February 17, 2021
One of you has treated yourself! I think it’s important to do that, from time to time…
(I splurged on a scarf too – I’ll share a link at the end of this post…)
scarf – Jessie Zhao New York
I’m pretty certain that our friend uses green as one of her accent colors, but I’m going to use denim blue instead – this scarf certainly gives you options!
scarf – Jessie Zhao New York
As I’ve been inclined to do these days, I’m starting with a classic navy and white Common Wardrobe of 12 garments. When I talk about Common Wardrobes, I mean those classic, timeless garments that many of our wardrobes have in common…
Short-sleeved tee shirts – L.L.Bean; ¾ sleeve tee shirts – L.L.Bean; cardigan blazer – J.Crew; striped tee – J.Crew; button-front shirts – Lands’ End; jeans – L.L.Bean; knit pants – L.L.Bean; skirt – J.Crew; dress – L.L.Bean
With 12 garments in hand, anybody who wants to pull together a Garde-Robe du Mois (see Fiona Ferris for the explanation of this) just needs 9 more things. 9 garments divided by 3 accent colors gives you a pretty clear plan:
I’m mixing things up here between dressy and more casual, so that our heroine can have some options – I’m hoping for her sake that the upcoming month will offer a few more opportunities to be out and about!
I will probably go to my grave believing that almost all of us can get good use from a denim shirt!
But brace yourself for this yellow eyelet shirt – also available in white, navy and TURQUOISE…. I didn’t tell you!
A bright colored sweatshirt is never a bad idea – I just ordered myself one in ultra violet, to match the highlights in my hair!
This is our heroine’s 21-piece wardrobe – it just screams with possibilities!
A couple of you have written to me expressing concern that you won’t be able to find enough options from a wardrobe with only 21 pieces… Let’s pile on today, just to set some minds at rest…
I can’t reassure everyone – each of us has our own needs and desires for variety! But I think that seeing all of these outfits might ease a few concerns?
love,
Janice
p.s. Today, instead of a flashback, I have a question: How often do you wear anything at all with writing on it? I’m thinking of either sports attire that has logos on it, or a tee shirt with a witty (ahem…) saying.
I ask because I’m being absolutely inundated with sports logo clothing these days – there are orange tee shirts that DON’T have a team name written on them, but they’re in the minority…. I’m NOT considering using them for The Vivienne Files – I’m just curious about how pervasive these garments are in the world….
Comments are welcome, as always!
p.p.s. My new scarf? Snowflakes!
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Stunning colours and gorgeously put together as always. As for your question, no I don’t have any sports team, brand or slogan T-shirts. I sort of grew out of those in the 1980s with the big white T-shirts and fluoro words that Wham made popular… I’ve dated myself here.
I have 1 T-shirt with writing on, a Wyld Stallyns one given to me a few years back.
I do keep an old baggy Calvin Klein T-shirt from the 90s at my dad’s house for emergency visits, usually for sleeping in.
I’ve just pulled an 18 piece wardrobe for Lent. I did 24 before but found some clothes weren’t worn in a 6 week period. Plenty of space left if I find I desperately need an extra skills item or two from the drawers.
I think a Wyld Stallyns graphic T would be one of the very few I might wear. I’ve had a thing for Keanu Reeves since seeing him way back on the Tracy Ullman show.
I don’t like them at all. I may have one pyjama top with small writing blending in with the flowers
I love the oranges and yellows in this wardrobe. I have one graphic tee from a local winery. I bought it because it’s a lovely green, also very soft and a V-neck (which I always look for in tees). I also liked the idea of supporting a local business. I haven’t worn it yet, I’ll probably wear it with shorts in the summer. I wouldn’t ever consider buying sports logo tees or any of those silly tees with live laugh love on them.
Lovely wardrobe, and something close to what I’ve considered for myself. Love Jessie Zhao scarves.
Now I’m rethinking what I was going to wear today – all navy – maybe I should change out and wear a bright cardigan instead! I have some tees – mainly targeting holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, Dr. Seuss Day, etc.. that I wear to school. Otherwise, like my “Darth Potato” shirt I got in idaho, they are mainly “at home” wear. I did just get a white tee that has “love” spelled out in purple crystals because it will work in with my vacation travel capsule. There’s a double sided Jessie Zhao scarf I would love to have, but again, silk square not my best thing. Maybe I just need to learn to deal. Cheers!
