January 1, 2025
Happy New Year! We’ve got new paintings, new heroines, and new wardrobes to build – what fun!
This year, I’m going to try to start all of our heroines with basics, and so I’ve dredged out the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe list for reference. I’m not sure that I’m going to keep using it for the entire year, but as a guide in the early days of a wardrobe, it may be helpful.
Let’s jump in and start with some Georgia O’Keeffe. I think I’ve used one of her paintings almost every year – she’s just THAT good…
I could have broken out a number of shades of blue and green for this color wheel, but I wanted to think of these colors as all being closely related, on a spectrum. We shall see how that works!
Our heroine started our adventure back on Christmas Day with four garments in ivory. Or bone. Or off-white. Color names are the plague of my work life! But with that light base, I thought that she would need some color, and some darker things. At a minimum, I know that many of you don’t want a wardrobe with only light-color pants – the spill factor is ever-present…
So she chose a couple of bright tops, and a dark neutral “suit.” The tee shirt is a bit summery, but when you find perfect colors, you grab them!
turtleneck – L.L.Bean; scarf – Jessie Zhao New York; tee shirt – APNY; cardigan – L.L.Bean; tote bag – L.L.Bean; loafers – G.H.Bass; pants – L.L.Bean
At this early stage, this heroine already has an eight-piece capsule wardrobe that would be great for a 3 or 4 day trip…
She couldn’t really dress badly from this; no combination of these garments would be ugly! But let’s look at a few options, just to make certain that we’re making sense:
This is how I see these 8 pieces fitting into the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe. Sometimes things might fit more than one category…
I looked up Bertha Lum – WOW…
I’m really looking forward to finding these colors – they’re so soft and comforting:
In the “Christmas launch,” our heroine grabbed faded jeans, a white tee, a white shirt and a teal sweater. Maybe a second teal sweater is overdoing things, but the sweaters are different fabrics and textures, so our heroine decided to roll with it!
And the color of the tree trunks in our heroine’s painting looks different to me every time I open this file. We’re going with a warm medium brown – verging on camel. I think Ms. Lum will forgive us!
Labradorite earrings – Yaa Yaa London; teal cashmere sweater – L.L.Bean; scarf – Artifact.; cardigan – Alex Mill; white turtleneck – Lands’ End; chino pants – Lands’ End; boots – Dolce Vita
Again, this heroine’s first 8 garments come together into a great wardrobe! The 2 teal sweaters might a bit much, but you’ve got to buy what’s available, or nothing at all.
One of the joys of these small, simple wardrobes is that they’re almost literally foolproof…
So far, this wardrobe is ticking boxes in the Autumn and Winter Weekly Timeless Wardrobes:
This next heroine is deeply committed to her wardrobe colors, which is a good thing! They’re not the easiest colors to find…
I can see blue in the water, near the bottom of the painting. Do we suspect that may be added to the color palette eventually?
These are lovely colors, and on the right heroine, they’re going to come together into a stunning wardrobe:
This heroine came out of the Christmas reveal with olive jeans, a sweater and shirt in shades of olive, and a melon long-sleeved tee shirt. That was such a great base that she decided to branch out QUITE a bit – especially the orange shoes:
scarf – Artifact.; turtleneck – Lands’ End; hooded sweatshirt – L.L.Bean; flannel shirt – Prana; tote bag – Longchamp; barrel leg chinos – Lands’ End; loafers – Alegria
I think the Artifact. scarf is perfect. Those people amaze me!
Her wardrobe now, while only 8 pieces, is bright, but very practical:
Her outfit possibilities are many:
Although her wardrobe is colorful and bright, she hasn’t strayed from the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe plan:
I hope these are living up to your expectations! The other three paintings, and their respective wardrobes, will be posted on Friday the 3rd…
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, I shared some excellent advice from Betty Halbreich, possibly the most famous personal shopper…
p.p.s. Apropos of nothing – what are you reading? I read like a machine on my Paris trip: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, A Very Short Introduction to Hannah Arendt by Dana Vita, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer, and On The Beach by Nevil Shute. I’m currently working on Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann…
Happy New Year Janice! I am so thrilled to see my two favorite series combined this year.
Exactly what Laura said! Combining these two approaches clarifies so much for me. And, boy howdy! These wardrobes are gorgeous. Olive isn’t my best or favorite color, but that one is so very pretty and I know women who would be radiant in that palette. Why don’t I see more people wearing it?
Happy New Year, Janice! I cannot wait to see what 2025 brings….I am optimistic and filled with hope and cheer.
