August 19, 2020
One of you has had a moment of serious whappage, and asked for my opinion…
This is the scarf in question – it’s SO pretty that I might be tempted to buy it and figure out how to wear it later; THAT’S not the cleverest way to shop!
Scarf – Kate Spade New York
Oh my HEART – this scarf screams summer in so many different ways….
Our heroine has been invited to go along with her spouse to a fishing cabin that’s walking distance to a very charming little town. While she won’t be doing any fishing, she WILL be sitting outdoors reading, walking into town to browse about, and probably doing a bit of walking on the trail around the lake. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
My approach for her is to assemble 3 little clusters, based on the scarf and its colors. First, white and pastels! I love a good denim skirt for warm weather…
Rose quartz tee – Banana Republic; scarf – Kate Spade New York; blue bell tee – Nordstrom Signature; white denim skirt – New York & Co.; sandals – Franco Sarto
A lightweight pair of long pants, legitimate shoes for long-distance walking, and a 2nd layer that will come in handy for both cool evenings and air-conditioned shops…
sweatshirt cardigan – Lands’ End; scarf – Kate Spade New York; lilac tee – Colorful Standard; sneakers – Adidas; chambray pants – Caslon
Our heroine has been assured that there are VERY cool days at the lake, and that she should bring a couple of sweaters…
lavender linen cotton sweater – Lands’ End; earrings – T Tahari; scarf – Kate Spade New York; Amalfi blue sweater – Banana Republic; crop pants – Lands’ End
If our heroine were only going away for a long weekend, she could just stop now and bring this little travel capsule wardrobe with her:
lavender linen cotton sweater – Lands’ End; sweatshirt cardigan – Lands’ End; earrings – T Tahari; scarf – Kate Spade New York; Amalfi blue sweater – Banana Republic; lilac tee – Colorful Standard; blue bell tee – Nordstrom Signature; Rose quartz tee – Banana Republic; crop pants – Lands’ End; chambray pants – Caslon; white denim skirt – New York & Co.; sneakers – Adidas; sandals – Franco Sarto
But I’m not sure – maybe they’re going up for a week? How might I augment this very tidy core wardrobe?
Hmm… She doesn’t have a solid white top, which always seems essential to me, in warm weather. Maybe a linen tunic?
They WILL be going out to dinner, on the terrace of the nice restaurant in their little neighborhood town. That, to me, suggests that a nice, simple, versatile dress might be a consideration.
And… and… and… maybe some “real” jeans, but in a fun color? Why wouldn’t you?
white sleeveless shirt – Lands’ End; shell pink linen tunic – L.L.Bean; white poplin dress – Banana Republic; bracelet – Nialaya Jewelry; light amethyst jeans – Lands’ End; loafers – Aerosoles
Laundry will be necessary, but if you’re hanging out with people who are fishing, you already know that laundry is ESSENTIAL. Nothing quite as nice as clothes that smell of fish…
But this is a pretty ample wardrobe for a lovely week, beside a lake, walking, dining, resting, reading…
scarf – Kate Spade New York; earrings – T Tahari; bracelet – Nialaya Jewelry; Rose quartz tee – Banana Republic; blue bell tee – Nordstrom Signature; sweatshirt cardigan – Lands’ End; lavender linen cotton sweater – Lands’ End; lilac tee – Colorful Standard; Amalfi blue sweater – Banana Republic; shell pink linen tunic – L.L.Bean; white sleeveless shirt – Lands’ End; crop pants – Lands’ End; chambray pants – Caslon; white poplin dress – Banana Republic; white denim skirt – New York & Co.; light amethyst jeans – Lands’ End; sneakers – Adidas; loafers – Aerosoles; sandals – Franco Sarto
How can she wear these lovely things? At least 10 different ways, just off of the top of my fluffy head!
For those of us pretty completely trapped indoors, in a big city, the idea of walking someplace outdoors, quiet, beautiful and a bit remote sounds like heaven…
love,
Janice
p.s. It’s not my way to nudge you to buy things, but if this scarf holds real appeal for you, I suggest you order it NOW! It’s sold out at Nordstrom, and might quickly sell out at other places. If the link above is sold out, you can try here.
p.p.s. Someone recently posted a link to an absolutely WONDERFUL pair of blue and white shoes – could you please re-post the link? I’ve quite thoroughly lost it…
p.p.p.s. NINE YEARS AGO!!!! I assembled a black, blue, grey and white wardrobe for one of us… It’s still lovely and very appropriate!
