January 2, 2019
Here they are! It took me a while to choose, but I think I’m going to love these…
Hermès scarf – Rosace de Janos; Hermès scarf – Appaloosa des Steppes; Hermès scarf – Act III, Scene I, La Clairiere; Hermès scarf – Zouaves et Dragons; Hermès scarf – Jeu de Soie; Hermès scarf – Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris
First up – black and white with NO red… I’m interested to see how far I can go with just 2 shades of blue as accents. Given the success of the strictly navy and white wardrobe from last year, I’m optimistic!
This year, I thought that I would start with color palettes for each scarf – I think this will make it easier for me to make certain that I’m focused, and that each month’s outfit will have a good chance of working nicely into the overall wardrobe.
I’m starting with the most uncomplicated outfits possible – lots of white tee shirts! It’s easy to forget how useful these kinds of garments can be…
Hermès scarf – Rosace de Janos; cardigan – BP.; tee – Lands’ End; earrings- Argento Vivo; loafers – Seychelles; pants – Eileen Fisher
This next scarf really appeals to me – it’s equestrian in theme without being overly “horsey” in appearance. And the colors are wonderful… Although it’s not in the current color palette, I think it’s reasonable to assume that some pink will make it into this wardrobe eventually!
Hermès scarf – Appaloosa des Steppes; cardigan – Nic+Zoe; tee – Lands’ End; earrings – Givenchy; loafers – AGL; navy pants – L.L.Bean
I couldn’t resist the possibility of combining grey with warmer accent colors. And I’m convinced that if I were in the market for off-white tops, I might try “tea-dying” them to get the right color. These aren’t easy to find!
Hermès scarf – Act III, Scene I, La Clairiere; cardigan – BP.; tee shirt – Halogen; earrings – Banana Republic; loafers – Trotters; pants – L.L.Bean
Khaki is an under-appreciated neutral; I’m hopeful that this wardrobe will show how useful it can be…
Hermès scarf – Zouaves et Dragons; cardigan – L.L.Bean; tee – Lands’ End; earrings – Kate Spade New York; loafers – Børn; pants – L.L.Bean
This scarf really appeals to me – the brown is certainly prominent, but there’s plenty of navy and white here too… Sometimes a brown-based wardrobe can be difficult to find; I’m hopeful that these additional colors will make the process somewhat easier!
Hermès scarf – Jeu de Soie; cardigan – Halogen; tee – Lands’ End; earrings – Bounkit; loafers – J.Crew; pants – Lands’ End
The last scarf is sort of a departure from the normal way I do these wardrobes. I really want to include a wardrobe that uses olive green, but I could NOT find a scarf including that color that appealed at all. So I realized that the scarf doesn’t HAVE to include the core neutral – the scarf can be all about the accent colors!
So I’m going to stick with olive, but use the accent colors presented in this adorable scarf…
Hermès scarf – Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris; cardigan – Lands’ End; tee – Lands’ End; earrings – Laura Lombardi; loafers – Ferragamo; pants – Lands’ End
So there they are! I hope you like them; I think it’s going to be another interesting year, seeing how these wardrobes grow (and change) each month…
love,
Janice
Like this article? Save it to Pinterest!
Happy New Year! I was immediately drawn to the Zouaves et Dragons scarf with the splashes of red and teal blue. Although the neutral is ‘khaki’, I would probably replace it with a putty or stone shade which has a slight greyish undertone rather than yellow. I’m not sure about the navy option with purple and violet yet, so I’ll wait and see how it looks throughout the year.
My first reactions were: Love the first two options – but second reaction is – more of the same (not a criticism of you but what I would normally opt for as safe).
Second two options just aren’t for me – find them rather bland and colours seem “off” – but again that’s just me.
Last two are a real surprise – when I saw the scarves I was disappointed – they just didn’t seem to appeal to me at all – BUT – when I see the clothes and accessories you have chosen they have suddenly become my favourites out of the box! Maybe I am ready to see some new colour options and not to settle for my usual “safe” choices and you have given me that push! Looking forward to this year’s posts.
