November 20, 2024
Let’s suppose that you really like what I’m packing for Paris, but you wear coffee brown, cream, toffee… (oh my that sounds tasty!)
Let’s start with the “old school” Common Wardrobe, and see what I can do. For those of you who weren’t here when I first realized the existence of The Common Wardrobe, you can look here to find out what it’s all about. I truly was in a big room full of creative people, and virtually every person was wearing at least one piece…
This is where I started:
Black cashmere turtleneck – Lands’ End; black long-sleeved tee – L.L.Bean; black cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; chambray shirt – J.Crew; white and China blue shirts – Lands’ End; short-sleeved tee shirts – Lands’ End; jeans – L.L.Bean; stone twill pants – L.L.Bean; black knit pants – L.L.Bean
This is how I picture replicating the above wardrobe, only with warmer colors, and with long-sleeved tee shirts, since it is getting close to winter! (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course! I don’t forget my friends in the south…)
Vicuna heather cashmere crewneck – Lands’ End; brown vest – Saks Fifth Avenue; vicuna heather cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; silk shirt – Orvis; natural denim shirt – Lands’ End; striped shirt – Lands’ End; honey beige tee shirt – Lands’ End; coffee long sleeve tee – Lands’ End; ivory tee – Lands’ End; maple brown jeans – L.L.Bean; Heritage stone pants – L.L.Bean; black coffee knit cords – L.L.Bean
You could – of course! – just pack nine of these twelve items, wear the other three, and be pretty well set for any autumn/winter trip. (well, assuming that you don’t try to wear three tee shirts and nothing else – some people do funny things…)
But I like to assemble a travel capsule wardrobe “outfit by outfit,” so that I can be sure of having everything that I need. This way, if I pack two outfits and I’ve run out of space, I know that I have two choices: go with the smaller wardrobe, or get a bigger suitcase. Either way, what I pack has a coherence to it that’s essential.
Let’s start!
Earrings – Auree Jewellery; scarf – Ralu Fine Art; hat – Gobi Cashmere; ivory turtleneck – Lands’ End; toffee heather quarter zip sweater – L.L.Bean; bucket tote – Madewell; jeans – Lands; End; gloves – Gobi Cashmere; boots – Trotters; vest – J.Crew
This heroine is just traveling with a vest – pretty tempting! If you’re just going from a car to an airport to a cab to a hotel, you’re not going to be outdoors enough to need to be burdened with anything heavier/more bulky.
So now, let’s add in a “packable” down coat. I put my coat in the bottom of my suitcase and then pack everything on top of it. By the time I’m done, the coat is packed down to the size of the September edition of Vogue…
earrings – Argentovivo; sweater – J.Crew; alpaca scarf – Novica; silk shirt – Orvis; Golden sand coat – Lands’ End; black coffee knit cords – L.L.Bean; loafers – B.Ø.C.
Knowing full well that you can travel with two outfits and get by (if not happily!), I pack the “iffy duo” next – a sweater vest and light pants. It’s hard to imagine weather being SO cold that a sweater vest isn’t enough under a down coat, but it could happen.
I CAN imagine so much rain and slush that light-colored pants would be daft…
brown vest – Saks Fifth Avenue; earrings – Nordstrom; scarf – Artifact.; natural denim shirt – Lands’ End; Heritage stone pants – L.L.Bean; sheepskin mittens – Australia Lux
This last wardrobe cluster could easily be assembled with pants instead of a skirt. If you’re a leather pants person, this could be where they show up. But I’ve found that a skirt is pretty handy in wet weather, because the hem is so far from the ground that it doesn’t get wet! Pack warm tights – maybe find a pair of fleece-lined ones?
Earrings – Smilla Brav; tee shirts – Lands’ End; cardigan – Peraluna; necklace – Farra; tights – Falke; skirt – YAL New York
Here’s our heroine’s complete travel capsule wardrobe! I must confess – I printed out the image of my wardrobe for Paris, and hung it on my gigantic idea board, right in front of my face…
This wardrobe might not be foolproof, but you would be hard put to pull together a truly ugly outfit from this! Let’s look at eight possibilities:
What could our heroine do if she’s going for a long trip? To me, that would be 3+ weeks. Another pair of jeans or pants, and maybe these things:
Corduroy shirt – L.L.Bean; camel sweater – Banana Republic; boots – Earth; Fair Isle sweater – L.L.Bean
Dreaming about packing – and about other places – feel so nice…
love,
Janice
is anybody interested in one last travel capsule wardrobe in navy and grey, with a touch of…. red? since we’re heading fast into the winter holidays?
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
I could easily live in this capsule. I’ve rediscovered the beauty and versatility of brown leather shoes, bags & belts. It would be so easy to pack a small stack of scarves in bright colors for those of us who crave the variety.
Yes, to another neutrals capsule. LL Bean has an alpine blue (cotton tee, turtleneck and shawl collar top) that is a brighter navy than most. It’s absolutely beautiful and easily distinguishable from black!😁 I’d buy it head to toe and in skirts, blazers and dresses if I could.
Oh yes, I’d love a navy and grey (though I don’t wear red still I can mentally substitute pink or blue or that lovely jewel tone green that is so popular this winter).
Loving this small series!
A navy + grey + ____ wardrobe sounds lovely. Yes please!
This screams Thanksgiving travels…Thank you for creating this! I love warm colors. A million years ago, I had my colors “done” and learned that I’m a deep Autumn. I’m always drawn to these tones. That being said, I’ve never been a slave to a label, so I’ll add pieces from your capsule wardrobe from last post to mix and match for more options. I’m also someone who happily wears brown and black together! For what it’s worth, I own a number of these pieces from J Crew and Bean’s….you’ve inspired me for different ways to pair them, so merci!
Please do post navy, gray and red for the holidays. I’d love it!
Yes please for navy and grey. And fyi – pretty chilly in Paris today and tomorrow (high around 8°C). If your bus is slow to arrive, you want to have several layers on!
Yes to the navy and grey wardrobe with an accent color for the upcoming winter holidays!
Looking forward to seeing if a fun brooch makes it into the accessories collection.
Yes! I would love to see what you put together with navy, gray and red. Navy is my main neutral. But I struggle incorporating gray.