August 28, 2024
I didn’t know that Charles Rennie Mackintosh painted! I knew lots of others things that he did, but not this kind of lovely thing:
Such lovely colors…
Suddenly, many heroines among us are traveling to events – weddings, christenings, graduations, reunions – and are NOT being given a whole lot of guidance about appropriate attire!
Maddening. And inconsiderate. But we shall rise above, right?
First, try to get better information. Still, that’s not always possible, so what else can one do?
I picture a heroine traveling in a casual outfit, with a cardigan jacket that has all kinds of possibilities:
Spring green tee – Lands’ End; earrings – Petit Moments; belt – B-Low the Belt; chinos – L.L.Bean; cardigan – Lands’ End; scarf – Elizabetta; loafers – LifeStride; duffle bag – MFK Collection
She doesn’t want to pack a whole ton of things – although that’s a possible solution!
But she’s packing:
- a dressy but short-sleeved sweater with a swingy, satiny skirt to start,
- a sparkly top with matching satiny pants,
- a cashmere sweater that can be worn with either the skirt or the pants,
- and a chambray shirt – this woman is going to need to dress AFTER the event!
She need shoes, a dressy bag, a pretty scarf/wrap, and just a couple of pieces of jewelry. It’s a quite compact wardrobe:
Chambray shirt – J.Crew; bracelet – Biko; pearl earrings – Margot Bardot; grey cashmere sweater – J.Crew; sequined camisole – Anne Klein; satin pants – J.Crew; metallic wrap – Nordstrom; satin skirt – J.Crew; cashmere sweater – Nordstrom; crystal clutch – Touch of Nina; latte loafers – Birdies; taupe flats – Munro
When she gets all of her clothes together for her trip, we can see all kinds of possibilities:
She walks very carefully through her possible outfits, to be absolutely certain that she’s not forgetting anything. Realizing that you only have shoes for one outfit makes your decision for you about what to wear!
Yes, this last outfit could be for her return home, or for the event… it could be a picnic!
Just one piece of clothing with beads, or sequins, or embroidery, can make a huge difference in a travel capsule wardrobe. I recently purchased a black and white striped tee shirt that’s covered with sequins! I plan to wear it with velvet pants, unless I wear it with jeans…
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, we revisited one of my favorite heroines – the architectural historian with the lavish personal style…
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
It’s definitely a puzzler when no dress code is given. Maybe the best indicator – although it’s far from a foolproof guide – is the venue’s level of fanciness. ❓❓ Beyond that, I always prefer to err on the side of dressiness; I would far rather be overdressed than underdressed.
Speaking of dressing up, I just adore that look back post (the full triad)! I love that heroine and her classy personal style. It’s fun to see really nice things once in a blue moon!
Maybe it’s just me but there seems to be a difference between pre and post pandemic clothes. The 2019 and earlier clothes seemed to have more variety and interest. Again, that’s a very personal observation.
Wendy, I have noticed the difference in clothes, too. In the world, not just on Janice’s site. When I go to the look backs it’s particularly noticeable. Even when I shop for basics like T shirts! To adapt, when I find something good, I tend to stock up.
Thank you for the confirmation! Sometimes I wonder if my imagination is simply overactive.
There’s actually a documented reason for things being less interesting. Manufacturers are trying to re-use the same patterns and forms while just changing things around the edges. So a t-shirt remains the same cut, but the flutter sleeve becomes a puff sleeve and the colors change slightly. And that’s it. From season to season the clothing companies are sticking with similar fashions.
On top of that, the pandemic did make all retailers gun-shy of branching out too much because of supply chain disruptions. Maybe that will change soon?
And finally the “quiet luxury” trend means neutrals and basics were huge – only of course you have to have impeccably tailored and made neutral basics for them to really fit the trend and most brands aren’t that.
That’s very interesting- thank you explaining the reasoning for the same old/same old fashions. It does make business sense when it’s broken down. I do miss the variety of the years past. I may need to see myself a couple of items to break up the monotony.
This is so pretty! I love the satin skirt very much. I dress mine down with a graphic tee, a denim jacket and slip on sneakers. I also adore the sparkle top….that is just such a fun piece. Have a beautiful day, Janice!
Very pretty, elegant, chic! I love the satin, sequins and cashmere! And the wrap and clutch! Thank you so much, Janice!
Great colors. Understated and elegant. And just beautiful clothes! Dressy yet comfortable.
You definitely nailed the “moment” today – I’ve got two weddings coming right up. That cardigan is on its way here. 😊. (And I was delighted to discover that it was 50% off!)
I like it a lot and agree that one dressy top will go a long way to transform a relatively simple look to an event look. Even without the satin skirt the change is noticeable and lovely.
I wouldn’t take the taupe flats I don’t think they make much difference to the looks and I would happily wear the latte loafers as my dressy shoes.
The number of possible outfits are many and varied and really wearable and look comfortable.
