December 7, 2022
Our last 2 heroines! I grow attached to these projects…
First, let’s visit our heroine with the Chrysanthemum scarf:
scarf – PJ Studio Accessories
This heroine isn’t planning to dress up much this season – she’s more interested in warm and casual!
Wisteria cashmere turtleneck – Banana Republic; plaid tunic – J.Jill; pearl & blue topaz necklace – Latelita; sneakers – Remonte; jeans – L.L.Bean; blue topaz necklace – Latelita
Her wardrobe of 40 garments looks coherent and very versatile:
And her accessories are wonderful – accessories make so much difference…
Her new garments can be worn more than 2 different ways (each), but she makes certain that she has at LEAST those options…
And now to my favorite heroine – the one who figured out that wearing brown and black together is magical!
THE BLAZER. Oh great shiny chocolate-coated Buddha on a bagel, THE BLAZER…
If I could wear blazers at all, this baby would be on its way to Chicago…
Yes, there are paisley pants too…
Paisley velvet blazer – Banana Republic; ivory cabled v-neck sweater – J.Crew; obsidian necklace – Banana Republic; charms necklace – Banana Republic; blue jeans – J.Crew; black velvet flats – J.Crew Factory
Her new garments are perfect in her existing wardrobe. If I had to start from scratch, this would tempt the daylights out of me…
And the accessories in this wardrobe make me happy…
This is it – the last six outfits of the year! I will miss these six heroines…
I’m nearing the choice of six paintings for next year’s series of outfits – it’s quite the challenge!
love,
Janice
p.s. Eight years ago, I tried to explain the “French 10-Piece Wardrobe” versus the “French 5-Piece Wardrobe.” I used my wardrobe as an example – this is the year that I bought my star cardigan, and my favorite tweed dress!
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Can you do one next year that’s more suited to summery climates with a bit of winter?
Yes please, I agree with Karen. And as we had very muted colours and many shades of green in every? wardrobe, how about some traditional bold colours like red or orange. My mood during this permacrisis longs for it. How about you, ladies? Warm greetings from Bavaria. Anette
Awesome. I started out favoring the Tree of Life, but couldn’t embrace the brown and started pining for Ruskin’s Meadow. The colors there were just so appealing to me. Then, as I started my closet purge I went back to the neutrals, and in the past couple of months have finally embraced some shades of the brown. I guess it took fall/winter weather to nudge me. I would still be hard pressed to choose between the two wardrobes, although realistically the Tree of Life (for the most part) favors my coloring more than Ruskin’s Meadow with the pink and gold. Really looking forward to what you have in store for us next year. Also enjoyed the look back. I kind of remember that one, but did not have it saved to my pinterest – which it now is. Thank you for all your hard work. You’re amazing.
Janice just wondering… what makes a person not able to wear a blazer? I have been told that because they add structure to shoulders, draw the line to the center with v-neck and lapels, and add that air of formality, most blazers flatter nearly everyone! I can imagine a woman’s bust getting in the way as blazers are of course adopted from menswear, or not choosing to wear to wear a blazer and preferring more coverage or looser garments. But is there a reason you state you can’t wear blazers?
I am quite pear-shaped with a round bottom and chunky legs. So there are items I don’t wear on my legs or feet, to be sure, no matter how cute they look on your heroines! So, I get it.
I am short-waisted and generously endowed on the balcony; unless a blazer is square-cut, or made of a knit fabric so it’s really a structured cardigan, or made to measure (in my dreams, eh?), the lapels will stand away from my body, the waist area will probably be too narrow, and it just overall looks like I’m wearing someone else’s clothing!
Back in the early days of my adult life, I was a life model for art classes. Yes, I would lie there nude for 50 minutes! And the general instruction to the class would always point out that it was possible to sketch me without ever drawing a straight line…
sigh…
love,
Janice
You sound like quite the patient muse!
The trend these days for oversized blazers for women makes me recall David Byrne music videos, and also little kids dressing up in Dad’s suit! I get it
Thank you for responding kindly!
Thanks for giving reference using scarf. As a Muslim I’m greatly facilitated by this. Love you so much…
I love the chrysanthemum one with just a few tweaks. Not enough tanks and other warm weather clothes for me since, as a snowbird, I live in almost permanent warm weather. But, I mentally shorten the sleeves and pants and it’s just lovely. Thank you for the hard work. Looking forward to next year.
Thanks for your hard work on these heroines’ wardrobes, Janice! All are lovely. Can’t wait to see what’s coming for 2023.
This is one of my favorite posts (oh, who are we kidding, all your posts are my favorites!). But I do love seeing how you slowly build the wardrobes over the year. Thank you for this hard work. I love them all and really would wear most of them if they were presented to me in my size! :) I loved the reminder of the look back.
The very muted pinks, blues, and greens of the grey wardrobe feel a bit flat and are not very exciting to look at, but I can readily imagine how on the right heroine, they would look terrific. I would personally like more prints (always), would choose jeans in a blue wash that is more different from the soft mid-blue of the pants already in the wardrobe (so either a dark indigo or a pale denim), and would prefer more variation in the tones of grey. The brown wardrobe is a great example of how multiple coordinating versions (including lighter and darker values) of the neutral add a lot of visual interest. But I’m sure that the grey wardrobe has more energy than it seems on a screen once the varying textures, etc., are taken into account.
