January 7, 2019
She predicts flooding. Flood plains, coastal erosion, river bank frailties – she’s the expert. And this is her favorite painting…
Long ago she decided to limit her wardrobe to her favorite shades of blue, and to use navy and shades of grey as her neutrals. She has lots of serious things to think about, so having a simplified way to get dressed every day saves her time and energy for her work!
She’s often contracted out to television channels which focus on weather disasters – she will spend a few days at their headquarters helping their permanent staff make predictions about areas that need to be evacuated in the face of upcoming storms…
Ice blockages are particularly hard to evaluation – they can cause flooding, or they can break up and flow downstream without bothering anybody. That’s what she’s tasked with right now!
Off to their headquarters…
blue sweater – J.Crew; earrings – Monica Vinader; scarf – Eileen Fisher; jacket – Eileen Fisher; backpack – Sole Society; loafers – Vince; navy pants – L.L.Bean; suitcase – Tumi
She will only be there a few days, and for the most part she will spend her time in a big room full of computers, looking at her own information, and then looking over the shoulders of other staff… They will meet in a conference room from time to time, and there’s a maybe .0001% chance that she will be asked to appear on television! It’s only rarely that this happens, but she tries to be prepared. (how much can you really prepare to be on national television, eh?)
She packs warms things, and a comfortable dress…
earrings – Majorica; cardigan – Eileen Fisher; navy tee – J.Crew; pearl necklace – Perlaviva; soft blue tee – Boss; pants – Eileen Fisher; bracelet – Claudia Bradby; tunic sweater – Halogen; crossbody bag – Sake Fifth Avenue; scarf – Y’s by Yohji Yamamoto; navy dress – Uniqlo; silver ballet flats – Fitflop; navy ballet flats – Sudini
She doesn’t need to be terribly dressy, but she likes to be comfortable, and to feel pretty. Her work can be sort of depressing and it’s often full of pressure to get things right; she needs to focus!
When she gets to the hotel, she arranges everything so that she will be able to get dressed in a hurry when she needs to get to work:
She loves the fluid pleats in her dress, and the sort of watery waviness of her suitcase. She really, seriously, loves water…
What are her options to get dressed on this trip? Quite a few possibilities…
Most of us don’t like a lot of drama in our lives; this heroine always hopes that her services will end up being… not superfluous, but definitely not critical! If she never forecasts another flood in her lifetime, she could be contented…
love,
Janice
Like this article? Save it to Pinterest!
I love this, especially the feeling of ‘flow’ from the fabrics and soft stripes. The simple shapes and palette look modern, as well as being practical. I detect a touch of warmth in the grey of the painting, but I could be wrong…
I love this color combination and all of the wardrobe pieces.
This palette is close to my own and much appreciated. As in Chicago,wearing dresses in a Pennsylvania winter can be challenging. I’d like to switch out my low boots and tights for flats or loafers. Do tights work with flats or would a lighter tight work? How would the heroine in this vignette keep warm and wear the dress/cardigan and low blue shoe combo?
Thanks.
I’ve lived in the North and I love dresses, so I can give you a tip for keeping warm: wear knee socks UNDER your opaque tights. If the socks and tights are the same color, and the socks stay up well, it is virtually undetectable. Also, boots are your friend.
Right now, I live in a very hot climate and I miss the cold. You can always pile on more layers, but there is only so much you can take off!
Gwendolynn
What beautiful pieces. I love the details. Love the BOSS top and Fitflop shoes. Thanks again, Janice.
Thank you for this lovely wardrobe! This is the wardrobe I’m working toward- exactly!’! Light grey, navy and various shades of French blue with a little aqua mixed in. I LOVE all the pieces here.
And you have created another interesting heroine – you are a genius! Janice Collins Coyle, Washington DC
Very pretty wardrobe! I would be tempted to add some white, but that’s just me. Also I prefer to wear heels with a dress rather than flats. But everything is beautiful and functional!
I wonder – aren’t these woman’s ankles ever cold? No boots?
I really never have enough room in these wardrobe to include EVERYTHING that they might need. I’m going to pretend that the weather is perfect, all the time…
yours in hallucinations,
hugs,
Janice
Your blue- and grey-loving fans are very happy today. And for everyone there’s an interesting collection here, from the warm casual to the cool dressy, that could be the foundation of a usefully varied wardrobe. I’m off now to explore those Y scarves. I’m in a Shop My Wardrobe year but I’m allowed to look.
Lovely colors! So welcome after the holiday season of reds and blacks. It is snowing in Utah as I write and this cozy wardrobe would be perfect for January. I have pinned several of your posts in this stormy blue with gray, and it always appeals to me. I love seeing variations on this theme.
I have searched your site for links to an accordion (small pleats) black or gray winter skirt, but nothing is available at present. None of the stores, Amazon, or even Google had any possibilities. Would you keep an eye out for one as you research your posts? I feel it would be a helpful update to many winter wardrobes.
Nordstrom had some just recently…
https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/halogen-metallic-pleat-midi-skirt-regular-petite/5161977?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FWomen%2FClothing%2FSkirts&color=pink%20foil
is a “foil” (by which them mean metallic) one, and this is velvet:
https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/halogen-velvet-pleated-midi-skirt-regular-petite/4670545?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FWomen%2FClothing%2FSkirts&color=black
I strongly suspect that Uniqlo will have more by sometime in the spring…
hugs,
Janice
I love this one – hope we will get updates throughout the year as you did with previous heroines. In the future, and as clothes wear out I intend switching to just this colour combination (with just a tiny hit of pink) – I already own quite a few pieces that would work well with this painting.
Although I personally need more color in my wardrobe I love all shades of blue and I am using navy and gray as my neutrals. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this heroine. Love the choices so far.
As a few others have mentioned, I am working toward a very similar color scheme utilizing blues. However, winter white is my third color rather than the gray. I will have fun following this wardrobe as I have a start with some of the same or very similar pieces.
I love this calm, graceful wardrobe. It is subtle, grown-up and very versatile. And that $30 TJ Maxx Perlaviva necklace, even if the pearls are dyed, is a terrific buy. Mitten clap, Janice, for showing genuine pearls—and this pretty piece costs less than many fake pearls.
Lovely wardrobe! Navy and gray are two of my main neutrals (black being the other) and blues are always good accents. – nancyo
Love the colours, Janice – I have much navy in my own wardrobe!
The dress isn’t my favourite – too much movement with all those pleats. I like clothes (like water!) to stay still. However, I’m sure your heroine is more than comfortable in it …