I love this wardrobe! It reminds me of peridots and aquamarine or blue topaz. My aunt always said to dress better than you think you should. If you end up being overdressed, you tell the hosts that you just left another event. It becomes a compliment to the host that you left a fancy event to visit them.
The colors are just up my alley! Such lovely clothes and accessories from which to compose an outfit.
At work they used to tell us to wear “dressy casual” on Fridays.
What…?😅🤔
I was curious about other colors in the satin pants, and the ones in burgundy look terrific on-screen…and the navy and black also look good…for heroines who prefer a darker neutral. I think these pants could have true “dress up or down” versatility to get value out of them long after the travel event is history. I’m getting a smile considering the black satin pants with a graphic T, denim shirt or jacket, and the black Adidas from earlier in the week (which I ordered and love, by the way…even though the sole is a bit lighter in color than I’d expected rather than black, it still looks good).
I brought a pair of black satin pants and a pair of sage coloured silk full leg pants on a cruise this spring which I found to be just dressy enough with my assorted tops and jewelry for dinner each evening. A sequinned tank top gave the dressiest look and took up little room in the suitcase. I left my dressy sage coloured sandals at home and made do with one pair of comfy black sandals which could also be worn for day excursions. It certainly made dressing for the ship’s “elegant casual” dress code easy and light to pack.
Right after reading this post, I checked out my favorite fabric website and found this:
https://www.mendelgoldbergfabrics.com/specials/blush-sequin-boucle-lhzl2
Seems like we’re on the same (sequin-y) page, ladies!
Penelope – thanks for this link! As a person who used to sew 3/4 of her wardrobe, but who now lives in a VERY rural area, our high-quality fabric options are non-existent and I never know where to look. I predict hours of browsing in my future!
I had to laugh when I saw this. One of my boys is getting married Dec 21 and the bride’s ultimate goal is just to have people be comfortable. Says so right on the invitation. She even invited people to wear an ugly Christmas sweater if they so desired. I’m doing little better than that with a pine green velvet jacket and pants, but will change to my ugly Christmas sweater for the reception! I’m so glad they spelled it out though. I am more generally over dressed than under dressed – think that comes from my upbringing. Sometimes it’s very hard to know though.
You’ll look fabulous in your velvet suit. My daughter said the same to me about being comfortable. I wore a Hobbs burgundy silk floral maxi dress to her wedding last year. It had a very swishy skirt – great for dancing!
Well this is giving some fancy outfits to expand the Nash wardrobe. I love bit of sparkle and shine but not sequins as they can get caught in things.
I bought a sparkly silver knitted zip up cardigan recently. A bargain because I had gift vouchers and just paid 30p for the bag. I also bought a silvery shoulder bag in the sales.
I wore the cardigan with black crepe trousers for a conference dinner on a boat. I didn’t know the dress code as I was my husband”s guest. I wanted to be smart but luxuriously casual. I think.I pulled it off.
Man, I LOVE that flashback. She’s possibly my favorite heroine ever. I’d say I aspire to her style, but I’m a little too chaotic to pull off that level of serene gorgeousness.
Love it!
This wardrobe is so lovely and so versatile. I don’t know that I could justify a sequin cami, although I’d love to try. The J Crew satin skirt is something I’ve been drooling over. Sadly, it doesn’t come in petite and it’s 31” long. That’s over half my height. So I’m now looking at the silk minis by Quince. They should hit about knee length on me. The pearl earrings are fabulous (Chef’s kiss).
I would enjoy wearing these clothes all the time. However, most of these fit in my aspirational category instead of my reality category. No matter, I’ll add a few pieces here and there and be the best dressed woman at book club.
I agree with Wendy. The look back, the full triad as she said, is amazing. I’ve highlighted a quote ,
“ She will always look like herself, and never be mistaken for anybody else…”. What a lovely idea! I love seeing all the more practical clothes and then the touch of fantasy added.
Janice, you transform my mornings from drudgery to inspiring. Thanks!
You’re welcome.
This is my second favorite site. It’s a step down couture-wise, but they seem to be upgrading. They’re very good at the middle-market, Lands’ End/Banana Republic level.
https://bandjfabrics.com/fabrics/all
What’s wrong with just asking what level of ‘dress’ should one be considering. We were invited to a wedding at a very posh venue that indicated ‘black tie optional’ and had no idea what that meant for the women. Weddings we attend the men wear a good suit and tie, women in cocktail length or a dressy pair of pants or suit.
Turns out it meant if you have a tux wear it but also if you have a ball gown you’re also good to go…or a barely bum revealing lace mini dress…🙄we dressed in our usual look and were fine!
I think we can take decide from the venue how we’ll dress clearly a farm wedding will be different from a posh country club. All the looks Janice shows look like they would fit in anywhere at any level of dress. Just the shoes… I could not with the suede flats and satin skirt, a little kitten heel or sandal would elevate the look so much. If I needed to wear flats I’d stick with the satin pants even then….
Not a thing! But sometimes you never get a good answer, and you end up feeling like the pest for asking over and over…
hugs,
Janice