January 26, 2022
Okay, our heroine has a great color palette chosen for her quite long trip to Europe:
And all of her clothing is chosen too:
cardigan – Boden; navy turtleneck – Lands’ End; navy tee – Lands’ End; navy pants – L.L.Bean; beige cardigan – Caslon; white elbow-sleeve tee – L.L.Bean; beige cropped pants – L.L.Bean; beige dress – IRO; linen blend blue sweater – Caslon; white sleeveless linen shirt – Frank & Eileen; striped tee – L.L.Bean; capri blue tee – L.L.Bean; print dress – L.L.Bean; indigo linen shirt – Frank & Eileen; striped tunic – Lands’ End; white canvas pants – L.L.Bean
Because our wise heroine has already figured out what she wants to wear for travel, and what she’s taking with her in her tote bag for that quick change in the airport, she has some of her accessories already chosen:
diamond star earrings – Saks Fifth Avenue; Celestial watch – Olivia Burton; striped scarf – Totême; stars cashmere scarf – In2 by InCashmere; crossbody bag – Baggallini; tote – Longchamp; sandals – Munro; loafers – Aerosoles
But she will need more accessories, almost certainly! (well, technically, she could get by with just these things…)
And there’s so much to consider:
My favorite approach to choosing accessories when I travel is to pick out a LOT of outfits – making sure that I’ve included all of my garments at least once. Then I accessorize each of the outfits, re-using things as it seems appropriate.
So let’s try that and see how it goes!
I think my heroine might be named Stella – she has a definite fondness for stars and moons…
Earrings – Tai; striped tunic – Lands’ End; white elbow-sleeve tee – L.L.Bean; white canvas pants – L.L.Bean; crossbody bag – Vince Camuto; ballet flats – Anthropologie
Dressing up can be as easy as pretty jewelry and nice sandals…
print dress – L.L.Bean; moon and star earrings – Lucky Brand; leather & stainless-steel bracelet – Steve Madden; sandals – Jewel Badgley Mischka
Anybody going ANYWHERE in the world has to bring sunglasses along. Anyone. Anywhere. This isn’t even really an accessory…
linen blend blue sweater – Caslon; beige cropped pants – L.L.Bean; sunglasses – Tiffany & Co.; pendant – Junk Jewels; ballet flats – Anthropologie
If the weather is cool, or our heroine is going to a place where being modestly dressed is best, she certainly has that option:
cardigan – Boden; mixed-metal earrings – Karine Sultan; striped tee – L.L.Bean; navy pants – L.L.Bean; crossbody bag – Baggallini; loafers – Aerosoles
And if the weather is hot, she’s also prepared!
beige cardigan – Caslon; white sleeveless linen shirt – Frank & Eileen; beige cropped pants – L.L.Bean; earrings – Tai; satin scarf – Emisphere; ballet flats – Anthropologie
A warm afternoon that turns into a cool evening can be both relaxed and pretty:
capri blue tee – L.L.Bean; diamond star earrings – Saks Fifth Avenue; white canvas pants – L.L.Bean; starry river scarf – Yen Ting Cho; sandals – Jewel Badgley Mischka
If she remembers that lovely blue scarf she has tucked away, a very simple blue outfit becomes something much more special!
indigo linen shirt – Frank & Eileen; mixed-metal earrings – Karine Sultan; navy pants – L.L.Bean; double-sided silk scarf – Jessie Zhao New York; loafers – Aerosoles
Her beige dress has just enough interest that it doesn’t need anything more than earrings, a pendant, and some gold flats to be perfect…
Now, when she gets ready to put everything into her bags, she has plenty of accessories to work with everything in her travel capsule wardrobe:
Frankly, after working my way through this exercise, I might personally be tempted to go back and pack only gold, and skip the silver.
What do you think?
love,
Janice
p.s. Six years ago, an olive and beige wardrobe was inspired by a piece of fabric that I saw at The Art Institute!
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I think I would need both the gold and the silver… Adore the River Scarf!
Agreed – both metals help to change up the “mood” so much, with just a limited set of clothes. Doesn’t hurt that i just bought a mixed metal watch, so I can really mix it up :)
I’d have fewer earrings and a gold or sparkly bracelet that could be worn with the dress or just to jazz up an outfit. The Ross-Simons pendant with the gold star in the middle is stunning. I would then choose a different a beaded or bead/metal necklace instead of the Junk Jewels star (which seems to have been ‘,junked’ in the last image).
I need travel with minimal footwear as we’re often going to dinner from our days activities. My feet wouldn’t appreciate going from flats to heels. So a low heeled or wedge sandal would suffice.
I love that Starry River scarf too, even on the screen I can see how interesting it is.
I stick to one metal which simplifies life at home and in a suitcase.
Masks can complicate earring or hearing aid wear. All sorts of tethers are available to hold masks in place without using ears to secure them which might make longer earrings ( and hearing aids) easier to manage.
The bluebird scarf is worthy of its very own “start with a scarf” post. It’s really stunning.
Your approach to accessories is really helpful. I try to pack garments that can be dressed up or down. A change of necklace or scarf can make a difference.
I personally prefer rose gold rather than yellow gold and all beige clothes to have either a grey or pink undertone which would tie in lovely with that starry river scarf.
Personally, I like a mix of gold and silver and a lot of my jewelry reflects that. If I have a statement piece in one tone or another, my earrings, watch, etc. match. Easy, especially when traveling. (I prefer silver with navy and gold with black.)
Because of the silver sandals, I would take both the gold and silver.
What a lovely wardrobe and accessory selection! It looks breezy cool with easy elegance. The footwear selections are great but I think I would want a light-coloured pair of super comfy shoes/ tennis shoes to combat the cobblestones when wearing the white, tan and pale blue outfits. Foot fatigue is a very real thing in Europe.
