July 2, 2020
Yes, it’s July, but we never got around to the beautiful June bracelet!
In all fairness, our beautiful jewelry designer is having to deal with getting stones and beads delivered, which isn’t uncomplicated under our current circumstances. We can easily forgive things, these days…
The Moon Will be Full…
And that’s all she really needs to be motivated to go to the cabin for the weekend!
She’s going to be dressed and in the car anyway because she has a doctor’s appointment. Some things do NOT wait for the lockdown to end…
star earrings – Bloomingdale’s; sweater – Club Monaco; face mask – Madewell; sleeveless shirt – Lands’ End; grey linen pants – Banana Republic; watch – Timex; espadrilles – Sam Edelman; tote – MZ Wallace
Nobody else much wants to come with her – even at the cabin, they have to be careful about not socializing closely with the other people who live around the lake. THAT means that none of the kids wants to go!
So she’s going to sit up much of the night, drink wine, and take photographs of the moon, and the stars…
Moon & stars necklace – Lucy Flint Jewellery; moonstone “Endless Moonlight” earrings – Shanker; hat – Halogen; sunglasses – Chloé; small silk scarf – Rebecca Minkoff; orange ruffle-sleeved print top – Vero Moda; grey tee – Banana Republic; peach split-neck top – Ann Taylor; grey linen shorts – Loft; white canvas shorts – L.L.Bean; grey tote – Herschel Supply Co.; silver sandals – Naturalizer; pajamas – Natori; hooded top – Trina Turk; metallic grey water shoes – Lands’ End
Oh, she will be awake during part of the day – she will probably wade in the lake a bit, and sit outside and read. But after she goes to the grocer and the produce stand, she is going to isolate, and keep to her own schedule…
Initially, when she was preparing to pack, she thought that she would just take all of her oldest, rattiest clothes with her.
And then she realized that SHE deserves to look nice, even if she’s alone! And that unless she’s cleaning the garage, or painting, or moving one of the kids in/out of a dorm, she doesn’t NEED ratty clothes. Certainly not the stockpile of them that she’s been hoarding since… a long time….
How will she get dressed? Pretty much with her eyes closed…
And yes, the striped top is indeed a swimsuit coverup! But she likes it and enjoys wearing it as a tunic…
Maybe her swimsuit is at the cabin?
With no official fireworks this year, she’s looking for a light show of a much more subdued sort….
love,
Janice
p.s. Are you finding that the world is full of ruffles? I’m seriously seeing a substantial, noticeable proportion of blouses, shirts, and dresses right now are ruffled. What does this mean, in a larger socioeconomic sense?
I know that large earrings used to correlate to an economic downturn (where did I hear that?), and that hemlines and the stock market are related. Hmm….
p.p.s. Four years ago, I was just back from Florida and has all SORTS of thoughts about packing….
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Janice,
The bracelet and colors here gentle and lovely ! While I don’t wear gray, and I would need a few deeper tones of the pastel oranges or peaches, if I subbed the gray for beige and the white for stone , this would work ! Yes, aloneness doesn’t necessitate dressing like a bag lady ! The ruffle sleeved top Is quite cute !
What a lovely wardrobe. I need more color or I look washed out, but I can appreciate how peaceful and gentle this is.
Beautiful capsule wardrobe. If I could wear orange I would want every item. I love the softness of the colors. Janice thank you for sharing. Your site is so calming. Thank you. patval
What a lovely idea – to escape to be on your own. It seems strange when we have been at home for months but I yearn to reconnect with the wider world.
Not the hustle and bustle of people but to stay in my favourite remote parts of the UK, explore the countryside, take in the views and see the rising and the setting of the sun, the moon and the stars. To lose myself in nature.
Sadly, light pollution from towns and cities in the UK prevents us seeing most of the dark sky. However going to stay near a Dark Sky reserve would be just the place. Seeing the sky with all its stars and the Milky Way, is truly breathtaking and puts everything else into perspective. I would still take my husband for company. It could be quite romantic staying in a small cottage…
I have a couple of necklaces with greyish stones that would look lovely with this colour theme. I was given a load of old costume jewellery to sort through that belonged to my aunt and found a moonstone bead necklace.
I read this post before getting dressed. I’m now wearing the moonstone necklace with grey linen trousers and a loose silver grey cardigan with ruffles (!) on the 3/4 sleeves. My accent tee-shirt has more pinkish tones. For me tops in light grey and pinks such as oyster pink, shell pink and desert rose would work best with this wardrobe.
