October 13, 2023
Happy Friday the 13th! Of course, we’re all FAR too intelligent to be superstitious, right?
Today’s wardrobe and heroine are tempting to me – I love the softness of the blue and green, and the range of possibilities in infinite shades of grey. These are the colors that might really flatter someone with greying hair and green or blue eyes…
Our heroine’s current wardrobe is built with the assumption that she doesn’t AT ALL mind blending shades of colors, be it light grey to charcoal, or the palest blue worn with a deep shade…
But this heroine is feeling like she would like some green to wear in cooler weather… She can’t find green pants in a shade that fits in well, but she was able to find lovely, classic, casual tops!
And grey cords – heck yes!
Earrings – Devata; teal shadow tee – Lands’ End; quarter-zip fleece top – Lands’ End; bag – Aimee Kestenberg; loafers – Aerosoles; grey corduroy pants – Lands’ End
She definitely has more green options now, as well as being able to wear grey pants with her grey sweaters, or her blue sweaters…
Next month, we may analyze these wardrobes again to make certain that we’re not missing anything both obvious and necessary!
This heroine WAS pretty practical in her choice of accessories this month – grey shoes to wear with her new corduroy pants, and a compact grey bag that she may end up carrying most days!
Her accessories, as with all of the accessory wardrobes, are a real insight into her preferences and taste!
It’s safe to assume that our heroine will be wearing her new clothes almost immediately, since the weather has turned SO COMPLETELY in the Northern Hemisphere…
If this was my wardrobe, I suspect that I would have a streak or 2 of soft blue in my hair! Not for the timid…
Would you wear this wardrobe for a month, if someone offered you a large sum of money? I might do it for free, just to test-drive an entirely different color scheme!
love,
Janice
Ahhh! Still my favourite. And now grey cords, how excellent. A pair of grey cords was one of my absolute favourite garments as a teenager, many moons ago. Also a light blue pair, which I wore with a light blue velvet jumper that eventually fell to pieces with so much wearing. This wardrobe, I would wear for months, and you wouldn’t need to pay me! Maybe I’d change some minor things, like I’d prefer leather sneakers to loafers, but this is a great wardrobe, thanks Janice. I agree with the person who said they were able to be more thoughtful when the wardrobes come one at a time. Three at a time is such a deluge of riches. Janice, good luck to your team on Sunday, well, Saturday for you. It’ll be a great game. But I do think it’s a disappointing group draw that’s resulted in the four best teams playing off in the quarterfinals!
Dear Vicki,
I’ve been ranting about that draw for days – they set the schedule so far in advance, so all of Ireland could buy tickets to the matches, but they failed to consider that the world ranking might change DRAMATICALLY in 2 years!
Good luck to The All Blacks; they still set the standard for rugby in the world!
love,
Janice
I love these colors.
And I would even take it that way without any changes.
Knowing that I have pants and shoes in this teal. And the same plus jacket in the same dark tone. 😄
Maybe really an option if I have gray hair.
These are not my best colors – despite the gray hair and green eyes. (though my hair is currently a lovely shade of lavender) That being said I’d be happy to give them a spin for a month! I am still mulling over some of the comments from Wednesday’s post. What a great discussion. Have a lovely weekend ladies.
We still have one to go, right? The one in shades of brown?
Yep – the all brown/beige wardrobe is up on Monday!
hugs,
Janice
Lovely clothes. I do like the single wardrobe at a time, at this point. Also, just for info, in addition to the teal shadow, Lands’ End also has an evening blue shade that would be just right for this wardrobe.
Happy Friday the 13th!
I’m finding the “one at a time” to be so much more manageable right now, with my mom rehabbing from her illness; I’m happy to hear that many of you are liking it too!
hugs,
Janice
I would very happily wear this wardrobe…I would want to add a few things with a little swish to them and some navy. I like to say that I dress like the ocean at the moment between sunset and twilight….
