March 28, 2022
It’s been her favorite painting for a long time; she never thought of it as anything more than just calm beauty…
She uses the painting as the “wallpaper” on her laptop – she loves catching a glimpse of it during her work day!
Then, one day, she realized that she was wearing something quite a bit like “her” painting – at least the colors were VERY similar:
Cardigan – L.L.Bean; earrings- Cynthia Rybakoff; rose wash turtleneck – L.L.Bean; blue jeans – L.L.Bean; boots – LifeStride
Suddenly, everything looked different! She began to image what she might wear to that event coming up very soon…
Ivory cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; earrings – Adornia; pink silk tee shirt – Maje; evening bag – Badgley Mischka; floral skirt – Miaou; ballet flats – Sam Edelman
She has been thinking for ages about HOW to dress up her denim dress just a little bit – suddenly it was obvious:
Sweater blazer – J.Crew; blue tit brooch – Fable England; denim dress – Lands’ End; backpack – Longchamp; flats – Dune
As the weather began to warm up, and she started to look for a couple of new outfits, she kept her new discovery in mind!
Paperwhite sweater – L.L.Bean; earrings – Aqua; pearl bracelet – Cult Gaia; espadrilles – Eric Michael; denim midi skirt – Madewell
If you’re worried about wearing skirts in warm weather because your thighs are not comfortable, definitely consider getting a couple of pairs of these… They are game-changers!
When she was passing a store with an ivory cardigan in the window, and her friend said that it looked JUST like something she would wear, she knew that she had found her signature…
Dress – Masai Copenhagen; earrings – Etta Gray; cardigan – Reiss; sandals – Nine West; tote – Ilse Jacobsen
Yes, she now owns five ivory sweaters! But they’re all quite a bit different from each other, so she doesn’t feel like she’s duplicating herself…
Her denim and chambray blue garments (including her skirt which is NOT denim) are quite varied…
She has small feet, and she loves wearing light-colored shoes…
She’s growing more and more convinced that pearl jewelry is what her heart craves…
This clusters of garments isn’t excessive – it might make a great travel wardrobe… And it offers her the chance to wear her favorite look at any time of the year!
I wonder if I could replicate this with black sweaters, striped tops and black skirts and pants… Bet I can…
love,
Janice
p.s. If you love the look of tiered skirts and dresses, this is your year! But if you’re not thrilled with THAT MUCH FABRIC gathered around your waist, and then your hips, and THEN your knees, tread with caution. They’re everywhere, and sometimes you have to look at photographs carefully to see the tiers…
p.p.s. Seven years age, I was just home from New York, where I spent much of our trip dead sick… But I DID do some shopping…
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I didn’t realise that you had used 5 ivory jumpers until you put them all together at the end – I had noticed the blue/denim but not that!
I went back and took another look at the picture and tried to work out where this would go next. The heroine likes light shoes, so the darker blue/navy is out as another neutral, but a beige with enough distinction from the ivory would be in with a chance. We would probably also draw in more of the accent colours – both shades of pink and a bit of the purple, but would need to step up the accessories game in going so, as you could end up with shoes that feel out of places in a purple/denim outfit. Decisions, decisions.
This is a great painting. And a great, relaxed capsule. Simple yet workable. Spring like, yet warm. I believe it could be done with black. And navy, grey, olive etc.
What a beautiful painting! I seem to be torn right now between cool serene blues and bright cheery yellows. Depends on the day. I had to laugh yesterday – I took my son to an Outlet Mall and he (finally) consented to go into a JCrew and look. hahahaha and he actually found something. I love JCrew, and I’ve been telling him for ages he could find what he was looking for there. Mother knows best.. Have a great day everyone!
My son got really into JCrew when he went to Tufts University. Preppy was the way to dress and we found the best for men there. (Vineyard Vines is even better, but more expensive and a bit much on the logos.) Men look so great in those classics.
Absolutely can 100% agree on the Jockey skimmies, they’re fantastic! I believe I started wearing them because of your recommendation. They are not compression at all and so comfortable under skirts and cool which providing coverage. A win/win!
Have to agree – those skimmies are a GAME CHANGER. I also started on your recommendation, Janice. In all fairness, they are not “cool” on those 30C+/ 100F days, but then, on those days, NOTHING is cool. The rest of the time? amazing.
That bracelet makes me swoon.
Yes please- to replicating it in black and white! That would be so helpful.
Great travel capsule. I had to laugh though. I have 4 grey cardigans, all different enough that one always works, year round. Still patiently looking for the perfect grey v neck pullover though. I found TVF a number of years back and it has changed the way I shop. Forever grateful to you Janice. My pocketbook is too.
Hi Janice, I adore the inspirational painting for this capsule wardrobe. The colors are lovely and soothing to the eye. You have given me great ideas to use items I already have in my closet. I have an authentic cream color Irish cardigan bought for me by my husband when I was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. I have struggled with how to wear it with items in my wardrobe. Wear with brown pants, or beige pants, and now, blue jeans and a rosy pink tee shirt or turtleneck. You have opened up a world of possibilities for my beloved Irish cardigan. We have since gone to Ireland, and bought, in person, several more sweaters from the Aran Islands Sweater market on Inishmor. One is a blue gray cardigan that pairs nicely with blue jeans, or with dressy slacks. Thank you for opening my eyes to the many possibilities that reside in my closet.