Our heroine might also stay up all night and see the dawn. Another favourite stone that reminds me of the colours of dawn is traditional opal with flashes of pink amongst the blue-green stones. Moonstones are also bluey-pink so I would add pale blue to extend this wardrobe for at least a week away!
May be ruffles reflect that we are feeling a bit ruffled round the edges. I like them, they add softness to a garment. I also like waterfall cardigans as well.
Traveling to be in a Dark Sky area is definitely on my list of things to do when travel is once again allowed. Plans to Dark Sky camp in Ireland with the aide of an astronomer didn’t pan out on our last trip. Another reason to dream of returning to Ireland soon. (And Orchard Thieves. Can’t get my favorite hard cider here in the states!)
Orchard Thieves! Why in the name of Buddha don’t they send about a bajillion gallons of that to the US? We need it right now…
hugs,
Janice
I must say that I like the snake print espadrilles and the Panama hat. However, I have noticed that the tote bags are different. The one in the travelling image is by MZ Wallace and in the rest of the pictures it is one from Herschel Supply Co. Perhaps she changed her mind about which bag to take. I know I do.
She has 2 – the Wallace is her travel tote, and the Herschel is for groceries. That was NOT clear; I’m sorry!
hugs,
Janice
Good thinking! At least she doesn’t have to take sheets and towels with her. When self-catering first began in the UK in the 1970’s, you had to take everything with you and I mean everything! My Dad sometimes wondered if we should pack the cooker and kitchen sink just in case! Thank goodness you can now stay in cottages that are fully equipped. Sometimes you find a welcome basket to see you through to breakfast the next day.
This is her family’s cottage – I have a few friends who all seem to have this – they live in Chicago, but have a cottage near a lake in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan or downstate Illinois.
Not something my family ever had, but we lived in a super-rural area – it would be been silly!
hugs,
Janice
I know what you mean, Janice. There is apparently a rule in the Twin Cities that one must own a cabin up north. At least one cabin, I should say…some families have entire cabin compounds that have been in the family for generation and are co-owned through family corporations. To me, the whole thing feels the opposite of restful. I mean, given the amount of time people seem to spend doing maintenance on their cabins versus lounging about at their cabins, a ratty wardrobe might be just the ticket ;) For the sake of this heroine, let’s assume some of her kids went out to the cabin Memorial Day weekend to open it for the season, so everything is clean, stocked, and in working order. Now all she has to do is enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Our heroines ONLY have nice cabins, with exceptionally helpful teenage children who keep everything repaired and stocked! We wouldn’t have it any other way….
hugs,
Janice
Hi Janice! How did you know I had grey and peach on my mind-? This is great!
The ruffle phenomenon may be a result of feeling more ‘ruffled ‘ around the edges (as one reader said). To me, ruffles remind me of a yearning for more ‘ traditional’ (ie predictable) times and emphasizing a more ‘ traditional’ feminine look. Which is why you won’t find one ruffle in my closet because I wind up looking like Bo Peep.
Your post today reminds me that life is too short to have too many ratty clothes in the closet. (Except perhaps for painting the guest bedroom, which is one of our Pandemic Projects this summer.)
Thank you for reading!
I’m so with you on ruffles, Linda. I’m less charitable describing what they symbolize to me. They seem a bit oppressive and a way of telling us to get back to the schoolroom, GIRLS!!! On top that, they usually turn out to be a wear-one-way item in the closet. That one fashion detail makes it very difficult to wear the skirt or dress multiple ways.
Janice, I love this and am so jealous, even though the coral is not my color. Would love to go to a cabin, drink wine and wade in the lake.
The link for the Banana Republic pants takes me to an item described as men’s. Is that an intentional choice?
I love this one, even if those aren’t my colors. It’s fresh, summary, light, airy, and fashionable. It’s more youthful and fun than so many black-heavy wardrobes. Keep up the good work! I read your blog daily.
I have never thought about building wardrobe with a bracelet, but I love this color scheme! Love your picks!
This wardrobe reminds me of a day in the early 80’s when a couple of friends and I played hooky from work and went to have our colors “done.” I still remember I was wearing a peach linen blazer and a light gray pencil skirt. I thought I was a Spring with yellow undertones to my skin, but came to find out that day that I am a Winter and those are yellow overtones (honestly that still confuses me). But looking in the mirror and seeing the dramatic difference that the different color swatches made in my appearance was revelatory. I never again wore that peach blazer – it went right in the donate pile. – nancyo