August 11, 2020
Ah, winter… My favorite season, with my favorite clothes!
Let’s look back – our mythical heroine has chosen this Weekly Timeless Wardrobe as her starting point:
forest green cardigan – L.L.Bean; White shirt – Lands’ End; Navy washable wool blazer – Lands’ End; forest green marled turtleneck – L.L.Bean; blue print turtleneck – Lands’ End; forest green turtleneck – L.L.Bean; white cotton turtleneck – L.L.Bean; navy turtleneck – Lands’ End; plaid twill shirt – L.L.Bean; washable wool pants – Lands’ End; denim skirt – Marks & Spencer; heritage stone pants – L.L.Bean; navy sweater dress – Halogen
And she’s very smitten with camel, right now. So she’s going to supplement her 13-piece wardrobe with these additional seven pieces – they give her a refreshed color palette, and a lot of new options:
camel cardigan – Uniqlo; striped shirt – Uniqlo; camel crewneck sweater – Uniqlo; toasted coconut plaid flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; cashmere hooded sweatshirt – Marks & Spencer; toasted coconut jeans – L.L.Bean; navy pleated skirt – Uniqlo
Our heroine is thus starting her winter with these 20 garments (and, of course all of the other garments from the 3 other seasons!):
So let’s assemble, for our heroine, a half-dozen representative outfits from this wardrobe, and add some accessories to each outfit!
First up – WARMTH! I can vouch for the waterproof, comfortable warmth of Bogs boots – my winter boots are from them, and are critical in the dead of winter. If you need serious below-zero warmth, these won’t do, but if endless slush is your issue, these are your boots!
forest green cardigan – L.L.Bean; plaid twill shirt – L.L.Bean; washable wool pants – Lands’ End; malachite earrings – Bellezza Jewelry; hat – Drakes; boots – Bogs
We might as well have some nice coordinating masks, eh?
Is anybody else finding that their masks sort of get… limp, and saggy, after a few months? It’s not surprising, I guess. It’s quickly getting to be time for “Masks, The 2nd Generation” at my home!
cashmere hooded sweatshirt – Marks & Spencer; toasted coconut plaid flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; toasted coconut jeans – L.L.Bean; mask – Nordstrom; scarf – Laetly; boots – Alfani
I don’t feel that this heroine has to get dressed up all that often, but a winter wardrobe will often need at least a little something to wear through the holiday season:
camel crewneck sweater – Uniqlo; navy pleated skirt – Uniqlo; earrings – Jenny Bird; Rambler bag – Coach; pumps – Sam Edelman
Sometimes, all you need is a bit of beautiful jewelry! And boots…
forest green marled turtleneck – L.L.Bean; heritage stone pants – L.L.Bean; earrings – Jenny Bird; bracelet – Kenneth Jay Lane; boots – Bogs
Good gloves are such a nice treat for yourself; you enjoy them every day, in cold weather. And good boots always make everything you wear with them look better!
forest green cardigan – L.L.Bean; plaid twill shirt – L.L.Bean; denim skirt – Marks & Spencer; mask – Nordstrom; gloves – Yiseven; boots – Alfani
If your wardrobe includes navy and green, a Black Watch plaid scarf is a natural!
How would you wear this? Scarf under the lapels of the blazer, necklace under the collar of the shirt… And maybe she could wear her navy loafers from her Autumn accessories, if the boots aren’t strictly necessary.
Navy washable wool blazer – Lands’ End; White shirt – Lands’ End; heritage stone pants – L.L.Bean; pendant – Kendra Scott; scarf – Orvis; boots – Bogs
These are always my favorite images – the collected accessories have such a nice harmony together:
hat – Drakes; malachite earrings – Bellezza Jewelry; bracelet – Kenneth Jay Lane; earrings – Jenny Bird; scarf – Laetly; mask – Nordstrom; pendant – Kendra Scott; gloves – Yiseven; scarf – Orvis; Rambler bag – Coach; boots – Alfani; pumps – Sam Edelman; boots – Bogs
Now we have a Project 333 Wardrobe for Winter – I think I could manage 3 months with this!
I’m going to get back to these wardrobes on Wednesday, and see what it ALL looks like, together.
Any questions about all of this that I can address for you?
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, I wrote a “partner post” with one of the really important bloggers in our niche – Susan of Une Femme d’Un Certain Age…
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I love having a wardrobe plan and I am in the process of going through my entire closet, including seasonal items in storage and my shoes and accessories. I’ve tried project 33 but I like this plan, thinking about it as an all year base wardrobe, plus accents for each season makes it seem more doable somehow. I noticed you included gloves, hats & cold weather scarves, but not coats or jackets. If one were stick to this plan, how would they work into it?
