June 17, 2024
I love this scarf – I need another scarf like I need a bad headache, but a silk bandana? With wee ducks all around the edge? Be still by beating heart…
“It Will Be Cool in Paris in October…”
And she’s going to be there for at least two weeks! She’s going to be tutoring English students in perfecting their accents – how fun is that? If things go well, she could be there are long as six weeks! Was there ever a better motivation for doing your best work?
She’s keeping it simple:
She’s going to have a place to stay – a VERY TINY place to stay, she’s been warned. They were particularly specific about letting her know that she shouldn’t bring much luggage, which is true of so many trips we make in life!
Her plan is a 4 by 4 Wardrobe in black, white and denim. She knows that she will be wearing the same outfits more than once, but she also knows that a bunch of college students aren’t going to be obsessed with what she’s wearing, and neither will she!
She’s starting here; of course, this is three outfits – one as shown, one without the blazer, and one without the vest:
scarf – Echo; white shirt – Lands’ End; blazer – Le Réussi; sweater vest – Lands’ End; pearl & onyx necklace – Vintouch Italy; sneakers – Keds; jeans – L.L.Bean
She knows that she wants to pack black pants – they dress up easily, and are boring enough that nobody will notice how frequently she wears them. These pants are perfect to wear with her blazer, and with her black cardigan they give her a “suit-like” ensemble:
Onyx & pearl earrings – Vintouch Italy; cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; scarf – Echo; striped shirt – Lands’ End; bucket tote – Madewell; chino pants – L.L.Bean; loafers – G.H.Bass
She knows her tolerance for cool weather, and cool classrooms – packing a couple of vests makes sense for her. A different heroine might want more sweaters?
scarf – Echo; sweater – Alex Mill; shirt – J.Crew; vest – Lands’ End; ponte a-line skirt – Max Studio; boots – Blondo
At this point, she’s very happy with her clothing choices, but she’s not quite sure what else to pack. Her “not too big” suitcase will hold 13 garments, so if she wears three things, she can plan a wardrobe of 16 pieces. Here’s where she is, so far:
Let’s think carefully about these next five things:
- a black v-neck sweater can be worn on its own with black pants, jeans or her black skirt, or over a tee shirt or any of her button-front shirts;
- she wants to pack a denim dress that can be layered; this dress will easily accommodate a turtleneck or tee shirt under it, as well as her down vest over;
- another print shirt, just because she’s going to need shirts, and she loves black and white print;
- a black cashmere turtleneck goes with every bottom, as well as under her denim dress. It’s the fastest way to get dressed – add a scarf and you’re done! and
- a striped tee shirt goes with both vests, her black v-neck sweater, her black cardigan, and her tweed jacket. If she runs into a surprisingly warm day, she can wear it with nothing over it!
And she could use a pair of “not black and white” loafers, and why not another scarf?
this is where I would add a ton of jewelry, and probably a half-dozen scarves, if I was packing this!
Cashmere v-neck sweater – J.Crew; denim shirtdress – Eileen Fisher; scarf – RaluFineArt; print shirt – Lands’ End; striped tee – LilyCoco; cashmere turtleneck – Lands’ End; loafers – Munro
Here’s where she finds herself:
And this is what it all looks like when not so “arranged.” There are only five print garments here, but it feels like more, to me.
Of course this is an easy wardrobe to wear, but our heroine walks through a dozen outfits, just to reassure herself that she hasn’t gone off track somehow:
This heroine is fortunate that she’s got a four month warning about this assignment – she may want to do a little bit of shopping!
love,
Janice
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Interesting scarf.
“This design plays on the duck-rabbit or rabbit-duck, an iconic illusion that asks us to reconsider perception – which I see as the work of any artist” – Tracy O’Neill
Now I see it! I had to cross one eye, squint the other, and tilt my head. Just kidding a little. So clever. I would love this in navy. Or maybe some kind of pink or perhaps purple.
I wondered about Janice’s duck comment because obviously they are RABBITS! Haha. After reading your comment, I was able to force myself to see them as cartoonish duck figures but this instance of the illusion very strongly says bunny to me.
The two top corners seem to be obvious bunnies, while the two bottom corners are ducks as I see them.
