April 1, 2022
I SO wanted to put dresses into these wardrobes, but (1) we’ve looked at lots of dresses recently, and (2) I sort of feel like skirts are more versatile. I should think about that, huh?
Let’s start with golden leaves against a bright blue sky! (since it’s snowing in Chicago as I write this – talk about April fools…)
After much searching, I found the perfect silk skirt! This could be worn a ton of different ways…
earrings – Ninemoo; sweater – Vero Moda; ivory cashmere tee – J.Crew; bag – House of Want; brown suede pumps – Trotters; silk skirt – Reformation
Each wardrobe now has 16 garments – I suspect we could pull together a pretty tidy “4 by 4” wardrobe from these…
And each wardrobe now has 12 accessories – this is SO INCREDIBLY WRONG in my world… I suspect that lots of accessories will be showing up in the next few months!
As always, each new garment can easily be worn with existing garments; if you buy something that doesn’t go with ANYTHING in your wardrobe, you’d better have a heck of a good plan in mind!
Next up is the scarf that prompted me to include brown leather accessories with black clothes – why not?
I think this green sweater is so pretty that I’ve included it twice this month! And of course you know that I think a simple cashmere tee shirt is madly useful…
Earrings – Kendra Scott; heather stone cashmere tee – J.Crew; green cotton sweater – Boden; bag – Sostter; pumps – Trotters; skirt – J.Crew
As the weather gets warmer, I’m going to have to brighten up this wardrobe somewhat… hmm… but right now it’s pretty great!
Yes, we need more accessories, but so far these work quite beautifully with this wardrobe:
The new outfits will be welcome by this heroine:
To me, the next wardrobe is the quintessential wardrobe for someone who wants to look nice, but not spend a lot of time fussing about clothes!
Sampler modal/silk scarf – PJ Studio Accessories
This heroine has developed a definite fondness for cotton sweaters with some beautiful texture!
for some random reason, I found all of the 3-letter brands at one time!
Green lattice earrings – Ann Taylor; green sweater – Vince Camuto; vintage birch heather sweater – Lands’ End; bag – O.N.E.; ballet flats – ARA; skirt – COS
It would be almost impossible to pull together a bad outfit from these clothes:
This heroine isn’t entire boring, though – the green earrings are pretty cool:
What fun for this heroine to have more options…
It’s going to be a challenge to build a warmer weather wardrobe with grey as the main neutral – most grey clothing is wool! I’m going to have to find some linen…
Chrysanthemum modal/silk scarf – PJ Studio Accessories
Since I didn’t find a grey skirt that I liked, I thought that it would be smart to grab this dusty mauve one… Maybe this heroine likes to wear mixed pastels!
Earrings – Lolaknight; blue sweater – Boden; v-neck sweater – Boden; bag – Coccinelle; ballet flats- Coasis; dusty mauve skirt – J.Crew
Maybe it’s because I like purple (and mauve is close enough!), but this really appeals to me!
Ah, these dark shoes are going to need to be supplemented by something more summery… But it’s ONLY April…
I really like 2 shades of mauve together…
Note – on this next scarf, I’ve expanded the shades of green in the palette – it was pretty dark for warmer weather!
This is a more casual heroine, in my mind…. And note the sandals!
Citrine earrings – Madewell; stained cedar cashmere tee – J.Crew; bay leaf sweater – L.L.Bean; bag – O’Neall; sandals – Sheridan Mia; skirt – Caslon
The new skirt and green sweater lighten the entire feel of this wardrobe, don’t they?
I’m also kind of smitten with the citrine earrings – they aren’t very big so they would be easy to wear often…
How do you feel about wearing mixed shades of olive green? I think they look fine together, but I’m curious what you think…
Ah, hydrangeas! I may love this scarf at least partly because I love hydrangeas…
There’s nothing wrong with that!
