August 24, 2018
Yes, I’m fascinated with this artist…
The Autumn Quarter Will Require Numerous Client Visits…
That’s the title of the memo…
She took a deep breath, and looked at her computer, where the background was this calm, simple, but gracefully beautiful image:
She knew it was coming. Their acquisition by a much larger firm has left many clients feeling uncertain, and visiting them to reassure them of the firm’s commitment was an obvious answer. So she has a great idea… First, she decides on a color scheme and overall “feel” for all of her travel:
She’s going to choose a Project 333 Wardrobe STRICTLY for her trips. Everything is going to be segregated in a separate part of her closet, and when she knows the destination and length of the trip, she’s going to go STRAIGHT to her capsule wardrobe and pack from there. It doesn’t matter if she wear her navy suit to visit every client on her roster… it’s not as if they’re going to phone each other and talk about her clothes!
Navy is always where she starts – her good suit, with a plain navy top, and her dark wash jeans. Some clients are suit people, some are jeans people…
blazer – J.Crew; tee shirt – J.Crew; wool pants – J.Crew; jeans – L.L.Bean
Next, she wants options – a tweed skirt is perfect for the 2nd day in a dressier office, as well as a pair of velvet pants for those offices that will want to go out for a nice dinner:
turtleneck – Uniqlo; shirt – Uniqlo; skirt – St. John; velvet pants – Iris & Ink
She needs a couple of alternatives to her navy blazer, and a pair of nice shirts – definitely a classic white!
cardigan – Uniqlo; striped shirt – Banana Republic; striped cardigan – Banana Republic; white shirt – Banana Republic
To finish off, she feel that she will want more to wear at those “in-between” offices where she wants to look nice, but not tragically serious! And sometimes, these business trips offer her the occasional bits of spare time…
floral top – Uniqlo; striped tee – Caslon; sweater – Uniqlo; split skirt (or cropped pants) – Uniqlo
She cleared out a section in her closet, found a dozen of her best wooden hangers, and assembled her travel wardrobe. She’s pretty delighted with her selections!
She’s determined to choose her accessories ahead of time too – if she does this, she feels optimistic that she won’t forget something essential when she’s packing on a Sunday night:
paisley pocket square – Rebecca Minkoff; stud earrings – Anna Beck; navy floral scarf – Kate Spade New York; watch – Daniel Wellington; garnet earrings – Vintouch Italy; necklace – Halogen; tote – Coach; feather print scarf – Treasure & Bond; brooch – Jose & Maria Barrera; pumps – Amalfi by Rangoni; loafers – Robert Zur; boots – Munro
She puts her accessories right next to her travel wardrobe; NOW, things look great to roll:
She sat down on the floor beside her “new” travel Project 333, with a notebook and her favorite pen, and started planning outfits. She wants to be ready ahead of time, and know exactly what she’s going to pack for trips of various lengths. For the international 10-day extravaganza, she will pack or wear everything; for shorter trips, she can take as few as 2 garments…
Now all she has to do is study each client’s LinkedIn page, so she can remember the names of all of the contact people at each client office!
love,
Janice
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Another winner, Janice! The art is amazing. I need to research this artist – definitely.
Navy and warm red – love it. It makes me wish I had a job that a) required a bit more traditional business formal dress code and b) required travel! I am not a fan of super casual work dress codes, but I need to fly under the radar appearance-wise, so I stay neat and approachable in m appearance. This would be easy to adapt to those parameters!
Love it! I could quite happily live with this wardrobe for many months!
What a versatile wardrobe in lovely colours. I like the idea of keeping a travel wardrobe separate from everyday clothes. I am transitioning from black to navy. I didn’t want to just get rid of the black items so I am using them as my travel wardrobe. I can then pack ahead of time without worrying about what needs washing to take away with me. It has worked well for me on the three longish trips that I have made so far this year.
I also use black just for travel and workout clothes. It’s nice to get a few more years of use out of them, even if I don’t wear black much anymore on a day to day basis.