They are BUNNIES! What was I thinking? (you don’t have to answer that!)
hugs,
Janice
Believe me, the students WILL notice what she wears. My daughter and I still talk about the awful dress sense of some of our teachers and lecturers – male and female. With a simple wardrobe like this, her accessories need to creative and a bit unpredictable – ‘edge’. I’m not convinced about the floral scarf, it doesn’t sit well with stripes. I’ve never been convinced that black and denim look right. A black leather biker jacket and close fitting jeans look OK. For me, black and denim look like outfit desperation when everything else is in the wash. Her jeans need to be supremely well fitting – high waisted, dark denim and slightly flared to go with a smart jacket. I don’t wear jeans but my daughter has just bought a pair of well-fitting jeans that look stylish and smart. Better than the boyfriend jeans she also wears. I have a patterned jacket which I love but find limited opportunity to wear it. The check jacket might also not be a workhorse. She might find that the padded gilet becomes her go to for warmth but will not win her points in the style stakes. She needs an accent colour, particularly if she is there for six weeks.
Some of them will notice, but it’s certainly the case that some academics have a “uniform” very like this. One of my colleagues (female) only ever wears black and denim, usually jeans, a black top, black boots. I think she has black jeans, but I’ve never seen her in a color that wasn’t denim. Her only metal is silver. I notice clothes a lot, and there are certain colleagues I long to make over, but with this one, all I ever think is “oh, there’s Amy.”
One can wear a ‘uniform’ which is similar to that worn by the audience. This might make your clothes instantly forgettable but does that make the lecture memorable? Should you be dressing like a student to ‘fit in’, even though you are twice their age? I notice the clothes of speakers and if they are too boring or too jazzy, I stop listening as I give them a mental makeover. I prefer a smart-casual look that looks as if you’ve made the effort but wouldn’t look out of place in the pub later. However, I still need that distinction of colour and pattern.
I see this as a “black and white + third colour type capsule . Thus I would substitute red or green for the denim blue (for me) and I don’t wear black or brown shirts because of the association with fascism . Does anyone else avoid political associations in CLOTHING ? It has just occurred to me as a weird thing to do – since I did not live thru’ the 30s or 40s , unlike my parents .
I sure hope we “don’t go there” on this site. This site should be a neutral site where we can FORGET about the issues of the day and just see clothes as: clothing colors. Rather than trying to suggest an association between a black shirt or a brown shirt with fascism, of all things!! Really?!
Cece, I don’t think she is trying to “suggest” anything. She is merely saying that for her there is an association, which explains her colour choices. (Perhaps that is a common assiciation where she lives due to history, etc.) And she asks if anyone else feels that way about colours (any colours). All you have to say is, that for you, that has never been a consideration.
Oh my gosh i totally do this too but with Blue shirts (which was the Irish version). I work in Engineering and the lads do like to wear blue button up shirts and it can get very samey and if I’m sitting in a meeting with lots of them I definitely have a mental chuckle!
I feel the same way about blue and white shirts or clothing with medium sized vertical stripes. Sometimes other colour stripes. I’ve never said anything to anyone.
This is the perfect travel wardrobe for Autumn in a city! I absolutely adore the elements to it, which can be dressed up or down. My only conundrum would be the dress. To me, it screams beach, rather than layering friendly. I’m curious about what you’d think of this Boden dress as its replacement. It seems to evoke more dressy-city vibes, while giving a bit more coverage.
https://www.bodenusa.com/en-us/laura-jersey-midi-shirt-dress-navy/sty-d0764-nav
I love this! And it certainly suits it’s intended purpose. Having worn a preponderance of black back when I lived in NJ, it wouldn’t suit me personally – wearing black all the time made me feel a little depressed. It’s awfully close to your Common Wardrobe. The jacket is amazing. I’ll disagree with Beth T on the scarf – I would wear both of them with stripes, but then I do a lot of print mixing. Well, I’m off to mix an orange/cream striped shirt under a blue mixed print tunic and orange pants. Have a lovely day everyone.
I tried print mixing with a pair of black/white houndstooth trousers. I tried them with plain and with florals. I was never fully convinced that colour blocking suited me and felt that the patterns jarred. In the end, I wore them with a floral blouse and a coordinating jumper on top. I sent them to a charity shop in the end. It was an experiment that I was not happy with. Some other person would be able to ‘rock the look’ and appear fabulous and well groomed.