I’m enjoying hearing about people’s various coat plans. I am impressed by those who have maintained a tight color palette in their coats/jackets or even stuck to a single neutral! Mine are all over the place. For true outerwear items (not dual purpose jackets), I do not at all attempt to fit them in a color palette.
For spring/fall, I have a beige trench coat and a navy polka dot trench coat that I wear to work. I also have a dark green rain jacket with a zip-in fleece for casual wear.
For cold weather, I have 2 wool coats in seasonal colors (dark berry/purple marl for fall and light blue for spring, worn to work), a short black puffer for outdoor activity (where the activity warms you up and a long coat is not as practical), and 2 serious coats (a navy/burgundy floral puffer, worn to work, and a dark blue stadium coat that gets less regular use but earns its keep any time I am standing around for any length of time outdoors in the cold).
For 5-6 months of the year, I’m wearing a coat and boots that make it pretty much impossible to see the clothing underneath, so I pick coats to cover my use cases in a variety of colors/patterns that make me smile, period. The North Face puffer in black is apparently the official coat of the state of Minnesota, so by wearing anything that isn’t black, my coats stand out and are enjoyed/complimented by my co-workers. (My short puffer is black, but I got an incredible price on it, and it does amuse me to look so stereotypically “Minnesotan” on my winter neighborhood walks, fitting right in with my neighbors.) I also REALLY enjoy switching my wear-to-work coats over the months to mark the “winter” (Nov-Dec), “Minnesota winter” (Jan-Feb), and “theoretically spring but truly just more winter” (Mar-Apr) seasons.
I went up a size a couple years ago and had to repurchase all my coats. So I’m probably set for coats for a while (all of the ones I bought should have many years of regular use in them). But I do keep my eyes open when Lands End coats go on sale because I wouldn’t mind adding another coat with “whappage” to the mix if the price were right.
My ‘whappage’ coat is a purple double-breasted coat with A-line skirt. It was one of those moments when I saw it as I entered the shop and my heart did a flip. I had found the coat of my dreams. However, I still wait for a long purple velvet coat…
Sally in St Paul, you also have the advantage of being able to find your coat quickly on the coat rack – or on the bed if your extended family piles them there during holiday visits as mine always did. ?
I regard coats and jackets as extra to this wardrobe. A coat or jacket covers your outfit.
The weather varies so much in the UK that I have different coats and jackets for different occasions, functions and the weather. I’m not sure Janice could think of all the possible variants as the weather conditions vary widely in the US and around the world.
In the UK, we are currently, having a mini heatwave. Later this week, and next, thunderstorms are forecast. In fact, yesterday, we had a thundery shower, where I live but only a couple of miles away, it was dry.
By and large, I keep to my main neutrals – navy and grey in winter – navy quilted coat, faux fur lined parka, grey smart wool coat, purple coat, pink and grey tweed coat, grey short raincoat. I’m still on the lookout for a warm-lined waterproof trenchcoat. Mine is 35 years old and no longer waterproof.
From Spring to Autumn, I have several coloured jackets in my accent colours, as well as white and cream. The coloured jackets serve the same purpose as a chunky or long cardigan from Spring to early Autumn but give a smarter look. I also have a sky blue trench coat for when it rains in the Spring.
I also have a 2 in 1 plum waterproof jacket with removable fleece jacket for country walks. A three in one where the sleeves of the fleece can be removed would be more versatile. I’m going to try a gilet from Lands End as they do them in Petite length.
I appreciate that Beth, thank you. I have just been, not sure how to say it, but leaning towards minimalism. I know in Courtney Carver’s version of Project 333, outerwear is included. I wouldn’t include my hiking clothes, workout clothes or lounge wear. I was just trying to think how I could work this plan into a stricter adherence to the Project 333, but modified in the sense that I would have a plan for a yearly wardrobe instead of 3 months at a time, because I also live in a place where weather could vary greatly during a 3 month period.
Hi Linda
I am not a minimalist – half my problem! At least, by degrees, I have sorted out my wardrobe and I now know and appreciate what I have. I can put together outfits more easily, because I choose the tops and second layers that I have assigned to wear with specific bottoms. Likewise I have cardigans and jackets that I will wear with particular dresses. However, I am making careful note of what I am wearing and will do another cull in September.
My next big sort is my costume jewellery of which I have too much but only wear a quarter. Perhaps this weekend’s task…Good luck with your sorting.
Beth T
Linda, I, too, lean towards minimalism. Yet I want to be prepared for the weather and the occasion. So after thrashing about with it, I lined up all my outerwear in my dark neutral. Only. Navy in my case. Parkas, jackets, fleece, rain gear. Even scarfs and beanie. I thought desperate times called for desperate measures. I was very frustrated… So far it’s working great. I thought I would be bored, but all I am is relieved.
I really love the outfit you put together for the holidays with the camel sweater and the navy pleated skirt – I can see wearing that to many different events. Great work!
