November 27, 2020
She Really Loves This Painting…
And she has all of these colors in her closet! So she figures that she will pull together her “Garde-Robe du Mois” (wardrobe of the month) for the end of November and the start of December based on this…
First, she’s trying to figure out how often she will wear things, based on the “How Many Pieces of Clothing Should I Own?” worksheet.
She starts with 31 days – a longer month, perhaps.
And then, because she never leaves her home these days, she knows that she only wants to wear 1 outfit per day.
She will probably evenly split between 2 and 3 garment outfits.
And finally, she plays around with the “How many times do you want to wear each piece during your time period?” number to get it as close to 21 as possible. (21 is the number that Fiona Ferris chose for her Garde-Robe du Mois, and it’s a nice number with which to work)
She will therefore be wearing each garment 4 times, or once a week. Nothing wrong with that, right?
It all looked like this:
Five colors, 21 garments = about 4 garments per color, to start…
So she begins with black: 2 outer layers, 2 bottoms:
Cashmere cardigan – L.L.Bean; black jeans – L.L.Bean; black knit cords – L.L.Bean; black denim jacket – H&M
And then ivory – 2 tops, and 2 bottoms (her thinking is that she will wear the lighter color near her face, and can layer darker 2nd layers over):
Paperwhite waffle-knit Henley – L.L.Bean; ecru selvedge jeans – Autograph; ivory cotton turtleneck – J.Crew; stone cotton pants – L.L.Bean
She’s starting to feel as if she doesn’t really need 2 bottoms in each color, and also that she’d better start adding in some tops! So when she gets to grey, she chooses just 1 2nd layer, 2 tops and 1 bottom.
Turtleneck – J.Crew; grey Heattech tee shirt – Uniqlo; grey hooded sweatshirt – H&M; grey corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
Now the fun colors! First, pink. Note that these don’t all have to match unless you plan to wear them together. Our count is 2 tops and 2 shirts that can be a top or 2nd layer:
Mauve pink tee – L.L.Bean; corduroy shirt – L.L.Bean; pink shirt – Lands’ End; turtleneck – L.L.Bean
Next, she wants to finish with her dark peach, terra cotta, sienna, whatever you call it color, and falls short…. Only 2 pieces in her wardrobe!
This is how her wardrobe for the month looks so far – it’s a pretty good reflection of the painting…
She only has 18 pieces – 3 to add – so she decides that a moment of reflection might be smart:
Her proportion of pieces is good, so she decides to just find some things that she loves!
Remember, she plans to be indoors pretty much all the time; maybe a few walks out to get mail and such, but no socializing! There will be occasional Zoom conferences, but her co-workers seem to be vying for the award for “Most Inappropriately Dressed” every day…
How, her completed wardrobe looks like this. While it’s still a good reflection of the colors of the painting, it doesn’t “hang together” as much as many capsule wardrobes…
Or maybe it does!
She starts working her way through outfit options, and is pleased to find a lot of possibilities:
She will be nice and warm, look good on camera, and still be relaxed and casual!
So if you’re struggling with a seemingly difficult color palette, don’t lose heart! It might still work well…
love,
Janice
p.s. Six years ago I sent you all a message that is MORE true today than it was back then…
p.p.s. I know that some of the L.L.Bean links take you to their main site rather than to the specific garment. I’m haggling with them to fix it…
p.p.p.s. – Get thee to Dewey’s Treehouse to read a festive wardrobe story…
I like the pink and grey outfit ideas. I’ll keep those in mind for ideas (once I’m done being an elf). Thanks for the link!
I loved your blog and made a comment under my full name! I find scarves get in the way indoors but your choices were great.
Thank you, Beth! I enjoy your comments here too as I think we like some of the same colours.
Morning! Thanks for posting! I wasn’t sure if I would find something this morning or not! I like this. Such completely different looks. But then what do I know, I’m combining pink and red lately. Thanks for including the spreadsheet exercise. I wasn’t sure I’d filled in the numbers correctly on mine. However, if I figure 200 days, and wearing each item every 10 days or so (20 times) I think that gives me 20 items?? Which doesn’t sound like near enough variety for me! Back to the drawing board….. Continued best wishes.