I loved them. And also think it’s gonna be fun. I’m inspired to get dressed based in the olive wardrobe. The Black tee my mom gave me in my birthday last november, an olive skirt I bought myself, the golden metalic sandals I used in New Year’s Eve, golden metalic Watch and ring. Thank you Janice. Your blog is a great source of inspiration.
Dear Janice,
Happy New Year!
I have been a reader for over 3 years now and admire your work highly. Please reconsider using the second scarf – Appaloosa Des Steppes. It is cultural appropriation of Kyrgyz national rug style called Shyrdak, done inappropriately and in completely wrong colors culturally. The imagery on these rugs is highly meaningful, and represents the natural surroundings and heritage of each family that makes it by hand. Here is a link that can give you an idea of what they are supposed to be like, and if you wish you can research further yourself.
https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/ala-kiyiz-and-shyrdak-art-of-kyrgyz-traditional-felt-carpets-00693
Thank you for your consideration.
Hello Julia, your comment made me go to the Hermes site to investigate, and this is what they write about this scarf:
“This daring composition combines some of the traditional motifs of Kyrgyzstan, the mountainous country of Central Asia, with the spotted coat of an Appaloosa, the horse bred for centuries by the Nez Perce Native American tribe in the north-west of the United States. The motifs against which the silhouette of the animal stands out are inspired by shyrdaks, felt carpets made by Kyrgyz women according to ancestral techniques passed on from mother to daughter. Warm, solid, insulating, indispensable and beautiful, they form one of the great riches of nomadic life. The illustrator Alice Shirley took pains to faithfully reproduce the legacies of this little-known culture.”
Could you please clarify for me why you feel… irritated (?) enough to ask Janice to reconsider using this scarf? Also, since reading the description, I am wondering what the “traditional motifs of Kyrgyzstan” have to do with “the spotted coat of an Appaloosa, the horse bred for centuries by the Nez Perce Native American tribe in the north-west of the United States”. Is it simply artistic freedom to put these two together on a scarf, or is there some meaning or connection that I am not aware of (yet)? Always trying to learn and grow x
Sorry, me again.. ;o))) Did some more investigating and found this http://www.uzbekjourneys.com/2017/02/kyrgyzstan-this-hermes-scarf-is-more-than-a-scarf.html?m=1 to share with anyone who’s interested.
Very interesting story indead!
I feel like she just explained it… the traditions and typical colors have great meaning to the Kyrgistan culture, and less or no meaning to Hermes and its customers, who are mis-using the patterns with purposely wrong colors to show an elite love for the exotic.
She made an ask, you can reply, but I feel like she explained herself pretty well.
I, too, enjoyed my research into this beautiful and protected culture. I am unsure as to how I feel about cultural appropriation which can sometimes be beautiful or educational and sometimes be purely INappropriate and insulting. For examples of both see: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/the-dos-and-donts-of-cultural-appropriation/411292/
But I think everyone (almost anyone) has the right to ask.
Hello Lee, thank you very much for explaining and especially for sharing the link to this very informative article. Now I understand what the problem is exactly – I honestly had no idea what the term “cultural appropriation” really means, that is to say, what it implies. And I have to admit, I’m shocked. And it also makes me very sad in a way, that obviously things get more and more complicated in this world day by day. Perhaps it’s because I’m European, or I just don’t come in contact with these issues in my personal life and haven’t paid enough attention to the rest of the world – even though I travel a lot and have, as a matter of fact, even been to Kazastan and Uzbekistan, which are neighbouring countries to Kirgizistan, also Pakistan, India… in short, basically every country and continent except for Australia and New Zealand. I guess being German, I should get upset about all the Octoberfests going on in the world and all the “authentic” Brauhäuser which usually aren’t authentic at all, and everybody is wearing a dirndl that has nothing to do with traditional dirndl patterns – but I don’t. Isn’t it a compliment for any culture when it is adopted like that? All that said, I don’t mean to start any political discussion or disrespect anybody’s feelings. I’m sincerely grateful to have been made aware of this issue and I will give this a lot of thought. Thanks again for explaining!