Do you know Stephen Fry, the English comedian and actor? Well, he is also a TREMENDOUS writer! His take on Ancient History is beyond fabulous. I’m currently reading “Mythos” of his….it’s his own retelling of the Greek Myths. They’re not changed, subdued, tamed or modernized. However, his unique take and delightfully wicked retelling make this book all the more fun to read. I plan to read his account of the Trojan War next. Additionally, I’m listening to a fantastic podcast…The Rest Is History. If you’re a history buff, as I am, this one is a not-to-miss.
I unabashedly love all of these paintings, though I think the Bertha Lum grouping is my favorite thus far. I cannot wait to see what you do with the next three!
Please add your reading lists more often!
Happy New Year Everyone! I love all of these. The scarves are amazing. I like the idea of checking things off the WTW. Currently I’m reading Ann Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope series. With all the kids here for Christmas it’s been rather busy though…. I may have to take time off to recover from my break!
Happy New Year! I am SO excited for this, series particularly the O’Keeffe painting. After delivering our 5th child I have found myself needing to rebuild my personal and professional wardrobe from scratch- literally none of my old clothing fits the way it should. My feet grew a half size and somehow my anatomy appears to have shifted I have needed everything from shoes to undergarments to outdoor gear (in northern MN this is NOT a small consideration in winter!). The blue gradient perfectly matches what I have been striving to achieve (with a navy base, I haven’t chosen my light color just yet).
I love the chart, is there a printable version somewhere?
I started reading Wheel of Time, definitely not a high brow series but a welcome escape with many long books in the series. And as is so often the case, it is SO much better than the TV version.
Thank you for all you do Janice! Wishing you all a blessed New Year!!
I remember reading the Wheel of Time series back in junior high. It is so very much better than the tv series, which I found totally unwatchable after just an episode or two. A better tv series also based on a Terry Brooks series of books of the same name is The Shannara Chronicles.
I like all of these, particularly in their early mini-states, but the first one is so close to my current favourite clothes, it’s almost scary.
Reading: Dana Gioia’s Can Poetry Matter?, along with an anthology of Christmas mystery stories.
Happy New Year, Janice! I love both the O’Keefe and Lum as they’re very close to what I wear. I’m so impressed with how you’ve assembled clothes in colors from the Johansson painting though! I thought those would be tremendously difficult to find.
Happy New Year.
This starts off very well.
I’m really excited about the Labradorit-earrings. And I would have bought the matching sweater in the same color.
I also have this olive color in my closet and combine it with sage, dark blue, wine red. So I’m very excited to see how the last capsule grows.
Happy New Year, Janice!!! I am loving the O’Keeffe painting and the blues and greens. The colors are perfect for me being a fair blond with blue/green eyes. I also love Georgia O’Keeffe paintings overall. A question I have is on the “off white”, “soft white”, “ivory” or whatever it is called. I would say that we don’t want this “white” color to have too much tint of yellow to it?
Happy New Year, Janice and everyone!
Thank you Janice for bringing back the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe! Can’t wait to see the wardrobes inspired by Elizabeth Magill!
Guess I’ll have to wait until Friday. Number 1 is too bright. Number 2 is too warm, Number 3 is waaaaay too warm! Unlike Ellen, who’s optimistic and filled with hope, I’m scared sick for 2025.
Me too, Lily.
Me three.
Me four.
I agree 100% with Heidi! I am also fair with white hair and blue/green eyes. I also am looking for an off-white with no yellow undertones. The O’Keeffe is my favorite in color, although I like the style of the Lum wardrobe. Over the last several years, I have read through the US presidents in order. It is a great way to grasp American history. Although most books were by different authors, whenever I could read David McCullough or Doris Kearns Goodwin, I did. I find I need to try to start the New Year on a positive note (and it is hard) so I just started “The Greatest Generation” by Tom Brokaw. It is an easy read but inspiring to see how ordinary humans can change the world!
I love all these propositions ! So brilliant !
The only thing : in winter, I rather wear boots in leather, with a warm material inside it (“polaire”, in French).
Thank you very much, Janice !
Low boots, exactly.
Happy New Year! I am loving your color choices this year! Thank you for the inspiration. Each day, I try to put my own spin on your work.