If you only wear dresses without a jacket or cardigan, you could indeed own 20 dresses. But you need to remember that you wear multiple garments per day, probably.
It’s eye-opening, isn’t it?
hugs,
Janice
It occurred to me after that’s only tops… I don’t even count bottoms since I am ok with wearing them 2x a week every week…… I get a lot of wear out of my pants and have more than one pair of many of them :) I do often wear a top and a topper, so I’ll still have to re-look at it! Thanks Janice.
This wardrobe is both pretty and realistic, I love it! And thank you for the formula, it will come very useful. I’m thinking of using it to create two separate capsules for December: one for the clothes I will wear at home and one for the much fewer outfits I will actually wear outside.
I hope you are well and that life is beginning to make more sense! Take care :)
Thank you, Janice! I hope your holiday was lovely and that your recent tribulations have passed. You are always a cheering inspiration to be enjoyed with my morning coffee.
Hi Janice! Really love the painting and the co!or combo. I am going to save it for post-Christmas fashion as I will need the pink and rust for January. Right now I am looking at your past posts on burgundy/wine for the 21 piece wardrobe challenge for December. I am definitely a 3pc+ piece clothing gal for the winter.
How fortuitous. I have this exact colour scheme in mind for January, except I would swap the rust for burgundy which looks lovely with pink.
My challenge is to having enough bottom halves, particularly if it very cold. Well cold by UK standards. ?
I will add in a pink floral tapestry skirt instead of trousers and a dress would also serve as a top and bottom.
I haven’t had chance to consider the spreadsheet but I counted 45 hangers in my wardrobe! Some of these are dresses with jackets or fancy long cardigans on the same hanger. This doesn’t include my tee style tops, knitwear, chunky jumpers which are in my chest of drawers.
I wear four pieces minimum at this time of year. Some of my plain coloured summer short sleeve tees and camis (tanks).become a base under my first layer top. Have I said that I feel the cold as I’m now snuggled on the sofa under a sheepskin velvet blanket?
I would love to see accessory ideas with this wardrobe that would take me through cold and wet January.
I was wondering if accessories for this wardrobe would be of interest – I think choosing them with cold, wet weather in mind could be interesting!
hugs,
Janice
Thank you for demonstrating this. I love both powder blue and aqua blue, which do not look particularly good together. To make it more complicated, I use the powder blue as a neutral (light denim/chambray). Pretty much the only solution is to have different “clusters” and keep the two colors separate.
Powder blue and aqua are among my favorite colors too. Works just fine because my wardrobe -thanks to Janice- has a healthy base of neutral garments that work with any color. Add a color cluster or two, and my montly wardrobe is ready!
This year, though, it seems that 20 items per month is way more out-and-about clothing that I actually need. In reality, I have spent most of my time wearing black yoga pants and one of my three jersey tunics (red w/tonal flowers, mint/white stripe and bright pink/white stripe), plus a handknitted cardigan or scarf and socks (I’m a knitter) during cooler months. Cheerful colors keep me sane… The main purpose of putting together a month’s wardrobe is to have something pretty and pleasing to look at when I open my wardrobe. Such are the times we live! And when they change for better, my wardrobe will be ready. :)
I was so happy to see your post today! Hope all is well.
One of my favourite mottos is by William Morris, the Arts and Crafts Designer:
“Have nothing in your home [wardrobe] that you do not know to be useful AND believe to be beautiful”
Our homes are a visual expression of our personalities, reflect our lives, and demonstrate our personal style. We all have different choices of colours, pattern, texture, furniture, ornaments. Even amongst members of the same family.
I do know that the colours, patterns and textures in my home decoration are very similar to the ones I wear or am attracted to.
So taking this motto, I have decided to develop it as an idea for my wardrobe. Does the maxim holds true in my wardrobe as it does in the rest of my home?