Hi Beth – don’t know if you’ll see this or not – it’s Tuesday – don’t know how many people check back on “off” days. Anyway, I think houndstooth would be hard to mix unless it was a small check. It’s all about the the size of the prints for me. I’ve found if the prints are small they are easier to mix. I don’t know if you get “Gossip Girl” (the original one, its really old) in UK, but that show started me in print mixing. They do it beautifully. Sometimes it works, sometimes it really doesn’t.
I love reading your posts and most of the time get very useful recommendations from them!! However this one I think you need to realize that not many places in France have AC ( even restaurants,hotels, classrooms etc)!! Even in so toner she might be HOT. So, I would suggest at least a few short sleeve or even sleeveless tops and a very lightweight sweater. Also a “pop” color like a red scarf or accessory!
She’s not leaving until mid-October; I would never send a heroine to Europe (except maybe the coast of Ireland!) with this wardrobe in the summer! It was a very early request for a wardrobe, because our friend, the heroine, is going to do some shopping and wants to have time to do it properly…
hugs,
Janice
Love the jacket. This isn’t a wardrobe for me – need more color and light – but it’s a solid start. Seems there should be another bottom to give the heroine more options. And a different dress, maybe lighter denim or linen, that could be casual or dressier depending on the accessories.
This approach reminds me of a teacher I had in college in the early 1970s who was from Germany and taught German. It was obvious to me that she was working with a small wardrobe but she always looked stylish and classy. I remember one combo of a black pencil skirt, light pink jewelneck cashmere sweater, a strand of pearls, and black pumps. That was probably my first introduction to a capsule wardrobe, and I wondered then if it was a European approach to dressing.
What a fun exercise! Janice, you find some lovely clothes as always:) it’s a delight to see.
A few thoughts for consideration: I’m assuming black suits our heroine. I agree with Beth T about students noticing what their teachers wear, BUT I read your point as the students won’t care if she repeats outfits, which I agree. From my experience, outside the US, nobody cares if you repeat an outfit in your daily life. (Special occasions can be another story). I think if the colors suit her and the fit is impeccable, this wardrobe works great. I like Beth’s accessories suggestions, and I love the idea of packing multiple styles of accessories (edgy, floral, menswear -insp, romantic….) not much room required, but easy to reflect your mood. I might change the denim dress for something I could dress up more, but that’s just me.
My question: 2+ weeks and no comfy lounge wear or gym clothes??? I’d need leggings and a tunic tee at minimum… When you say small bag, holds 13 garments, I assume room for toiletries, PJs, underwear. If it has room for 3 pairs of shoes that are not sandals/ ballet flats and gym/workout wear…. Id love to own this magic bag!!!
I loved the thought exercise! Last summer I was in Italy for work – 5 weeks, extended to 6, 1 carry on and a backpack. The lady at the airport was in shock. A tribute to reading your blog for so long!!!!
Interesting! I just tried this with my own wardrobe – I’d sub out the black & white patterns & add in some teal, camel & charcoal solids, swap the dress for a simple pencil skirt and a pair of charcoal pants, add another jacket instead of the vest & a polartec instead of the puffer… ok, so it would look totally different if it was me. But the 4×4 concept + laundry works, even if the trip does get extended!
A co-worker used to say that you can repeat an outfit after 3 days and no one will remember. Exceptions would be outfits that are overall too memorable as in a bold color, striking pattern, etc. But bold separates are a work around this perception.
This looks like just the ticket for October heading into November in Europe. She will need warm, water resistant outer wear. Maybe swap the blazer for a Barbour. Loved the look back. I had never seen that post before, so I read a few more posts of that process. Illuminating and useful!
I like this! I could do this in navy with a few more pieces such as the plaid blazer. I would happily mix any of these patterned shirts with the blazer as well as the scarf. But would need more scarves. I also think I would need some short sleeves. But maybe not. Even though I grew up in the cold frozen north, I sometimes don’t know how cold feels at whatever temp and depending on the humidity that changes it all.
The denim dress. It looks very summery to me so I would choose the one from lands end that we’ve seen before. The navy knit dress on the Boden site, while very cute,, doesn’t fit the scheme bc it’s not denim. Also we don’t know if our heroine wants denim for the fabric or the color. Maybe both?