What a beautiful inspiration!
hugs,
Janice
This painting is beautiful. I’m one of the heroines you spoke of with greying hair and green eyes and, yes, this colour combination would work well on me. I would mix in a few dressier pieces (and some navy and white elements) and could happily proceed from there.
October has turned from “refreshingly brisk” to “I need to dig out the jackets and gloves” in my corner of the Great White North so the cozy sweaters you’re adding to these wardrobes are looking particularly attractive.
Happy Friday, all!
Grey is an absolute rock star of a neutral. Think about how many colors you can wear with it. All the iterations of blue and green are lovely with the right grey. I’ll bet the accents you all wear with grey would make a long list.
Forgot to mention my questions for her future. Will she need a few cozy pieces for the bone-chilling temps of winter? What will she wear to that endless round of holiday parties? Will there be theater performances, civic luncheons, museum visits, bridal showers, and tea with friends? Would one silk blouse with a pair of nice trousers or a nice skirt cover a range of occasions? An interesting discussion might be: which pieces can we add that would cover the dressier range of life events? And can those pieces work into a wardrobe like this for more smart casual routines?
I could see myself in this wardrobe – minus the dress; I cover my legs completely. 98% of my life works with a casual wardrobe — but there’s that danged 2% that won’t. And does this woman hate prints?
Right now, everybody hates prints, because there aren’t a lot of them, and the ones that I can find tend to be in the most UN-USEFUL color combinations.
But I continue to look!
hugs,
Janice
LoL Mmep! Between the dang 2% and hating prints your post was hilarious.
Cheers and blessings!
Janice,
Though lovely, these are not my colors. But I want to say how you continue to amaze me, cranking out different wardrobes and color schemes 3x a week for years now ! How you do it just blows my mind and I am ever so grateful for it ! I eagerly looking forward to each of your posts, whether they fit my color scheme or not , as there is always something that I can learn from it . So a very deep “ thank you “ !
My sentiments exactly!
a faithful fan,
Pat
Thanks for this – it means the world!
love,
Janice
Yes, Janice, that’s an equally amazed and heartfelt thank you from me also.
This is the one wardrobe I could imagine wearing for a month (though I would be thoroughly tired of the color palette partway through, I could do it), though the colors will suit me more in the future when my hair’s warm blonde tones turn grey. Like Mmep, I noticed the lack of prints – wouldn’t a nice plaid flannel shirt combining these soft cool tones be a nice addition?
It’s cool and raining today so the view out my window looks a lot like this capsule…and it makes me want to add a French 5 in coral to inject some bright cheer into this muted palette.
Oooh—this plus Sally’s coral and another 5 in burgundy and I’d be happy for months! Except that I’d have to swap several of the more casual pieces for skirts and dresses, because I’m just not that casual (even when I retire, I intend to be the best-dressed old lady in the grocery store!), and also that shirt with the ruffled edges would have to go, because IMO no one over 10 should ever wear ruffles (well, you do you, but back in the 80s a friend and I had a chant about bridesmaids’ dresses: “No ruffles, and NO BUTT BOWS,” which I’m sticking to). But for color, this is definitely my favorite, especially with an expanded palette to brighten gloomy days. Thanks, Sally!
Well, I have been test driving this wardrobe with pieces I already own, thrifted items and a pair of new shoes. What have I learned? Navy is too dark of a color for me. Grey makes me look, well, greyish. Maybe I haven’t found my exact shades, but who wants to try that hard? No one seemed to notice I wore the same items on repeat, but I crave more variety. Still a beautiful painting/wardrobe.
Lily, interesting experiment. I tried to live in the Renoir, olive, brown, beige, navy capsule. In spite of the fact that is my favorite, it really didn’t work for me. I was so disappointed. I have a few pieces in the colors of this capsule, and as you did I might try it for a bit. Funny how people just don’t notice.
Lovely wardrobe with a nice variety of tones to mix with. This isn’t my go-to palette but I could easily wear this for a month or so. Maybe it could be considered my secondary palette. Or my cool tone palette since I usually go with a warm palette.
