October 5, 2020
The last time she went to Paris, it all turned out to be… very interesting!
At the end of the 2nd day she was there, she walked up to the woman who had been following her, and asked WHAT was going on?
Well… the woman was looking for another photographer to join the group of official government staff who were documenting all of the most obscure and hidden sculptures and monuments in Paris, and wanted to know if she wanted to be considered…
Uhhh… okay!
She still doesn’t know what her new boss saw in her and her photography techniques, that caused her to want to hire her. She frankly doesn’t care!
So now, ever other weekend, she takes the train to Paris. She’s able to sleep on the train, so she can drop off her bag at her hotel and get straight out onto her assignments…
earrings – Talbots; sunglasses – Quay Australia; mask – Bespoke; heather walnut cashmere sweater – J.Crew; riding jacket – L.L.Bean; crossbody wallet – Madewell; scarf – Banana Republic; boots – Timberland; navy knit corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
She doesn’t dress like a typical Parisian woman, whatever that would be. But she is comfortable for her work, and still appropriate enough for a nice dinner. Washable wool pants for the win!
Scarf – PJ Studio Accessories; heather bright harbor cashmere sweater – J.Crew; green stone earrings – Karine Sultan; gold hoop earrings – Lucky Brand; ivory cashmere beanie – Halogen; beige fisherman tunic sweater – L.L.Bean; green flannel shirt – Universal Thread; mask – Cotton Citizen; gloves – Uniqlo; navy down vest – Uniqlo; tan flannel shirt – Uniqlo; washable wool pants – Lands’ End; pecan brown loafers – Talbots; dark wash jeans – L.L.Bean; green socks – Daphne; checked stole – Uniqlo
Every 2 weeks, her wardrobe is some variation of this. The garments will cycle in and out as the weather warms up, but the colors are consistent, and some things (like jeans!) are always in her bag…
She’s only there 3 nights, and she’s discovered that packing 6 garments is just perfect for that length of time. Even if she tears a shirt, or a sweater, she’s just fine.
(she hasn’t torn a garment while photographing since she stopped climbing on TOP of the sculptures to photograph them…)
It’s like a dream come true: do WHAT you want, WHERE you want to do it, and get paid…
I am envious…
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, I was heading to WALES, and sharing links to a bunch of my favorite jewelry posts…
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I love this wardrobe – totally my style, if not exact colors. I could see myself in these items! The camera dividers are adorably awesome.
BTW – when I got to work and came on this website – the colors look totally different than they did on my home laptop this morning. This is the first time I’ve noticed this much difference between the two. Just sayin’. Reminds me that sometimes the colors I see on the screen, may not be the most accurate representation of what they really look like, or what they looked like on YOUR screen as you were putting things together. Regardless, I still like it!
Hi Janice! You really do have an eye for putting together color combinations that I would have never thought about. I love the aqua/turquoise accent but I find that every retailer interprets that shade differently. I just might go with an aqua mint long sleeved sweatshirt I’ve seen at Lands End. It’s hiding in some corners of this painting ? Maybe not dressy for Paris, but warm for fall in the Great Lakes.
Ah, Paris isn’t dressy the way it used to be… it’s sad in a way, but change is all we can count on in life!
Seriously, if you wanted to wander unnoticed around Paris right now, jeans, athletic shoes and a sweatshirt would be the right thing to wear. It’s amazing…
hugs,
Janice
I love that… walnut? Chestnut? I have a lot of navy and that would be an interesting addition. It’s not something I would have thought of. I’ve done orange and navy and this brown is kind of a darkened version of that. Thanks for the inspiration!
I’ve always called that shade “cognac” but chestnut is pretty accurate too. Probably has other names too. The loafers are called “pecan” but they do seem a bit lighter than the other leathers. :-)
The brown shoes, purse, and sweater are such pretty browns. I haven’t had brown accessories in a long time but am considering shoes and purse. They think they would work with navy, olive, and probably my blacks.
“I” think…
Just spent a glorious quick weekend in a mountain town for my friend’s 50th. This would have been a perfect wardrobe for that mixture of activities. I personally would have to substitute the plaid – not flattering for my body type – with a fun print … but that’s easy. I really appreciate your tasteful edit, Janice!
Those colours (and the painting) remind me of some by Emily Carr.
Like this one.
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/indian-church/mQHrS34rA0lx1Q?hl=en-GB&ms=%7B%22x%22%3A0.5%2C%22y%22%3A0.5%2C%22z%22%3A9.20894347917434%2C%22size%22%3A%7B%22width%22%3A1.2212491153573966%2C%22height%22%3A1.237500000000001%7D%7D
This heroine could be me, though it would be my husband taking most of the photos as he loves architecture and sculptures. I’d be tagging along for the experience, finding a bench to sit on to admire the view whilst he clicks away from all angles.
