December 30, 2022
Happy Birthday, you down in Georgia!!!
scarf – Elizabetta
You Have to Choose…
scarf – Elizabetta
She’s a judge. She has to pick. Every time.
Duffel coat – L.L.Bean; pearl earrings – Masako; scarf – Elizabetta; hat – UGG; watch – Breda; turtleneck – Orvis; chinos – Orvis; penny loafers – Aerosoles; weekender bag – Travelpro
Now that she’s packing for a few winter days away, she will NOT choose between warm and cool colors. She doesn’t want to, and she doesn’t feel that she needs to either!
Grey sweater – L.L.Bean; hoop earrings – Chan Luu; labradorite earrings – Marcia Moran; green crewneck sweater – L.L.Bean; sea pine funnelneck sweater – L.L.Bean; aqua scarf – Talbots; labradorite bracelet – Banana Republic; labradorite necklace – Banana Republic; square scarf – La Makanerie; grey cords – Lands’ End; light blue radiance tee – Lands’ End; green pants – Alex Mill; bag – Plum Jensen & Rodes; olive loafers – Gentle Souls
She’s heard it all – “it’s not right to wear gold with grey,” “Olive is only for women with a certain coloring,” “shades of green can’t really be worn together – especially cool greens and warm greens.”
Humbug, she says.
It might not always be easy to find the right things.
It might not always look like what others are wearing.
It might draw a 2nd look.
She loves the subtlety and nuance of these colors that blend and that surprise.
If she goes on a longer trip, she packs brown things too – imagine the consternation with which THIS choice is greeted!
love,
Janice
p.s. Six years ago, we finished a lengthy evaluation of a wardrobe based upon a STUNNING photograph of lightning. It’s worth going back just to see the photograph!
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This is beautiful and just muted shades of my own colors. I hope this post means you (and your family) are feeling better from Covid Janice! My palette is grey/navy (casual) and turquoise/teal or brown/navy (work) and turquoise/teal with some berry/pink/burgundy thrown in. I was actually reading somewhere about how a pop of your opposite color (warm or cool) can make an outfit really sing. So for me as a summer cool colors are my thing but I have a love for cognac brown leather and a mustard cardigan that really make my outfits pop when I wear them. It’s not much but it’s fun and adds the unexpected I think.
I didn’t think it would speak to me, but I just love the color combinations here. Also, hope you’re on the road to recovery and feeling better!
I really enjoyed seeing this blend of greens capsule! The two print bridge pieces scarves do a lovely job of supporting these blended green outfits. Both of these scarves are excellent choices for this capsule as they contain varied shades of green.
To my eye, the greens go from warmest to coolest in this order:
Bay leaf (olive/sage) sweater (which I would categorize as borderline a yellow-green hue);
Dark green pants (the link doesn’t send me to the specific item so I couldn’t see it closer on the website);
Sea pine (green-teal) funnel neck sweater;
Then the mint/seafoam colors that are in the blue-green hue category.
The two (clashing to me) sweaters won’t be worn together, so no worries there. The sea pine funnel neck sweater and the dark green pants are questionable together (on my monitor; you never know until you have them in hand or better, on your body, fully accessorized) but a capsule doesn’t have to be 100% mix and match-able. The seafoam/mint pieces are such a distinctly different color from the greens that they avoid the weird sort of color version of the “uncanny valley” effect where the colors are very close in hue but not quite harmonious (sometimes a close but no cigar hue issue, sometimes awkward differences in undertone or bright/soft or other color mismatched qualities).
When people reference cool vs. warm colors, it’s not always clear whether they mean undertones or overtones. Mixing warm and cool overtone colors like in a complementary color scheme (like orange + blue hues) is pretty routine. But mixing colors with different undertones can be a challenge…especially if the hue is the same/very similar! I think one thing that helps our heroine pull this off is the varying textures of the pieces, which seems to make blending colors easier.
I’d love to see more of capsules that rebel against the received wisdom in some way. Where blending colors is concerned, I find mixing warm vs. cool (undertone) pinks/reds/burgundies a challenging area, for example.
Glad to see you posting, Janice, and hope this is a sign that you are feeling at least a bit better!
I’m glad you’re feeling well enough to post! I hope your whole family is better.
Pastels don’t suit me, but I would substitute teal for the pale aqua. Most of the clothes wouldn’t be suitable in the tropics, though. Looking forward to warmer weather wardrobes. 😎
I do love a bit of rule breaking and would encourage more posts of this kind.
Very happy to see you are on the mend!
Well, not only am I beyond thrilled to see a post today, when I didn’t really expect one, but you have included my personal favorite labradorite jewelry! Not only that, you’ve further exceeded by combining warm and cool. I was reading some of your old posts on that very thing earlier this morning – because I do have both in my wardrobe. I also hope this means you are well on the mend just in time for the New Year. It might be just me, but I couldn’t make the link: square scarf – La Makanerie work…. You have totally made my day today.. Thank you!
nvm La Makanerie at Wolf and Badger.
