March 1, 2019
Possibly my favorite blog post every month!
You can see the January post here, and the February post here…
First up is this quite abstract scarf, in my favorite black and white with 2 shades of blue:
Normally I would look for a solid skirt for this outfit, but I couldn’t resist the stripes here! And the juxtaposition of more stripes appeals to my fondness for pattern mixing:
Hermès scarf – Rosace de Janos; sweater – J.Crew; watch – Tissot; striped scarf – Rebecca Minkoff; skirt – Equipment; canvas shoes – Superga
Next is this lovely scarf with all of those shades of purple, lavender and pink. I’m not sure how it’s all going to look when this is finished, but I love the colors together!
I’m on a one-woman mission to convince everyone that skirts don’t have to be dressy…
Hermès scarf – Appaloosa des Steppes; cashmere hoodie – Naadam; watch – Breda; striped scarf – Nordstrom; skirt – Uniqlo; canvas shoes – Sperry
The balance here between warm and cool colors is going to be tricky, but I think it will be beautiful…
A timeless outfit – swap out the tennies for a pair of pumps or ballet flats if you’re uncomfortable with these canvas shoes…
Hermès scarf – Act III, Scene I, La Clairiere; cotton cardigan – Uniqlo; watch – Olivia Burton; Stylized Crane scarf – The Met Store; skirt – J.Crew; shoes – Vans
I love the classic nature of these colors, paired with the very modern design of the scarf!
This looks so relaxed and ready for spring:
Hermès scarf – Zouaves et Dragons; sweater – Vince; watch – Rosefield; scarf – Faliero Sarti; skirt – Banana Republic; shoes – Toms
This color scheme has me the most concerned – brown is difficult to find, white is only good for part of the year for many garments, and the accents are wide-ranging. We shall see…
If I can continue to find important wardrobe components in brown, this might be really lovely…
Hermès scarf – Jeu de Soie; sweater – Caslon; watch – Nixon; scarf – ImageDiary; skirt – H&M; shoes – Tretorn
I’m going to remain optimistic that the green will work well here…
This cardigan makes a twin-set with the short-sleeved sweater from an earlier month, and this skirt was completely impossible to resist!
Hermès scarf – Les Nouveaux Amoureux de Paris; sweater – Lands’ End; watch – Skagen; scarf – The Met Store; skirt – Reiss; shoes – Kizik
Now let’s look at the wardrobes as they are beginning to take shape. My biggest concern about this first wardrobe is that the 2 shades of blue might somehow conflict. It might be tempting to stick with just 1 of the 2 “blues” for a while…
But I think that these varying shades of purple might work better together? I’m not sure… This is one of the issues that has to be addressed if you like lots of accent colors!
Maybe it’s just my eyes, but I think that the shades of apricot and peach blend together well. With more garments, we might more clearly see how this will work…
So far, this is going to be the most easily interchanged wardrobe! You can never go wrong with navy and beige, can you?
This wardrobe is definitely a work in progress; I like the range of accent colors available to use with brown and/or navy…
A little bit of beige added into this wardrobe is going to give us lots of options…
Which is your favorite? I’m still looking warmly at the first wardrobe, but I don’t think that I would thrown any of them back at a generous gift giver…
love,
Janice
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Kettlewell Colours always has some items in brown.
Thanks, as always, for the shout-out; what a great opening to the month of March. xoxox
The Purple one is my favourite and I do find that the various tones are working together very well. And, even though they aren’t my colours at all, I really like the peach, apricot & grey combination – it is soft & feminine but very “smart”.
I do have a problem with all the different shades of blue in the black, white & blue collection – to me, every accent piece is a different shade of blue (including the extra scarf & purse) and I just couldn’t imagine wearing any of them together.
My favorite is still the purple/navy wardrobe. I mix shades of purple all the time!
Like the way the navy/beige is coming together, and I agree with you about skirts not having to be dressy. Or dresses. I started wearing a chambray shirt dress with riding boots this winter, for those days when a girl’s waistline develops a mind and measurement of its own, and I liked it so much—better than leggings, which can roll down —I got a linen one (much higher maintenance, I know) for summer.
I’m pleasantly surprised that the navy/purple and the grey/peach/apricot are my favorites right now! Those aren’t really colors that I wear in my capsules, but they really do look so lovely together! As always, this is my favorite post and I’m excited to see how these play out!
I love the apricot, peach and gray wardrobe. I am always attracted to those colors. One way to make the dressier skirts look cute with sneakers is by really keeping the top casual. Instead of a silky scarf, one of the cute little cotton bandanas you see in stores now would be a great casual compliment.
Interesting to see the neutrals + 2 accent colors seem to fall into 2 categories, where the accents are similar (peach + apricot, the 2 blues, the lavenders) or where the accents are high-contrast.
Looks great – thank you!
Am I the only one who doesn’t “get” the canvas shoe with skirt look? Our heroines look like they are commuting to the office and will change into heels when they get there. Also the chunky knit turquoise sweater is $345 and is made of an unpronounceable synthetic.
