April 3, 2019
Of course these aren’t an entire wardrobe – I hope that’s clear. But, to me, the idea of a “French 5-Piece Wardrobe” is the 5 pieces that you plan, and carefully choose, and use to update your normal seasonal wardrobe of classic, neutral clothes.
Let’s start here – these are about as basic as you can get!
chambray shirt – L.L.Bean; tee shirts – Lands’ End; tank tops – Lands’ End; cardigan – Eileen Fisher; shorts – Lands’ End; cropped pants – L.L.Bean; jeans – Topshop
While this isn’t a really exciting wardrobe, it’s versatile; you can get two dozen combinations from these 9 garments. That’s a working wardrobe, I’d say!
When I thought about doing some French 5-Piece Wardrobes, I was thinking specifically about that Hedge Green color that is so uncommon, and really delightful. But I figured that I might as well work my way through the rainbow… Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet… (I skipped Indigo, because I’ve never been able to really tell it from blue and violet!)
Note – in all cases, I found a color that I liked, and then I searched for THAT COLOR on the retail site where I first found it. That way, I could see everything that was available in that color, with some level of confidence that the garments would match! If you see something you like online, there’s a good chance that there’s more than 1 piece on that site in the same color…
First up – you don’t have to stick to solid-colored garments in your French 5-Piece Wardrobe! Because the core wardrobe has a couple of white shirts, the printed skirt will find a welcome home…
earrings – Magda Butrym; bag – Staud; sandals – J.Crew; top – Lands’ End; skirt – Lands’ End
I wouldn’t call this next color orange, and I certainly wouldn’t describe it as russet, but it’s very pretty! (and yes, the earrings are insanely expensive… but I wanted you to see them, because I think they’re lovely…)
cardigan – L.L.Bean; scarf – Barneys New York; earrings – Casa Castro; sleeveless top – L.L.Bean; espadrilles – Lucky Brand
I really like the way this came together…
If you like yellow, don’t hesitate! So many of us avoid it; you can really stand out in a crowd and bring some brightness and cheer wherever you go…
cardigan – Lands’ End; earrings – Swarovski; scarf – Lands’ End; socks – Urban Outfitters; dress – Lands’ End
I find this very refreshing; I’ve always been told that yellow wasn’t good for me, but I think I just need to find the right shade, right?
The more I see of hedge green, the more I like it! And Lands’ End has a LOT of pieces in this color, including a print dress, a print tee shirt, and checked Bermuda shorts… If you want to see more of this color, check my earlier posts here and here!
scarf – Lands’ End; denim jacket – Lands’ End; tank top – Lands’ End; bracelet – TJMaxx; sandals – Lands’ End
Of course we already know that this color blends nicely with many neutrals:
I love this bright blue, but I have to admit that I struggle to pair it with denim – what is that about? How do you feel about other shades of blue with denim?
wrap top – Chelsea28; earrings – Monica Vinader; cardigan – Halogen; scarf – Nordstrom; loafers – J.Crew
A note about searching for this color… Nordstrom has a bunch of “house” brands, including Chelsea28, Halogen, and Nordstrom. So you might find pieces there that have different brands, but are the same named color…
Maybe you have enough clothes, but you just want a new color – a couple of tops might be just right… Some accessories, and you’re all set!
earrings – David Yurman; tank top – Lands’ End; scarf – Longchamp; sandals – Muk Luks; tee shirt – Lands’ End
This is a memorable color that looks great with all of our neutrals. It would be lovely with navy, wouldn’t it?
Since I’m not shopping this year, I don’t have to choose how to update my summer wardrobe. But if I were forced, I think I might opt for the purple… (given that it matches a swath of my hair right now, I think it seems logical!)
What would you do?
love,
Janice
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Love this post for the colors and also demonstrates the versatile of the French 5. Here you always include footwear and at least one other accessory but tops, outer wear, dresses, pants or skirts, is all up to us was combination to choose.
Exactly!!! I’ve learned to my chagrin that I will NOT wear accent shoes, no matter how wonderful they are… Everyone has their own preferences and quirks, right?
hugs,
Janice
I want them all, especially the earrings! I love earrings and you’ve really chosen beautiful ones. If I have to choose I’ll go with that wonderful blue (don’t it look so good with the white?) and the orange/peach/russet (???) colour. What a good thing for my wallet that I can’t order from those shops. Thanks for a great post!