A little off topic, but does anyone have helpful hints to help silk scarves stay put? I had always avoided silk like the plague, but finally succumbed because they are so beautiful. A coworker noticed mine had completely come undone and was on its way to the floor when last I wore one.
Sheila, you could try scarf magnets. They make some lovely decorative ones or plain ones for when you don’t want the magnet to be visible. I’m sure if you google it you’ll find them. Lots of women who wear headscarves use them to hold it in place. They’re not expensive, so you can try some out to see what you think before investing in the nicer ones. I hope this helps!
Happy Friday the 13th everyone. I could wear this for a month if I didn’t have more than one or two dressy events. Sometimes I can wear jeans for weeks but then there are those other times. In the past 4 weeks I’ve had a rehearsal dinner, wedding, two fund raising events,& two wine dinners all of which required some dressing up on my part.
Seppie, I am so glad I went back and saw your reply to me. I do like the idea of 9 colors broken up as neutrals, mains, and accents. And thank you for teaching me about Canva!
Sally, as was commented on your responses really make me think!
Janice, thank you thank you thank you for putting all this together. It really is easier, as the wardrobes grow, to look at them one at a time. You are amazing.
What I wonder is, if we were all walking down the streets of Chicago would we recognize each other? I really enjoy reading and learning from y’all.
Dear Amanda, I can only dream about it now that I’m at a conference in Chicago! Yesterday one of the ladies attending was suspiciously well dressed, her name is Betsy but in my dreams it’s you or any of our heroines from the onion.
Janice, I add to the big thanks for what you do, I enjoy every bit! And BTW I would be thrilled to test drive any of the wardrobes, even the ones that I think don’t exactly match me, but just to have such a tidiness and level of detail would be crazy fun for me.
Big hugs to all!
I’d wear just about anything if someone offered me a large sum of money to do so! But I wouldn’t choose these colors for myself. The green and blue are in my color family, but I prefer more vibrant colors and would get bored pretty quickly with all of the muted colors and the grey. I also need dressier clothing than this for my lifestyle.
This is my favourite of the six. I’m trying to get more soft and slate blue in my wardrobe. Some people have mentioned the need to upgrade the pieces for special occasions, seasonal and charity functions. I was thinking that too.
Autumn and winter are for luxurious fabrics in lovely colours. I have a grey velvet top and two velour leisure suits in pink and grey. I’m looking to add some sparkly tops.
I love this wardrobe, but alas – it has not turned cold in this corner of the northern hemisphere where I am – Arizona. But at least it’s only 100 not 118.
I could definitely wear this wardrobe exclusively when I return to Seattle in 2024. These colors are perfect for me and I like the variety of outfits.
Oh dear, I’m posting a lot today, but I was so thrilled when I saw this painting at the Fine arts gallery!
Arwen, enjoy your time in Chicago! 👍.
So I’ll piggyback on the sweater rant—just got a Talbots catalog in the mail and nearly all their heavy sweaters are junky acrylic. Or cotton, which is not warm and horrible if it gets wet. It seems like those, and polyester polar fleece, are the only choices. Or cashmere, which is beautiful but pills and easily wears thin. Even those former bastions of wool sweaters, L.L. Bean and Lands End, are offering very little. Glad I can knit.
I hear you! Merino is about the only natural fiber that’s offered consistently (go sheep!) – places like Banana Republic & Uniqlo do still have classic pieces on offer. Altho even there one has to watch the quality – my (much) older merino sweaters have held up way better than the newer ones.
I am beside myself with my Sezane sweater purchases. These are beautiful, expensive wool blends and they pilled and got weirdly fuzzy looking immediately. This is not something a sweater comb can fix. I don’t get it. People rave about this brand’s knitwear online. You really can’t trust anything you read online. My Uniqlo, 100% lambswool, sweaters did the same thing. Reviewers are complaining that the Lands End Tee featured above is thinner than other seasons. Quality just sucks!