Hydrangea modal/silk scarf – PJ Studio Accessories
It’s hard to tell from a photograph how pretty this navy cardigan is! And the pink color is delicious…
Earrings – Max + Stone; pressed dahlia silk-blend cardigan – J.Crew; navy collar-detailed cardigan – Boden; bag – BOSS: shoes – Bella Vita; skirt – J.Crew
I don’t wear navy – EVER – but if I had this wardrobe in a suitcase, I would be quite happy…
And I’m quite drawn to both of these scarves:
I think that this is another wardrobe from which a truly bad outfit can’t be found…
SO…. if you were plunked down in your favorite place for 2 weeks, and had to have 1 of these wardrobes as ALL you had to wear, which would it be?
I’m opting for the last one. This month…
love,
Janice
p.s. Six years ago, we were working on scarf wardrobes! Back then, we added a sweater, cropped pants, flat shoes, earrings and a necklace…
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Green pink and beige here. There are a fair number accents here that I would wear, as well as two other neutrals, but GPB is the only wardrobe I would wear all the options – even the button front shirt!
All the wardrobes are shaping up nicely. There are no ‘foolish’ choices here. We have cold weather and snow yesterday too.
I absolutely love the Chrysanthemum wardrobe and would definately mix lilac with the blue-grey. I have the opposite problem with grey trousers. I can only ever find ones to fit me in light grey. I’d love to find darker grey. Chinos and cotton jeans would be ideal for the indeterminate Spring weather.
My second choice would be the Hydrangea scarf but it has too much navy that I don’t see in the pattern. My eyes see teal, blue/lilac and pink.
I like the Sampler scarf too but the greens are too dark or too bright for my taste. I also find green a tricky colour to suit me. Teal green and other light greens would be the way I would go.
Thank you for another splendid start to the month. I’m hoping that it will warm up for Easter.
Despite the fact I’ve not ever done brown, I’m liking the first one – the Ginkgo leaf this month. Maybe it’s my total obsession with yellow lately. So bright and cheery. Was so looking forward to what you might have for us this morning. Thank you!
I’d wear the Hydrangea navy wardrobe for sure! I agree with Beth T. that there’s a lot of navy in it, and I’d lighten that up for spring and summer with a medium shade of blue or mint or lilac as a neutral. Nothing wrong with having color as my neutral! I also love the Chrysanthemum collection.
I like your ideas of medium shades of blue with light green and lilac.
Hi- So pleased to see the new items and combinations.
Often, I wear a combination of greens. As you say, can be tricky. Then I remember nature has a way of doing it.
Have you considered Appleseed’s catalog ? They usually offer a good selection of items in the same color.
I love the hydrangea wardrobe – that navy makes my heart sing! You may not ever wear navy, Janice, but I never wear black! Or rarely, anyway, lol.
I feel like those mixed greens don’t work for me. Some of them are more olive, with that yellow undertone and some of them have a more blue-ish undertone. Maybe I’m just sensitive to this because the olive color make me look like I’m ready for the undertaker, while I can wear the greens with a more blue cast.
The only wardrobe that leaves me a bit meh is the sampler one. It’s pretty, but feels a bit blah to me although the pinks are saving it. Again, that may be a personal bias since I like something more punchy. Like the Gingko – oh my. Love that yellow and the aqua – yum!
The navy most definitely! I think 95% of my wardrobe is at least part navy! 😊
The black, brown, green and beige wardrobe. I just love black and warm brown together….it feels so sophisticated.
Oh I agree! Maybe the discipline of black against the warmth of brown. But I also really love the whimsy of the Ginko looks (that rich brown again) and my eye was drawn to the lattice earrings of the Sampler this month. The great thing about these posts is I get to enjoy each scarf and each month’s build.
I love the navy wardrobe, it would slide right into my existing closet. But, I find myself drawn to the sampler this month. Those sweater are just so pretty. If I had to pick just one, it would probably be the sampler, it just feels like a real lift for my darker mood these days.
I absolutely love the navy cardigan with the uniform polka dots!! Just gorgeous!! I loove navy as my neutral in my wardrobe!! Much more becoming on me than black especially since I’ve turned 55!! I just can’t wear the pinkish-lilac color!! I’m a True Spring!!
