Archives for February 2023

February 2023

Part 2: HOW CAN YOU WEAR A NEW ACCENT COLOR? PANTONE AUTUMN/WINTER 2023/24

February 27, 2023

Let's spend some time with the other 5 colors that Pantone identified as "important" for Autumn/Winter 2023/24...

yes, I would definitely put a brooch over the logo on this cardigan; I just couldn't resist this, because the color is so perfect!

Of course, this color is lovely with navy:

I think I could have found a better name for this shade of green, but they never ask my opinion!

I'm not sure about this with navy - I think I will pull together a beige core wardrobe next week and try all of the colors with it...

I love this color!

And I love it with navy; navy is a great neutral!

I think Pantone almost always include some shade of blush peach/pink. It's a pretty ... View the Post

Wardrobe of the Week February 18 – 25, 2023, and a song of praise for my 4 Objects blazer

February 26, 2023

We were out and about a bit this week - I don't have a lot of opportunities to dress up!

The only really "snazzy" outfit that I wore was the following, which I wore for a lengthy test to determine that I am NOT allergic to aspirin! My arthritis is grateful...

I've been asked about my 4 Objects blazer - WELL...

This is a detail of the fabric, and of one of the lovely front welt pockets...

When I first unpacked my blazer, the first thing that I noticed is that the garment is three-dimensional! It doesn't just lay flat when you put it down - the armholes have dimension, as does the collar!

And this is the inside front breast pocket, which was turned out like this when my blazer ... View the Post

HOW CAN YOU WEAR A NEW ACCENT COLOR? PANTONE AUTUMN/WINTER 2023/24

February 24, 2023

While the rest of us are just barely getting ready for Spring 2023, the crafty people at Pantone have already found colors that they're predicting will be BIG for Autumn/Winter 2023/24!

The first thing I noticed about these colors? Fully half of them were some variation of red! I wonder if this is really going to be popular, of it is just their assessment of the future...

Nonetheless! These colors suggest to us possibilities for a fresh accent in our wardrobes, and that is always interesting. Let's see:

What a wonderful color! But it's hard to really evaluate an entire page of things that are all the same color, so I'm going to toss in a simple navy core wardrobe, for mixing purposes...

Yes, the ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Ursi – Rain Water

February 22, 2023

We've had as much rain as we have had snow in the last month! Not an "average" February in Chicago!

But if you've got a rainy day facing you, a cozy outfit with warm socks for indoors, and with sneakers for later, when the rain stops, is just the thing...

This is a good time to find sweatshirts and sweaters in pretty colors - the cheer of spring to wear during the cold of spring!

While these outfits are great on their own, they also give you new garments and new accessories for your wardrobe:

If you can hear the rain on your roof, it could lull you into a nap!

Even if your wardrobe is traditional colors, you can still snuggle up!

Sweatpants are so useful in changeable ... View the Post

Adding Accessories to a 20-piece Navy and White Spring Wardrobe

February 20, 2023

Let's revisit the friend who has lost her wardrobe; she wants to start to rebuild with this scarf as her inspiration:

For reference - this was the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe 13 garments that she is wearing for Spring:

And these are the bonus garments that will round out her wardrobe:

But accessories! She still has a pair of sandals, and her sunglasses, as well as the earrings she was wearing when they were away and their house was destroyed...

I don't have a clear plan - I'm going to assemble 10 typical outfits from this wardrobe and make certain that she can wear those outfits with appropriate extras. Most important are certainly shoes and a bag or two, in my thinking...

First up, a spring bag, ... View the Post

Wardrobe of the Week: February 12 – 18, 2023

February 19, 2023

We had a quiet week, with 1 appointment out of the apartment. Snow on Thursday meant that we all stayed tucked up for a couple of days...

I made a deliberate effort to wear the same general look, and the same pants. More and more I find that I'm VERY comfortable wearing the same small assortment of clothing.

Life is complicated enough, without wardrobe angst!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Flourish Floral from Talbots

February 17, 2023

It can happen. Floods, fires, landslides, earthquakes, eek!!!

And your wardrobe is gone. Completely.

It recently happened to one of us...

She lives somewhere with weather that's already warm-ish, so she wants to start with a Spring wardrobe.

It's a nightmare, and a dream, all at the same time.

She wants to start here:

And the colors that she wants to include are thus:

We discussed how to go about doing this - the Start from Scratch Wardrobe didn't appeal to her, so I suggested we try to look at the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe for Spring:

I was able to assemble suggestions for this reasonably quickly. The accent of soft green showed up most often at Lands' End, where it is called "light ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet: Transformational Lynx Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

February 15, 2023

She's ready for a big change, and she's going to use this bracelet as her inspiration:

For decades, she's worn navy with pink, or light blue, or pale yellow... It fit in with her office and her job. But now...

She started with the bracelets, and THEN she saw the coat! She was wearing sneakers with green stripes, so it seemed fated... A divine brooch, the perfect scarf, and some wee earrings were all she needed:

Gradually, she added a few things to her wardrobe, while she held onto her favorite work skirt and pants:

Suddenly, she finds that she's prepared to present her new color palette at almost any activity in her social life:

She's excited about the options of soft lavender or deep, ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Signature Peacock Print Scarf by Luna & Avery

February 13, 2023

Our heroine didn't even TRY to resist this scarf!

She knew, with a long weekend trip ahead, this would be a great inspiration:

For travel, she mostly wants to be comfortable! She chooses to wear her short boots, rather than try to pack them. And her scarf is the perfect accent for her navy "suit" and lavender tee shirt...

She knows that she wants to bring jeans, and her favorite navy cashmere crewneck sweater. Then she hesitates... her lavender cardigan and shirt? They will be perfect with either jeans or navy pants, and the cardigan can also be worn over the tee shirt in which she is traveling.

Hmmm, what else? She knows that she is going to a dinner that's going to be crowded and noisy - she ... View the Post

WOW Wardrobe Of the Week – February 5 – 11, 2023

February 13, 2023

This week, I wore the same grey yak wool sweater every day - even on the day when I didn't put on "real" clothes! I pulled my sweater on over my pajamas and wore it rather than my robe, which felt too cumbersome...

I have to share with you the fabric shaver that I've found that doesn't get all tangled and stalled every 5 minutes - it's rechargeable with a UBS cord, and it's VERY reliable...

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: In Vaudeville (Dancer with Chorus) by Charles Demuth

February 10, 2023

Everybody dance!

Options! She Wants Options...

She's not sure that she'll stay in the city for more than a day or two. She may stay longer...

Or she might get on a train out to some smaller town by her 2nd or 3rd day. She doesn't want to decide until she actually arrives in the city and get a feel for things...

Just to complicate things further (or simplify things?), she isn't sure how long she's going to travel. If she is good to keep going, she will keep going! But if home begins to beckon, she will return...

So she wants to have very little luggage. But she wants to be able to dress both up and down. AND she wants a range of colors - not all black...

She feels like she's ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Risshun – Beginning of Spring

February 8, 2023

Okay, there's nothing resembling Spring in Chicago right now - although I did walk home from Physical Therapy in my shorts! People thought I was nuts...

I have two things in mind today - first is that eventually we should all take a close look at our clothes and accessories for the upcoming season to make sure that everything is in good condition. No yellowed whites? No run-down heels on our espadrilles?

And secondly, I want to have an outfit ready to roll if/when we get one of those freakishly warm days!

If you want to pull together an outfit in unusual (or unusual for you!) colors, it might be wise to get an early start, before all of the really nice things sell out!

No flowers poking up through ... View the Post