June 18, 2021
Lots of green! I don’t really have a good explanation – I just happened across quite a few pretty things!
I feel like our first heroine must be going back to her office; a wardrobe like this might reconcile me just a little bit to such a fate:
Striped cardigan – J.Crew; striped tee – L.L.Bean; white poplin shirt – J.Crew; bright patina cardigan – J.Crew; navy and white cotton tee shirts – J.Crew; aqua print top – L.L.Bean; navy gingham shirt – J.Crew; bright patina sleeveless sweater – J.Crew; navy canvas cropped pants – L.L.Bean; navy pants – L.L.Bean; navy dotted skirt – MICHAEL Michael Kors; striped dress – Frank & Eileen
She has choices galore for serious work days, casual work days, and work from home days:
And what will be our last Spring Weekly Timeless Wardrobe is for a heroine who is relaxed, but likes to feel pretty and pulled-together!
I don’t think I could be pulled together right now if 2 snow-plows pushed directly at each other, with me in the middle…
Green cardigan – Old Navy; beige embroidery top – Rebecca Taylor; striped tee shirt – Chico’s; beige oatmeal cardigan – Caslon; crocheted cardigan – Vince; dusty ivory and light mint tee shirts – J.Crew; embroidered top – Old Navy; topiary green gauze shirt – J.Crew; cotton knit tank – Club Monaco; heritage linen cropped pants – L.L.Bean; pale cypress pants – J.Crew; pleated skirt – Mango; sleeveless dress – BP.
This wardrobe gives her the option of outfits that are all green, or subtle beige, or a mix of the 2:
I haven’t forgotten about accessories – Wednesday I’m going to revisit that first warm-hued wardrobe and see what that heroine needs to be well and truly dressed!
love,
Janice
p.s. Three years ago, we looked at accessories for travel capsule wardrobe – I suspect that these kinds of guidelines might be back soon!
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I was wondering how green would look with navy. For me, I would choose teal green rather than emerald. I have a few teal/jade items that I would work with navy. I would tend to wear this in late summer or autumn.
The second wardrobe is really lovely. I’m still trying to find an alternative green, other than teal, that doesn’t make me look sallow. These green tones might just work. There is a blended look about this which I prefer. I would add a cream and green patterned top though. Maybe a pattern that includes a subtle hint of yellow, soft orange or red or even a soft muted purple. This wardrobe could be developed with a second accent.
I have noticed in the 2nd wardrobe product links below the main picture, a 14th item which isn’t pictured – a lovely deep V-neck crochet cardigan by Vince which would be a different style to the oatmeal cardigan by Caslon and the green cardigan by Old Navy. Certainly, given the choice, I would choose the crochet v-neck by Vince (but it has given me an idea to crochet a cream one!)
The look back is interesting too as it’s made me revisit my aversion to combining navy and light blue. For me its neither a blend nor a contrast. It’s too big a leap in tonal value and I always feel as if there is something ‘missing’. Does anyone else feel.that with dark and light?
My solution is to add grey as in the striped ruana) or veer towards dark blue denim, soft dark blue-grey or French Navy. Having a subtle hint of navy (as in the stripey cardigan) also helps to bridge the tonal gap. I have a dark-blue striped shirt with navy embroidered dots, a light blue dress with navy polka dots, and a chunky cardigan in varying shades of dark to light blue. These help me to bridge the chasm of tonal values between dark and light blue.
Beth T,
My own medium light personal coloring does not favor high value contrast dressing . I learned from Imogen Lamport to always do a stepping stone medium value in an outfit to bridge the very dark and the very light for people colored like me . Some people look great in that dramatic contrast of light and dark, but not all of us do . Your descriptions of garments in your last paragraph describe exactly the bridging effect !
I am always up for two accent colors in a grouping, as I crave variety, so your suggestion is well taken !
Sorry to be a cynic, but when I read that the navy striped dress features a raw asymmetric hem, I immediately thought”so they cut it crooked and didn’t know how to finish it”! How is that ever going to look good? It is cotton jersey, it will start to roll out as soon as washed.
The more examples of these capsules I see, the better. It isn’t a difficult concept, yet my attempts aren’t as cohesive and elegant. And these are. The second has a very smooth blend of colors. I found the throw back post on accessories also very instructive. I look forward to seeing accessories for some of these.
Love the green/beige/cream one. Just looking at it makes me feel cooler (welcome, since we have 33C/91F outside.
It’s mercury retrograde season. Time for wardrobe changes. Yesterday I was looking at mine and trying to conquer it at last. I tryed the Garde-Robe du Mois approach. Managed to get 25 complete 3-piece garment for the next 25 days with just what was hanging on my closet. I was just looking at the wheather channel, the day of the week and without much thinking, assorted those looks. I was very much satisfied after that because many items that I was not using turned into closet rotation. I hope I can use them as planned. It feels good to have a plan. Thanks Janice for your work helping us organize an important part of our lives.
