April 29, 2019
I’m not good with dates – I forget birthdays (except my own, and Belovedest’s), if we hadn’t got married on the 1st day of Spring I would struggle with our anniversary, and let’s not even get started on the holidays that changes dates every year!
But Mother’s Day in the US is coming up soon… If you’re still lucky enough to buy gifts for this occasion, it’s time to give it some thought!
And yes, your mother would want you to have something pretty too…
If your wardrobe could use a bit of freshening up, a new accent color for warm weather is a fun option to consider; for this post, I just found cardigans that I liked, and then built around them. A pretty cardigan over a neutral outfit ALWAYS makes things feel new and fresh, and many places require a cardigan or something warmish when you go indoors – the plague of too much air conditioning.
This first color is NOT what you expect when someone says spring, but it might be perfect for you!
cardigan – Halogen; Byzantine bead earrings – The Met Store; necklace – The Met Store; bag – Kairi London; Klee scarf – The Met Store
I think this pink would be lovely with camel, beige, or ivory…
cardigan – J.Crew; earrings – The Met Store; pearl necklace – The Met Store; bag – Maria Maleta; botanicals scarf – The Met Store
How pretty is this? Named for a pond that I’ve NEVER seen… nothing scummy here!
cardigan – J.Crew; earrings – Neethu Barathi; sea nymph pendant – The Met Store; tote – Eric Javits; scarf – Rachel Parcell
Perhaps perfect for someone with blue eyes?
cardigan – Halogen; lapis bead earrings – The Met Store; necklace – The Met Store; bag – Lautem; scarf – The Met Store
With grey? Or navy and white?
cardigan – J.Crew; earrings – The Met Store; necklace – The Met Store; bag – Ted Baker London; scarf – Nordstrom
I LOVE this…
cardigan – Halogen; earrings – The Met Store; necklace – The Met Store; bag – Hiva Atelier; tiles scarf – The Met Store
Okay, maybe grey feels like a big change for you? For those of us gradually transitioning to softer colors as we age, this might be an option… (and how have I lived for almost 60 years without Fleur de Lis earrings?)
cardigan – J.Crew; fleur de lis earrings – The Met Store; necklace – The Met Store; bag – Rebecca Minkoff; Michelangelo drawings scarf – The Met Store
If I’m forced to tell the truth, I’m ALWAYS going to opt for red accents; they feel right to me, as if I’m hard-wired to brightness!
cardigan – Halogen; earrings – The Met Store; necklace – The Met Store; bag – Angela Valentine Handbags; Armenian manuscript scarf – The Met Store
Uh, yes, this is the 2nd time I’m using this color. I love it… and I liked the opportunity to show how you have choices with colors and accessories!
cardigan – J.Crew; earrings – Majorica; necklace – The Met Store; bag – Steven Alan; scarf – Nordstrom
Yes, if I weren’t updating with MORE red, this would be my choice. I’m very fond of black and white (cream, ivory, bone) graphic prints!
cardigan – Halogen; earrings – Jil Sander; magnifier pendant – The Met Store; bag – Aurora London; scarf – Rebecca Minkoff
Realistically? I’ll buy my mother plane tickets… But dreaming of beautiful little “accessory families” is a good way for all of us to figure out how to balance our core neutral wardrobes with our splashes of accent!
love,
Janice
p.s. Yes, there’s a lot of things here from The Met Store. Many of the vendors that I feature here on The Vivienne Files are good with commissions, but there are just a few of them that treat me like a creative individual. This is a salute to the warm, kind and friendly people in New York…
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A lot of these would look good together, too.
I saw a woman yesterday dressed head (her beret) to toe (her shoes) in green. She was wonderful. The greens all went together but weren’t exactly the same shade.
I also see the return of matching. Bag and shoes and something else (scarf/jacket/top). Even matching pants and shoes (red pants with red shoes; mustard pants with mustard shoes).
Subtle pink is my current accent – with dark beige, olive, ivory and gold jewellery. It does indeed look lovely.
That blue is everything! And that peacock scarf is divine.