The brown wardrobe is lovely but definitely overly brown for me. I would ramp up the green accent certainly. I do like how the blue jeans look with the brown! I feel that’s really added another dimension to the capsule with just one piece.
Looking forward to the 2023 picks! And this may be totally out of scope, but I am always curious how these capsules evolve for heroines over time. Will these heroines stand firm on their current capsules throughout 2023 or will they add/tweak anything? Do they have a couple French 5s in their future? Do they add to vs. replace items in their capsule?
Sally, I love the idea of revisiting older “scarf wardrobes” to think about how they evolved. It has slowly been dawning on me that as my hair gets greyer and greyer, my most flattering colors are changing, and the “soft” colors that used to wash me out now look great (very strange after decades of rejecting them!). So I could imagine taking the grey/pink/blue/green wardrobe as a guideline for how I *might* try to shift things (I would not purge the brighter colors I’m used to, but hang onto them partly because sometimes I would feel like wearing them anyway and also in hope that when my hair is white they would work better again), and think of that core as what I’d go to when I really needed my clothes to flatter me as much as possible. But then for mood dressing I’d have other pieces, which would sometimes work with some of the softer core.
This might be too late for anyone to still be reading – but wondering about French Fives. If you buy two a year, do you not then build up a full closet all over again? Not quite sure how that works!
They’re generally more on-trend or seasonal is the vibe I’ve gotten. Think wanting the hot new color, or an outfit + accessories for a special event… but then fitting it into your wardrobe for the next 2-6 months to get value, good cost per wear, ride out the trend, the seasons change. Then maybe the items are worn out or are ready to donate or consign… or just add to the back rack rotation instead of a main or typical accent color. That’s the vibe I get, no rules or laws about it, but lots of great posts!
That velvet paisley blazer is so luscious, and so easy to imagine worn with an ivory top, washed jeans and Maryjane shoes. Only, blazers make athletic me feel constricted, no matter how they’re cut. Don’t own even one. Weirdly, I have an old, oversized velvet paisley shirt in similar colors that years ago I couldn’t bear to get rid of, so didn’t. Now, I think I can pull it out and put together a similar outfit–also have similar jeans and shoes.
This blog does inspire one to think creatively (resourcefully?) about one’s own wardrobe. Looking forward to the post about the 100-day black dress. It will clearly be useful for those of us who employ a somewhat minimal approach. :)
What a stellar year of scarf-based wardrobes. I can look at these, insert my own colors, and know exactly how to plan.
I agree wholeheartedly that accessories make the difference.
Noted: the star brooch in the first capsule posted today can be the perfect accessory for this month’s holiday gatherings. No need to invest in themed clothing you wear only once a year.
And I think our heroine leaning into warm and cozy items knows something about our upcoming weather!
Talk about making a statement — that paisley blazer and pants! Wow! If I only wore that once a year it would be worth every penny! Looking forward to 2023 with you!
Janice, have you ever considered doing a wardrobe where the heroine’s color palette changes based on the time of year? I know that’s how I live, and I also fully put away my winter clothing when it’s time for warm weather clothing (old house, small closets)
She has done one where she started with quite a few accents and pulled different ones out each season to go with the basics…but I can’t think of a good word to search it up for you. Maybe someone else will remember?!?!?
Oh my, I can’t even remember that! Lots of posts in my history, some of them lost to my mind! What else do you remember about that post; maybe I can scare it up…
love,
Janice
I’ve been agonizing over shoes lately. A change in lifestyle means a different need for more casual shoes — with good support. But I’ve been feeling guilty because it seems like I have more shoes than I should, and yet I’m wearing the same three pairs….
So I’ve been counting pairs of shoes in your wardrobes! Ten pair is usual. That’s a lot of shoes! It makes me feel less guilty about the pile up in my closet — I’m not sure I have ten pair. Which might be my problem. I need more shoes, not fewer?
I’d love a post that focused on the necessary shoes for a wardrobe — and how that might vary by lifestyle? And wardrobe?
Lois
I built with Tree of Life. (I have dreaded this last day!)
I would also love to revisit these heroines in 2023 with a few French Five peeks!
I have learned so much… I have enjoyed ALL the scarf wardrobes but it has been pretty incredible to have the build happen in my closet!
It’s been a journey that has given me so much confidence. Thank you Janice.
Wow, that is amazing! Your wardrobe must be spectacular.
While I like all of these wardrobes, my very favorite is the black and brown. You’ve inspired me to return to these colors in my wardrobe. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for working to give us a year of inspiration!
Another great year. I’m definitely looking forward to the “painting” inspiration!
The Chrysanthemum wardrobe could be mine at the moment. I’m very drawn to the soft blues, pink and lilac, though my green would be more light teal. I feel calm and relaxed in these colours. If I’m dressing up, then velvet would be my chosen fabric and wool with a bit of sparkle. I’m looking forward to your analysis of how your 100 days experiment went.
The Chrysanthemum wardrobe comes very close to my Spring collection of clothes. The only time I feel comfortable in the more pastel accent colours is when I’m still winter pale (not that I ever get much colour). I wish my hair would go white, but looking at my 98 year old mother who is still salt & pepper I hold out little hope. At this point I’m more pepper & salt. Looks dark from a distance but greyish up close, so still a pretty high contrast with my fair skin.
Can’t wait to see the new paintings!