May 5, 2020
Yesterday felt like summer; does that count?
Today feels like autumn… sigh…
But lets prepare for warm weather – we all know that it’s going to get here eventually!
Every summer, I buy at least 1 or 2 of these, to take the place of the ones that I wore to PIECES the previous year; I keep these in my closet all year, because they are great under winter clothes too!
As always, I’ve thought of a few things to keep in mind as you consider your summer supply of tops:
These outfits all appeal to me right now; maybe it’s because I’m inside, and maybe it’s because we’ve only had intermittent 1 day periods of nice weather!
And as always, accessories seem to make a LOT of difference! I know you’re shocked…
Necklace – Chan Luu; blue linen shirt – L.L.Bean; cream tank top – L.L.Bean; stone shorts – L.L.Bean; sandals – Aerosoles
Even though these are outfits for warm weather, the jewelry, the tank tops and the shirts or sweaters shown would all be extremely useful through the cooler weather. This makes it much easier to buy nicer things – you know you will get good value for your purchase!
Scarf – Steve Madden; pink grapefruit sweater – Eileen Fisher; Tank top – Lands’ End; white shorts – Lands’ End; sandals – Badgley Mischka
Don’t forget – when you’re building a wardrobe around colors that are difficult to find, you can always blend colors rather than match them! It’s hard to get away from that feeling that things must be perfect dye-lot companions, but it makes life much easier…
Necklace – Kuchi Tribal Jewelry; green linen blend shirt – H&M; cream tank top – L.L.Bean; dusty olive shorts – L.L.Bean; sandals – Steve Madden
If blue was my neutral, I’d grab this scarf and shirt immediately! Imagine this shirt and scarf with a navy cashmere v-neck and dark-wash jeans…
Scarf – Nordstrom; linen shirt – BeachLunchLounge; Tank top – Lands’ End; navy shorts – L.L.Bean; sandals – Splendid
For many of these outfits, you could substitute a long-sleeved tee shirt for the tank top, and pants for the shorts… And loafers for the sandals, of course!
Scarf – Nordstrom; brown linen cardigan – Banana Republic; cream tank top – L.L.Bean; desert tan shorts – Lands’ End; sandals – Kensie
Cardigans do NOT have to have long sleeves!
Necklace – Kendra Scott; pink cardigan – Marks & Spencer; Tank top – Lands’ End; arctic gray shorts – Lands’ End; sandals – Sam Edelman
The 13-piece wardrobe looks only vaguely changed – I would of course hang onto that white tee shirt that was removed, if I were in fact going to pack this ensemble or wear it for the upcoming summer…
Tank top – Lands’ End; black tee – Lands’ End; pink tee – Marks & Spencer; floral tee – Lands’ End; linen cardigan – Halogen; shell pink linen shirt – L.L.Bean; striped tee – Banana Republic; striped short-sleeved sweater – Max Mara; pink cotton cardigan – Lands’ End; black cropped pants – L.L.Bean; black pants – L.LBean; black skirt – Lands’ End; shirtdress – Banana Republic
For your reference purposes, here’s the list of all 52 garments; I’m thinking of using this as the framework for a book? Hmm….
This morning, I got up and put on gym clothes. My trainer gave me an “at home” routine of exercises to do, which includes a half hour of dancing every other day! Is there any wonder I think he’s brilliant?
love,
Janice
p.s. Seven years ago, someone asked me for a navy and hot pink wardrobe that wasn’t “stodgy.” She was pleased, would you have been?
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You’ve spoilt me today! I have a new idea to wear a blue shirt in my wardrobe. I love the pink and blue/purple scarves and have similar in my drawer. I could be tempted by the pink jumper….
I was experimenting with wearing teal and pink at the weekend as I have a floral scarf and an all-over floral skirt with different shades of those colours in them. After all, who would see me apart from my family?
It was a bit cold at the weekend, not skirt weather (that can wait another day). Instead, I wore dark teal jeans, a ditsy print floral top in pink and aqua, with a light teal cardigan and the scarf. The scarf is very long and wide white with blossom sprays of pink and muted dark pink flowers, soft brown branches, and leaves in dark teal, light teal and aqua green.
It did seem unconventional, but my daughter said it worked. I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do that before reading your Start with a Scarf blogs. Thank you for encouraging us to be adventurous and bold with colour!
Splendid!
hugs,
Janice
I also have an orchid pink cardigan (similar to the M&S one) but mine has sparkly crystals the front. I’ve struggled to know how to wear it. Thank you for the idea of grey and a white top, though my choice will be grey linen trousers. I can it now with the jewellery, shoes and bag. Now I just need a party to go to!
Decide that today is a party, and wear it anyway!
Sounds beautiful…
hugs,
Janice
I’m wearing my outfit today – my mauve cardigan with embroidered leaves and crystal flowers, an opaque white top with a white floral pattern with a pale mauve cami underneath (hint of a colour) plus pale grey wide leg linen trousers. Jewellery is a silver metal and crystal triple-drop pendant (a bit like a leaf),.silver ring with clear CZ stones and a black bead bracelet with tiny pink and blue flowers and swirls set in black resin. I have discovered that I have very little pink jewellery which is odd given that I wear a lot of pink! My husband loves the grey leopard print slippers I’m wearing with it. ?