Oh my, you have such a gift with color! These combinations are so unique and sophisticated. Thank you for all the work it takes to put these together- I’m always excited to see The Vivienne Files in my inbox!
Love the scarves, but I notice the appear to be solid in British pounds. Are they available in the US?
I’d wear any of these wardrobes in a heartbeat. I don’t generally wear navy either, but could be persuaded with that grouping!
The scarves that are still available can definitely be ordered from the US! Check the Wolf & Badger site for ordering to the US. Heck, just look at Wolf & Badger because they’re amazing…
hugs,
Janice
These are beautiful! I love the ginko scarf combination. Oh, to have all those browns in my closet! Baby steps… I have been following along at home with my own inspiration picture (and colors) so I’ll have to see what I can add here for this month. Hmmmm…
Thank you so much for everything!
My coloring is best with navy so I would probably make the practical choice and go with the hydrangea scarf set. My eyes are loving the sampler scarf and olive green wardrobe set though!
I would personally wear the navy or grey based wardrobe, though neither is my favorite!
Brown: The gold cropped cardigan and pullover sweater are so similar! But if our heroine is clear that she loves that shape…
Black: The two green pieces make my smile. More of that green and the beige, please!
Stone: Continues to be my favorite, but I’m itching for a non-stone bottom and some prints.
Grey: I like the blue-green but surely one of the sweaters, not both! The monochromatic mauve outfit is gorgeous.
Olive: The addition of a lighter olive (more of an aloe/sage) is terrific. I freely mix across the olive/aloe/sage spectrum in my outfits. As long as the undertones (warm vs cool) aren’t too outrageously different, they blend well to my eye. I’ve been training myself to be a bit less fussy about blending colors this way. But I also try to keep my olive colors more on the neutral undertone side. I do have a couple more yellow-y olives that work better together than mixed with the cooler versions.
Navy: I love navy; it’s my favorite neutral. But this wardrobe feels so dark with the (on my screen) dark flat navy pieces. Many of the accent garments have a washed-out, de-saturated look but the navy is very bold. I’d love to see some chambray/light-to-medium wash blue denim added as summer approaches, as well as white, of course. But for me, the trick would be to find navy/white prints that aren’t too stark and optic because the high value contrast there would feel out of step with the softer, less-saturated accents and the scarf itself.
“Versatility” is such a wardrobe-planning trap! It’s why I would never be able to do traditional wardrobe planning – if a plan calls for say 20 items, I would pick 20 dresses (well okay, maybe a cardigan or two, if practicality wins out).
Agreed! While it’s nice not to be stuck wearing something just 1 way, having a wardrobe of 9 garments that can be worn 27 different ways (entirely possible) doesn’t meant that you’re going to travel with a month with just those 9 things…
I’m starting to really love dresses; is it age, or comfort? Or just a change of taste?
hugs,
Janice
Hi Janice and Everyone: Just to be truly practical and shop my closet, I would go with the Tree of Life combination. All of the selections are lovely though, and thank you for the options of closed-toe shoes.
Today I was in a ‘stress-dressed’ mood so I have navy everything except my long grey open cardigan. I think it’s the reports I’ve been working on for the past two weeks.
I am looking through my TVF groupings I’ve saved over the years to think of my 21pc wardrobe challenge for April. It occur s to me that I need some sage/mint options, and variations of blue besides navy. Stay tuned for further developments ☺
Well, I would have trouble with any of these capsules for two weeks in a favorite place. Reason #1, lack of jeans. I live in jeans! Reason #2, my favorite place would be somewhere warm. Nothing beachy here so far. I guess I’ll stay home in my jeans + The Tree of Life pieces!
I would be most likely to wear the grey, blue, and purple collection, though I really dislike mint green. And I love the purple outfit! A favorite outfit of mine from years ago was different intensities of peach and coral worn together. I didn’t mind the olive shades together, but I found I didn’t like the stone/ivory combination—it looked a little too dull to me in the picture, though it might look good on a person.