I love the green and navy. Change the camel and beige/khaki to grey/ charcoal and the dresses/skirts to pants and i would happily fill my closet. :)
Winter is my favourite season too Janice, I just love everything about it and I love the feeling of being cosseted in jumpers and scarves. I too would like to see a coat and jacket in with this wardrobe just to round it off – maybe a mac for spring, lightweight jacket for summer, parka or similar for autumn and a wool coat for winter.
As for floppy face masks, too much fabric conditioner? I’ve stopped adding the masks to my laundry and I hand wash them instead with very hot water and liquid detergent – but not too much. I dry them outdoors and they firm up just fine. Mine have a cotton inner and a water resistant outer and are only good for about 30 washes or so anyway, before they need discarding or repurposing.
I’m hand-washing all of mine; I just think that after a few months, the elastic gets soft and weak, and the fabric loses its pizzazz… So about 30 washes feels right!
At least people are buying SOME kind of clothing right now…
hugs,
Janice
I’ve just bought some masks from my hairdresser in return for a donation to hospital charities. The ones I like best are cone-shaped that slant down from the nose and dont make my glasses steam up.
I made our masks from quilting cotton and bias tape so they tie around the head (my husband is sensitive and elastic around the ears would bother him). The default one he uses for tasks around the apartment complex (taking out trash, getting mail), to which I added an extra layer of flannel to the 2 layers of quilting cotton, has been worn and hand-washed about 5 times per week for coming up on 5 months…so close to 100 wears! And it’s still in pristine condition.
I do NOT believe this is attributable to some special skill I have at sewing :) I wonder if quilting cotton + bias tape combination is just more durable than the (whatever) fabric + elastic used in many store-bought masks. I recently ordered a (whatever) fabric + elastic mask from Nordstrom for myself, so it will be interesting to see how it holds up over time.
We have some that have bias ties, and they are holding up better than elastic-strapped masks. I think it’s just the nature of elastic that it doesn’t last forever, especially in the face of almost daily washing. Also, I think that some of the earliest masks manufactured were made with the assumption that the US was going to be more like New Zealand, and that we would only need masks for 8 or 10 weeks.
I’ve got some “cool” masks on order; I’ll let you all know what we think of them when they’re here and we test-drive them!
hugs,
Janice
I admit, I looked at this and thought, Oh, what a lovely fall wardrobe! And of course, it’s actually a very nice winter wardrobe, too. But one of my sticking points with adopting this kind of extremely practical wardrobe model is that I truly do want different color palettes in different seasons…even the neutrals (or maybe *especially* the neutrals!). For example, at some time in early December, I am DONE with navy and want to start wearing all the black and grey clothing. I look at the wonderful camel/navy dressy outfit and it makes me happy to imagine wearing it in November (well, with ivory instead of camel) but depressed to imagine wearing in December. I’m sure this is partly due to the fashion industry selling us on the concept of seasonal colors to increase our shopping, etc., but I do believe that dressing in colors reflective of the natural world across the cycle of the seasons and that I associate with different times of year is true to whom I am and I’m going to stick with it.
In fact, what I’m hearing from myself as I reflect on this is that I want to do MORE of this rather than less. For me, fleshing out a personally ideal palette for each season and really leaning into it would be amazing. I have spent the last few years trying to find more balance across seasons…making sure I wear each sweater in this set of cold-weather sweaters equally across the entire span of October to April, for example…but it has sometimes felt forced to me due to that lack of congruence between the color and the season (as I define it). I am in such a happy place right now with my navy/white/olive based summer wardrobe, but instead of trying to force that color scheme into a season where it just doesn’t “fit” for me, I’m going to try to develop a fall wardrobe that is coherent and mix-and-matches well and makes me happy…even if that means, white stand aside, burgundy and cognac are here to play! And so on and so on.
I do hope you know that this is not intended in ANY way as criticism of this wardrobe model, which I think is marvelous and perfect for many people! And I myself am learning a LOT about how to build a more workable, happy-making wardrobe from everything Janice and the commenters write on this blog. This current series of posts has been vital to helping me understand and articulate something that’s very important to me about color and how it affects my mood and my sense of living in some kind of congruence with this world that we have…so THANK YOU, and please keep doing what you’re doing!
I am the same as the above poster. I have many small capsule wardrobes by season. I grow tired of wearing the same colors. I look forward to the change in my wardrobe. I’m much better now in wearing all my clothing than I used to be. I so wish you would include more skirts because this is all I wear. Thank you for all your hard work!
Ditto Sally and Natalie. I wear the same colour groups all year round but I differentiate between seasons by the level of tone and shade. Now it is high summer, my clothes reflect the sky, the sea, pink rose and the heather on the moorland. Green is very pale and grey is very pale or silver.