I have grey hair and green eyes and this wardrobe pretty much mirrors what I already wear. Everything blends in with each other beautifully. My greens are mostly a bit softer and more greyed but otherwise it is spot on. I add in a bit of dusty pink as an accent which complements all the other colours.
I think I have had a bit of an epiphany with this post. I do love this painting. It always makes me think of my dad, who I lost a little over a year ago, for several reasons. He loved trains and his hobby was model railroading. And also, gray was his favorite color and he always told me I looked nice when I wore it. As a man of few words, it meant a lot to me when he did complement me. There was a period of time I thought I was a Soft Summer and I wore these colors a lot. I loved how easy the colors blended and worked together but after wearing muted colors for days on end, I did find that it adversely affected my mood. I need the bright warmness of Spring colors. Recently, my company bought me two oxford shirts embroidered with the company logo for wearing to events, one in white and one in gray. While wearing the gray, I noticed in the mirror that it did look quite good with my complexion, and I was transported back. It was like my dad was standing there, complimenting me… a much-needed confidence boost. So, I think it might be worthwhile to bring a little gray back into my wardrobe. And I have been struggling with choosing how to decorate my home office. I have thought about so many different color palettes but just couldn’t settle on something. But this painting might just be the key… something I like that also reminds me of him. Thank you, Janice, for the work you are doing here. It matters so much to all of us, and in lots of unexpected ways. Sending hugs.
P.S. Thank you for the look back, Janice! The combination of warm and cool colors from the Max Weber painting is great inspiration for how I can incorporate gray and a softer teal in my wardrobe of warm tones, and also great inspiration for decorating my office!
Oh yes, I could wear this for a month. In a perfect wardrobe world I might increase the contrast and saturation, but these pieces would still work for my aesthetic. In fact the grey is my winter into spring neutral. Love it.
I’ve got the green eyes and the greying hair so for my 70th birthday I decided to join the Legion of Little Old Blue-Haired Ladies and my hairdresser put in a dozen neon blue tiger stripes. Might be a bit much for this subtle a collection.
I too like the one wardrobe a post format. It really does make it easier to concentrate on more bite sized info instead of the massive data dump of three wardrobes at a time.
My favs are a blending of this painting and the next. My hair is white gray, eyes are light gray and skin a light neutral. For some reason medium toned blues just make me look more alive than any other color. I wear a lot of navy or grays on the bottom. So my wardrobe is like the next painting with blues instead of browns and a bit of gray. This may seem boring to most, but color makes such a difference in how I look than I stick with what works! I do wear touches of red or white for a pop! That and what Lily pointed out, quality is hard to come by. I refuse to buy anything that I do not absolutely love and have learned so much in how to make this all work from Janice.
What a lot of food for thought from this post. This capsule doesn’t hold much appeal for me because the blue and green skew towards gray. I’m not a fan of gray because it not only looks bad on me, but also it just makes me feel unhappy. I do think Janice has done a very nice job putting together a nice look for the folks who can wear it. Would I wear it? If the mythical person paid me a lot of money so I could put together things that I loved later. I nearly had a bit of a fit when reading a few comments though. I was drawn to TVF because it had ideas that I could apply to help me decide what I wanted my wardrobe to be. I work hard to save up for certain things because they are much nicer than what I can purchase locally, but since I read those comments, I have questioned if everything that I own is just junky and horrible which leaves me wondering if we define nicely dressed as expensive fabrics like cashmere and badly dressed as inexpensive ones? Definite food for thought.
To me, nicely dressed means clothes you are comfortable in and make you happy. I would not trade my cozy flannel shirt for a cashmere sweater.
I love this wardrobe (along with the Light, Earth and Blue one) I have teal streaks in my grey hair which are quite bright to start with and soften through the washes. I was thinking of you and your support of Irish rugby as the quarter final approached. I have Ireland in our workplace sweepstake and given how poorly the All Blacks had been playing leading in to the tournament, I would have been happy if Ireland had won the cup as they haven’t done so yet. Both teams played so well – it’s a pity one had to go home at that point.