Absolutely love the blue tit brooch and the ivory sweater blazer!
These are my own favorite colors! And you have given me permission to get more than one cream colored cardigan… I love how you have put this together – thank you!
Love this color scheme… although for me when I looked at the painting I saw the blue as more of a turquoise and picked up the navy background and darker pink. But I loved clicking through all the links to see the other color options in the fun clothes you picked! I did notice with the cream cashmere cardigan it isn’t even a color option when I clicked through. But it might have disappeared that fast! :)
This time of year, those sweaters come and go pretty often. But Lands’ End is really good about keeping neutral cashmere available through the year, bless them…
hugs,
Janice
You are so right about the prevalence of the tiered skirt! (Or is it the tier-any of the tiered skirt?) I keep falling for the fantasy, trying them on, only to feel as though I just rolled out of a covered wagon. Have been searching forever for a casual, A-line midi with pockets, but they appear not to exist.
Loved the look-back to your New York trip. You are a wonderful writer!
Thank you! Your pun was pretty well-played, so you’re not so shabby yourself…
hugs,
Janice
I take that as high praise, coming from you! 😉
You might find A-line skirts with pockets on websites that have a folksy vibe or those aimed at an older demographic which are trying to update their image and be ageless or at least appealing to over 30’s. This is were I’ve found trousers in short lengths and elasticated waists galore.
This idea of a personal uniform that changes in fabrications and slightly in style across the seasons is interesting, as is the idea of duplicating a piece that is your signature style.
I LOVE the painting (which I don’t think I’ve seen before). What jumped out at me was a palette of ivory, rose pink, dusky teal, and light aloe/sage/olive green; I didn’t even see the denim/chambray (though that’s the ultimate neutral so fits in any palette, in my opinion).
Actually, Janice did a wardrobe and accessories in April 2020. I thought it looked familiar, but I had to search. Also, I like your analysis.
SandyB – you found it before me. I was also sure that I’d seen this painting before. Now I can compare. Thank you.
Thank you, Sandy B and Beth T! That was a lovely, restful capsule indeed.
Sigh. I like this combo so much I’m thinking of pulling a rose sweater and an ivory sweater out of a bag of donations I carefully put together this weekend.
That’s a good thing to do IF AND ONLY IF (yes, I could have been a lawyer) you wear BOTH of them within the next week. If you can’t muster the enthusiasm to wear them, then no matter how much the idea of them appeals, it’s clear that these specific sweaters aren’t right for you.
It’s difficult, isn’t it?
hugs,
Janice
I’ve fished the rose sweater out but will pass on the cream one. I’ll wear it or put it back in.
It’s all made more pressing by the fact that our cat got spooked by thunder on Saturday and hid in an overstuffed closet for five hours while we frantically searched the house for her.
Back in April 2020 (thanks to SandyB for finding it), this painting inspired three changes to my wardrobe – more warm pinks, discovering taupe, and more blue/grey and teal blue instead of navy. These colours are so restful. At first I just found solid colours but varied with texture. Then I found a blue, pink and ivory top and a cream blouse with dusty pink and blue/grey floral print. I found a scarf in a charity shop but the material is a bit shiny and slippery. I recently found a cream cardigan though I need to change the buttons. I can wear these colours all year round.
As for tiered skirts, I’ve loved them ever since the 1970’s. However, you do have to be careful about where the tiers start and finish on you. The best tiered skirts have the first tier from just below the waist to the top of the thigh with enough closeness, so it skims your rear. The second tier should finish above the knees but not tightly. The third tier from the knees to ankle length. It’s trial and error depending on personal proportions. Tiered dresses should really be fitted on the top with a defined waist. These completely loose tiered dresses look like a tent. Add a belt and a sack of potatoes comes to mind!
Pretty, but I will have to pass on the pink…am sure that many readers would look divine in this. Beth T, I’m still giggling at the image of a sack of potatoes in a belted dress. I needed that mirth today…thank you. Sarah, I don’t know if this would work for you, but I replaced some of my skirts with the Whirlaway Skirt from House of Foxy. It’s a below knee length 40s style A line with a pocket. I’m reserving judgement until after the 1st wearing when it’s warm enough to not freeze in a skirt, but the try on leads me to the belief that a navy one will join the khaki one in my wardrobe. Hope you find the midi skirt you’re looking for…
Hi Janice and Everyone! I do remember this painting – it was very purposeful at the time seeing we were all going through lockdown.
You had me at the rose turtleneck. And I once had a white cotton sweater like the Reiss cardigan until I comp!early wore it out. I
I think, for me, I might reduce the amount of cream / ivory pieces, but that is because I am such a stain magnet.
I appreciate the inclusion of ‘flats’ and also brooches in recent posts for those of us who accessorize with pins.
For those who want to avoid the dreaded thigh rub with skirts, but might want something a little looser, may I suggest pettipants https://www.amazon.com/Underworks-Length-Pettipants-Bloomers-Large-Beige/ … I find them very comfortable.
Oh, Janice!! I LOVE this wardrobe. I want it! Oh, if I had unlimited funds….
Thank you for this lovely dream.
I can’t even count the number of black cardigans that I own – all different, of course! – nancyo