be seeing many in department stores, apart from some styled in the current boho trend, which is too casual for my work.
Great job Janice!
“everything doesn’t have to be infinitely versatile and interchangeable ”
So true. I find that I wear particular outfits over and over even though, theoretically, all the pieces are interchangeable and could be worn different ways. I always have some favorite outfits that hit the sweet spot of comfort/flattering/chic/versatile.
I’m really enjoying this series Janice and yes August crept up on me as well! I’m attracted to the grey wardrobe – love the silver and blue-greys especially. I would probably switch out the mid grey items for charcoal as the darker tone suits me better. The navy is a close second. At the moment I am using my own wardrobe to mirror these posts and where there are gaps I’m adding the items to my ‘shopping the sale’ list. I haven’t chosen any of your colour scheme scarves this year, but am using Hermes Acte III, Scene I, La Clairiereone in blue/black/green as a template as those colours are already in my wardrobe with scope for adding in a splash or two of red and yellow. Great fun.
Sharon, I love Acte III Scene I, but I haven’t found a colorway that works for me. Lucky you to have found one. I’m thinking of playing along using last year’s Samourais scarf.
Just had a look, what a choice! Which colourway works best for you?
CW 8 in the silk version. Navy background, lots of pink and lighter blue, and dashes of other colors as well. I don’t care for the colors in the 140 shawl versions, from what I can see on the website.
Love, love, love the way the grey wardrobe is coming together…so cool, so restrained…but I find myself hungering for a stronger accent with it (navy, royal, black). Is eleventh-hour rule-breaking normal, or perverse, in this kind of controlled experiment?
The grey and blue wardrobe is so beautiful that it makes me look forward to enjoying my blue eyes and future grey hair. It’s rich and elegant and classic. Once my hair turns, I’ll be ready to roll in these beautiful combinations you have created.
I love your work, Janice. I especially like the idea of your first capsule because there is so much color variety, which I crave. As I was dressing for a funeral today, I thought of asking you for help. Right now my first neutral is black, though I can see transitioning to navy as I age. According to the 80’s color system, I’m a winter, so I do best in bright, clear, cool colors, like red, fuschia, royal blue, Kelly green, royal purple, and bright turquoise or teal, as well as black and white. (I’m beginning to question the black against my face.) I also do best in separates for fit. So with black or navy bottoms and colorful tops, what is appropriate for funerals? I feel too bright in my colors and I don’t wear horizontal stripes, even the classic black/white. Would you do a cluster or capsule that would also offer a couple outfits for funerals for those of us who need bright, not dusky, pastel, or grayed colors? Thank you!
I’m not Janice, but it seems to me that a black silk top and a black cashmere or wool sweater would solve the funeral problem when paired with a black skirt or trousers, no? Silk top in warm weather and sweater in cold weather. Add pearls for a very traditional look or silver or gold necklace, and you’re set.
Thanks
Sewlibrarian, I appreciate your suggestion. I have considered all-black, but I crave color. Would a bright scarf on all-black ensemble be too loud/bright for a funeral? Would a black/white zebra print jacket over a black dress be too much for the occasion? Thanks for sharing your opinion.
I think either of those would be perfectly acceptable, unless you have reason to believe that the funeral is going to be really strictly all-black. The last couple of memorials that I attended were quite casual, including a number of younger attendees wearing jeans. Not quite for me, but it does give a lot of latitude to those of us who will dress up a bit more!
hugs,
Janice
Every once in a while you find a piece of clothing I find amazing; today it is the PAROSH pleated olive green skirt. So gorgeous! Over my budget, but a girl can dream, right?
Good work once again Janice.
I’m so impressed with the variety of pieces and interesting combinations you find, Janice, and you always have such beautiful results. It was even nice to see you find yourself a bit stuck in that brown/black wardrobe once you put the new pieces into the collection. As nice as it looks, it didn’t work for you. Which made me think that you could do an additional review phase at the end of the year… A “magpie” adjustment could be interesting. I think we get so attached to what is in our wardrobes out of familiarity (or because got such a good deal, or paid so much, or….) that we don’t take a step back and look for small changes that would make a big difference. You seem able to do that so well.
Katherine
For Jan and anyone else interested in dressing for funerals – one option is wearing the favorite color of the person being memorialized. Certainly this would not always be applicable, but when one of my beloved professors died, her family asked that people wear her favorite bright colors. So I wore a red dress. And I think royal blue or purple, while they are vivid colors, have a certain dignity.
Why post unattainable 500$ scarves next to affordable clothing.
Love these posts… happy August..
love the ideas and mix and match of dresses