This wardrobe all feels wonderfully autumnal, though the brown would be burgundy for me. I have just bought a paisley floral top in burgundy from Lands End. The paisley shapes are created from tiny flowers in teal, jade, pink and blue. It is very pretty and will be well worn this autumn. Aqua and light jade look lovely with burgundy, navy and cream. Light to mid grey would be my other neutral.
The chestnut (deeper than the cognac that I wear) in the first outfit is wonderfully rich and luxurious seeming, and the scarf bridges the chestnut and navy so well. And of course cream is nice with those two colors (thoughtfully brought in with the scarf also). But the lovely light mint/teal is such a wild card in this palette!
My instinct would be to go darker, at least a mid-tone teal…I feel there is a tension between the darker warm brown and the lighter mint color (especially with the sweater having a heathered look) that would not exist with a darker teal. It’s interesting…the first outfit gave me such a strong mental picture of our heroine with vivid coloring and dark cinnamon hair, but when I saw all those light tops in her bag, that picture changed a bit. She must have unexpectedly light colored eyes that are flattered by the mint color (the heroine as I first saw her would not look great with this color near her face). And I’m not sure what to think of the beige sweater and beige scarf…that seems too light and soft for a heroine who would rock that deep, rich cinnamon sweater. Maybe she is starting to go grey…or maybe she is pulling back from dying her hair such a rich chestnut shade…and we are catching her in a moment of transition as she experiments with lightening up her palette a bit. I’m guessing she already has a nice complement of darker (non-heathered) teal items at home, as well as some more vivid colored scarves, that she can mix in next time if she decides the lighter colors don’t suit her perfectly worn near the face.
I love any orange/rust/warm brown with navy for fall. Nothing says Autumn to me like a navy skirt, navy tights, and tall cognac boots! I was saddened this year to retire a navy and orange striped pullover sweater that was a fall favorite. Luckily, I have a good set of maroon/burgundy items that work very well with navy and cognac leather so I’m in shape for the season. I was able to quickly put together my own version of this capsule using navy, dark denim, cognac leather, maroon/burgundy, ivory/cream, and a mid-tone teal. Then I expanded it with more items in that palette and added in a few in the mint color (which is a great one for my coloring), and I was really pleased with the result. I would not use maroon/burgundy and mint in a small capsule, but in a larger one where you don’t need all the accent colors to work together, I like how the mint wild card lightens things up.
I was very struck by outfit #5. Mint and navy screams Spring to me, but when I put together a version from my wardrobe…light teal/white marl pullover sweater, navy skirt and tights or dark skinny jeans, and tall cognac boots…it works. For full on Fall feels, I’d add a scarf (I have a light teal pashmina with a maroon/orange-gold/light navy paisley pattern that would suit this outfit nicely and would be perfectly at home with the broader palette) and maybe a navy quilted vest. Now I wait for the weather to cool down enough for boots (I am in NO hurry!).
Your pulled together wardrobe of navy, dark denim, cognac leather, maroon/burgundy, ivory/cream, and a mid-tone teal is mine as well.
My natural hair is ash brown with hints of auburn but it is going white underneath and my eyes are light green. I’m letting nature take its course.
I go for softer shades but the light jade/teal works for me because it has a blue undertone. My cream is a light cream that isn’t too yellow.
I agree that outfit 5 has a Spring like quality. This wardrobe could take you from Autumn to Spring quite easily.
My teal scarf of varying tones would have been my choice rather than beige.
I had to look up ‘cognac’ as a colour. In the UK, it is rather boringly called Dark Tan!
Beth T, that palette sounds quite lovely on you!
The cognac comment made me laugh…it reminded me of the first time I heard my now-husband mention wanting to replace his “oxblood” shoes. It sounded horrible, but of course, it turned out to be the quite lovely dark brownish burgundy color that I knew as “cordovan.” We are both US born and bred, only 1 state apart, and yet separated by a common language. :D
I just love the international flavour of VF. It’s great to hear of different names for the same colours.
Cordovan – I shall have to ask my husband to see if he’s heard of that. He has oxblood shoes which he wears with an olive green suit in the autumn.
We hail from different parts of the same county but our family accents, pronunciation, and colloquial words and phrases can be quite different.
No Sally, he hadn’t heard of Cordovan as a colour but I agree it does sound more appealing than ‘ox-blood’! ?
HAHAHAHA! I picture this so perfectly….(she hasn’t torn a garment while photographing since she stopped climbing on TOP of the sculptures to photograph them…)
Replace the brown for a burgundy and you’ve got one of my capsule wardrobes…HUZZAH!
These are my colors! I would replace the pants for skirts and boots with navy loafers and the shawl for a paisley shawl but otherwise, I would love this weekend wardrobe!