Wow. Cultural appropriation and fashion. Will we start with the Victorians who wore bustles to copy African posteriors?
YSL in the 80’s – all those Russian costumes. Japanese designers on the catwalk, using draping from kimonos. Napoleon’s Josephine in Greek draping. Provençal prints which are close to Islamic patterns? In fact, here is a challenge: name one fashion style and I will say where it is appropriated from.
Anna Wintour’s silk dresses copy my mother’s style of afternoon dress for a formal diplomatic afternoon tea in the 1960’s.
And on it goes…
Interesting discussion. I admit that I don’t understand complaints about cultural appropriation. Isn’t this what the human race has done since the dawn of our history? We have always copied and adapted, and that is the whole reason we have risen so high and achieved what we have on this planet. Should those who wish to protect their culture be denied the use of outside cultures? No fries unless you are Belgian? No pizza if you aren’t Italian? Linda M
Yes, interesting discussion indead. I tried to find out more, and realized it’s not a topic which is being discussed in my neck of the woods – so no wonder I wasn’t aware of it. I found 3 German newspaper articles, dated from 2016 and 2017, covering the issue of cultural appropriation as a movement going on and gaining importance mainly in the US, the UK and Australia. From what I understand, what is being critized is for example me (a hypothetical me!), being white/caucasian, privileged, rich and bored, throwing on some feathers or dreadlocks or other symbol of some underprivileged/suppressed culture, simply to look cool and have fun and entertain myself, while ridiculing the culture I took the symbol from – because either the symbol has religious meaning or is pointing to a very painful history. I hope I got that right. Of course this is aweful. I can only speak for myself, but I would feel really bad if I found out that I hurt someone”s cultural feelings in such a way. Now of course since I didn’t do it intentionally, I could argue the other person should ease up. The other person could argue, since I don’t know what it feels like to be underprivileged, I don’t know how much it hurts. It’s difficult – isn’t it? Where’s the middle ground each party could live with? I remember how in the 1980s Madonna caused a big scandal with her burning crosses and “inappropriate behaviour” in a church-like enviroment – which comes the closest I can think of to how “my” cultural symbol (being katholic) became kind of a fashion statement, or was used in a commercial sort of way to sell music and get attention. At least that was the critizism back then. I believed that she really wanted to critize and make a personal statement, and I admire her to this day for her courage to test the boundaries in such a bold manner. Today crosses are everywhere – on t-shirts, on necklaces combined with a skull, with snakes, roses, as tattoo… it’s so common now that I really don’t think katholics are offended by it. The cross can be a religious symbol and a fashion statement at the same time depending on the context it is used in. I’m afraid I lost my point now ;o))) – just rambling on… No, my point is tolerance. By taking an element from a culture and using it in a new and different way, something new and exciting can be created (I count fries and pizza in). Let’s stay open to change. Let’s not lose optimism and good humour.
Happy New Year, Janice! Your scarf choices for this year look lovely. I especially like the first two because they’re basically white/dark neutral/two shades of favorite color. They’ll be the blueprint to follow in sewing my own wardrobe this year. I will have more skirts (and dresses) and fewer pants, but otherwise I intend to use this series of posts to inspire my sewing projects each month. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
As a lover of purple I have a clear favorite at the start. But I always love watching the wardrobes develop over the year.
Thank you for 6 more beautiful inspirations.
I like them all, as usual! As for a favourite, I can’t choose between 5 and 6. The scarf and colours for 5 are very interesting, but 6 is both elegant and useful (I have a legacy of smart black pieces in my wardrobe, which look a bit harsh these days, but find that combining them with soft greens and cream is a really workable way of wearing them – so I will keep a close eye on this one!). Thanks for starting a new series, I’m looking forward to how it shapes up.