I have found lockdown and easing out, a useful time to pay attention to what I actually wear rather than just keeping something because it fills an imaginary gap.
Sally, Natalie, and Beth, I’m with you! Maybe I have been conditioned by the fashion industry, but I love tweaking my palette with the seasons. It brings me joy! I do wear navy year-round, but when the weather cools in the fall, brown feels so cozy. After Thanksgiving, through Christmas and Valentine’s Day, nothing is so festive as a deep berry red/bergundy. Sometime in March, no matter how dreary the weather, I begin to ache for vibrant spring green and sunny yellow. (Maybe especially when the weather is dreary!) And in the late spring and summer, I’m all about soft pastels, especially peach, pink, yellow, and soft blue. Reading TVF is helping me make smarter choices about how it all flows together over the months.
I don’t think I change much from one season to another. Jumpers are kept in drawers and are available all year round as are coats/raincoats in their own cupboard. Everything else is hung together in the main wardrobe and I just wear whatever is applicable to the weather that day. I don’t have the storage space to pack anything away that is out of season.
I have black, white, navy, Ivory, beige, olive, burgundy and a small amount of grey neutrals all of which have at least 4 pieces in each colour including jackets and/or cardigans. Blouses sleeveless, short and long sleeved in white, blue, turquoise as well as those in all my neutrals are worn on their own in summer/spring and under a topper autumn/winter. I have been buying more plain tops than patterned just lately as I do like long patterned maxi skirts as well as white trousers in the summer and it’s so much easier to match up.
I will probably fade out all the olive and burgundy items over time but for now they stay. Navy will probably be also in the line to go eventually as although it suits me it is harder to find navies that go together and makes less than an impact than black. For now I have enough for it not to be a problem but I won’t be buying more so it will fade out over time.
LINEN everything from now until mid- September! It’s Texas and it’s hot. I don’t worry about wrinkles
I want cool fabric. I have linen pants in several colors. The same with dresses and blouses.When it’s in the nineties and humid cool and comfortable rule. I love the fall looks but really can’t relate. And let’s be honest one short coat and one long coat is sufficient. I do have a few quilted vests and long sweaters.
I’ve been following the colour palette idea now for a Year and have a wardrobe the fits my chosen colours navy / grey. I’ve found that i’ve addedd some lighter blues for Spring / summer but also some pick and yellow in pastels for tops now it’s summer, I don’t have specific seasonal clothes, in the UK and even France where I spend much of my time itge weather can very tremendosly and t’s pretty much anything at any time, expect maybe cashews in summer and T shirts in winter ( although I do later them under clothes).
But I looked back at your post from 5 years ago, and the colours, that is my palette! I’ve tagged that post and will refer to the colours in it constitutes as exactly what I’d imagine q. Thank you for your ideas, suggestions and she’s and work in pulling all this together.
The vagaries of UK weather mean that temperatures can plummet by 10-15 degrees between one day and the next.
Most of our weather comes from the south (Europe) – warm – or west (US and Canada) – wet and windy. This is driven by the Gulf jet stream. It only needs the wind direction to come from the North (Arctic) or East (Siberia) for it to become cold or freezing at any time of year. I have known it to snow in June! The weather and temperatures are different depending on where you are in the UK.
When changing seasons, I look at garments based on function, material as well as colour. So come Spring, I pack away dark winter colours, velvet and thick jersey garments, very thick jumpers and wool coats.
I keep out my warm outdoor jackets and rain coats but I also need appropriate jumpers and long sleeve tops and shirts to keep me warm, if needed. I need to keep out a polo and cowl neck jumpers and tops, fine knit jumpers and long sleeve tees and long sleeve shirts and blouses.
However, like others have said, I just choose lighter colours or patterns that echo spring and summer. So if the weather changes and we get a cold snap in the summer, I am prepared with warm garments but the colours and patterns fit with my spring and summer season colours.
I learnt that lesson when we had experienced very warm weather in the summer but then visited family in the North of England. I hadn’t accounted for a ten degree temperature change or the wind blowing off the North Sea. I hadn’t got anything warm with me so had to borrow jumpers and jackets off my Mum who was a size larger and a lot taller than me. I eventually bought a wind proof jacket and a pair of thick gloves on a market because it was so perishingly cold – in August. Now I check the ten day forecast before I travel and go prepared. Another reason why 2 in 1 or 3 in 1 jacket/fleece combos are such a great option for holidays.
Hi Everyone: I usually choose one of TVF color combos and round up as many close approximations of the featured clothes that exist in my closet. I usually go with the Whatever’s Clean 13 model and that usually lasts for 2 weeks. After that point it’s time for another color combo of 13 so I don’t wear out my clothes. This seems to work better for spring/summer wear, as more layers are needed for our requisite 6 months of winter.
Great recommendation list. Loved them all. Thanks for sharing:)