I am with you, no shirts with writing on them. Though I did have a couple that said Yellowstone for at home wear in my younger days. Is it an age thing? I have always felt that type of clothing was very casual, gardening, cleaning the house type.
I like the variety of blues in the scarf as we edge towards Spring – navy, teal blue, denim and a light blue.
However, the ratio of tops and 2nd layers to bottoms seems top-heavy (forgive the pun). Would a heroine struggle with just two pairs of trousers and a skirt in the same colour – a lot of washing. Its good to see lighter denim but perhaps a pair of mid-blue denim jeans as part of the trio would add variety and extend this wardrobe into summer.
Whilst I wouldn’t wear a graphic print scarf, I do love your snowflake scarf – the colours of the snowflakes are right up my street!
As for slogans etc, I don’t like them on clothes. Who needs to know that you were at a particular university/college, in a show or at an event in 1987? Wearing a fake sophomore sweatshirt – why?
I don’t mind discreet name labels on bags but that’s as far as it goes. I wouldn’t have a bag with the name or logo all over it.
Beth T, it’s interesting…I also thought about adding another pair of pants here. I personally can wear pants/skirts quite a few times before washing them, so the laundry angle is not as significant for me as for some. But I do find that when I see capsules with dark blue denim jeans and navy pants, those seem like only one garment in terms of variety. Here, because denim is an accent “color,” another pair of jeans in a different color/wash (which I would say is often a slam dunk) is tricky unless you’re into the denim-on-denim look. (I will combine different hues of denim, but not multiple items in the same color family; so one blue denim for me per outfit.) I’m struggling a bit to think of what to add. White jeans is an option (though for many people that’s either impractical from a washing perspective or nearly impossible from a fit/opacity perspective). I might add navy pants with a narrow white pinstripe, given how few prints are in this wardrobe. And even in an outfit with no other white, pop on white pearl necklace, bracelet, or earrings and it’s tied in.
*Sophomore – I realise this might be lost in translation. In the US, it is the second year of study. I’m meaning these fake university/college sweatshirts that are sold by brand names in the UK – why?
I am passing on clothing that has names written all over. I am 63 and don’t want to look like a billboard. Columbia label clothing is fine since I need warm clothing in WI. Enjoy reading your post everyday. Wish I had the funds to purchase most of the clothing. Maybe add on a budget line LOL. Take care and stay warm!
I avoid logos and writing on clothing – I don’t want to be a billboard to advertise for anything. I have also minimize the number of items in my wardrobe in the past five years and look for items that I can wear multiple ways. Clothing with writing really limits its versatility.
Love the scarf, love blue and orange together, which is one reason I have this scarf in my wardrobe: https://www.aspinaloflondon.com/products/aspinal-signature-shield-silk-scarf-in-navy-and-burnt-sienna
As for shirts with writing — not for me. A team logo shirt? Only if attending a team event.
Very pretty, as always! No writing or obvious logos on my clothing except for sweatshirts from my kids’ universities. I’m a proud mama!
I like logo printed tees. Wear them mostly to exercise. Been thinking about rotating a few into my regular wardrobe, maybe under a blazer. Probably too young a look for me, but not sure I care.
I love that last sentence!
I’m still pretty young – like just out of university age – and I don’t have too much stuff with writing on it, but I have a couple things I regularly wear:
– A long sleeve tee, space themed, with writing on the side of the sleeves and a design on the pocket area
– Another long sleeve tee, from an aquarium I love, with their name and a design down the lefthand side of the front
– Several sweatshirts with logos/writing on the front, the most commonly worn two of which are a piece of university merch and one with the ‘worm’ NASA logo across the front of it
I’m okay with writing on stuff, as long as it’s something I personally like and it either looks cool (first two shirts) or can add some interest without being too attention-catching (the sweatshirts)
I try to avoid things with writing on them. I have a few things – workout wear, for the most part, with a scattering of things bought on holidays from various places. But I tend to not wear them a lot.
I do support two sports teams, and have a few things for those events.
Janice,
Could you do a wardrobe again with the Echo Snowflake ❄ scarf, using the common wardrobe. I have this scarf too!
