October 4, 2024
Have you started autumn shopping? I’m NOT buying anything this fall – I don’t have enough space in my closet for what I already own! These closets are not working out as I had dreamed…
But let’s see how our heroines are doing – they always inspire me!
We are inspired by the above painting, although it isn’t working out as I had envisioned – it turns out that shades of blue don’t work as nicely together as I had originally thought! Nevertheless, this wardrobe is pretty cool…
As of the end of September, she had these tops:
and these bottoms:
She has some great jewelry, and scarves:
And all of the essential bags & shoes:
She can always find something useful, though!
This month, she was determined to get her hands on corduroy pants, as well as another navy cardigan. Then she browsed for things in navy and ivory – and found a plaid shirt that includes a touch of light blue, too!
striped cotton turtleneck – J.Crew; scarf – Elizabetta; cotton beret – State of Georgia; navy cardigan – J.Crew; flannel shirt – Caslon; corduroy pants – J.Crew; waterproof suede boots – Blondo
It takes virtually NO styling skill at all to find a ton of new outfits in this wardrobe!
I never wore a school uniform, so I could easily see the appeal of wearing navy and white, with a few touches of French blue, every day!
Our next heroine start her wardrobe with the most basic neutrals, and then ignores EVERYTHING her grandmother ever told her about pink and orange…
At the end of September, her wardrobe looked like this:
And her accessories were this – so delectable!
This heroine truly had no clear plan when she started shopping, so when she saw the black & white toile skirt and blouse, she was SOLD!
A simple black sweater is handy, because she can wear the sweater with her new skirt, or any other “bottom” in her wardrobe. And the pink sweater is just irresistible…
Necklace – Emerrie; toile shirt – J.Crew; black turtleneck – J.Crew; sequined bag – Simitri; sweet pea v-neck cashmere sweater – J.Crew; skirt – J.Crew; booties – Bella Vita
I’m sure that the plan should be to wear the toile blouse and skirt together, but to me that feels sort of mumsy… and I missing something? Still, this heroine isn’t going to struggle to wear her new clothes!
Our last heroine for October is passionate about this painting – a confounding but beguiling mixture of brights and pastels…
It’s not surprising that her wardrobe includes more soft colors than intense ones – that’s what MUCH easier to find available.
And she has some wonderful accessories – her scarf collection is a thing of wonder…
Even with orange in her wardrobe, autumn is a tough season for this heroine – nobody thinks of beige or ivory as a cool-weather color…
But how about Winter White? Do you remember when you could find winter white wool clothes EVERY year, in October or November?
Earrings – Kendra Scott; flannel shirt – Lands’ End; scarf – Totême; turtleneck – Lands’ End; green tee – Lands’ End; winter white corduroy pants – Madewell; shoes – Camper
She stills dresses in a lighter overall “look” than most of us, but her new clothes help her feel like autumn has arrived in her wardrobe too!
Which one of these gave you some ideas?
I’m in a wardrobe funk right now, between the lack of adequate space in our new closets, and my need to pack tonight (i.e. Wednesday night) for a trip to New York tomorrow…
And it’s going to be in THE UPPER 70S there. Not really autumn…
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, I was back from Paris, and reporting on what people were wearing. Hosiery was back, as was burgundy!
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Love these! I’m obsessed with the black and white blouse and skirt from J. Crew. I believe this is truly seasonless and would be a great addition to any capsule because you can accessorize with a cardigan or blazer in any color. What a great find!
I’m with you, Ellen s. I love the toile pieces. The skirt is out of the question for me because it doesn’t come in petite. But I could certainly make the shirt work even in misses size. The question is, do I NEED it?
I’m going to look through my clothes this afternoon and see if it would make sense for me to get it.
I so agree on the shirt and skirt. I love patterned pieces and these would be so versatile in a capsule wardrobe as they can be worn together to appear like a dress or separately with other tops and bottoms. Too bad I don’t wear black and they don’t offer a navy option.
This toile pairing reminded me so much of Janet Wallach’s book:
Amazon – Working Wardrobe Paperback – January 1, 1988
by Janet Wallach (Author)
Great at the time, but now? Agree re two together being “mumsy” (whatever that is!), but wd be a great starting point for a black+white+color capsule.
I think the blue wardrobe is lovely, even though it may not look quite like you imagined in your head. I hate when that happens! I love green, but I’m not sure about the green in the last wardrobe, to me it kind of sticks out. But then, that’s when I’m looking at everything as a whole, not the individual outfits, which is quite different. I have three fuchsia items in my wardrobe that I’m sure someone could say the same about, but I only wear them with each other (mostly) and I love them. And people love them on me, so there’s that. Have a great weekend everyone!