And finding the perfect fitting jeans? A life quest for every heroine!
Oh, the long sleeved, button front denim dress…yes that would be better, I think!
I love the idea of the black white and denim wardrobe and am trying to figure out how I can adapt it to a 35 day trip to the Dolomites area in September. Of course I would have to add in some hiking gear for various day hikes. Any ideas Janice? Oh, that 35 days includes a brief pre-trip to Spain.
I would add in two sets of hiking gear, and then stop. It’s easy to think “oh, 35 days means that I need lots more clothing” but in reality it just means that you need to be sure that you’ve got laundry facilities available. Laundry is MUCH easier than hauling luggage!
hugs,
Janice
I love these type of posts. I am 2 weeks into a 3 week trip in Scotland and brought 15 pieces, planning to buy a sweater for the 16th. Thanks to years of following The Files, I’ve been carry on only for a long time and 4×4 is my favourite system. My colours are even in the look back. Navy and grey with pink, purple and white. I do struggle with shoes though. 1 to wear and 1 in the bag are all I seem to manage unless it’s a warm weather trip and you’re packing flip flops. Still, it’s fun to think I could bring that perfect pair of ankle boots.
Great wardrobe – although since neither black nor white work for me I’d change the colors.
My problem is that many of my trips are work-related: I go to France and spend several months working in an office. No, no one expects different clothes every day, but *I* want some variety, but in addition I need exercise wear, weekend attire etc. Plus the weather changes. I’m preparing to pack for a 2-year move (limited to a few suitcases) and it’s not easy!
Ooo sounds fun!!! I did 6M abroad ( weather wise it was winter, spring, summer) in 2 suitcases total. After the experience, I think I could have cut down a bit, but I was happy with the variety. Incase it helps you, here is what I did:
I started with bottoms. Packed 4 3season work trousers, 1 jeans, 1 leggings, 2 summer weight work ankle trousers 2 skirts. For each bottom i picked 5 tops: 1 heavy winter, 3 medium weight, 1 summer weight… For the summer bottoms the heavy winter was switched to hot summer. I think I had enough variety even skipping one of the work bottoms, I might have used that trouser to handle cardigans. One dress, since I wasn’t a dress person at the time. Tons of scarves ( 10+)and jewelry, sneakers, ankle boots, ballet flats, sandals. Had a blazer, spring jacket, rain jacket, heavy winter coat.a bathing suit and pareo.
The concept is similar to Janice’s cluster packing. The color story was all over the place, each trouser was a different neutral, and more than half the tops worked with multiple bottoms. I could LIVE out of that forever, I considered purging my closet when I got home, but my weight keeps fluxing. Maybe I will stabilize, some day.
I did a variation with a single season for 6weeks away ( summer) with a tighter color palette ( navy, grey-to-cream as neutrals, accents in olive, black, brown, pink, blue) in a carry on and backpack. Sneakers, sandals, ankle boots. Was really tired of it by the end, but it was workable. Part of the problem was it was too hot and I had packed to cover 60-90°F… It was over 100F for 1.5 weeks. I never needed the light blazer I brought as a jacket, I could have packed 3 more tank tops instead…
Anyhow, pack things that make you feel happy, pretty, and like YOU. Cover your weather bases. You can always shop/ expand while you are there. For variety I like scarves and jewelry in bold and varied and opposite colors: navy and pink, navy and green, navy and purple – none feel like a “repeat”. Some days a scarf, some days plain, some days jewelry is the star…
I got carried away. Sorry. I hope it is of some help to you!
Twenty something years ago, I had a professor from France that wore the same outfit every day for a week at a time. I was flabbergasted. Especially growing up in the Florida Keys where I often changed my clothes after school every day from the heat and humidity.
Well I think this is a genius wardrobe. Brilliant for anyone starting a professional job or people fronting job. It’s very consistent (some might find that boring) which is actually super useful for when you are tired (perhaps working Mum etc) and you just don’t want to put brainpower into your clothes. The consistency will actually make you look more professional as it’s a kind of signature uniform. It’s also great for when you want a difference between public / work persona and private life. I’m sure she’ll find herself some fun and colourful outfit tops and jumpers in France.