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What a beautiful scarf to wear with a summer sorbet palette. Six core pieces in white and chambray and seven pieces in a mix of pastel/ice pink, lavender, mint, aqua and yellow. I think I would keep my accessories neutral though. Love, love, love – this is one I’m going to keep and use next year for our big holiday (30 year wedding anniversary and joint 60th birthday celebration) – fingers crossed!
Crossing fingers for you and for us as well – 2021 is our 40 year wedding anniversary, my 65th and my husband’s 70th birthdays. We’re hoping to have a whole family holiday – nancyo
O this is such a beautiful wardrobe! I absolutely love it, except for the fact that I cannot keep white clean. What a beautiful scarf; I could frame it and put it on a wall ?
That was my immediate thought too Isha – “not colours I would ever wear but so beautiful I would hang it as a picture”.
What an absolutely beautiful way to start the day. That scarf is just awesome. I’ve never quite mastered the art of tying a (slippery) silk square scarf or I would seriously be tempted. I agree you could frame it and hang it on a wall! Delightful.
I would be very tempted by that beautiful, colorful scarf if it were rectangular rather than square. This is a great summertime getaway wardrobe!
Summer only scarves can be so useful. I have a cotton one with vintage palm trees, swimmers and water skiers that goes perfectly with 99% of my summery linens. It’s just my signature for the summer. For cooler days or dressier ones I wear my other standby Fleurs de Hellande (Hermes). It’s pastel-y and has my favourite summer flowers, well some of them. It too makes an outfit a bit more intentional!! And with just two in rotation for the summer months, easy peasey dressing.
Janice,
What a fun scarf with so many colors to pull from it for cluster options ! I find that I’m not wearing my Summer scarves, especially in this viral climate, so while I love this one, I shall have to keep my purchase available for someone else . In general I don’t wear scarves until the weather starts to cool, as it is doing now in PA .
I have done exactly as your heroine described here — tagged along to Canada for hubby’s fishing trip – he fished, I relaxed, read, and was provided cooked meals at the lodge. So relaxing ! It was planned for this year too, but no go with the border restrictions .
Hubby only took me fishing once at this same location, and since I caught both the biggest and the most fish, he won’t let me fish with him again ! :)
I love this scarf! So tempting to me but I’ve already decided to refrain from scarf buying for the rest of the year. The wardrobe is well thought out as always. Thanks!
What a fabulous scarf! Maybe you could take another pass at it emphasizing some of the more vivid colors?
Yes! Please.
It DOES scream summer and your styling allows it to shine. And here is a tip: when falling for a scarf with a non-repeating print like this, FOLD it if you are in the store, or think about what it looks like, folded as you will wear it. (Unless a sarong, no scarf is entirely displayed.) Those scenic prints •really• change when you only see a section. That can be fine, and you’ll get a different effect depending on the fold, but sometimes the details get lost. I’ve had ones go both ways.
Duchesse, this is a really great point! Especially if you have favorite go-to ways to wear a scarf, you should think through whether the final effects of the print will work for you. It would be a shame to find out after the fact that your desired impact of the print is lost when you wear it.
Is it Mai Tai’s blog that makes tying suggestions based on what section of the scarf you want to emphasize? I saw that once, and thought it was amazing, but never found it again. Is it part of her Scarf Art app (which I don’t own, but maybe I should)? Something like that could be a handy tool for evaluating a scarf of this type before purchase…I hadn’t thought about that before.
Sally in St Paul, yes, Mai Tai does incredible things with her scarves! She recently showed an example that allows the center of the scarf to show itself better.
This wardrobe is so cool and refreshing. Those jeans are my favorite shade of purple, which I would joyfully wear with either the lavender T (is that a bit of ombre shading at the bottom? if so, I love it) or the lavender sweater and the pretty sneakers.
(I admit that I had to imagine a context that is much less rural and outdoorsy for all this white and light colored clothing. For me, summer heat and nature based activity absolutely requires special clothing and shoes, with a lot of technical fabrics, because I become a hot, sweaty mess in about 5 minutes. I have an entirely separate small capsule for exercise and outdoor activity that constitutes the majority of my packing for any warm weather vacation with a notable outdoorsy component. Are other people able to manage in just “normal clothes”?)