Each of these capsules is… well… captivating. I can see endless possibilities in each of them.
Going out on a limb here to say the two toile pieces don’t have to look mumsy. Accessories really can do the job! I’d love to see what the rest of you think. How would you style this two-piece dress to make it look smashing?
One thing I do know is that I love two-piece “dresses” as a starting point for packing.
Fair point, and fun ask! For the 2-piece, I think the critical part is where on the leg the skirt hits you (flattering vs not) and what shoes you pair will be very important. Personally I’d go for hits at/just below the knee, modern shoes, a wide belt and statement earrings. Probably roll up the sleeves too, maybe add a bracelet depending on how dressy or not I want to be. ( By modern shoes I mean something like the orange sandals from the Klee instead of the orange sandals from the Rothko, if that makes more sense.) I think pairing the traditional print with pieces with more of an “edge” to them makes it a little more modern and a little less “mumsy”. My 2cents :)
ezzy, I agree with you; the length of the skirt needs to hit around knee level, I think you are spot on about accessories. The new booties in the Rothko would look great with the two-piece dress as well as the sandals from the Klee. As you said, roll up the sleeves on the shirt, unbutton a couple buttons to show a little skin, but not too much. that and the cute pleats and slit on the skirt would definitely keep it current.
I’m still pondering that shirt. I added it to my inspiration looks on my Stylebook app and I’m virtually trying it out with different clothes I already have.
ak,
I would add a large black belt to break up the two pieces and make it look more like a joined dress than 2 individual pieces. Yes, they would be great for packing ! Belts always add a sense of polish anyway, IMHO !
Love the Rothko – not necessarily for the colors, but for the vibe. Maybe it doesn’t all “hang together seamlessly” but I like its variety. I see more patterns – stripes, florals, now toile. I see more silhouettes – tunics, flutter sleeves, classic. I feel like its the type of wardrobe I go for – some days I want to be all classic, some days I want to inject some whimsy (I LOVE the flutter sleeve 2-1 top), some days a flowy tunic is the way to go, some days a more fitted “refined” non-tank sleeveless blouse.
The Magil definitely is fond of stripes, and highly committed. Nothing wrong with that! and I love the plaid shirt additions – I finally gave in and bought myself one in pink and blue (men’s work-shirt) and I’m loving it :)
Great work as always Janice, and happy Friday everyone!
I still love the all blue wardrobe best. I think the Klee wardrobe with those ivory basics could definitely be worn here in the South where it never gets super cold in the winter.
Beautiful.
I’ve worn so much blue this year in all shades. Today, I’m wearing navy trousers and a light turquoise blue hoodie. I do remember wearing Winter White coats in the 1980’s/1990’s. I’m not sure that I would suit the colour now. I rarely wear cream/white.
I thought the all blue wardrobe would be my favourite and I use navy as the base for my travel wardrobe. Now that I’ve figured that out, it’s much easier to plan and pack. I do not use white with it though. I use a couple of ivory tops (1 short sleeve, 1 long sleeve). I mix in an accent colour (rust or yellow or olive or red or another blue). I keep the shoes, bags and leather trim to the colour of my hair which is cognac, saddle, strawberry blonde. I love the blue painting and I love a blue, easy travel wardrobe. The white is not for me though. All in all, Dans Le Parc and the all blue are my favourites. Thanks for another great morning wake up post :)
New York may be in the upper 70’s, not feeling very fall-like. New Orleans is in the upper 80’s. I wish it were a little cooler. I’ve been too hot all summer long.
I’m with you. I am so ready for more fall-ish weather. Though it is dark and rainy today for us, by Sunday-Monday I see highs back up to 70.
I’m still in favor of mixing the blue with the gray and red.
I have two wardrobes, one of which holds jackets and coats. We need them now.
I love the Rothko wardrobe which surprises me every month because I never would’ve anticipated at the beginning of the year that one would appeal to me so much.
I also like the all blue wardrobe … but jeans and a navy blue T-shirt is one of my go to “uniforms.”
I live in Blues, plus Teal and Green, but the Pink and Yellow Orange wardrobe is just wonderful! I am so drawn to it – can’t even describe the joy when I look at those colours together.
I adore the blue wardrobe – I wear lots of blue anyway.
I think the black and white top and skirt would look great styled as a dress. Also, the top worn as a jacket over the pink tank would probably look good