Clothes are useful – tick. But WM uses the clever word AND. Useful AND beautiful. Does my heart sing when I wear my clothes? Do I get pleasure from seeing them in my wardrobe ready to wear when the occasion arises?
So I have created an experiment. As I wear items from my extensive wardrobe, I am keeping them separate. In a way, I’m creating a true capsule of clothes I am drawn to wear over and over. I am immediately struck, that this capsule contains far fewer clothes and so I wonder why?
This year is very different. I’m not going into my workplace, so I don’t feel the need to wear a different outfit every day and not repeat it in the same week. Each outfit is also a different set of colours and items, again not to be repeated. Who invents these silly rules?
However, would my colleagues would notice if I wore the same outfit twice in a week? My male colleagues don’t have that problem and seem to get buy with half a dozen items they wear all year round. Though after several years, they look a bit ‘ratty’ making me wish that their female relatives would take them in hand.
So not wearing lots of different outfits immediately reduces the quantity of clothes I need.
Not going to into my workplace also means that many of my blouses have not been worn at all because I’m not wearing the bottoms and heeled shoes I normally wear with them.
I’ve found that pull-on tops are much easier to put on – no fiddly buttons which my fingers are now finding difficult to fasten. It is not anticipated that I return to work until the Spring.
So I’m thinking of keeping a few favourite blouses to wear in a different way with jeans or casual trousers. I will look out for beautiful patterned pull-on tops that make my heart sing.
I’ve also that I prefer patterned tops over plain. Or plain coloured tops need interesting details or texture to elevate them. Even if it’s just a ribbed knit instead of flat knit. The same goes in my home decoration, so why am I surprised that the same is true for my clothes?
I don’t think that I’ve paid enough attention to the ‘beauty’ in my clothes. I may still end up with more clothes than I need so then the serious culling would begin. This is where the spreadsheet will come in useful along with Janice’s posts on decluttering.
Having spent this year, sorting out the colours and tones to take me through the year, next year is paying attention to the details. Why do I like a particular garment? Do have other items with similar details? Comparing items of the same colour pr fabric, which do I prefer?
Do my accessories and jewellery still go with my ‘new’ choices? I might find a new use for orphans or little worn accessories, just as I have done in my clothes.
So next season, when I use this colour palette from this picture, each item will have to be useful AND beautiful.
Morning Beth T, I chuckled when I read the part about going into work and not wearing the same thing in the same week. They’ve further shut down our building, so it’s just me and the security guy on a every day basis. The office staff rotates in once a week. So I joked to a friend I could wear the same thing every day and no one would really know because they’re only there one day a week…. I find I’m wearing sweaters and pull over t-shirts – usually striped. I was thinking the other day I should purposely wear the things I have not worn in awhile. Once I get them in rotation maybe they will stay there? I really love my current closet.
? You are so right and I expect you brighten up the guard’s day with your colourful wardrobe. He probably hates being in uniform but at least it makes getting dressed a no-brainer in the morning! Perhaps he has an off-duty alter-ego.
Beth T,
I have decided, as you have, that I prefer patterned or interesting garment construction details in tops in general . However, I always make sure that I include one plain top in that same color that is reserved for more dressy wear in cool and cold weather wear as I have a plethora( don’t you just love that word — plethora ! ) of scarves that I love ! I only wear scarves when I am out and about, so they too are hanging unworn this year, but I have hopes for next Autumn , or dare I even hope for Spring ?
