July 19, 2023
Night Music by Chuck Groenink
One of a Kind…
After she saw the 3rd corporate “campus” with beehives, she realized that she is qualified for a job that nobody has ever thought of – corporate pollinator consultant!
bee earrings – Madewell; bee bracelet – Rani & Co.; Cardigan – L.L.Bean; scarf – Elizabetta; tee shirt – L.L.Bean; weekender bag – Vera Bradley; loafers – Eastland 1955 Edition; navy pants – L.L.Bean
If companies are going to have big lawns, and ponds, and flower beds, they may as well put some pollinators in there to keep it all regenerating and… real – right?
Beige cardigan – Vince; bee stud earrings – Ross-Simons; flower earrings – Ross-Simons; off-white and currant tees – Alex Mill; lavender sweatshirt – L.L.Bean; bee necklace – 2028; stone chinos – L.L.Bean; floral scarf – Elizabetta; rose wash cotton sweater – L.L.Bean; bone loafers – LifeStride; bee-print handbag – Coach; knit sneakers – Hey Dude
So now she travels about, visiting corporate campuses (a term she really doesn’t love), helping get beehives installed, and advising the gardening company about replacing plants. Strictly ornamental isn’t nearly as sensible as something that’s both decorative AND good for the environment…
It’s not a really outdoorsy job – she is more likely to meet with executives for just a few minutes, and then spend the rest of the day with the company hired to do the planting, tree-trimming, shrub shrubbing, and mowing. They are the people who really get excited about planting wild flowers, and minimizing the amount of mowable lawn!
It’s not as if anybody ever WALKS on these lawns – why keep them?
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, our heroine with the amazing inheritance was looking for an apartment in Paris!
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Oh this is lovely. Gorgeous colours. Great idea for a professional post too.
Love the simplicity of this capsule. I’ve been taking screenshots of the wardrobes from the last few posts to use as references for creating travel capsules and have noticed a formula that works fabulously and is so easy for me to remember and use!
A dark neutral three piece set (inside top, outside top, and a bottom)
A light neutral three piece set (again, inside top, outside top, and a bottom)
Two accent colors (an inside top and an outside top in each color)
To expand to 13 items, add a matching bottom (or dress) in each accent color and a white shirt
To expand to 16 items, add a third neutral color three piece set (inside top, outside top, bottom)
Note: An inside top is anything that can be worn UNDER another top, an outside top is anything that can be worn OVER another top
Having both inside columns and outside (suit-like) columns makes it so easy to get dressed. Adding just a few accent colors ups the variety of looks and outfit options. And I can fit everything in a carry on bag!
Lena,
An excellent observation ! For my own usage, I like to make sure that one accent color is warm and one is cool, and that my neutrals include a darker and a lighter value or a light, medium , and a darker value one . Sometimes Janice does all of the bottoms in the one same value , whether light or dark, but I prefer to mix it up .
I prefer this approach too. As long as the neutrals tone.
That’s a very handy way to put it! Thank you!
Lena I make notes constantly for travel or bi-monthly wardrobes to rotate and wear my closet. I am going to screen shot your concise list and tuck it in my suitcase. It’s basically what I do but easier to comprehend than some of my notes. Very succinct.
Love the lavender color and have incorporated a touch in my wardrobe. I find it’s a good go to with gray hair.
I am at the airport and realise my packing follows this formula and I worried it wasn’t a four by four
Lena this is a very concise way to put it – Thanks!
Astute observations, Lena. I’ve also screenshot this. I like to have one patterned top that incorporates at least one neutral and two accent colours. In fact, I often choose a patterned top and build a capsule around it. Also, the neutral trios don’t need to match perfectly, as long as they tone.
Oh gosh. I do love the purple and navy. Between this post and the fact I saw a beautiful blazer in a similar purple the other day, I’m thinking despite my ban on buying purple maybe a French Five would be ok? Interesting painting……
Where did you see a purple blazer????? I must know!!!!
And yes – a French Five-Piece Accent Wardrobe is always a good idea…
hugs,
Janice
So I saw it from CABI as part of their fall line (which drops Sunday I believe) it was a sneak peek on Instagram and I’ll be darned if I can find it now. I have contacted my rep asking if (as it looks like) it is velvet? Though it seems a little early for velvet. Usually they come out with the velvet things closer to Christmas as part of their “limited editions”
Dear oh dear… And the Eileen Fisher August offerings include quite a few Violet Blue garments. Sigh… I was not seeing ANYTHING that had whappage, and now I’m buried in garment lust! I will not buy everything I like – things have to fit into my wardrobe, and I have to KNOW that I will wear something a lot!
hugs,
janice
I don’t know if this link will work, found it!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CuxKJHyAlMm/
I’d love to have a lavender velvet blazer. I still get a thrill and lots of compliments when I wear my orchid pink velvet blazer (vintage 1970’s).
What a bee-yootiful capsule! Besides the clever bee accessories the rose pink floral scarf is swoonworthy!
We have so many happy, friendly bees in our yard every summer working on the lavender. It is absolutely their favorite flower. It is heat-tolerant and at the end of the season, I can dry the flowers & sew them into dryer sachets. That hint of lavender scent is lovely when we climb into our beds. There must be a very nice hive nearby because two of our neighbors have also planted large swaths of lavender.
Absolutely loving the navy and lavender together. I am working on adding more lavender to my blue wardrobe.
Love the way these colors look so great together! We had lots of pollinators in our yard this spring when the plants were blooming. This morning was deer and a turtle.
Janice,
I have always loved how you show the various individual outfits that can be created using just a few garments. A fresh look every day utilizing parts of the same grouping . So efficient and fun to create !
The painting is so lush and whimsical…I adore it. I’d probably have pulled an olive/sage green color from it instead of the beige in creating my own palette, though I do think the beige is a good choice in general.
I love that this wardrobe so deftly allows for multiple vibes while remaining cohesive. I think the two scarves were brilliantly chosen to set the tones: the navy-based scarf for darker, moodier outfits and the pink floral scarf for lighter, more cheerful looks. The bee motif jewelry and THAT BAG are perfect here; this is a good example of how to wear a motif like this in a more polished and sophisticated way for a work setting (esp. one in which you are constantly making a first impression with new people). The beige cardigan and loafers are so nice that I’d almost be willing to wear the beige pants! ;)
But I have to believe that the lovely floral weekend bag contains a pair of outrageously fun and cute yellow and black striped bee print pajamas picked out by a young nephew who knows that Auntie Heroine LOVES BEES!
The pajamas are genius!
hugs,
Janice
The painting to so whimsical and fun! And matches the job of the heroine so well! This is a lovely wardrobe. I’m not really a designer purse kind of gal, but I LOVE that bee bag so much!
any suggestions for the 0bext British alternative to L.L. Bean? i find myself really wanting that purple zip-top, but not willing to wait for international shipping!
Hurray! I’m on a local Commission that is encouraging just this sort of thinking for commercial & residential properties in our area – plant just one tree, add some native flowers & grasses, and watch all the birds and butterflies and bees dance from your comfy seat in the shade! And you can even plant in that favorite colorscheme that you always loved but could never wear – or any of Janice’s other design masterpieces. 😊.
This is a lovely wardrobe that is perfect for my coloring.