I’m immediately drawn to the lovely purple Appaloosa des Steppes palette. I already have a ton of these colors and look forward to seeing what you do with them over the year!
I love all of these – probably best year yet (I haven’t been following a long time but I’ve gone back through the archives!!). I think that 3 and 5 tied as favorites (though I’d pull out some of that orange in #5 myself!) but I would wear any of these colors. It is going to be a lot of fun following these.
Can’t wait to see how the Nouveaux Amoureux wardrobe develops — the olive & black outfit with the scarf is so sophisticated!
Love the black/white/blue/blue combination. The Appaloosa scarf took me more than a minute—clearly I need more coffee.
I’ve been disappointed in Hermes for some time – haven’t bought anything since the gorgeous Samourais scarf a couple of years ago. However, I do like the color palettes of the first two scarves, and I will be following to see what you do with them. And, as always, I enjoy seeing how you pull wardrobes together even when they wouldn’t work for me.
Cannot pick a favorite; they are each gorgeous! You and Hermès are a great team ?
So glad to see color palettes with four accent colors since I prefer a lot of variety in both colors and textures. Keeping to a color scheme will definitely help keep me focused as I streamline my wardrobe this year to 24-36 pieces. This series offers an affordable way to transform my existing closet of clothing into a curated wardrobe by selecting existing pieces and adding new pieces each month to make seasonally appropriate outfits that are easy to mix and match throughout the year. Anything not included as part of a monthly outfit by the end of the year will need a solid reason for remaining or it will be donated to charity.
Janice,
Happy 2019 ! I confess that at first glance none of the scarves appealed to me — that is — until I saw what colors you are pulling out of each of them ! Having the scarf be about the accent colors is pure genius ! Scarves 5 and 6 are my favorites — no surprise there, huh ! I look forward to what delights you have in store for us with these wardrobes ! Your cluster capsules are pretty much how I pack — I love what you did with your recent post — thanks so much for that ! On to a year of seeing your practical creativity in full display ! Big hugs !
5 and 6 are my favorites.
This will be a fun year! The first wardrobe is similar to my colors if the dark neutral was navy. But again, for me, the prettiest will be the grey and coral. What a lovely combination! I have two Coral tops so this will be watched closely. Since I look awful in stark white, I tea dye white tops all the time and you are right, off-white is hard to find especially in summer. Love all the scarves too! Janice Collins Coyle, Washington DC
I love these 12 month wardrobes. Thanks Janice. These are the most intriguing scarves you have used yet. As a blue eyed redhead, I am especially drawn to all the first two color schemes. I don’t do a capsule wardrobe exactly, but use your ideas as inspiration for my blue, purple, olive accents for black, navy and gray base pieces. I crave variety.
I like the first three ones, but it’s sad to see none of the scarves are very ‘autumny’, literally none of these or their colour palettes woudl go with my autumnal complexion.
What fun! I’m playing along this year…except I bought a Ted Dekker London scarf at a deep discount to use as my base, and I’m going to be sewing the outfit of the month…at least, such is my plan. This month…a white t shirt (so HARD to find white T shirt weight knits that aren’t totally transparent, but I think I’ve got one in the stash), black pants and a royal blue cardi. Here’s to good intentions! BTW, I perused the Hermes site and guessed at what the six scarves would be. Nailed the Jeu de Soie, and I guessed different colorways for Act III, Scene 1 and
Zouaves et Dragons, although I did put them with the right neutrals. I ALMOST guessed Rosace de Janos for the black-based wardrobe, but ended up picking one with more colors as more likely. That was fun!
Dunno if anyone’s interested…but here’s my January Outfit. ;-)
https://sewrandom.blogspot.com/2019/01/12-months-12-outfits-january.html
Thanks so much for the fun and inspiration! On to February!
