September 1, 2023
It seems as if ALL of the children in the Northern Hemisphere are back to school! This time of year always makes me want to pull on a sweater and corduroy pants, some short boots and a lovely wool scarf…
Soon enough for cool weather!
Let’s get started…
This heroine found herself last month with a 26-piece wardrobe; most of us could manage for quite a long time with that many clothes, if they were for the right weather…
Our heroine clearly understands that she should grab yellow things when she sees something just right. She loves her navy cotton skirt so much that she would like to find another navy skirt to start to dress up for longer evenings ahead… She could certainly get a narrow skirt, but she’s fond of the swishy feeling of a flaired skirt!
If she could find navy boots that she loved, she would buy them. But if she has to stick with olive, she will be just fine!
What she finds:
Earrings – Saachi; yellow sweater – Maje; olive sweater – L.L.Bean; pleated skirt – J.Crew; nylon tote – Rebecca Minkoff; boots – Franco Sarto
Here’s how her wardrobe looks now – the same, just a bit more robust.
And her accessories are glorious – You get such a feel for her style from these things:
Let’s see what she can now do with her new purchases:
I don’t look really great in yellow or olive, but I could still be tempted by this wardrobe!
Our next heroine is the fair (maybe white hair, rather than blonde?), warm-weather woman, inspired by this painting:
Her 26-piece wardrobe so far is a delight of pretty colors:
This heroine would really like another dress! She also doesn’t have a simple, off-white tee shirt, which should be a work horse for her. And maybe a sweatshirt for cool evenings?
For accessories, she’s just going to keep her eyes open for pretty things in pretty colors!
This is her month’s shopping:
Necklace – Cloud Haven; linen dress – J.Crew; scarf – Ralu Fine Art; blue sweatshirt – Alex Mill; rosewood bag – Mali + Lili; off-white tee – Alex
She now has a pretty wardrobe that offers her more options!
Her accessories are a feminine wonderland:
Her new options are many – this is just a sample:
Today’s last heroine is coming into her best seasons!
Her current wardrobe is lovely – except that she had planned for olive green to be one of her neutrals! This kind of thing can happen, so she’s shopping for green things that appeal to her and which will work well with her current wardrobe.
Earrings – Kendra Scott; half-zip sweater – Everlane; olive shirt – L.L.Bean; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; tote bag – Quince; loafers – Bzees
Now, her wardrobe looks a little bit more balanced. These things can take time – so long as you’re not walking out the door naked, your wardrobe will probably be okay until you can get it sorted to your satisfaction!
I find it fascinating that accessories can give you such a good indication of what the clothes are like! You have to accumulate enough things to give a clear “read,” but once you do, you can see the important role that small things can play in your life.
This heroine finds that she can wear these new olive garments in all kinds of ways – not surprising!
I always like to ask myself if I could dress from one of these wardrobes – no substitutions! – for a month. I think I could, and moreover, I think I would like the first one the most!
Something to ponder – WHY is that the easiest for me?
love,
Janice
p.s. Seven years ago, we flash back to one of the earliest versions of “Six Capsule Wardrobes, 12 Months” with wardrobes based on 6 Hermes scarves. My favorite from back then is STILL my favorite…
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I am still trying to find those quilted olive green ankle boots — you sent a picture again just now in your latest post. How do I find them , please?
Amanda – The boots were originally shown in the January edition of this series, with a link to Nordstrom. They don’t appear to be available there anymore, but are on sale directly from the maker (Camper) at https://www.camper.com/en_US/search?target=W&searchTerm=green%20boot. Hopefully they still have your size!
I know you’ve asked this a couple of times and I know a couple of us have responded. They are made by Camper (called the Pix bootie) – the original link went to Nordstrom, but it looks like they are sold out. You can find them on the Camper website :
https://www.camper.com/en_US/women/shoes/pix/camper-pix_tencel%C2%AE-K400674-004?size=39&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwl8anBhCFARIsAKbbpyRYWxSfq3jlK4Bor22u2beBUEFhjsez_M_66dBT8A2ZLYM79386cToaAj96EALw_wcB
The heroine with the pastels in her capsule has such beautiful accessories! It’s a reminder that patience truly is a virtue when it comes to building just the right wardrobe.
As usual, I check links on styles I love to see if they come in colors more aligned with my capsule. The Franco boots look great, but olive is not for me. Alas, the color-naming team must have been in their cups. Two pairs of the boots give no clue of the actual colors by looking at the names of the boots. One could be a very dark brown or deepest burgundy. The other might be a dirty tan or the color of our western skies during wildfire season. We have trouble trusting color on a computer monitor. 🤔
Addendum: I just looked back at the capsule from six years ago. Yes, I would wear a plaid scarf with with a plaid shirt. I’ve done it with polka-dots!
I would also wear (and have worn) plaid scarf with a plaid shirt! And dots, and checks! Now I’m curious – Janice – which one WAS your favorite???? At the time I believe I followed the light blue/gray. Since then, and the changing of the hair color, I know I need more saturated colors and I find that first wardrobe of the blue and green (teal?) just amazing. Love the new additions to these wardrobes – still partial to Rothko and Renoir – both included today, but can’t seem to decide between the two! Have a good weekend everyone.
Hello,
Junior still has a week’s vacation in southern Germany. School beginners even two.
I like the last one best, even if some things are too sporty for me. Would have chosen a cardigan instead… got one mottled honey.
But I love the colors.