The scarf is gorgeous! If I hadn’t purchased a summery silk scarf already this year, or if these soft pastels…especially lavender/lilac…were a cornerstone of my summer palette, I would be tempted. (Mine was a second-hand Brooks Brothers twilly style scarf covered in fish with a somewhat brighter palette than this one that ultimately is a better match for my wardrobe.) The scarf would go so well with any number of soft or saturated pastels. I could easily see mint, aqua, soft coral, pale yellow, or pale green in this wardrobe as well. It would also add some lovely lightness near the face when wearing somewhat darker tones (like denim, navy, grey…). Living somewhere dominated by spring and summer, a heroine could get a lot of use from this scarf.
But I do wonder: how would it translate for the colder seasons? Or would you accept that this is a seasonal item?
Typically I like to wear relaxed sleeveless tops or tanks with shorts and comfortable walking shoes for outdoor activities and active vacation excursions. I will dress up that same top with a pair of capris or ankle pants and nice sandals for dinner or evening. To economize on suitcase space, the trick is to plan your wardrobe and first wear the top in the late afternoon/early evening with or without a top layer (think change of clothes after an activity requiring a shower or freshening up for a nice dinner). Then wear that gently worn top again on another day as your activewear top. I only end up packing one additional top per trip. Planning and color coordinating is essential so that you have outfits that coordinate each day.
That’s a good idea, Lena! I definitely could make use of that tip. Sometimes I do need/prefer the technical fabrics for the activity, like hiking as Nancyo mentioned, but sometimes not. I look forward to the opportunity to test this out on my next visit to see my young nephews…against whose pleas of “Aunt Sally, chase us!” etc. I am powerless. A change of clothes before dinner is pretty much inevitable.
Yes, when my travel plans call for hiking, I pack a special capsule with technical fabrics and specific footwear. Cotton can contribute to hypothermia if you get caught on a trail in a sudden patch of bad weather, so technical fabrics are almost a must for hiking, IMO. If we’re just going to do regular walking I’m more likely to wear regular clothes. – nancyo
The last hurrah of the summer! My favourite colours in one, though I wouldnt wear white but very pale silver grey.
Love the scarf but agree that by the time you have tied it, the detail is lost. Do scarf makers think about how the pattern will look when it is worn? I went to a fascinating Zandra Rhodes exhibition before earlier this year. She really thinks how patterns will look when they are draped and folded, then prints the design accordingly.
Since the scorching heatwave broke last week, the weather is feeling damp, cool and autumnal in the UK. I refuse to give in to autumnal colours, so I’m wearing pale jumpers over t-shirts and my silver rain coat.
Perhaps you might revisit the ideas of interseasonal changes and swaps-outs?
Oh! That is such a pretty wardrobe. I’ve got a scarf that would work with all of those pastels. I bought the Lilac Dreams (Fierce Lynx) bracelet and a really pretty shade of lilac sweater. If I change the bottoms and the cardigan to grey, I could wear this collection into October. “Janice, you definitely inspire me.
I love these colors! Yummy, cool, refreshing. I could happily wear this wardrobe!
I’m sorry to ask this, but what does “whappage ” mean – as you are using the word. A search reveals that is has something to do with a certain sex act, but I suspect that you are using it as a term familiar in the UK/Ireland/Scotland????? Maybe I didn’t search enough. It’s kind of creeping me out …
Thank you.
It’s not a term familiar to anybody except my long-time readers – it means that impact that something has that makes you think about it after you’ve left the shop. That feeling that makes you turn around on the street and go BACK into the store to buy something, because it had so much impact on you…
I make up words; I’ve been told that it’s a sign of mental illness…
hugs,
Janice
That has happened to me! And I’ve gone back to the store and bought that “something”. Fun to make up words, but in this case … maybe some research first?
Please keep up with your wardrobe advice –it’s very helpful!
Oh my, Barb. I had never searched for that term before, so I can see why it was creeping you out!
Hi Janice! Love the color combo, and THAT is a denim skirt I could wear without looking like a schoolmarm.
Oh my! I had exactly the same reaction to the scarf. I love the wardrobe and although it is still winter here, I’m planning my summer wardrobe and this collection is perfect!
I hope you get some compensation when your readers click through and buy something… I bought THREE of the Lands’ End jeans as they are on crazy sale at the moment!
I do – it’s an important part of my income!
hugs,
Janice
What a beautiful assortment of clothes and color palette. It’s always educational to see travel capsules, I still can’t do that right. Recently I went away for a week and took way more than needed, I will limit myself next time. Thanks for sharing the post!