This sounds beautiful…
hugs,
Janice
Janice,
I have been loving the idea of colored shoes for a bunch of years now , but have been too “ chicken” to buy and wear any of them ! Today, however, you have shown me how to do it — sandals ! Much less of a big block of color on my feet , which size that I would prefer to be smaller !
In prior posts on garment culling, you eliminated some olive greens , as I recall , that were not of the same warmth as some of the others that you kept. This blended color thing still has me bit puzzled ! I can understand different values of a color , which make an outfit even more interesting, as you have done above, but when a given hue is slightly warmer or cooler than another garment that you are considering wearing with it, just a bit “ off color’ , do you just ignore that and wear both together anyway ? Say a cardigan and a pair of capris or trousers ? I was always taught that if it doesn’t match, then contrast it ! It’s the “ worn together“ element that has me puzzled . Here we go again with my perfectionism ?
In a post that you did that I love on March 2, 2016, the colors were chocolate, caramel, cream and turquoise . In that post you advised picking a given shade or range of turquoise , but was that because there was a print in the ensemble that you were trying to match the turquoise in the print with the turquoise in the cardigan ? How “ off color” is too much ? What aspect makes it unwearable together — the dye lot variation ? It’s really the dye lot variations that I am questioning . Help please, I feel stuck on this !
Shrebee, trust your instincts! There are color combinations that some people could wear without flinching that would make others among us go crazy every time we looked down at our clothes! We have to decide, each of us, what our level of tolerance is for colors that blend, or tone, or clash like an elementary school band. There used to be rules, but they are pretty much all out of date – we remember the admonition to never wear pink with orange…
I think back in that post I was recommending that our heroine choose a particular shade of turquoise and stick with it because the wardrobes here are always small, and it’s more important to be able to wear things together without worry about clashing colors. In a more normally sized wardrobe, we are all going to have colors that just don’t work together, and we just smile and move on.
I already have pink things that I wouldn’t wear together! That didn’t take me long, did it?
hugs,
Janice
Thanks, Janice, sage advice as always !
I love layering tank tops and wear them year round under cardis, lacy tops and sweaters. I have them in almost every color to suit my mood.
Hi Janice & hi Shrebee, I was going to just comment about turquoise not having to match exactly. As someone whose favorite stone & favorite color range is turquoise, I actually avoid exact color or design matches. For example, I have a matching turquoise necklace, bracelet, earrings & brooch/pin that I wear a lot but always individually–maybe 2 pieces together max if I’m feeling formal. Same for clothing too; the only thing I wear together in matching dye lot color is my turquoise twinset; it just looks more interesting to my eye to not match exactly. Shrebee, I hear you about warm & cool tones & can they be worn together, & I think they can be–I wear them together. I’ve never had a problem throwing different shades/tones of turquoise together warm or cool/green or blue (and I happily mix turquoise & mint/aqua) but then some green combinations such as a yellow green with mint or Kelly green yet look wrong to me, so maybe Janice you can explain why that is? Turquoise & green don’t seem to behave the same with their different shades/tones–is that because turquoise isn’t a primary color on the color wheel, or?…Great post as always!
Megan,
Thank you for your thoughts ! I think that turquoise and mint or aqua work because of the difference in value ( lightness and darkness) , and because they are all in cool color families. My question differs a bit though . It is a question about 2 garments in the same general color family, the same in value, but just slightly “ off” with the dye lot as being slightly warmer or cooler than each other . Just as you expressed with the green variations — Kelly or mint green ( though it is lighter) and yellow greens , say a darker olive green, the same level of darkness as the Kelly green — just don’t seem to belong together !
Janice,
Would it be possible for you to do another navy and hot pink wardrobe? Maybe white/cream, light blue or light pink as additions?
Kyle
Heck yes! I’d be happy to…
hugs,
Janice
Hi Janice, so many pretty necklaces, and shoes!! And you say you are working on a book!!!!! So exciting. Do you think you might have time in there to delve into some of these technical things that maybe don’t always fit in a blog post, like accessories, and lines. I realize these things are very subject to personal taste (for example, pull-overs over button downs make me feel like a stuffed sausage, but look lovely here) but some guidelines might be helpful.
I’m not honestly sure that I’m an expert in these areas, but I will try to explain better the choices that I make, and why…
hugs,
Janice
I think you may be more expert than you realize…maybe if you just let yourself think out loud about the details…texture of fabric…balance of shapes/lengths. You’re making deliberate choices after all, and I am curious how you’re making them…Anyways, I mean this encouragingly and not as a royal command, so if it doesn’t appeal, I will continue to enjoy your delightful pallettes and whimsical characters. hugs!!
You’re the best! I will indeed endeavor to share my thought processes, muddled and bizarre as they may be…
hugs,
Janice
I don’t wear tank tops, but you have me reconsidering their usefulness. We just moved to Ireland and I’m always cold, so currently I can’t see myself even wearing short sleeves!
I love the pink cardigan and scarf, although it looks like a wonderful peach on my screen.
I used to live in Ireland, and will be moving back as soon as we can manage it, so I can vouch for the absolute necessity of layers! That way, when the sun comes out for 10 minutes, you can peel off a layer or 2 and get a bit of Vitamin D!
hugs,
Janice
I always have some pairs of tank top in black and white in my closet. I like wearing lace or sheer shirts with tank top.
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