My favorites will be in the next installment, but I love the style of the first one today even though the colors aren’t mine. I must say I am getting awfully tired of my summer wardrobe
(It is rather small). If I wanted to add anything to it at this point, the pickings would be slim.
It will be in the mid 90s this weekend in Kentucky with several social events so I need to get creative and make the things I have work.
I love the LL Bean linen dress–in fact I own one in a darker color.
It’s shown here in a flax color with a lovely light blue T-shirt–but I’m not sure how you envision wearing them together? Does the shirt go under the dress? over? Either way, depending…?
Thank you, Janice, for the beauty, order, and inspiration you bring to our lives!!!
Camille
I would layer the T under the shirtdress; then you can leave some of the top buttons open for a layered look.
I JUST answered Camille – and then I saw your answer! Were we separated at birth?
hugs,
Janice
I wear tee shirts under my black shirtdress when I’m in the mood to leave it unbuttoned a few buttons – it brightens things up!
hugs,
Janice
Love it!!
Thanks! <3
Camille
Kids in St Paul, MN will be sweltering at the state fair this weekend, then school starts up the day after Labor Day! It seems that every other district in the country starts earlier and earlier, but I can’t imagine we’ll try to start school with the state fair going on. (For context, it’s either the #1 or #2 largest state fair in the US, depending on how you count visitors; 2 million visitors over 12 days.)
I don’t like wearing white/beige/etc. pants, so by default, the first olive/navy/yellow wardrobe would be my choice to wear without substitutions. Olive and navy are favorite neutrals so that would be easy. I sure would miss having a variety of accent colors though.
I totally agree on your comment regarding pant color. That must be why the first grouping appeals to me the most
I could easily go for one month or three with any of these. I suspect I would wear half of the clothes on repeat!
I love the Klee colors, but the one that feels more me is the rothko! Maybe it’s just my denim and boots bias for growing up in the 80-90s (and BTW, for those considering a pair of camper boots, I highly recommend them! Look amazing, they are light and soft, and last forever). But it feels also more balanced to me in terms of casual/dressy and hot/cold weather.
For the Klee I can also see that for me, there are too many second layers for hot weather. And also 3 loafers which I don’t wear, but the rest of accessories here are a joy to see!
In sum, I’m enjoying the display as usual so thanks for that Janice.
Cheers and blessings!
Of these three, I would choose the Rothko, BUT it would have to be in the winter. Not nearly enough hot weather items for this TX summer! Looking forward to Monday’s groups. Happy Labor Day to those celebrating.
A couple of weeks ago, in the Brights with Navy post (https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2023/08/accenting-navy-with-bright-or-deep-colors.html/), Janice showed an amazing “Joseph’s coat” cardigan that retailed for $228. For anyone who loved it but not at that price, I wanted to suggest this similar (not as bright) cardigan from Northstyle: https://www.northstyle.com/itemdy00.aspx?ID=224,4048&T1=NP389+CRMU+2X
I think I’m waiting for the next installment of these wardrobes. :-)
Hi Janice – well, after seeing the JCrew pleated skirt in several of your posts, I checked again and the navy is on sale, so I got it. A lot of the reviews say it looks good on shorties like 5’3” me = I’m hopeful.
And I wanted to report back that I bought the Jessie Zhao double-sided Leopards in the Verdant Wild scarf you posted Wednesday and I’m so excited to get it. I wear navy blue, royal blue, greens and greys (no black) and I just love the colors. I also bought the emerald green Boden pointelle button front cardigan that you featured last week to wear with. Funny thing is, the cardigan shipped to me but now appears to be totally sold out. So I’m very happy to have purchased it before it disappeared.
You have contributed to my buying spree, but the pieces are gorgeous and hopefully you’ll get the referral fees on all these. I can see the green cardigan, the scarf and the pleated navy skirt together.
I’m in Arizona now where it’s too hot to wear much of anything but I should get use of these on my frequent trips to Seattle. And the reviews say the JCrew skirt travels well so that will likely come with me to England in April for a fancy option.
I love these capsule wardrobes. But the scarves. I thought they are out of fashion. How do you wear them? Or are they just for inspiration?
Thank you.
Of course you wear the scarves – who cares if someone says they’re out of fashion? Fashion is temporary, personal style is enduring… In cool weather, I wear a scarf every day…
Most of the time, I just drape one around my neck and maybe loop one end over the other. The internet is full of people showing lovely ways to tie scarves – look for Mai Tai’s Picture Book for a beautiful woman tying Hermes scarves in lovely ways. But that kind of skill really isn’t necessary – just fold the scarf down to what feels like a manageable size, and toss it on. Or tie it to your bag. Or in your hair, or around your wrist!
hugs,
Janice
My eye is drawn to the rich palette of the third wardrobe and that wardrobe’s vibe calls to me. Actually, there are aspects of all three of these collections that turn my head. *sigh!*
Good morning to all! Interesting new adds to each, but I just don’t feel the love for them today. Maybe the next 3 will be more me with the browns. To the dear readers that answered my pondering about an icy blue and cream wardrobe, thank you. I think I will experiment with it for a week to see what happens after the weather turns cool enough since my pieces are cold weather items. For Renee, who cares if scarves are in or not. If you like one, then wear it. My own go to way has been to fold it diagonally to a narrow strip & use a man’s necktie knot at the ends to make my scarf more of a pop over the head necklace type of thing.
I still love that Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs scarf and wardrobe!
A quick add before Monday. I’m drawn to the gentle pastel stillness of the Paul Klee. It is feminine and dainty. However, I would wear silver grey instead of stone/cream. Looking forward to the other three on Monday.