June 16, 2021
Oh, you all are SMART! This turned out well, I think…
Denim shirt – L.L.Bean; striped peplum top – Caslon; shell pink linen tunic shirt – L.L.Bean; dark plum rose cardigan – L.L.Bean; white trimmed tee – Treasure & Bond; white asymmetric tee – Caslon; striped campshirt – J.Crew; blue floral top – Caslon; weathered rose polo sweater – J.Crew; chambray ankle pants – L.L.Bean; jeans – L.L.Bean; skirt – Chico’s; cotton voile dress – J.Crew
Yes, there’s only 1 cardigan, because I just never saw a denim-colored one that I liked. But when I saw my mother wearing my denim shirt over her tee shirt, I knew I had the answer!
Even with prints above and below the waist, this wardrobe has lots of possibilities:
Just for reference, here’s the garment list. I want to remind us all that this isn’t a hard and fast list – it’s a guideline, just like everything on The Vivienne Files. Nobody should tell you what to wear…
I discovered something interesting, and sort of weird, when I was putting together this next wardrobe: when I searched for “purple,” I got all sorts of shades of pink, and darker red, and plum, and LOTS of colors that I would have NEVER described as purple…
How silly…
So as much as it would be delightful to find garments in colors that would all blend, it was not to be. And this is a good lesson – we have to get dressed with what’s available, not what exists only in our dreams!
That’s true of so much of life isn’t it? Not just clothing…
Grey cardigan – Tantra; wrap top – Banana Republic; satin campshirt – Open Edit; purple cardigan – Croft & Barrow; heather grey linen tee – J.Crew; violet chalk tee – L.L.Bean; pastel lilac top – Vero Moda; striped tee shirt – J.Crew; sleeveless sweater – Varley; linen drawstring pants – Pure Navy; jeans – Brax; skirt – Art Dealer; tankdress – BP.
Even with the various compromises I had to make, and the range of shades of purple, this wardrobe would still serve well for much of the late spring and early summer:
I’m tempted to do one more pair of these wardrobes – last week I was treated to some Chic Sightings of women in navy and red, or navy and green…
What do you think?
love,
Janice
p.s. Four years ago we revisited a pair of wardrobes based on The Golden Stairs by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones…. An amazing painting and a subtle, elegant color palette!
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Pure Magic! I’d love to see accessories with these collections. I wear these colours, with a few tweaks from spring to early autumn.
Personally, I would add a patterned top/skirt/dress in chambray and pink. To take it into autumn, the blue would become darker slate blue or prussian blue. Yesterday, I found a floral patterned blouse in a charity shop that is prussian blue leaves and soft pink flowers. It goes perfectly with prussian blue trousers.
I have the same problem as you did trying to find “purple”. The same is true for pink. Likewise, I would add the matching blouse that goes with the skirt in the grey and purple collection. The grey and purple could be extended with bright navy and light blue.
The look back is great too for helping me to develop my brown wardrobe. The soft blue looks lovely with it.
Thank you for all the inspiration.
Grey and purple really are my year round colours. As summer progresses, I add in heather purple and orchid pink. Then in late summer going into autumn I add in violet, proper purple, magenta and plum with mid to dark grey. The garments will be of heavier material and thicker knit.
My current Spring capsule is grey, white, various shades of purple and dark denim and I am totally loving it. I would love to see navy and red, and navy and green wardrobes.
Feeling somewhat spoilt as not only are today’s posts lovely I followed both the flashbacks to the two golden stairs posts. That blue is one of my favourites and I can remember wistfully looking at the post 4 years ago. Happily I have added more of that colour to my wardrobe the past few years. Thanks for all your hard work and lovely posts Janice. X
I would like to see navy and green, but moss or soft olive green.
I’d like to see accessories particularly for the grey and purple, because without added accessories many of the outfits seem pretty bland. I’m thinking that the right accessories could give them some needed punch.
Yes please to the navy and green.
Navy and Sage Green.
Beautiful as always Janice. Love that you took inspiration from your 90 plus mother!!
I’d like to see brown (a sort ow warmish but not dark brown) with aqua and a creamy sand colour.
The purple/grey capsule could be seamlessly incorporated into the purple ruana collection from the 6 scarves, and the denim/rose-coral one would fit right into the Mountain View collection.
Is it just me or do the 6 scarves capsules feel under-accessorized? When I was looking at the ruana collection to see how those accessories could punch up (as Dawn put it) the purple/grey outfits, I was a bit surprised by how few accessories we have there. I know I’m on the maximal end of the spectrum with accessories, but truly, half way through with only one necklace?! It’s making me realize that my idea of the proper accessories-to-garments ratio is perhaps much higher than it is for other people. Where do you guys fall on this?
No, I think that I’m probably at a point where adding a bunch of accessories with a couple of “fill-in” garments might make the most sense for those wardrobes!
Thanks for helping me remember…
hugs,
Janice
Navy and red please. Navy and green second choice.
P.S. Janice – In your June 7th post, at the end you reference a four-year old wardrobe as a PS – it has the EXACT same LLBean dress as this year’s June 7th wardrobe! The LLBean leaf print dress. Did you notice?
I KNEW that dress was madly familiar – I personally love that a garment might be available for long periods of time. I abhor trends!
hugs,
Janice
Navy and green!!! Yes, please! Navy and red is wonderful, but the green is a lovely way to go for summer!
Janice,
I made a personal discovery about why it’s good to color group wardrobe items when building a wardrobe to see what was present and what holes remained to be filled . The other day I had an appointment and the night before I had pulled out an olive green ensemble with olive capris, a two toned olive top on a background of white, and an olive topper. But, it was too chilly for the capris and with my “ Covid quarantine 15” weight gain, the good olive pants were too tight. What to do ? A lightbulb moment was had when I remembered that a few months ago I had purchased a pair of olive twill pants from LLBean. Dilemma solved ! I really prefer to hang modules in my closet by color, rather than by garment type !
I hang garments by colour and also sort tee shirts and underwear into colour groups
If a patterned garment transcends one group, I put it in between two groups.
Beth T,
I find it so much easier to select a three piece outfit that way ! And I wear 3 pieces most of the time !
I do the same thing!
That flashback wardrobe is gorgeous!
Both wardrobes are beautiful and I think I’d wear almost everything in both – but that skirt in the pink/chambray wardrobe is calling me! I *love* it!! Thank you for the link! Off to shop…
The flashback reminds me that the dress is perhaps the prettiest one I’ve ever seen. I truly love the feminine lace in subtle colors.
Love this. I just got my work clothes out to organize for the next few months, and see that once again I have huge numbers of trousers and a small number of tops. I have trouble finding tops that fit, and long ago I had equal trouble finding pants that fit, so when I found pants I’d buy them. And boy do I now have them. I have 12 pair of mostly identical summer dress pants (in two sizes, I hasten to add, I’m not that bad!) as well as others. I will be donating some this weekend. Meanwhile, I’ve branched out into several other styles of pants and two skirts I hope to add to the wardrobe… so the identical dress pants are even more overkill. And yet hardly any tops!!! I love sweaters, and have so much trouble finding tees or other summer shirts in the right colors. Plus my office is freezing so I have to have pretty many second layers (2 or 3 won’t do) for summer — that I can take off as soon as I exit the building. Anyway, seeing these collections helps me so much
nice wardrobes! I’d probably add a white cardigan or jacket to the first wardrobe, rather than a denim blue. I love my white jean jacket in summer! – nancyo