Hello Aline,
Your comment is intriguing, perhaps you can help me. After losing 20 lbs and allowing beautiful white/silvers shine during isolation, I find myself in need of a new wardrobe. I’m toying with the idea of several 3 piece ensembles, each in a different color, then mix and match pieces within the total grouping. Any suggestions from Janice or you clever followers would be appreciated. I find this wardrobe replacement to be a daunting task whereby pastels are too light and darker colors, too dark.
Thank you, in advance, for any and all tips from you chic, smart ladies.
Pat
Hi, Pat. I don´t know if I´m in a position to help you, but I´ll try to do my best. I like to mix darker colors with lighter colors, for example, lights near my face and darker bottoms. What I just did yesterday was hanging my clothes, inside my wardrobe, from left to right, each hanger containing one top with one coat (cardigan, jacquet, anything) and sometimes, a scarf. All these three in each hanger going left to right, day 1 to day 25. Just the tops. The last hangers (25-30) hanged some bottoms that were going to be used with the 25 other hangers. Just that. After that exercise I found two pieces that I knew I didn´t love =( but were still in my closet and sent them for donation. Hope it helped you.
PS: Some of the hangers with tops, just have one simple top (a sweater because it´s autumn here where I live) or a dress (that I also count as “tops”). Day one just seemed to work out well, I stuck to the plan, it´s fridy, I wore rose from top to bottom (from a recent post from Vivienne Files) and had two compliments on what I was wearing from people who live with me – noticing what I wear counts as compliments to me.
Great tips, Aline! I appreciate you taking the time to explain your wardrobe system further. Each clever response helps me along my journey of acquiring a small, seasonless wardrobe.
Thank you, may we never stop having fun with style,
Pat
I enjoy your posts and seeing how you piece everything together. I have trouble staying within a color palette since I enjoy so many different colors. So far my solution is to have a couple neutral colors for bottoms, and make sure tops look good with both. I also appreciate it when you use different stores (and more affordable, like Old Navy).
Pat,
My solution to your dilemmas to have 3 pieces in each of 3 neutrals ( ivory, tan and brown) and 2 basic colors( olive green and denim blue). By 3 pieces I mean a bottom, top, and topper all in the same color as each other. I then add 2-3 accent colors plus off white in tops that all can be worn with most of the neutrals and the basics. Some days I’ll wear an outer column of a given neutral ( the topper and the bottom with a contrasting top) or other days as an inside column, with matching bottom and top, with an accent topper. Prints should pick up whatever bottom neutral that you are wearing and hopefully, add some accent colors to develop . My solution to loving colors is to reserve them as accents, either in tops, toppers, or in accessories . Even then, depending upon the season 3-5 different accent colors is usually plenty ! Hope that this helps !
Pat,
Congratulations on the weight loss ! Good for you !
Yes, Shrebee, your clarity and plan is perfect! I don’t need an extensive wardrobe for different seasons or lifestyle activities, but I do need flexibility for layering and the ability to dress items up or down within the wardrobe.
Thank you, thank you! Out of desperation for something to wear I started purchasing new items that pretty much hits your description. Intuitively I heading in this direction, but your concise description nailed it for me? I love color but in small doses so this is perfect!
I HAVE A PLAN, I HAVE A PLAN ! Thank you sister in style? you are appreciated.
Pat
Janice,
The green color with the navy grouping is more of a saturated intensity and cooler looking than the more muted, slightly warmer green in the green/ beige grouping, which I love by the way. I was going to suggest adding the navy and beige groups interchangeably, but I’m not sure how the softer green would work with the navy .
And yes, I agree with Beth T, a print top in the green/ beige combo with a warm accent within the print could be useful for further expansion of the group .
I would have some difficulty wearing the all beige outfit , as I would blend right in with it, so some green accents would be needed to liven it up, or add some soft red or blue or purple or any colored ones instead to totally change the feel of it ! The beige outfit can be a foil as a background for any color of accents .
Janice, Sending early birthday wishes your way. Hope you have a wonderful time celebrating, especially without snowplows!! Many thanks for all you do for us readers with lively heroines and beautiful clothes and accessories and knowledge for building our own lovely wardrobes.
The navy, white, and green is spot-on, I would happily bring the entire thing into my closet. I hope this one gets accessorized!
I love them both – but for different reasons. The Navy/White/Green is so crisp and fresh feeling. I love that! But the beige and green is soft and quieter to me – which is how I’ve been dressing lately. I’m natural blonde with fair skin and green eyes and recently I’ve recognized that I feel more comfortable in clothing that is less contrasting. I’ve been experimenting with softer colors and tone one one ensembles. Kind of interesting!
Janice, your posts always make me feel calm and content. I think it’s the lovely colors and organization involved. Regardless – thank you!
LOVE the green and cream wardrobe!! Well done, Janice!
Hi Janice and everyone,
My name is Teri and this is my first time ever to post any comment on anyone’s blog at all.
I have been reading the Vovienne Files and benefitting from all your comments and wisdom for a while. Fir the first time in May, I saw comments addressing different body types a different silhouettes of tops for pants vs skirts. I think the person was right on who said those kinds of issues are probably behind lots of people having closets full of clothes but nothing to wear.
Beth T. Pointed out that there are resources out there for help with body type and things like that.. can someone point me in the right direction for help for a sadly very round body that is not very tall. .. I believe I have come by a more or less Welsh silhouette….
Would you ever be interested, Janice, in doing a wardrobe with a person like me….there are a lot of us on the streets…..in mind?
Thank you, and its a pleasure to meet you all….if this post works….
.
This is an attempt at my 1st post ever on anyone’s blog. I just typed a comment and thought I posted it but I don’t think it worked. This is just a test thank you for your patience.
I have been benefiting from all of your wisdom for a while now. Let’s see if this actually works.
HI, my name is Teri.
It looks like I just made my 1st successful blog post!
I just wanted to say how valuable all of your comments are and how wonderful the things that Janice posts are.
I think I am starting to sort of get the hang of this a little bit, as starting to have hope that I can actually have a wardrobe that makes sense for the 1st time ever!
I couldn’t help noticing that for the 1st time in the last week or so I saw a mention of different body types and different silhouettes and how different types of tops are required sometimes with pants then with skirts.
Thank you to the person who brought that up, because for a lot of us it is the biggest factor of all comment not having a Barbie type of a body.
Beth T mentioned that there are a lot of resources out there for different body shapes, and I would love it if somebody could point me in the right direction for advice on what to do with a round short body :)
I know from what I see out on the street but I am not alone, and a lot of us feel like we have a closet full of nothing to wear and our body type rules out a lot of things that look good on a lot of other people. I hope I am making sense!
Janice, would you ever consider making a wardrobe for a person with sort of a round short body shape? If so it would be a great public service for some of us!
Thank you!
Hi Teri
Great to have you join us at VF. I’ve always struggled with petite dressing until I realised that there are different types of petite people. The charmed ones who are just petite all over and in perfect proportions. Those like me who are @5ft with a normal length body but short legs and short arms. There are also petite people with short bodies and normal length legs and arms.
The key to it all is finding out whether you are short or long waisted. The other thing is that manufacturers often only offer petite clothes in small sizes but there are petite plus ranges out there.
The best website for Petite style is Petite Dressing. She goes into the different types with lots of advice on how to make the best advantage of your shape and height.
https://www.petitedressing.com/
The internet is full of articles about “Petite Style” and “Petite Dressing”. You can also search for articles on how to disguise the bits we want to hide.
You also need to work out what shape you are. Again, search the internet for Women’s Shapes. From your description you have curves but there are different shapes depending on where your weight rests, the width of your shoulders, size of your bust and shape of your legs.
I have broad hips, narrow shoulders, full bust and full legs. However my legs and arms are short but my trunk is a normal length. I would be described as a pear shape but as we are avoiding labels these days it is known as the triangle shape. However, I have in middle age put weight on round my middle so I have had to adapt my style to fit. I also have very wide feet at the front but narrow ankles.
Since my twenties, I have collected all the Colour Me Beautiful books which go into a great deal of detail about colours to suit, body styles and how to dress to make the most of your shape. There are lots of others. Have a browse on Amazon or ask for suggestions here.
A lot is trial and error for fit. It’s helpful if you have a relative or friend who can give impartial advice. I shop a lot online for trousers. My husband and daughter really help me but when my son says Wow!, I know that I’ve nailed it.
You will probably find that different brands will suit your height and shape better than others. Find a brand and stick with it. My big problem is finding trousers to fit and skirts and dresses, even so-called petite can be too long. I also have awkward feet. I buy trousers, dresses and shoes mainly online so that I can try on in the comfort of my own home.
Finally, I have learnt so much from Janice’s blogs and the VF community.
Hope that helps. Have fun.
Beth T
Hello, Teri, and welcome to TVF comments! I understand so much the dilemma you’re in (I might have been the commenter who talked about silhouettes because it’s a puzzle I’m dealing with as a plus-size heroine). Beth T, I’m glad you were able to share so much good info about petite sizing here. For body shape, I like Imogen Lamport’s blog (Inside Out Style Blog). My #1 thought is that the column of color…either the same/similar color or at least the same value (amount of dark or light) is probably a good go-to for a short, rounder body because it eliminates or down-plays the break point where your top and bottom meet. Imogen talks about this in terms of avoiding horizontal lines that draw attention and create a broadening look at that point, which makes a lot of sense.
Janice, Just love the off-white and green set. Just Beautiful!!
Hey Janet, I have an idea for a future post, from a website you made me discover: http://www.sci-news.com/biology/satin-berrypecker-melanocharis-citreola-09758.html
Besides looking adorable and having beautiful coloring, the name itself of the newly discovered Satin Berrypecker seems particularly apt to serve as an inspiration for a wardrobe :)