We sure do. In my case, this post was my “aha moment” in which all your teachings finally gelled, even though I’m preparing for winter right now. That sage/hedge green is too gorgeous. Here in South Africa we call it “khaki” and we call those 3/4 pants/clamdiggers beige. That cherry red handbag is literally good enough to eat :-) it looks like a gourd or calabash. So cool that you’re sporting a purple hair streak. I currently have two pink ones and will miss them when they grow out. If not, why not? PS If you’re American and can afford to shop at LL Bean and/or Lands End, you have my unmitigated envy. There is no shop comparable to that here, and I really wish there was. PPS That russet orange is somewhat like a land version of Living Coral Pantone 2019, and is so luscious I would literally wear it from head to toe.
PPPS I wear every shade of blue except pastel with blue jeans, for example aqua, royal and navy, and it doesn’t phase me as I don’t consider blue jeans a colour; they’re just sort of there.
This is great. I hate to limit myself to one or two colors, but as you show, all it takes is a few pieces to pop.
As for hedge green (sage?), I saw three women in three days dressed head to toe in it–two wore light puffer jackets in sage and the other a cardigan (it was warm); all wore sage tops, pants/jeans and bags.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a French woman in a chambray shirt, though. But it’s a great color. I see jean jackets galore.
I love to see chambray shirts on others but they just don’t suit me unfortunately. Interesting to hear about the hedge green in France; many thanks for that update.
The French 5 is becoming a firm favourite with me for updating/adding a new accent colour to my staple navy, grey and whites. In an earlier blog I commented the difficulty I had wearing a denim jacket, well I also have trouble with chambray shirts. I really can’t put my finger on why they look ‘off’ as blue is one of my main colours (providing it’s not too bright). I still like that silver sage shade, but I’m also drawn to duck egg blue which appears to be in lots of stores this season including BODEN.
I have same reaction to chambray shirts and denim jackets. I learned years ago that I need a more refined fabric and cut. But, I bought some chambray last year and just took it all to consignment. Love it but it is just not for me.
I totally hear you two about the chambray shirts and denim jackets! I love them on others, but they just look so wrong on me, even though I have a notoriously casual aesthetic. I used to love fine-knit twin-sets but my last one just died of old age do am hoping they make a comeback down here. :-)
Love your French 5 posts. They have completely changed the way I manage my wardrobe! For fall last year, I added five pieces in that beautiful berry color, and it made me so happy. Can’t decide on my spring/summer color, but that peach/russet color is looking good. And I agree about the colored shoes…not too happy to draw attention to my size 11 feet.
Love that purple, and you’re right, it would look great with navy.
Is hedge green basically sage? Is it a little less gray than that?
I think so; I hate the way colors get named! There should be some requirement that they post RGB (red, green, blue) guidelines, or some other digital standard when they give you color names. Maybe a Pantone name? While silly, at least they are standardized…
hugs,
Janice
You do have indigo. It’s the original dye used to dye denim. Think dark blue jeans – there’s your indigo.
Ohhhh! Brilliant!
hugs,
Janice
Regarding indigo: the story goes that Isaac Newton wanted to divide the color spectrum into 7, thanks to 7’s “mystical properties.” Modern color theory typically omits indigo as a separate category, and instead splits the color wheel into 3 primaries (red yellow blue), and 3 secondaries (in-between the primaries – orange (red+yellow), green (yellow+blue) and purple (red+blue). There are 6 tertiaries in between the primaries (red-orange, etc.), 12 quatanaries between those (red-red-orange, etc.) and on and on. Indigo is just a dark blue.
Ah, now the universe makes sense! Thank you so very much for that information! Honestly, I know it has an ink named after it but to me it always just looked like a cross between dark blue and purple.
Janice, are you showing navy or black in the basic tops? Can’t tell from my monitor. I can’t add any more colors to my wardrobe, but if I had to, it would be that hedge green. I love the jeans jacket. It comes in cameo pink too, which is in my closet.
