February 19, 2025
She likes to wear things for years. Decades, if she can manage it! So she’s mostly interested in classic garments – those things that nobody can really date, and that always feel familiar, comfortable and easy to wear.
For an upcoming business trip – short, but demanding – she’s starting with her new bracelets:
Although she could use gray as her dark neutral, this trip she’s going with black!
Partly because she knows that she’s going to be cold in transit, and she wants to wear her flannel suit:
Earrings – Unaloe; scarf – Ferragamo; French blue oxford – Lands’ End; flannel blazer – J.Crew; bracelet – Fierce Lynx Designs; boots – Rockport; briefcase – Coach; flannel pants – J.Crew
She only needs one additional “business” outfit, after she breaks the ice and meets everyone the first day. So she opts for a skirt and sweater – still warm, still business appropriate:
Cotton sweater – Lands’ End; locket – Bling Jewelry; bracelet – Fierce Lynx Designs; boots – LifeStride; crossbody bag – Deux Mains; velvet skirt – Boden
As with all travel these days, one must be prepared for the unexpected delays that cause you to need another outfit. And it’s always nice to have something casual to wear – maybe she’ll want to change clothes before she heads home:
flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; black diamond earrings – Sselects; cotton & linen sweater vest – Banana Republic Factory; bracelet – Fierce Lynx Designs; jeans – L.L.Bean; sneakers – Nike
It’s always reasonable to consider what you might pack if you are going on a longer trip – maybe our heroine will be so happy with this travel wardrobe that she will want to replicate it for her next trip, which is for a week!
And yes, the jeans are (currently) very trendy. If you’re going to buy anything that won’t be appealing in 10 years, white pants are a good candidate. Many of us destroy white jeans and pants pretty quickly, so a pair of “barrel” jeans that will only be wearable for work for a year or two makes sense.
I’m currently wearing Eileen Fisher black barrel jeans, and I love them, for what it’s worth!
Blue, black & white tee shirts – Lands’ End; white shirt – Lands’ End; striped tee – Madewell; blue cardigan – Alex Mill; white jeans – Lands’ End
At a minimum, packing the 3 tee shirts any time she packs this color palette might be sensible. They won’t take up much space at all, and they offer a LOT of possibilities for those days when your shirt is missing buttons, or you can’t face what you thought you’d wear… I’m starting to see the merits of giving oneself choices when traveling!
If she opted to include all of these clothes, it would mean packing 12 garments. She might want to put her two blue sweaters in a compression bag, but otherwise everything should fit in a standard 20 or 22 inch suitcase. Depending, of course, on what else you pack; I can go with a small suitcase because my toiletries are tiny…
The boots might make a difference – maybe she’ll wear those instead of short boots to travel?
Even thought we’re working with a couple of shades of blue, this wardrobe is hard to “wear badly.” Let’s consider a few of possibilities:
This is another example of start with a neutral wardrobe core – black and white – and then adding the accent color based on a bracelet. Very similar to what we did on Monday, with the lovely floral scarf…
And if you ever wanted to combine navy and black, this bracelet might be a good guide! The navy needs to be a brighter navy, so it’s clearly different from the black, but the bracelet shows how good this can look!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, one of you was choosing an Hermes scarf, and I was happy to help!
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Very classic.
My daughter wears these colors with her blue eyes.
Maybe this heroine will find a nice pair of blue jeans.
This ended up on my Pinterest board right next to the one from December 13, and I think that merging the two of them would give a great all-around wardrobe!
Mary, i was curious…
https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2024/12/need-a-warm-break-start-with-bracelets-winter-sky-bracelets-by-fierce-lynx-designs.html/
How true – good eye!
love,
Janice
Lovely!
French blue is just so FRESH! It looks beautiful in every season and pairs just as well with cozy pieces, as it does summer coastal ones. I am sure your heroine will be very comfortable on her trip for business or casual.
One question: how heavy is the flannel? The reason I ask is that there is NO WAY my flannels would fit under my fitted blazers. I don’t wear blazers often, but when I do, I need to keep the layer underneath fairly thin. They’re not tight, but not loose enough to fit a thicker shirt, especially in the shoulders. However, I’m intrigued by the juxtaposition of ‘cozy’ and business!
I’m assuming that the flannel shirt isn’t very bulky – I have a few that are just BARELY flannel – more like heavy cotton with the least little bit of nappy surface texture. I think you’ve got some of the old-school really warm ones!
love,
Janice
I received this flannel shirt for Christmas and love it! It is a lightweight flannel. It’s not fitted so I wear it as a second layer with the deep blue or white tee shirt. I’m not sure how it would look under a fitted jacket. If your jacket is somewhat loose, I think it would work. It definitely works well under a raincoat and heavy jacket! I live in the PNW so it’s a keeper!!
Hi again. Just read Janice’s post and she’s correct in assuming it’s like a heavy cotton with a pinch of nap! I think it looks even prettier in person!
Classic color combo and beautiful wardrobe. That scarf is amazing (the first one).
I like these colours together, though I would choose dark grey or very dark navy as my neutral. The scarf is lovely and offers another accent with purple.
By swapping the skirt for a pair of silky or velvet trousers, she could leave the heavy long boots at home. They are difficult to wear under trousers and trousers crease when tucked into boots. A pair of stretch ankle boots or fancy flats would be smaller to pack – maybe in blue?
I’m just puzzled as to whether it’s OK to wear white jeans with black boots? Denim would be OK, though dark grey or black jeans would be better.
I would keep the skirt and replace the tall boots with heavy tights. Those could be worn with the short boots and skirt and take up way less space in the suitcase.
Beautiful set!
Having options is def important. I got really sick while traveling once and regretted not having a couple extra items.
A striking wardrobe, I might need that bracelet and scarf haha! Thank you for illustrating how I can wear this beautiful color combo of black and white with blue – maybe even navy! – which is perfect for the winter-into-spring season. Love it!
This wardrobe actually inspired my most recent trip. Love this. That first scarf is amazing! