February 28, 2024
Monday, our heroine started with her new bracelets, and assembled a small but cheery wardrobe to pack for a meditation retreat…
This was her wardrobe – doesn’t this just feel bright, light and clean?
white cardigan – Eileen Fisher; silver earrings – Marie June Jewelry; Voyage to Tibet Bracelets – Fierce Lynx Designs; malachite earrings – Lacoste; lapis earrings – Mine Finds by Jay King; blue cardigan – Alex Mill; yellow shirt – Alex Mill; tunic – Lands’ End; white tee shirt – Lands’ End; red tee – Alex Mill; green belt – Giani; red tie belt – Isabel Marant; twilly scarf – Lost Pattern; green shirt – Alex Mill; dress – Lands’ End; square scarf – Jessie Zhao New York; pants – Lands’ End; shorts – Lands’ End; silver bag – J.Crew; yellow sandals – Naturalizer; white sandals – Naot; red sandals – Naturalizer; sneakers – Keds
She had a wonderful retreat – and she was very happy with her travel capsule wardrobe. So much so that she decided to add another neutral and make this her warm weather wardrobe for at least a year or two…
But what neutral? Black would work, but might be hard to wear with yellow or green on a regular basis. Beige might wilt when paired with bright accents, as might olive or any other muted color…
Navy. It’s obvious, really…
Navy cardigan – L.L.Bean; tank top – Lands’ End; earrings – Anthropologie; cabled sweater – L.L.Bean; chinos – L.L.Bean; Bermuda shorts – L.L.Bean; tote bag – Talbots; tee shirt – Lands’ End; sandals – Naot; loafers – Birdies
Her target number of garments for her warm weather wardrobe is 24, so she has plenty of space to add some more accent colors!
gingham shirt – Boden; blue & green earrings – Golden Horn Jewellery; red earrings – Toolally; yellow cardigan – Boden; striped top – Boden; bright stripes wrap – Echo; red gauze top – J.Crew; green espadrilles – Toms; blue sandals – Birkenstock
And she finally admits that there’s no way she’s going to have navy and white in her wardrobe without having some navy and white stripes! They’re classic, and always seem to look fresh…
Striped tee – J.Crew; Casablanca bandana – Echo; polo shirt – L.L.Bean; cropped pants – L.L.Bean; white denim skirt – Hidden Jeans; navy & white ballet flats – Vionic; sneakers – Frankie4
NOW, her wardrobe is ready for all but the most sweltering days – that’s what swimsuits are for…
Our heroine is not at all concerned about how she’s going to get dressed each day – it would be tough to put a foot wrong with this wardrobe! (and yes, 10 pairs of shoes! many of us might not have all of these…)
But just for the heck of it, let’s look at her new pants, shorts and skirt, to see how they might be worn:
When I look at this wardrobe, I come away feeling that 24 garments is a sufficient number for warm weather. This number might be back in a week or two…
love,
Janice
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This is a perfect summer wardrobe for me. Enough color to keep me from getting bored and enough neutrals to make it classic and easy to wear.
I have some similar items in my closet so I won’t have to break the bank to complete my version of this.
Once again, Janice, you’ve hit a home run.
This is my wardrobe, all the colors I wear well as a true spring in the color analysis system. It is a good system but you will do well to have your colors done by someone with an eye, so it is personal and not one size fits all, which of course it never really does. This wardrobe so looks like my current one. I am loving the true bright colors! They are my very best ones. Muted colors are horrid on me.
Sounding like a broken record, I’m just not feeling the white. Purely a personal preference. I do love the navy additions. At one time I would have been all over these brights. Not so much any more, which I find interesting. I would still wear the green, probably not the yellow or red in solids, but maybe in a print. Overall if I try to be more objective it’s a really nice wardrobe if you can manage the white. People tend to ask me if I’m tired when I wear white…🤣
What a delight. I’d never be bored with this wonderful selection of colors and clothes. It’s just so fresh, pretty, versatile and snappy.
Echoing the delight of such a variety of accent colors with a coherent plan :) Fabulous job, as always. 24 items of clothing look like such abundance here, doesn’t it? (maybe its all the shoes)
Crisp capsule. Even though navy is one of my core neutrals, I would go with black. Not only for the contrast but as a reference to the colors of the 5 Chinese elements – water/black, green/blue/wood, red/fire, yellow/earth and white/metal. I have a similar bracelet with those colors that I wear when feng shui is involved such as a consultation.
This is what I love about this group – you learn something everyday. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome. The colors and the Tibet connection tipped me off. There is more information about the symbolism in the description of this bracelet set. Even mentions the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” which we used in feng shui training. Always click on Janice’s link so she gets credit.
https://fiercelynxdesigns.com/products/voyage-to-tibet-gemstone-bracelet-set?utm_campaign=voyage-tibet&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=janice&utm_term=voyage-tibet&utm_content=text
BTW, this bracelet is sold out but you can request email notification when it is back in stock. Fierce Lynx Designs are beautiful and thoughtful creations, glad to discover them through TVF.
Well done, as always. I am another person who cannot wear large chunks of white, although it adds just the right pop when under a sweater and only small portions show. I loved the look back. It reminded me so much of my Mom and the colors she loved to wear! Thank you for that!
I just love seeing these bigger wardrobes! They feel much more “livable” for a long period of time. 9-13 is good for a weekend to a week long trip but I would go nuts if I had to wear the same thing for too much longer than that. I found that out when I was transitioning sizes recently. I’m not a maximalist, but I sure am not a minimalist either! Choices are a very good thing in my book! And I adore the white and navy cores! So fresh and pretty!
Love this one! I spot a lot of multi- season pieces here. And finding color pop footwear is another of your superpowers, Janice. I love the green gingham shirt.
I love the navy and white too and I do need the accent colors. But I would adjust them slightly for my own coloring. Now, I have lots and love shoes!!! Sneakers in the colors of the 2 neutrals? Check. Sandals, loafers, dress shoes in the neutrals? Check. Fun shoes to match the accents tops? Check.
A challenge for me, is all the long sleeves bc I live in SugarLand! (Houston). I have mostly dropped my second layers (already) for daily wear but still wear a cardigan for church. So all but 1-2 long sleeves would be changed to short sleeves.
So then here is the real challenge. How does one create outfits that look finished and polished without the second layer? For a while I consider my scarves as a second layer. And that seems to work. Until the temps hit 90*+. Then I just melt. Or do my reverse hibernation and stay inside until things cool down!
I used to live in Houston and now live in Abilene, and I have the same problem! Even jeans will be too hot very soon. I haven’t solved the layering issue yet, but dresses and skirts do help an outfit seem more finished than shorts, even if your top is sleeveless.
I also live in a hot summer climate. Six months of shorts and t-shirts! But the 24 is an interesting number. 16 short sleeve shirts, 4 shorts, a dress, a skirt, two lightweight second layers, and I just bought a second pair of summer weight pants as at age 70 it seems like shorts aren’t the best choice everywhere. Watching for nice shorts in a longer length. And I only have 3 summer shoes. I wear extra-wide so it’s hard. But as said above, this feels workable to me.
Also in Sugar Land so second layers are not as important/necessary. It does cut down on the “polished” look but at 100 degrees plus that’s the way it goes. I like how striped, checked, polka dot, etc. adds interest. Scarves in my hair used as a belt or on my purse also help. And dresses look fairly polished on their own and are comfortable in the heat. I had to count the items because it seems like more. The number of shoes as someone else said adds to the looks.
I love this fun, cheery wardrobe!! Personally I would probably take the white pieces and sub some chambray/denim for most of them. I love a good white tee, but on the bottom white is a no go! But all these colors are so pretty! Thanks Janice! :)
This wardrobe looks a lot more balanced with the navy, though still a tad too much white. I would add in coloured bottoms.. A few years ago, I made a note of the number of garments on repeat and tried to work out a ratio – 8 bottoms, 6/8 second layers and 14/16 bottoms.
The striking second picture in the look back was intriguing. Amongst the sea of people wearing dull colours – black, olive and navy, the man in brown stands out. There are occasional flashes of accent colours – green, purple, burgundy, red and bright blue.
Love the addition of the navy and the stripes (and the navy flats tipped with white). I would make a few substitutions in my own version:
-Substitute chambray shorts for the white ones
-Substitute a multi-color print skirt or pants for the white pants
-Substitute a pinky coral or warm pink accent color for the yellow (it wouldn’t match the bracelets but would be more wearable for me)
-Substitute sneakers/flats for the sandals
I would also need at least one top and one scarf that combined as many of the accent colors as possible as bridge pieces since I am more of a color integrator than a color blocker.
Hot climate friends, I hear you – I went to college in Houston and wore sleeveless tanks and shorts for much of the year. I remember winter being a short-sleeved shirt and jeans with a light t-shirt weight cardigan on the “cold” days. I think playing with color, texture, and prints in your few necessary garments and shoes can go a long way to adding interest to outfits. Polished is definitely a challenge (and one I probably could not meet!) but I think finished is quite doable even without a third piece. A coordinated outfit that looks intentional and has well-thought-out details can give a finished look. I like the scarf in the hair suggestion or tied to a bag suggestion. Statement earrings that are lightweight but impactful can also add a lot to an outfit.
While not my colors, what I do like about this wardrobe is the variety of accent colors. This template could be any color scheme…two neutrals, maybe add a white, and three or four accent colors. My own scheme is caramel/black/ivory/rust/olive/teal. Cohesive, but still plenty of variety.
OOOO what a lovely sounding color combination! I wish i could wear those colors together – it sounds elegant, classy, and unique.
I think you are right – 2 neutrals, your preferred white (ivory/bone/beige/eggshell), and 3-4 accents. Similar to Janice’s “start from scratch” which were 2 neutrals, white, and 2 accents … but more accents!! :) For me, I find cutting into the “white” core a bit to add other accents helps keep the number of pieces down (in my head at least)
I love this wardrobe!!
Debbie Freely your wardrobe number and breakdown sounds perfect.