Oooo that peacock scarf with the matching necklace and the green scarf and necklace with the block detail got my attention! Beautiful
The Heather Ash is my kind of grey, light & bright and ideal for spring. I fancy wearing it against a neutral backdrop of bright navy alongside other accents of primrose yellow and a dark watermelon.
What is your methodology when looking for items in “dark watermelon”? In college, back when “dress your season” was just getting big, my mother came upon the idea that I should wear olive green and a color she called apricot, but might be a warm color in today’s parlance. She was a dressmaker/tailor by trade…I ended up with 6 outfits that clashed so badly, my boyfriend at the time mentioned it and told her she blew it!
Nevertheless, I envision a wardrobe of dark taupe and a glowing “papaya” or pinkish coral color. I have absolutely no idea how to find it.
Honestly, I search for anything even vaguely close to the name of the color, and I keep looking and looking. Endless patience is the hardest part of The Vivienne Files! Something to DEFINITELY do if you find the color – search the web site where you found something for that color. For example, I found that lovely hedge green at Lands’ End, and they had literally over a dozen garments in that color – it would have been easy to put together a small wardrobe from what was available!
hugs,
Janice
The peacock scarf!!!!
I like the bag too but it makes the scarf seem eminently affordable…
You can’t go wrong with scarves from the Met. I have the peacock scarf, amongst others from the Met. They are always beautiful and beautifully made.
The Met accessories are beautiful. Have you ever done a post with clothes from Target or similarly priced stores for those on tighter budgets? That might be interesting
I have the scarf in the blue collection. It reverses to a teal-ish green so it is dual purpose!
The rust bossa nova is my favorite – with white, it feels very springy! It seems every year there is some shade of orange or coral that makes it to the summer Pantone colors – interesting to see what will filter down to the stores.
I enjoy seeing the aspirational and inspirational pieces that you find, Janice! My real life may not need an expensive bag or a Hermes scarf, but isn’t it interesting and lovely to know these things exist? And maybe I can find that same icy blue, or chinoiserie red (!) in something at my price point.
I like to find vintage scarves especially (neckerchiefs, truth be told) and it’s fun to find today’s “new” colors in yesterday’s items.
I’ve just been to 2 craft and vintage shows in 2 days – there’s a WORLD of amazing and beautiful accessories available, at lovely prices! I show what I can find with perfect photographs (I’m looking at you, Target!!!), but one should never assume that there’s nothing available at an “appropriate for you” price!
hugs,
Janice
As the song by Queen says, “I want it all and I want it now!” You have made my heart sing!
I look at these gems you proffer as inspiration! If something is out of my price range, stores like TJMaxx, Marshalls and Ross may provide a more budget-friendly option for something similar. I have been fortunate enough to find beautiful, never worn scarves and/or jewelry at thrift stores for less than I would pay for a cup of coffee. One of my most enjoyable pastimes is searching for these treasures! And I have been surprised more than once with finding a treasure I wasn’t even looking for…
Ahhh, Thrift stores are wonderful for scarves and clip earrings and accessories at bargain prices. I also look at antique stores. Most people do not wear clip-ons, so I find great earrings for $2-$4 a pair.
I often use the larger earrings as a brooch by pinning a safety pin inside a sweater or sturdy blouse to form a bar on the outside, then simply clip the earring through the bar. If an earring gets lost, it doesn’t worry me at those prices!
Also, if you can sew a rolled hem, it is easy to make repurpose the materials from silk dresses, beaded wedding gowns, prom dresses, or blouses into scarves, or to add details to other clothing you already own using fusible interfacing or sewing them in place.
You are a genius! I’ve bought clip on earrings just because they are so beautiful. Can usually only wear them for short periods of time because they hurt my earlobes. The safety pin idea provides whole new options.
Speaking of brooches, there are jewelry findings that, when slipped onto the pin part of a brooch, will make them into pendants. Two types of findings are available depending on which way the pin is situated, up and down or side to side. Got mine from Fire Mountain Gems on the internet.