Black. But this could easily work with a navy core wardrobe….
hugs,
Janice
The trick with mixing denim and blue is the tone of the denim. Like grey, there are so many different versions of denim. Some are more yellow / beige (esp light ones), others more grey, and some so dark they are really navy. I find that the more dark/neutral I keep my jeans, the better they go with all kinds of blue (all kinds of blue is where my wardrobe is heading).
Thank you for your blog. I’m new. I like your idea regarding adding new pops of color to a capsule wardrobe. I have purchased many clothing items in a few shades of gray, navy, spring green, and aqua. I would like to add more accessories, extra accent colors, and more feminine pieces to my wardrobe. I’m a baby boomer, petite, and I like classic clothing. You are creative. Please share how you find so many nice combinations, in a variety of stores. Do you have bookmarks for your favorite stores?
I have a handful of “go-to” stores where I look first, because I know that they have photographs of clothes that are right for The Vivienne Files. After that, I search and search and search… It can take anywhere from 5 to 12 hours for me to do a post, so patience is key!
hugs,
Janice
It’s fun to see these few pieces transform a neutral wardrobe. I would definitely wear that blue with denim – long before I would wear it with khaki+black, but that’s just the difference in different eyes! Actually that blue with black looks a little 90’s to me, and I’m one of the few people, apparently, who don’t like purple and navy together. à chacun son goût! – nancyo
The denotation for ‘indigo’ defines it as a color between blue and violet. Indigo has always been a very special blend of two shades. The book “Blue: The History of a Color,” by Michel Pastoureau (2001; reprint 2018, Princeton UP) is a wonderful resource for the color, shades, and hues of blue(s). But when you love the specific color indigo, as I do, since it is my favorite color, one cannot see it as anything less than what it is, the edge of blue into violet. It is a specific and lovely shade; it is not merely ‘blue.’
This is such a fun post. It is amazing how different the same core neutral pieces look with the different colors. I thought I knew that, but they look even more different than I guessed.
Janice,
I am loving the Russet Orange, the Hedge Green, and the Purple, though I am in a downsizing mode and won’t be purchasing any of them this season. However, when I do need to add some new components your “ French 5” will be in the forefront of my brain! I am still drooling over matching shoes, but don’t have the courage to go for it, as I am not tall enough to carry it off . Perhaps as a subtle trim on a sandal ?
I love the core wardrobe here, plus the accent colors, but as a graying Autumn, black is my absolute worst color for tops. Navy is almost as bad … Is there a color I can substitute that would still work with lots of accent colors?
As an already grey autumn, I know how you feel! Interesting that we are talking about indigo, as I find that navy with purple tinge works well for me as a neutral, or just very dark purple. There are very few neutrals I can wear as tops, my others are olive, khaki, and that colour between grey and brown, sometimes called elephant. It can take ages to find these! I have several clusters of my best colours, such as the 5 piece wardrobes above, with my few neutrals sitting between them all. Hope that helps. Linda M
Maybe bronze, dark pine green, dark terracotta… sometimes other accent color hepls as a neutral.
How about an army green?
How about choosing your very best color as a “neutral,” at least next to your face? I know it’s not a traditional approach, but I have known people who wore their best color as a wardrobe staple – and isn’t that what a neutral is, really? Teal comes to mind as It has warm and cool aspects, is frequently available, and goes with almost any other color.
I call it peachy-orange. Dress shirt, light sweater, and tank in my closet. Fun color!
There’s a pretty green that I hope you can find this spring. It’s more of a “spring green”, not as grey as sage, not as bright as kellygreen. Would love to see you work with it as it’s so availableand flattering!
Thank you Janice, a post after my own heart. With the exception of the white cardigan, I have everything in your core wardrobe. (Mind you, my khaki pants are full-length – 3/4s don’t quite work for me.) I’ve pared my wardrobe down quite a bit thanks to your very useful posts. I can see how a couple of bright tops and a scarf or two will get me through this summer (if it ever begins here in Ontario, Canada).
Great post! I majored in art history, so I’m happy to come across your blog! Ok yeah I figured “hedge green” must be sage green or thereabouts. Actually, a 5 piece wardrobe would suffice for my very casual life!