I am not a big fan of logo anything, from the lowly athletic tee to the pricy Louis Vuitton. If someone wants me to advertise their brand, they can pay me instead of the other way around! Hmph. (Please note that brands are not lining up for the privilege, lol.)
That said, I do own a couple of snarky tees with sayings like, “good grammar is sexy,” and, “indoorsy.” They are quite simple, black print on gray or white print on black, no fancy fonts and no images, so I don’t find they call undue attention to my chest, not that anyone is looking (the privilege of age!)
Also, if you are taking requests, Janice, I recently acquired this gorgeous thing that puts me in mind of travel to the tropics: https://echonewyork.com/products/hidden-treasure-silk-square
The whappage is real. I am envisioning a 12 piece black and white Common Wardrobe, with accents of aquamarine and spring green ….
That scarf is gorgeous! I would love to see a wardrobe starting with that lovely thing.
oooooooooooooo same!!!!
Side note – when tying a scarf like a shirt as in the pictures of this gorgeous scarf… what does the back look like? do you need to wear a cardigan/blazer with this?!!? I never understood that…
Lovely colors! You remain the first website I go to every morning after email. I have noticed that your selections seem to be more casual in the last year. I used to purchase a lot of the items via your links in the past, but lately haven’t been compelled to. It seems like there are more basics, more LL Bean, less fun accessories. Would love to see more of the ‘fancy and fun’…..
I love the more casual looks myself and have purchased more from the website this year than before. That said, I also enjoy when Janice does accessory add-ons. Actually, I believe all of my purchases were accessories!
Yes, I’ve noticed the same. It probably reflects the fact that many of us are dressing more casually in these pandemic times, but I do crave a little inspiration and even fantasy! – nancyo
I would ‘echo’ Judy’s request….
Janice,
When you get to be my age with grandkids in various universities, gifts frequently include articles of clothing with college logos on them. I only wear those when I anticipate being in the presence of those grands . My eldest son has a Youtube site and hubby and I purchased a tee shirt each with the logo of his site. Again, only worn when in my son’s presence, to honor him. Otherwise, no logo items are worn by me . I also don’t care to be a walking billboard for some designer’s label either .
I agree with Beth, that one more bottom within the 21 pieces would alleviate the laundering on the other limited amount of bottoms . I usually count on 4 bottoms for a week’s wear , including white traveling . Sometimes I make that 5 if there are special evening dining activities ( which I hope shall happen again this year ) !
For my Common Core selections, I would do them a bit differently than the authoress. For cold Winters here in PA, I would select one dark and one light of each of the following — turtlenecks, long sleeve tops, 1/4 zip pullovers , cardigans, and 2 each of light and dark bottoms , the light being only slightly lighter than the darkest color. For colors, my dark would be a brown and the light would be a tan or khaki . Or a navy and beige combo or a denim and beige combo . The striped top would be one of my accents, along with various colored accent tops and toppers . I would probably add to the total number of garments for a 23 number, by adding a dark vest and a light one, as I have found them to add warmth under a heavier outer coat or jacket without having to struggle with the sleeves sticking within a coat sleeve.
This applies to my -at – home wardrobe for cold months . For dressier occasions, I would sub out jackets for the cardigans and blouses for the 1/4 zips . A skirt for one of my pants bottoms would also be subbed . The turtlenecks and long sleeved tops would also be in finer materials . Basically I have two sets of clothes, dictated by their level of formality and usage, one of which has gotten no use this past year , but I am hopeful of change for later in 2021 !
* Editing — while traveling, not white traveling ! I thought that I had caught all of the incorrect autocorrects !
In answer to your question:
Never, not ever.
I knew a guy who had a really clever collection of t-shirts with clever or interesting things printed on them, and I always enjoyed seeing what he would show up wearing. But I’d feel so uncomfortable wearing something with writing on it. I can barely handle prints.
Just bought that fabulous snowflake scarf! Thank you! So relieved that the background was black! No words on my garments.
I love this scarf very much! Great selections, although I do wish you had gone in the green direction. I’m pretty sure the wardrobe needs accessories.
I dislike commercial logos on clothing, although I don’t object to something discreet like the Fossil key. But in an appropriately casual setting, I am fine with message or identity T-shirts. My church recently rolled out Love Your Neighbor T-shirts and masks, which I am happy to wear. In a very different context, I was at a women’s gathering where the theme was “Bad-Ass Women.” My friend and I wore T-shirts that said “This is what an awesome bad-ass woman looks like.” No, I would not wear that to church. Context is everything in these matters. I would also proudly wear a shirt supporting one of my alma maters.
