November 29, 2019
I know, I should be showering you with holiday gift ideas and telling you about all of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. I’m NOT that blogger, though… sigh…
However, I firmly believe that those of us who are holiday shopping should treat ourselves to one really LOVELY thing for the upcoming season, and of course for the years to come. We don’t buy something just to wear it once or twice, unless we’re getting married or standing up in someone else’s wedding!
So maybe a scarf has caught your eye, and kicked you in the heart… (I love the phrase coup de coeur…)
scarf – Aspinal of London
It’s all the right colors – warm and cool, neutrals and accents…
scarf – Aspinal of London
But can you wear it? How will you wear it? You don’t want something this beautiful to just lay in a drawer to gather dust, right?
Will you be able to wear it to one of those parties, where you’re not sure just quite how dressy things are going to be?
scarf – Aspinal of London; earrings – J.Crew; black cashmere turtleneck – Lands’ End; gold leaf jacquard skirt – J.Crew; bag – Francesca’s; flats – MICHAEL Michael Kors
Maybe you just want to wear simple neutrals, but feel like you should dress them up just a bit?
(please note that black diamonds aren’t anything special, but they look nice with this outfit…)
scarf – Aspinal of London; black diamond earrings – Pompeii3; camel cardigan – Topshop; white tee – Lands’ End; boots – Me Too; black jeans – Lands’ End
Maybe you’re just pulling on a tee shirt top and some knit cords – will your scarf look okay with that?
I am childishly seeking praise for finding this bracelet….
scarf – Aspinal of London; gold feather earrings – Saks Fifth Avenue; rust batwing shirt – Project Social T; warm sienna knit corduroy pants – Lands’ End; bracelet – Jaimie Nicole; ballet flats – Aquatalia
Serious work (or religious service) clothes will be okay with your scarf, won’t they?
scarf – Aspinal of London; onyx earrings – Konstantino; white silk shirt – Everlane; black cashmere sweater – Nordstrom Signature; black riding boots – Coach; houndstooth skirt – Polo Ralph Lauren
Most of your wardrobe is neutrals, will this scarf work with those kinds of outfits?
scarf – Aspinal of London; earrings – Brodie; ivory cardigan – L.L.Bean; black tee shirt – Lands’ End; rust suede shoes – Clarks; ivory corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
You KNOW that your favorite sweater dress will be perfect with your scarf, and will give you a perfect excuse to wear your comfy camel flats (instead of messing around with silly high heels…)
scarf – Aspinal of London; earrings – Isabel Lennse; bracelet – Bracha; ring – Judith Ripka; flats – Fitflop; sweater dress – Caslon
A scarf that includes at least 2 of the colors in your wardrobe will almost certainly find its way into lots of outfits, with just a few minutes of thought!
There’s always a way to treat yourself, as well as be generous to others…
love,
Janice
p.s. 2 years ago, we looked at how 4 winter white garments can dress up a core wardrobe of navy – still, and always, timelessly true…
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this scarf is beautiful too in Navy and Teal
A little love for the cute bracelet from me, Janice!
Also many thanks for treating Black Friday sensibly. It’s tough to stand firm against the hype!
I will be wearing clothes from my closet this year – I *might* treat myself to a nice scarf but only if I can find one that speaks to me. Our Christmas celebrations are casual and I prefer to focus on our guests than all the stuff…
Best wishes!
Coming back to say that I had fun remembering your charming navy and white holiday wardrobe – and that might be the way I go! Can I justify gold sneakers instead of a scarf? Maybe so…..
Neck yes! I bought black glitter Keds for wedding reception dancing at a relatives wedding, and have never regretted it!
Hugs,
Janice
Mmmm, Black Friday—- shop your closet and plan charity giving. Excellent bracelet find! I think start with a scarf is my favourite series. Am a scarf lover and using a scarf to plan travel outfits or what to wear is so helpful.
I would love to see a post about how to wear a square scarf (or a link to a page with that info).
Look for a website called MaiTai’s Picture Book. She lives in France, and does absolutely wonderful videos of how to tie scarves. She also has a pretty enviable collection of scarves and handbags!
hugs,
Janice
This scarf just grabbed me as soon as I saw it! What’s that word you use? Whammage? Anyway, I went to the link only to discover it comes in teal also. Now what?! I love them both and the teal/ navy might be better with my navy, not black wardrobe. I do love a black and gold combo though. I would LOVE to see you put together a post for the teal scarf. Will I click BUY or not? Only time will tell. ?
I believe it’s whappage, and we love it!
I opened your post today with trepidation, afriad that you might have succumbed to the frenzy of Black Friday. I should have known better. Thanks for all the time you devote to giving us such creative wardrobe ideas.
That’s a gorgeous scarf! The teal version is right up my alley. I’d love to see a post using the teal scarf.?
What a gorgeous scarf!!!
Love at first sight. I ordered this scarf right away. Thank you Janice, Greetings from Germany, Anne
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I love this scarf also. But outfits like the last one always leave me stumped about stockings. My solution of black tights with black shoes or skirt is easy. But what to do with cream or brown shoes? No way I’m going bare legged in Chicago in winter!
Thank you for the oasis of calm. I went to the mall yesterday, because I was waiting for my pup at the groomer’s. Silly me, I forgot that the pre-BF sales were on. This has only become a thing recently in my country. It was a normal weekday morning at the mall. Maybe the bad roads kept them away. Just had to share that I forgot all about the sales, so I appreciate that you do, too.
Can we have a Spring and Summer wardrobe post using this same scarf and ivory, black, camel, and rust as the colors?
Maybe after the first of the year.
I plan to use my Lion jewerly for this 4×4.
Yes please, that would be great.
I dropped a BIG hint, that this scarf would be the perfect X-mas present and I think, the hint went through. So a spring or summer wardrobe with those colors would be appreciated, since I plan to get a lot of mileage out of this scarf.
Thank you for this wonderful post
Tina
OOoh, I’d love to – if you want to remind me in February or March (because I’m a dimwit…) I will jump on it!
Good thinking….
hugs,
Janice
WOW! What a stunning scarf, even though I don’t suit those colours. I love dramatic scarves but by the time you’ve folded and twisted it around your neck, barely any of the pattern is seen. How do you wear yours so some of the pattern can still be seen?
Neck yes! I bought black glitter Keds for wedding reception dancing at a relatives wedding, and have never regretted it!
Hugs,
Janice
Gorgeous scarf!
I’ve been eyeing this scarf for quite a while, as it has all “my” colors. Today, I finally bought it!
Love this scarf and the wardrobe it inspired! – nancyo
Just a general compliment to say how I much I love your blog. It is my true source for outfit and styling inspiration. Before this blog I just wore clothes …. now I style outfits!
OH Amanda, thank you so much! I work really hard on this, and I love to know that it’s helpful and useful for you!
hugs,
Janice
Hi Janice, long time reader and a big fan! My husband and I recently retired, picked up sticks and moved to Portugal. In preparation for the move, I edited my substantial closet down to a quarter of it’s size. I used your ideas as a roadmap to less, keeping four favorite Hermes scarves and a five color wardrobe that binds them together. It makes getting dressed a breeze, I feel edited,confident, and focused on the adventure ahead. Many thanks to you…