October 21, 2019
It seems like there’s a Monday every week, doesn’t it?
This is a rare “scarf-free” post for The Vivienne Files; when you’re including printed or patterned garments in an outfit, you don’t really need a scarf. But I won’t stop you if you add one!
wild cherry plaid cotton turtleneck – Lands’ End
And doggone it, once and for all, garments that are WINTER themed – like snowflake tops – are NOT reserved for only the period of time up until Christmas! I have a wonderful cardigan with reindeer and winter themes – not a Santa to be seen – but I get smart-alec remarks when I wear it in January or February. Seriously…
The only guideline for choosing a turtleneck in a print is that it looks good with 1 of your 2nd layers, and that you love it. If you would like it in a scarf fabric, it would make a good turtleneck!
To keep things simple, and to show the versatility of the neutral garments that I used last week, I’m just replacing the turtlenecks, and changing up the accessories. Not a scarf to be seen!
Just like the rose pink from last week, another soft, warm pastel looks great with ivory:
earrings – Alison Lou; ivory fisherman sweater – L.L.Bean; shell dotted cotton turtleneck – J.Crew Factory; socks – Banana Republic; peach loafers – Franco Sarto; antique white corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
Just a bit of plaid in place of last week’s solid green turtleneck, and a whimsical brooch:
earrings – Kendra Scott; evergreen plaid cotton turtleneck – Lands’ End; navy cabled cardigan – L.L.Bean; scarab brooch – Vince Camuto; green rain boots – J.Crew; navy corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
Grey is lovely with garnet, and a pair of accent socks is always a good idea! This is a complete change of mood from last week’s soft aqua green…
garnet earrings – Made Sugi; charcoal cabled sweater – Eileen Fisher; garnet floral turtleneck – J.Crew Factory; socks – Romwe; pewter boots – Franco Sarto; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
Why yes, a houndstooth turtleneck, herringbone socks and spiral earrings! The unified color palette, and relatively small areas of pattern, make this kind of craziness possible…
spiral earrings – Kenneth Jay Lane; black cabled cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; houndstooth turtleneck – J.Crew Factory; herringbone socks – Smartwool; loafers – Fipflop; black corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
I don’t EVER wear animal prints, but this would be a good way to ease yourself into a trend:
hoop earrings – Lele Sadoughi; saddle brown cashmere crewneck – L.L.Bean; leopard turtleneck – J.Crew; socks – Calzedonia; loafers – Sperry; dark caramel corduroy pants – Lands’ End
Do you find yourself strongly pressured to wear the colors of a favorite sports team? (in this case, the Steelers, University of Iowa, etc…) This is a way to fit in with the fans, without investing in an entire outfit that you would never wear anywhere else:
earrings – Soko Sana; black cotton cabled crewneck sweater – L.L.Bean; striped turtleneck – J.Crew; socks – Topshop; loafers – Gentle Souls; black velvet pants – Lands’ End
At this point, we’re 4 weeks into the Winter pieces of our Weekly Timeless Wardrobe. I like to show the most current 13 pieces, but you could (of course!) currently still have the 4 tee shirts from Autumn in a 17-piece wardrobe…
solid turtlenecks – Lands’ End; print turtleneck – Lands’ End; black cardigan – Banana Republic; shirt – Lands’ End; black sweater – L.L.Bean; striped sweater – Madewell; floral cardigan – Lands’ End; black jeans – Lands’ End; black pants – Lands’ End; tweed skirt – J.Crew; washable wool black dress – Lands’ End
Just for your reference, this is the plan as I currently envision it. There’s a bit of a possibility that this will change, but it at least gives you a sense of how this all fits together in my mind!
love,
Janice
p.s. 3 years ago, our heroine was going to the opera all alone – she just packed a tote bag and caught the train!
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These are so fun!! I wish I could wear turtle necks, but alas, they make me look, well, like a turtle. I need to go and find t-shirts in patterns other than stripe!
It’s not easy; being addicted to stripes is SO SIMPLE…
hugs,
Janice
I am petite and have a shortish neck. Mock turtle necks used to be a great choice, but they aren’t made much these days. I do like turtlenecks though, because I get cold. I find that wearing them with a scarf makes all the difference. Attention goes to the scarf. This is great if you’re wearing them for warmth with a sweater or under a vest. Not so great if you want a patterned piece to peep out of a plain sweater or a cardigan… it it gets cold here, so warm works for me every time!