And – where did you find an ultraviolet sweatshirt? I want one!
Ditto!
Love this scarf! Because the blues in the scarf are warm, would you always use cool blues like the denim in the outfit? I am longing for some blues that look spring-like without being too bright or without leaning toward aqua.
I don’t like Logos, slogans or text on my clothes. Sometimes a Logo makes its way in because I love the item but it’s never a big focal point.
Because I enjoy my scarves I like solid tops that don’t compete and writing competes with my favourite focal points – scarves and earrings.
I love the scarf, beautiful and the capsule is perfection.
The eyelet blouse is pulling me in. I have a sleeveless white eyelet blouse that gets heavy use every summer. Maybe a long sleeved version. Lovely!
I could see that white one in my life too… unless I decided to branch out into turquoise for the summer! The eyelet shirt and a matching tee shirt, maybe a necklace or scarf…
sigh.
hugs,
Janice
Hi Janice,
Love today’s wardrobe as always but orange makes me look sick. I would have to substitute green.
As Ana K mentioned above, I read e-mail and then the Vivienne Files. Can’t hardly wait for a new post each day.
No writing on clothing or accessories for me. The only things I now wear that have writing on them are old T-shirts that I use when working out (not often lately). If I find a name on a scarf, I fold it so the name doesn’t show. When I carry my bag, the name is facing my body. If I could take off the name and not see holes in the bag where the metal logo was placed, I would do that. If a company wants me to advertise for then, they can pay me.
Your reader’s new scarf is a knock out! She will have lots of options for accent colors and I personally live in denim so the blues are great for coordinating with that. I bought a snowflake scarf, on clearance, at Christopher & Banks after your “Christmas in the city” post in December. Don’t care for “clever” sayings on my clothes and will not advertise someone’s brand on my person.
This is a fun color palette. I must admit that I find that denim shirt jacket baffling, so I would pick a different style. This one seems too niche casual…and also just…well, weird somehow. For me, it feels out of place with the more basic building block pieces in the wardrobe. Of course, for the right heroine, this might be a statement/signature piece that rocks her world!
I am very pleased to see 13 tops in this wardrobe! That’s starting to reach a point where I can imagine the laundry cycle working. (I say “starting” because depending on weather, you might need many long-sleeved shirts in a row, etc., and you could hit up against laundry limitations quickly if you wear a bottom layer top only once before washing.)
As to the number of outfits generated by 21 well-selected pieces…I did some very quick math on this wardrobe. Here are the caveats that limited the number of combinations, so the real number of potential outfits is probably higher than what I counted:
-Counted the navy pants and dark wash jeans as 1 item. They look very similar and do not offer much visual variety. Also some combos would be denim-on-denim, which is a controversial look for many of us, and this eliminates them.
-Counted the white short-sleeved and 3/4 Ts as 1.
-Counted the navy short-sleeved and 3/4 Ts as 1.
-Did not count the 2 item combos of top and bottom with no topper.
-Counted button up shirts as top only, not a topper.
-Left out some accent color combinations that looked a bit extreme.
-Only counted button up shirts and the turtleneck under the sweatshirt; the other tops wouldn’t really show and thus would be functional layers.
With all those caveats, I came up with 78 combinations from the 21 pieces (that only counted as 18 the way I did it). Even if you only liked HALF of these combinations, or you thought that all the bottoms together should count as 1 instead of 2, that’s still more than one month’s worth of outfits. You could wear 2 different outfits a day on occasion and still not exhaust the possibilities…even before any accessories are added!
It turns out that 21 curated choices in mostly solids with at least some accent colors that go together can generate a huge number of looks. Laundry cycles permitting, you could go quite a long time without repeating an outfit.
Sally in St. Paul,
As I was driving along today is dawned on me that 21 is divisible by 3, so that could mean 7 bottoms, 7 tops and 7 toppers. Depending upon which level — bottoms, tops or toppers where you would you use patterns and/ or accent colors , 7x7x7 is a heck of a lot of outfits, although on a practical level, not all would go together, but still a lot of outfits are possible with just 21 garments !