Janice, thank you again for a fun start to the New Year. On my morning 5 mile walk, I had plenty of time to consider the color combinations you might choose and had 6 in my head. I nailed 2 and 6!! I thought you might combine brown with red, but did not include the other colors. I also guessed you would use black with pops of blue, but saw it with ivory and gray also to soften the palette. I saw the yellow and coral with khaki instead of gray. The khaki, blue, red was totally off my radar (saw this one as a denim based palette..which I might use for my inspiration in replace of the khaki). If I could wear the last palette, it would be my favorite, but it still will be fun to watch develop. So much fun to guess and see the results. Can’t wait to see how you build these wardrobes over the year! You are a genuine expert at this!!
I look forward to following along! The only scarf that really grabs my attention is the first, perhaps because of the simple graphic pattern. But I love seeing how you interpret these into wardrobes and sometimes I end up changing my mind about my favourite.
Applauds to the casual and practical choice for January outfit. We can all use a tee, cardi, pant and loafer no matter at what price point.
Can I second everything that you say here, Michelle. I’d just add that the earrings are delightfully chosen for their resonance with the scarves. Looking forward to another entertaining and thought-provoking year!
I really like that jeu de soie scarf. I would use the navy as my neutral with the brown as leather accessories; shoes, purse, watchband, headband. I wish hermes would make long narrow scarves.
Hermes does make long narrow scarves – they call them twillies. They’re about 3 inches wide – maybe 2.5? – and quite long. They have angled ends… I think they were originally thought to be for wrapping around the handles of a handbag, but now they’re used for everything! (silk around a handbag handle makes no sense to me, because silk is more fragile than leather, but I don’t think that practicality is the point…)
hugs,
Janice
Oh so gorgeous! Hard to choose but…My favourite is the Appaloosa lavender purple tones with navy & white. I’m really drawn to the purple tones, I want to add them into my wardrobe and I love the blend against the navy and white core. Wow! That is a really pretty scarf.
Janice thank you for such sheer artistic pleasure in choosing a capsule wardrobe for self expression.
A very Happy New Year to you and your best beloved!
Zouaves et Dragons is my top pick. Anything with the word dragon in the title catches my attention and I love that there are so many accent colors. I’ve been trying to decide on a light neutral so I’m going to consider khaki as an option. I’ll also be keeping an eye on the Rosace de Janos and Appaloosa des Steppes wardrobes since I lean towards blues and purples.
Janice, so much fun! Love all the new looks. Would like to see how you would wear the scarves with each outfit. Love scarfs but never sure the best way to drape or tie. Any chance you could put the outfits and accessories on a “body”? AppreciAte your bog, has helped me organize my closet immensly!
Looks like a good start to a fun year of scarf wardrobes! The brown one is especially unexpected and interesting. – nancyo
Wow – I love these options! The first two are my favorites so far. I love both purple and teal/turquoise and am happy to see those colors in the mix. The warm colors with gray didn’t appeal to me at first but I love the outfit you put together. And olive is just not my color, so the last one is my least favorite but nevertheless I can’t wait to see what you do with it. These posts are my favorite and I look forward to them every month. Thanks for all your hard work putting these together!
I am not a bright color person, so the scarf that speaks to me is the last one. However, it will be interesting to see how all the wardrobes evolve over the year.
Wow — nice mix and good inspiration for early 2019! I’m especially interested in the first two, although I’m intrigued by the possibilities of the khaki wardrobe.
I like 1,2 & 3. I think I am an analogous kind of person. I love the blues, purples (and a touch of pink) and oranges (coral). This is the first year of Hermes scarves that I have actually liked the scarves themselves and also loved the color palettes that Janice has come up with. I associate tropicalness with the blues and corals. Looking forward to an exciting Hermes year.
Is there any chance you could show how to tie these square scarves? I have one (not Hermes) and I can never tie it without the points sticking out in crazy places.
Great outfit choices! Thank you for sharing the post!