I really like this series! I would like to give some feedback. Now that we have had some cool weather, I am able to use the fall set of clothes. It is working very well. I have exactly what I need to get dressed every day, stress free. I did discover that I never will wear prints or stripes. Other than that it is perfect! Thanks!
I am still following but making adjustments for living in the south. I have the tshirt version of the fitted layering turtle from lands end and it works well under pretty much everything.
It’s great to learn what you do and don’t like in clothing – that makes life so much easier than trying and trying to fit something into your wardrobe that just isn’t you! I think everyone has a few different things that they just plain don’t even want to wear, even if they’re perfectly lovely on other people…
hugs,
Janice
I can’t wear turtle necks either. Mock turtles, might work if they were a little loose.
Also I am looking for a slightly chunky Navy blue pull over sweater..no where to be found this year..Maybe navy will be cool again next Fall!
Nancy,
Have you tried the uniform section of the Land’s End website. I was desperate for a mid-grey cardigan 7-8? years ago and tried LE as a last resort. There it was a lovely, traditional, boyfriend sweater with patch pockets and buttons. They always have a selection of classic uniform colors in cardigans, pull-overs, vests and polos. Very handy for filling in missing pieces in neutral core capsules!
Good luck with your search, Peggy T.
This is a wonderful series. I am putting together something similar, mostly shopping my closet.
My question has to do with the little colored wheel at the lower left corner of “everything.” What does it mean? How do we interpret it? If you explained before, I missed it.
It’s the gradually changing season, from the rust of autumn into the pale blue of winter. There are (believe it or not!) 52 little wedges in that pie chart, and each week I shift the pie 1 wedge, to show the passage of time. For example, when we have the full 13 weeks of the spring wardrobe showing, all of the wedges pointing into the clothing will be pink! (and of course the black that makes it possible for me to actually SEE the wedges…)
hugs,
Janice
This is random but something I think about. ?
I would love to see a post about mixing Navy and black. I have a hang-up about this for myself but I see it on other people in like the way it looks. It would certainly be a controversial topic!
Oh Beth, that might be the ONE color scheme that I just can’t make work in my mind! I think it’s because I was always warned when I first got out of college (almost 40 years ago) that you had to be SO CAREFUL about keeping your black suits and your navy suits separated so they didn’t accidentally get mixed. It was thought of as one of the great sins, back in the day. I’ve survived most of the other rules that have been broken to pieces, but that one is still stuck in my head. I’m working on it, though!
hugs,
Janice
This makes me chuckle. My first career was as an orchestral musician and I know more than one person who accidentally mixed navy and black for a concert. It’s a horrifying experience to be on stage wearing a black top and navy pants! This is why I keep my navy tights in a different drawer.
Also why I built a charcoal core! I have a lot of black (got in the habit as a musician) and quite a few navy pieces. I realized a charcoal core would go with them both even if I never wear black and navy together.
I have always worn black and navy together, especially dark blue jeans with black ankle boots and black jacket. I think it looks great. Even a brighter navy blouse looks great with black trousers and I note that Victoria Beckham wears the two colours together often. Do you think this is more a European trait?
I’m inclined to think so… I never think of denim – even the darkest denim – as being navy. I don’t know why!
hugs,
Janice
The black turtleneck is my turtle… and the J Crew stripe. The large-scale wild cherry plaid scares me. And it would look jaunty on the right woman!
I really like it that you include LL Bean and Lands End clothes often. They have been wardrobe staples of mine my whole life, long before I considered “fashion”, but they are so reasonably priced, durable and great value for money, I think they should be in everyone’s wardrobe. Thanks for “keeping it real” for us women out here with real lives!
I so agree! Not only that they are durable and classics, but they are available to me here in Japan! It is so difficult getting American type clothing here (colors, fit, styles) to fit my American tastes and figure but these two are dependable internet buys. LL Bean actually has stores here carrying some American sized goods mixed in with their Japanese sized clothing. Years ago we had Talbots but it was only Petites sizes offered, some of which I could wear. How I miss Talbots for classic clothes!
That scarab! How did I miss it when I first read this post?