I’m working on a “7 outfit” post for Friday!
hugs,
Janice
I am not a fan of clothing with names on it. I always say, I am not a free billboard!
However, ahem, well…I do have an item with a college name on it. Just one. And that is only worn to the women’s basketball games as a show of support.
I love how you have shown how to create a large wardrobe out of basic, quality pieces. And I do have a weakness for scarves!
I don’t care for brand logos on my clothes nor sayings on my shirts.
However, that does change if I’m visiting the mouse at WDW or DL– I like the Mickey icon best and I’ll wear it there. Your snowflake scarf is beautiful and tempting.
I was thinking the other day of my mama’s work wardrobe and she never wore tee shirts for work. It was blouses only. She would wear a tee shirt and a long sleeve denim shirt unbuttoned while working in her rose garden or with the camellias. I thought of this because I’m going back to corporate for the first time since the 80s and was trying to have more work appropriate tops.
Are colored tee shirts with elbow sleeve length appropriate? Or should I invest in more blouses?
Would like to hear your opinion.
It’s all in the accessories! You could do so much with this beautiful wardrobe. I love it. As for T shirts with writing, the only ones I’ll wear are my American Outlaws Ts. It’s an organization of soccer fans supporting our US National teams— talk about fun. And the colors are always navy and red, which fits right into my palette! ??
I never, ever wear clothing with logos or words.. I have a couple of logo t-shirts from happy events that I wear gardening but never for anything else, not even bumming around the house. Just not my thing at all.
Re 21 garments and number of outfits you can get out of it – somebody above did the math but it can also help to track what you wear for a couple of months and see what you are really wearing. I did this as a pandemic project – not my “typical” wardrobe but to be fair I’ve been trying to dress presentably if comfortably while working at home. I was really surprised by how few of my garments I am wearing, yet how much variety I’m getting out of those garments. 20 garments includes stuff that I wear a lot and a few things I wear just sometimes. (I have a ton of scarves not counted in that and they can really change how an outfit looks – Scarves tied close up to the neck are my Zoom armor!)
Though based on my analysis I realized there was a beloved green sweater that wasn’t getting a lot of “play” because I didn’t have many options to go with it. So I got some. :-) Some other stuff that isn’t getting worn is going into the donation box.
I plan to keep up the tracking once I have to start dressing for work again. It is really very illuminating.
Love the scarf and would have liked to see the green incorporated in the wardrobe.
I only have one tee with anything written on it, NANA, which I mainly wear when on vacation lounging around with the grandkids.
I do not wear clothing with logos or words. Ever. I own a few t-shirts with words that have meaning for me that live in a trunk
Re words on t shirts…I have a dark charcoal grey shirt with the outline of NYC’s Highline in small flowers on the front and the words THE HIGHLINE in small font on the upper back. It’s my favorite casual shirt! And it’s prompted a few interesting conversations with strangers.
I have a few tshirts with simple sayings/graphics – for instance one with the Cherokee alphabet word for “Strength” – but they are always in muted colors with a feminine cut and I only wear them on weekends, generally with a short jersey skirt to dress them up a bit. Old rowing regatta or university graphic tshirts are only worn when cleaning the house or under a huge wool sweater with sweats when it’s -5 F outside and I can’t bear to do much besides shower and go back to bed under the blankets again!
I don’t have shirts with logos on them. But I do have a 20 year old white denim jacket with black trim and words all over that I still wear and get compliments on. Words like Paris and oui!!
No teams and no brands/logos. That being said, I love feminine (scoop neck, NO crew necks) graphic tees. I have a small collection of them and usually wear them with jeans and a blazer/jacket. I always get lots of compliments. They’re fun to wear. Also – I don’t wear crew necks at all – I hate things around my neck!
I have exactly one tee with words on it: “OK, but first coffee.” I am up for whatever, but I must be properly caffeinated.
I avoid brand logos even to the point that I won’t buy a purse with logo fabric. But I have a gorgeous navy Coach purse with a subtle gold tag. I never choose a piece because of the brand name, I have to actually like the item’s style and quality. One of my favorite Spring raincoats came from Walmart! As others have said, I’m not a billboard. I have only two graphic tees, one from Dr. Who as I am a fan of the show and one from a band with some lyrics on it. While I like both of them, I only wear them at home. They are my Saturday casual, lay around the house tees. I like this wardrobe, but I would like to see the accessories that would add interest to some of these solid color ensembles.