I’m really enjoying these dusky accent colors with the grey and ivory. With the strong black pieces, they’re a big more challenging to my eye…though the black works very well with the clearer pink shirt and melon top as well as all the other neutral items. If I were this heroine, I might look for a somewhat more faded black denim jacket, but all that cozy black cardigan needs is a scarf! I have a printed scarf that would work perfectly with this palette…it’s an oval geometric design in pink, grey, black, rust-sienna, and peach. I was not able to find an image of it online (I bought it at a thrift store, so I didn’t have high hopes) but I found a few others I would happily add to this wardrobe:
This pink/rust hand-printed animal print scarf supports wildlife:
https://www.beastlythreads.com/products/pink-rust-wild-dog-infinity-scarf
This Etro one looks warm (and, like the previous one, avoids the commitment to any particular neutrals) (sadly, sold out):
https://www.comomilano.com/products/etro-scarf-rust-taupe-pink-paisley-wool-silk-blend-shawl-sale
Perhaps our heroine has this Hermes scarf in her collection:
https://www.1stdibs.com/fashion/accessories/scarves/auth-hermes-blue-pink-gronland-90-silk-twill-scarf/id-v_9408982/
If not, this inexpensive square scarf is a lot of fun:
https://www2.hm.com/en_us/productpage.0880308001.html
Janice,
As always, your post was inspiring and translatable into my own needs. As I was figuring out my total number of garments, I got confused, because within an outfit, I might wear the same pants or cardigan more than once a week, but want a fresh top each day, so I have taken your formula and broken it down into garment type instead of by entire ensembles. For instance ( and I’m rounding up numbers for ease of division ) – 32 days , 1 top per day, each top worn 4 times ( once a week) = 8 tops . Pants — 32 days , 1 worn per day, each worn twice a week or 8 times per 32 days = 4 bottoms. Same ratio with the toppers as for the bottoms. That totals 8 +4+4 = 16 pieces — a great travel amount ! In reality, I would probably throw in another bottom or two, and more tops for stay at home wear, but this gives me a great starting point, so thank you so much !
I do hope that your world is back in it’s proper orbit — mine is still in outer space somewhere with a stubborn elderly parent issue !
Janice,
I need to clarify— my totals above pertain to only one life aspect of what I wear — those 16 pieces would be for my home wear only , another 16 , with variable levels of dressiness above the home wear fabrics, are dedicated to out of the house wear, on stand by for the future. I continue to do my monthly or 2 monthly seasonal accent color rotations , which is probably a waste of time, but it keeps me hopeful , and I enjoy seeing the changing colors !
I always enjoy these wardrobe analysis posts. Janice hoping things are getting better in your world.
I did a project 333 capsule for the fall. I found I wasn’t using even the 33 items so I decided to try a much smaller capsule just for December and see if I feel cramped in it. I will definitely want a change come January – navy grey and pink maybe but it’s just for my own enjoyment this month to see if I can do it.
2 layer pieces; red 3/4 sleeve jacket and a black Chanel style cardigan with off white trim
3 bottoms – 2 black pants, 1 pair winter white jeans
5 tops – 2 are pullover sweater tops; cream & black. 3 sleeveless tops; red, black & winter white
10 items. Black, creamy off white and a few red accents.
A single purse, pair of loafers, pair of shoe boots, pair of tall boots. 4 items All black leather.
3 scarves: 1 red cashmere knit doubles as a shawl. 1 silk square in red & white. 1 polyester chiffon cream and off white stripe rectangle.
Majorica pearl stud earrings, pearl drops, zirconia stud earrings and silver hoops. Silver and mother of pearl watch. 5 jewelry items
Well that’s my plan, but 2020 being 2020 I’m not sure if my precious plans will go sideways. Or I will rebel.
I am retired- that makes a big difference. I don’t have to report in to work so my constant repeats won’t cause any comments. My husband might or might not notice.
I worked out a 10 outfit map, and I can repeat a single outfit over 2-3 days just like I do when I travel with this kind of capsule. 10 items, 10 ways x 30 days.
If my husband notices I can slot in some other colour accents via scarves to camouflage my experiment.
I hope your husband does notice and showers you with compliments. He should be delighted that you are so stylish and elegant.
My husband would hate to be left out and would go and put on his stylish clothes. Perhaps I shall try this in the lead-up to Christmas?
Thanks Beth, I always enjoy your posts. People who love colour and clothing that gather here are treasures!