Happy new year to Janice and the readers here. Has anyone else here purchased light ocean heather from LL Bean? Is it as bright as it appears on screen? (I love my colors clear, bright and saturated.) I checked out the tee in the O’Keefe wardrobe to see if it comes in a stronger color…..or in a suitable neutral. It’s interesting to see which colors sell out first. It will be exciting to track these wardrobes. Books you say? I usually lose myself in mystery fiction. The Thursday Murder club series by Richard Osman is quite witty and entertaining. I just finished Frank Figliuzzi’s book Long Haul, a sobering look at human sex trafficking at truck stops. Glad you checked out Hannah Arendt, Janice. My very favorite poli-sci professor had us read The Origins of Totalitarianism as well as Konrad Lorenz’ On Aggression way back when I was at university. Another book I recommend is In The Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson. Liz Cheney’s Oath and Honor is a good read, if only to emphasize the common ground people of different political backgrounds actually do share. Again… a blessed new year to all!
I also love my bright, clear colors. My experience ordering from LL Bean is that the colors in person are much more muted than they appear on screen. I ended up keeping one thing because it was outerwear and I needed it, but everything else has gone back due to being too muted and/or dark. That’s said, the quality seemed good, just not the colors (for me). Also, if you can’t order locally, there’s a return fee, just FYI.
It’s still going to be a little while till I can fit into Alex Mill clothes (I had gastric surgery at the end of May), but OMG that buttoned camel cardigan! Also, I nearly always look at your posts from 10 year ago, as I wasn’t following you then. I love that most of the brands you feature now are more accessible to more people. Especially those of us who aren’t a size 6 or 8. Keep on keepin’ on! I look forward to your posts every morning. You have introduced me to brands and styles I wouldn’t have otherwise known about.
And yikes, I can see from my post above that I’m going to have to update my photo! Trying to figure out how to do that.
I particularly like the beginning stages of developing the wardrobes. These three are lovely. So interesting to go back to the weekly timeless wardrobe. I am reading Trust, by Hernan Diaz. It’s a novel about the US finance industry. It’s so captivating that I don’t want to get to the end. Diaz is a very good writer, and the novel is structured in an unusual way.
The Vermont Country Store has wonderful Irish cardigans made with super-soft wool and one of the colors is teal. I own the white, blue and green sweaters with teal probably in my future. Light weight, soft and very warm!
Happy New Year everyone! Oh this is great fun to see the WTW in action. It is really helpful, so I hope that you will continue it. I love the O’Keefe and the Lum. As I would never dare wear light coloured bottoms, I’m combining the colours of both wardrobes to incorporate a range of blue-greens, teal, taupe, navy and ivory. I am determined to buy a couple of ivory tops. They have to be heavy material as I don’t like the see through nature of some tops. I’m excited to see the Magill.
I love all of these and although my coloring suits the first two best, the third is just so wonderful!!! :) I have started using more of these shades in the fall/winter just because I like them!
I wish everybody a new year with enough blessings, happy moments and bright, wise insights.
You were reading Hesse, Janice? I have to think a lot of Hesse’s motto in Demian:
“The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God’s name is Abraxas.”
About a phoenix rising from the ashes, a God of good and evil, like Ying and Jang. About a World on fire and how to react.
I think I have to read it again.
I am curious for the Street Light series. I could wear this, hurray!
Of course there could be blue included, as there is blue in the sky, in the reflection of the houses in the water, and again in the bottom of the painting. In fact, this could be a spectrum as well: from deep orange, to yellow, to green, to teal, to ultramarine.
As I learned from this site: a cameous colorcombination? (VF 8/11/‘15)
Janice, I like how you are combining the Twelve Months Wardrobes with the Weekly Timeless Wardrobes checklist – great idea!
I’m reading The Fourth Turning by Neil Howe. An interesting theory of history being cyclical rather than linear, with each cycle producing a generational personality archetype that impacts the next “turning” of the historical cycle. The book focuses on the current turning that we are in now.
I just wanted to repeat the comments of others that I really like using the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe in these exercises. It makes a lot of sense to me. I also love the gold and blue earrings with the Lum painting…they just seem to echo both the colours and feeling of the painting.
Happy New Year beautiful ladies from western Canada! I was too busy yesterday to have a chance to read the post but like everyone else, love how you are showing how the pieces fit into the weekly timeless wardrobe. Wondering where I can find that? I am a blonde with aqua blue eyes but on the warmer side so the O’Keefe and Lum are the ones I am watching with interest as I have similar items in my wardrobe.
Happy New Year, Janice! Not only are you well-dressed, you are well-read! (No surprise, though)!
Someone was asking for the checklist for the weekly timeless wardrobe.
https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2024/05/want-to-expand-a-core-summer-wardrobe-start-with-art-untitled-red-1956-by-mark-rothko.html/
Oh my, I still can’t pick a favourite – especially the two sea themed ones. But then I also wear a lot of olives- sages with soft oranges and yellows and I love that poppy scarf. Happy New Year and may 2025 bring all you hope for.