In my household, my husband is the graphic tee wearer. I personally find them, let us say, non-representative of my brand. I once wore a couple of graphic tees, in my adolescence, and that’s where those tees remain, in my memories. I associate them with a lack of elegance, and given how hard it is to attain even a modicum of elegance in my life these days, I reinstituted silk blouses into my repetoire to be worn on that far-off day when I can finally leave the house to do something other than get my teeth cleaned. The navy Echo scarf I bought with the ‘jewels’ on it goes nicely with a navy silk blouse sans writing of any kind.
I remember sitting in the mall during grad school—about 10 years ago now—watching people go by and thinking how odd it was that everybody was wearing something that had to be read. No longer content with a (comparatively) discreet little alligator or polo pony or a purse hang tag, designers instead announced “Polo” or “Hilfiger” or “Juicy” in big block letters across people’s anatomy. (And this was before Etsybecame all about the aphorism tee…) I recall thinking it was wearing to have to read things everywhere you look. I confess, I have a couple tees with writing, mostly expressing my unwillingness to participate, but only a couple…and a million plain black v-necks.
I can’t imagine you in an ultraviolet hoodie (Canadian for sweatshirt). But it sounds great. I would wear this scarf because of all of the blues and greens. I just don’t look good in orange or yellow.
As to writing on clothing, I do wear some. I have coached basketball for 25 years so have a variety of tops and jackets for games and travel. Also, with 12 active grandchildren, I wear their team gear when I go to those games. Other than that, not at all.
I live on the Canadian prairies (extreme temperatures) but have always been a “hot”person. Thus all the sweaters, hoodies, 1/4 zip pullovers you show are just not useful for me. But you have introduced me to the joy of a really good cashmere cardigan, silk\cashmere sweaters from Banana Republic (so light and breathable) and to really look at what I actually wear. Thank you for all that you do. p.s. I have 2 denim button up shirts now, but am not sure they work for me. I will persere.
I wear shirts with words if there is a strong graphic element or if they are for a favorite science fiction show. I treat them as a print. I am not a floral or small print person. Without these I would be left with just stripes and plaids.
I never wear clothing with obvious logos or printing on them. I refuse to be a walking billboard for anyone.
My favorite t says farm girl fresh and talks on the back about disconnecting from processed foods. There’s a chicken on the front and I have and love my chickens. Between the words and the pictures is a good conversation starter. Plus it’s my most comfy t. But I only wear it in casual settings, I would never try to dress it up.
Your Snowflakes scarf is really lovely! You will get a LOT of wear out of that!
As for printed or logo-ed clothing, I don’t like it. Sometimes you’re stuck with that little metal tag sewn onto the outside bottom hem of a sweater–no biggie. But I won’t buy items with words on them. The fact that I wear sweaters rather than sweatshirts makes that easier!
Thirty-ish years ago, Bottega Veneta’s slogan was, “When your own initials are enough.” I still can’t afford the brand, but I’ve taken the slogan to heart. I don’t want to be a walking advertisement!
I own a few tee’s with words from when I was younger (mostly free ones given out at events). I don’t wear them anymore (except for painting or gardening) – but that is also because I just don’t really wear t-shirts. Not my style. Having said that, I absolutely LOVE reading shirts with fun sayings on them – not “juicy” but fun things. Like an ” I’m an Enjineer… Enginere… i’m good at math” (with the misspelled Engineer versions crossed out) shirt I saw a few years ago. But, I’ll read anything that comes in front of my face, so…
summary: not for me, but if they make me smile/think i dont mind them on others.
I am so happy with this common core navy and white wardrobe as I have been putting together a wardrobe to leave at our vacation home in a warm southern state. I update my accessories and pops of color when I travel back and forth, which reduces the items I have to pack to about 5 pieces. This gives me variety while still just using a small carry on suitcase. I have two tee shirts with writing. One is black with Carpe Diem written in grey, the other is white with Be Kind in red. I wear them with jeans and a blazer, or joggers and a Jean jacket. I prefer not to buy logo displayed items. I am 65 and primarily dress casually these days. Thank you Janice for your thoughtful articles. I look forward to every one of them and go back through the archives regularly.