I think its fixed. That one confounded me – I have no idea how it got to error messages!
Ah, to be more computer literate is a dream/project of mine for 2023.
love,
Janice
I don’t think there’s a working link for the Elisabetta scarf, either. Only one seems to be clickable and it goes to Zappos.
Apparently, this color combination for the Gabriella scarf has sold out! You never know how soon something will disappear from the stores…
love,
Janice
I love this. Although at a near tropical climate, I can’t wear those garments. I am glad u are doing better. I did not expect a post so soon, it was such a welcome surprise
So lovely. So glad you are back :)
Love all these greens, so soothing!
Glad you’re OK.
Love all the various greens. This is a very interesting wardrobe! Glad you’re feeling well enough to post today. Happy New Year!
I’m so glad to see this post, partly because it’s a great post but mainly because it may mean you are feeling a bit better. I love love love the combination of the different shades of green!
Oh I hope this means you’re feeling better!
Great unexpected color combination. So happy you are on the mend!
The colors in this post almost exactly represent the colors in my eyes. Absolutely lovely, and such an inspiration! Reminds me a bit of a couple of favorite old posts of your called Before the Parachute Opens— or something like that. I’m an odd mix of cool and warm, bright and deep; and I appreciate your rule breaking— for the sake of those of us who don’t fit neatly into any particular color system.
I do hope this heroine’s adventures continue in the future.
Also glad to see that you’re up to creating a post today. Hope you and yours are all on the mend.
I hope you have recovered from Covid. It is a lovely surprise to see this post. I love wearing aqua, teal and other blue-green with grey. Wearing pastel aqua with charcoal grey in winter adds a freshness to my wardrobe.
The weather in the UK has gone from freezing cold to mild and wet.
However, the forecast for January is for colder weather again. Do I wear round neck, v-neck or polo neck tops? Can I wear a shirt and jumper? Lightweight or chunky knitwear. It would be nice to have an extra chest of drawers to house all these options!
I wear these colors together because I already wore olive & aqua & gold & brown & labradorite. Then I happened to get olive/sage green glasses with grey trim & a friend pointed out that my glasses matched the colors in my eyes. I thought the glasses clashed with the usual warm colors I wore, & I didn’t wear much grey but I started to because somebody pointed out that grey & olive work together, and they worked with my glasses. Anyway, that’s how, in several steps, I ended up combining these colors that some don’t think go together.
I am so relieved by all these comments which dare to be critical of the 4 seasonal colour groups system ! At one time I thought I could never visit the US because I would be arrested by the fashion police as soon as I stepped off the plane . As an artist with a scientific background I know it makes no sense . As a Eurasian I know I can’t wear yellow or yellow undertoned colours without looking very ill indeed . And no , red is not yellow-toned . They are both primary colours – look at the colour wheel . And I have been wearing so-called warm and cool greens together all my life and almost the same with reds .
The link for the first scarf goes to the shoes at Zappo’s.
GREEN!!!!
So glad you are back! I feel like this posting was written about me for me! I would wear any and all of this. And I don’t mind the second looks so much. Thank you!
Love these colors and textures. Great post.
Agree with Rukshana Afia that Americans are a little too focused on the colour seasons! I can’t with the ‘I am a cool, romantic, manic, warm-ish, summer/autumn,negative/positive, North/South/East/West etc. etc.’ I truly think most women know instinctively what works for them. By the time we have reached a ‘certain age’ we have figured it out. Our lives change and we change, we are more chameleon than cookie cutter. More unique than we know. So get to know yourself! Stop relying on some ‘dernier cri’ who claims to know what is best for you.
Beige, blush and most greens look yuck on me.I don’t like those colours anyway so I just don’t purchase. I think there are a lot of people making a lot of money on these seasonal based delusions, I am sad that otherwise intelligent women get sucked into this nonsense.
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Bit judgmental, no?
Cool story, bro
So glad you’re feeling better! What a surprise to see this post. Olive has always fascinated me I don’t look good in it but I’m fascinated by it. In reviewing lightning over Colorado I’m thinking of modifying this with some khaki pants, specifically hiking pants. This might work for a 30 day trip that includes northern Italy, Austria, and Switzerland. It will be in October with temperatures in the 50s so some more casual warmer clothes might be necessary. Happy New Year!
This is totally off topic, and no one may see it, but just let me say I have been in excruciating back pain for four days now, and the idea of taking out one dress and putting something over or under it and going to work sounds pretty darn good.!
Cheers everyone, Happy New Year!
Oh, no. I hope it’s something that will heal soon. Take care.
Also I forgot to add
Happy New Year to any and all!