I have been thinking along the same lines of a skirt rather than a dress. I like the maxi length, and it’s much easier for me to fit a skirt and top to my body than find a long dress that looks good on my top and bottom and that I actually like the print. I really liked your selections this month, as I have been looking to add a skirt or two to my spring wardrobe.
I would definitely pack the navy / green / pink capsule. Those (plus white) are my main colors for spring summer; my pink is brighter and my green is kelly, but I could make these choices work.
I have shed a significant amount of weight since January 2020 (intentionally), and I have shrunk out of all of my skirts. I have skorts from last summer that I can wear, but I am pretty firmly in the “dresses” column.
I had to laugh when I realized that with three of these groupings I would be dressed for a whole year! The brown & black covers me for fall through winter, the grey is my spring neutral & I love the blue & lilac accents, and the navy is my summer neutral. But both the grey & the navy need more of the green. Those poor singletons look sooo lonely.
The olives with the olive cap toe flat. Is there a link to that shoe?
https://shopstyle.it/l/bFImH
These were added to the wardrobe back in February, but I always have the links!
hugs,
Janice
Thank you! I missed that one! I always lean toward the browns, greens & rust color ways. You have such a keen eye for style & color 🧡🧡🧡
If I could be plunked down anywhere it would be Paris without the 11 hour plus direct flight time from San Francisco! And I would choose the dark blue combo wardrobe. If navy has various shades, I prefer a strong dark or ink version. The Boden cardigan would be with me all the way.
Someone in this thread was looking for darker grey pants. I have Lee pants in Carbon grey that I love. They are polyester, unfortunately, but have held up well for about 5 years.
Thanks, Janice. For everything! Including plunking me down in Paris this morning.
I would plunk right along side you!
FWIW, I’m pretty sure that Red Thread has grey pants…
hugs,
Janice
The olive one! I am loving that color. It is very hard to find matching pieces, at least if you’re trying to buy them separately.
I really love that cool, dark brown, it’s so hard to find. I love all the scarves too.
The only wardrobe that really speaks to me is the ginko tree. It just looks so…curated! It’s bright, whimsical but sophisticated. Although I never wear brown I just love this combination. My usual neutrals of black and navy…what’s paired with them here I would never wear or certainly wouldn’t waste precious budget funds on. Dull,dull and duller. I do admit a certain shade of brown looks lovely with black. I live in a dark and cold climate ( much, much worse than Chicago) if I opened my closet every day to the black or navy based wardrobes oh man….game over. Give me orange, give me red, turquoise or fuchsia but please withhold the ‘shades’:) I think some of us feel that subduing our wardrobe colours as we age or go gray is necessary. No. It’s. Not. I have looked over past years and have really loved the combinations with the neutrals even neutrals I don’t wear. I usually look to the black & navy for accent colour possibilities to add to my collection I guess it’s just not my year.
I do think the toned-down accent colors are pretty popular, even if they don’t suit you. A lot of people have softer coloring and need accents that are less bright and saturated. Certainly it’s not *necessary* to change one’s accent colors as one ages or goes grey…nothing is necessary…but many people do find that more muted accents work for them with grey hair. On the right person, these “dull” colors let them shine! But it’s definitely a “know yourself” situation to decide. It’s too bad that none of these combinations is working for you. I personally sigh over the amount of gold and green across multiple capsules, so I get it. That’s why I created my own Scarf 2022 to play along with…I really wanted a capsule with navy + red.
In all of my 70 years of loving color I have never thought to start with a scarf and work an outfit around. So funny as I love scarves and have so many. Starting tomorrow I am going to grab a scarf, and work my outfit totally around it. I usually do the very opposite. Thank you so very much. Totally ingenious.
I am running way far behind in building my wardrobe; now Christmas costuming has kicked in but I’ve decided to hang in there and finish…maybe by June of next year, lol. But I did get the ‘April’ selections finally posted… https://sewrandom.blogspot.com/2022/10/start-with-scarf-2022the-april-set.html