Love this, Christine! I travel between two locations like you and have started adopting a similar pack/leave approach. Your way of doing it has just inspired me!
I like this scarf! May I request … could you occasionally feature a non-silk interesting/vibrant scarf? I have many scarves – they’re so versatile, functional, and inspiring – but I don’t care much for the cold hand-feel of silk or silk-like substitutes. It looks like Wolf & Badger has many options but Echo does not.
As far as handwriting or logos, I don’t personally wear “message shirts” but don’t mind (subtle) logos showing on clothing or accessories when the maker has crafted something of very high quality. I also have a couple of sports team items. At the end of the day, I try not to read too much into what someone is wearing and am working harder to avoid “assigning assumptions and judgment” to the messages, logos, or whatever. Enough already.
Wishing well to all – especially those of you who are caught in horrific weather!
I love color so today’s wardrobe is right up my alley (though I’d never survive with only navy bottoms!). I have my own wardrobe method to accommodate my color fixation. In my closet I keep the basics in four different neutrals – mostly navy and white, but also a bit of gray and black. I also add in five items in two or three accent colors. Then every few weeks I swap in a different accent color. This keeps my wardrobe fresh and exciting and allows me to use different colors for different seasons without redoing my entire closet.
As for your question about writing on clothing, I’m not a big fan. I do have a few tees that I’ve acquired over the years (my kids’ soccer team or 4-H club that I rarely wear but sentiment prevents me from parting with them) and a sweatshirt or two of similar origin. I only have one slogan tee in my regular wardrobe that I purchased because it expresses my outlook on life; it says “simply blessed.” So, while I dislike slogans as a whole, I found an exception that I truly love. I’ve learned it’s wise to never say “never.”
Hi Janice! Lovely ensembles!
Regarding worded clothing: I wear a tshirt with our team’s name/logo on it on game days, so in the fall about once per week, but not always the whole day depending on what else is going on. Normally, I don’t like words (or advertisements) on my clothing, but during the pandemic, I bought a lovely pink tshirt that has Be Kind in beautiful script across the chest. I wear it often depending on the weather. It just speaks to my heart.?
I don’t think anybody could object to such a tee shirt!
hugs,
Janice
The only times in my life where I have worn wording on sweatshirts is when I was in college and when our son was in college, No other time! I was taught this by my mother growing up and I stand by it to this day. You must not wear your wealth. I love good quality leather handbags and shoes but I always buy without logos.
I have one graphic tee that I only wear at home. I’m rather top-heavy and just don’t care for the look on me.
Hello Everybody! I appreciate the concept behind today’s combination but am still getting used to orange with navy. Peach or apricot, maybe.
Thank you (Shreebee) for the Zoom-worthiness of scarves. I should just as well hang them up in my designated Zoom office space.
Most of the ‘logo’ t-shirts I have are one with a place name discreetly embroidered in small print on the upper left or right chest region. I have no problem advertising all of the wonderful places I have visited in my home state. The only one I would think to wear to work/church/party would be a black Montreal t shirt with embroidered leaves above and below the print. I think it would look very snazzy with a Black blazer.
My Wonderful Husband and I were able to swing a Winter Getaway vacation within our state for 3 nights, where I wore cozy combinations of navy, camel/tan, and cream. However I threw fashion to the wind when it came to tubing ?
i absolutely avoid anything w logos, words, etc. on clothes, shoes, bags. i’m not a free billboard.
Thank you. As a man who’s worn a lot of upper tier clothes, as well as more regular working wear, while working in NYC and LA for three plus decades I appreciate simplicity. Personally, I stick to solid black, navy and grey, white and french ecru. Highly reminiscent of my boyhood UES parochial school uniform. With occasional simple pieces of light blue, shades of burgundy and shades of green.Works for me. I don’t like to wear yellow or red clothing but would like to try shades of orange, having liked orange very much as a child. I’ve been clearing out my wardrobe every few years for as long as I can remember. Without getting into Charvet shirts & 2″ trouser turn-ups, simple is best. MUJI has the best side seamless undershirts since I can’t remember when. Simple black 5-hole balmorals replete with swan neck stitch go with everything, always. You can’t go wrong with a pair of black shell loafers, with or without tassels. Plain white sneakers (classic plimsolls) are the best sneakers. Thanks again and all best.