I think that sweater is one where you borrow the idea, rather than buying the exact item pictured!
I have worn floral Ecco slip-on sneakers with denim skirts. I don’t know about canvas, but some sneakers can be very cute with skirts or dresses. I wore those same sneakers with black and pale pink in Paris during the 90˚ temperatures of a couple of summers ago; it’s a look you see on the streets of many European cities, but not canvas so far as I have seen.
You are not alone. I see more people asking the same question. Enough already with the ‘waitress in fancy clothes’ look. Put on a decent pair of shoes and get on with it.
I’m so glad you said this! Sneakers and skirts (or dresses) are such a silly look. The lines are all wrong. I understand that high heeled shoes may not be an option. But what’s wrong with a pretty ballet flat? Nearly as comfortable as a sneaker, and a much better match.
I seem to be favouring the lower contrast wardrobes, yet when I see the clothes put together, some of the high-contrast ones really appeal too. As none of the colour schemes work for me personally, I don’t have a stake there so it’s interesting to respond to the actual clothes as the wardrobes grow. I have no problem with mixing shades of blue or purple – I’d say go for it! And isn’t it fun to make up stories for all the different ladies.
I’ve got a sweater set in very light merino wool (from Lands’ End, as a matter of fact) which I love and hardly ever wear, and this series has stimulated my desire to wear it again. That pink/lavender scarf might be too difficult to resist. On a different note, that first selection is made up of bright and dark blues. They can most definitely be worn together, they don’t clash, they just represent cold and warm shades. I think your peach/grey combination is going to end up being the prettiest to watch evolve. Those are lovely shades.
I love everything about the Rosace de Janos capusule! That skirt is fantastic.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful information. it is very useful to me.
Love seeing the progress of these wardrobes as we move into a new month! It’s so interesting that the wardrobes all have two sweaters but just one shirt at this point, although, obviously, one of the sweaters can work as a second layer or as a first layer, as in this month’s capsules. – nancyo
I applaud your mission to bring back casual wear skirts!!! I, too, am focusing on casual wear skirts in particular and more skirts in general. I have not been able to find a well fitting pant and have discontinued the search.
Right now, I’m working on my warm weather wardrobe which has been challenging. Between the very early Spring in the Deep South and the blistering record temps in Australia, I’m planning on a very hot summer. That means I will be wearing only natural fiber blends. I’m prepared to tolerate the crumpled look for the sake of personal comfort. I loathe ironing and will rarely do it. Because I no longer tolerate sunscreens, in the summer I have to wear a jacket constructed of a material that is thick enough to be protective, with either short sleeve or sleeveless shirts. To date, that has primarily meant woven cotton.
I think my warm weather style is going to be colonial British safari ?.
I find the peach/apricot/gray wardrobe very appealing. Thank you for all the work you put into these, Janice!
I have been “lurking” for a while now. Learning much and saying little! But I must speak up today. I am learning so much even when the color or style needs adaption to suit me. I have a serious illness that affects my mobility so sometimes I will look for a similar item without buttons or buttons I leave buttoned and pull over my head. I have learned so much! I have recently decided to no longer dye my hair and have lost 50 pounds so am redoing my wardrobe and have found your blog invaluable. I am a “magpie” shopper ( I love the term it is so right!) and have suffered in the past of buying for a life I no longer live or wish I did. It has also carried over into the rest of my life; getting rid of stuff that no longer suits me or I no loser use. Thank you so much for the difference you’ve made in my life.
I adore the purple!!! And, surprisingly I really love the one with the brown. All the accent colors are fabulous together. Thanks, as always, for the beautiful and inspiring posts!
I’m enjoying the purple and navy scarf. I’m using it as inspiration. I haven’t found anything yet in the original purple but last month I found some lovely rose mauve tones in a cardigan and 2 tops in mauve.
Today I just bought a soft rayon knit long sleeve top in a pastel mauve.
I refreshed my navy pants with several new pairs along with some grey ones on a recent sale last month at a Canadian store called Cleo.
At Winners (similar to Marshall’s) in January I got a pretty mauve & pink silk scarf by Kate Spade.
I may not be able to find the purple tones but I’m using this as inspiration to branch out into a new colour accent that I never tried before.
If I add purple into it I think it will blend in just fine. I’m looking at the border of the Hermes scarf & that pinky shade is pretty much my mauve that I’ve been using.
This is a lot of fun.
I just barely finished my March Outfit in March…
https://sewrandom.blogspot.com/2019/03/12-months-12-outfits-march-assignment.html
Adding things to the wardrobe that are just a pinch outside of the comfort zone, and I went with a knit shirt instead of a sweater because my office is stifling hot pretty much year round.
And I need a way better camera and photography skills, lol. But so far, so good…
Thank you for yet another stylish video! I appreciate your showing how comfortable outfits don’t equate with being sloppy; instead they’re being classy! I’m looking forward to shopping in my closet and putting outfits together using similar colors! ?