Janice,
While I love this travel wardrobe, as I have aged I have found that even navy is a bit dark for me, so I would need to pick more of a lighter blue, such as a denim blue color, which would also work here, just not in denim attire. I am retired , but still like to look “ dressed” when I travel .
I love this and keep a separate work travel wardrobe now. Thank you for validating that it isn’t a silly idea! I need to take a look at it and make sure it is this organized. Then on to my at home/work at home wardrobe!
This is a great idea, and I like that it would guarantee that there are clean and ready items for extended business travel periods (as long as you prioritize laundering and returning to the capsule closet after your trip is complete).
I struggle with monochrome, as with the navy tee with the suiting. It makes so much sense in theory, but in practice, I feel like something’s off, or worry that there are subtle differences in tone/fading/etc that don’t work in real life (of course, sometimes I’ve worn all black or all navy and I’m surprised at how much easier it makes dressing, too). It just feels more complicated?
Something I’ve become more accustomed to seeing in Europe – especially on men – is a variety of shades of navy. The first few times it really feels “off,” but after a while it’s like seeing different textures of black. Not something that I’m going to start wearing, but definitely a possibility.
And one thing that really bridges a lot of color issues can be the right scarf – a solid navy outfit with a really striking scarf can be pretty well balanced – a neutral backdrop for something that catches the eye!
hugs,
Janice
WHat a great post! THese colors are so deep and rich. A separate travel wardrobe is a great idea-I is I knew about that when I was working and traveling. THis is one of my favorite posts. Well done you!
I think this is a brilliant idea, especially for a person who frequently travels for work.
At a point in my past where I was doing lots of really short day trips to client sites, this is how I operated. In fact, my wardrobe was so slimmed down (and my travel so frequent) that I used to just go from the dryer / cleaners back into my suitcase.
Navy with wine or burgundy always looks so elegant to me. Love this.
Do you do any plus-size and/or budget-conscious capsule wardrobes? Your heroines are always so perfect – would love to feel there’s room here for the rest of us! :) Love you and will keep reading regardless cheers
I read The Vivienne Files as a lovely, fantasy-based inspiration for real life. In real life, we have small budgets and large waistlines and children who wipe ketchup on our clothes (or is that just me?). But maybe there is a color or an accessory, or one idea, that could work and put a bit of sparkle in my day.
Not usually – I struggle so much to find the right garments (with the right photographs!) that I try not to put any other constraints on myself. I do try to show as much clothing as I reasonably can from affordable options like L.L.Bean and Lands’ End because I think that their price to quality ratio is excellent. I’m also always hopeful that those of us who manage to come up with a plan to have a smaller wardrobe can correspondingly spend more on each item (since there are fewer of them) and therefore have buy some of the nicer things. It’s not an easy balance, but I’m not unaware of your point of view. And I do care, deeply.
hugs,
Janice
I’m absolutely over the moon with this post too, there’s room for more burgundy/red in my already heavily navy wardrobe… :-)
I’m absolutely over the moon with this post too. I have room for more burgundy/red in my already heavily navy wardrobe… :-)
Loved this wardrobe. It feels a bit “younger” to me, which is nice. I also liked that the painting fell into the realism catagory instead of abstract. It would be fun to see some more casual wardrobes with more denim and trendy pieces. I always liked your wardrobes from the creative co-workers’ uniform where you would pick one color, like cognac or amethyst, for the accessories. They always had a trendy edge to them!
I love the concept. On a VERY slim budget…. I based my wardrobe on your example of the chocolate shop gal. I determined my style, shopped second hand and put together a wardrobe that I totally enjoy. I enjoy the compliments and give you the credit and thanks for the inspiration.
What a gorgeous travel wardrobe!! A great idea to keep your travel wardrobe apart from the rest of your clothes too. If you traveled a lot this would be perfect! Love the artwork. You’re on a roll Janice!