Definitely would pack both gold and silver accessories for the immediate change of mood conveyed. Also, particularly smitten with the Latelita earrings and Ross-Simmons pendant shown with the beige dress. They look fabulous when paired! I’ve added them to my wishlist as I seriously do not NEED them, but would be happy to receive as a gift in the future. ?
I love Stella’s theme and accessories!! How fun! This palette has become my de facto palette after moving away from black last year. These are – as always – fun ways of looking at things.
I do agree with the post about a cute and supportive pair of sneakers. I’m certain I couldn’t go far in either the gold or silver shoes. Not enough support.
Love these posts. It really helps me to see the outfits with accessories. Maybe that is why the travel outfits are among my favorites as they always show the accessories.
Janice, I would only wear the gold jewelry!! So lovely!! I do prefer my gold shoes to be muted not so bright!! Otherwise, beautiful!!
I agree that both the gold and silver have earned their place here…I enjoyed seeing all-silver followed by all-gold for variety, and with the addition/substitution of a couple more mixed-metal pieces, the mixed look would also look great. (Surely she could add a few bracelets and a necklace with mixed metals and use up almost no space/weight in her luggage while making her items quite easily mix-and-match-able.)
I find it helpful to assess the accessories in terms of Brenda Kinsel’s beauty bundles…groupings of accessories that can be added to a variety of base outfits. There is definitely a theme (stars and moon) but also a strong metallic/crystal element and a sense of shiny and refined in most pieces. That latter bit has me questioning the braided leather cord bracelet, for example. If she doesn’t want to go hard in on the mixed metal route and is keeping gold and silver separate for the most part, I would definitely make sure she has a full complement of each metal. She has no silver necklace and no gold bracelet, for instance.
For me, the dressy silver sandals seem redundant with the gold ballet flats…both are dressy and not going to take you through a day on your feet. Subbing a pair of supportive shoes would seem much more useful.
The reversible bird scarf is such a stand-out piece, I can see why she’s bringing it even though it isn’t part of her celestial theme! I would also like a Start With a Scarf post taking advantage of its two sides/palettes.
This was an interesting post even though I am NOT the obvious target audience as I never go on vacations where these clothes and accessories are appropriate. It’s all technical fibers, what can be washed in the sink + dry overnight, and supportive shoes and gear for spending all day outdoors on my feet then collapsing in exhaustion in the evening! An evening bag???? Heaven help me. :)
Sally you crack me up, but I”m right there with you. No one dresses up any more. Unless I were taking a trip and KNEW there was going to be a specific event to dress up for I am done taking “dress” clothes. I never wear them and they seem to require another pair of shoes. And who needs to pack around an extra pair of shoes that will only be worn once? Esp on our road trips I find I can pack very very minimally. Although last time I did get really bored w/wearing the same color every day, so I won’t repeat that mistake. Cheers.
I have only dream of the kind of dressy holiday that I would like to go on with elegant sight seeing followed by wining and dining in a lovely hotel. It rarely happens but it’s now cheaper to stay in a hotel than self catering in a cottage/flat because of high demand for UK staycations, so perhaps I might get my wish. ?
I use Brenda Kinsel’s beauty bundles as the basis for my jewelry/accessories collection. For those not familiar with the term beauty bundle (or Brenda Kinsel), check out her book Brenda Kinsel’s Fashion Makeover: 30 Days to Diva Style. It’s an older book (2007) that is beautifully illustrated and very helpful if you are interested in reducing the number of items in your closet by being purposely selective in what makes the cut. Brenda’s advice pairs wonderfully with Janice’s work here on TVF.
https://www.amazon.com/Brenda-Kinsels-Fashion-Makeover-Style/dp/0811857387
I love the Jessie zhao scarf. I have several of her bandanas that are just enough pop to make it interesting. I love the larger scarves too. The colors are very bright. I would pack mainly gold but would enjoy silver option for the navy.
The way you talk through the decision making is so helpful! I too find that blue scarf with birds and flowers stunning!
Love the mixed metals. If you eliminate the silver jewelry you might want to reconsider the wonderful Olivia Burton watch since the overarching impression is of silver, and the Baggallini cross body with the silver hardware.
Ever since I had my “colors done” an eon ago I’ve wanted to pare my jewelry and accessories down to only white metals but there is so much more to a piece than metal color that I have been “forced” to embrace all sorts of metal colors. Of course, if I had stuck with only white metals I would have a LOT less stuff! LOL
These accessories really make the outfits shine! I also love a mix of metals, tending to wear silver more in the summer when my skin is not as pale. Love the mother of pearl pendant; it takes the simple dress up a few notches! Good work again Janice.
I have never been a jewelry person. Recently, I pared down my jewelry collection by half, because I had several items I never wore and many others that I haven’t worn in decades. Despite this, I still kept both silver and gold pieces because my wardrobe straddles both warm and cool colors.
For the featured wardrobe, I think you also need both silver and gold jewelry. I don’t think the starry river scarf would look right with gold jewelry. Conversely, I don’t think the beige dress would work with silver accessories.
Hi Janice and Everyone! Although I do not wear earrings, I really like the sparkle of the stars and moon motif. Heck, I’d wear them out to dinner around town.
I concur with the comments about comfy shoes. Flats, or low-heeled, and pull-on sneakers (Sketchers). Sandals must be closed-toed because I am too much of a klutz.
To Sheila and Sally in St Paul: the only ‘dressy’ thing I pack for trips these days is a wrinkle-free print skirt….just in case.
This is an ideal capsule for a cruise. I tend to prefer silver metallic accents and jewelry but I also pull towards a very cool toned off white or pale taupe more than actual beige. I love those with navy, grey and black. I like golds and golden beiges on other people and mixed metal jewelry is lovely.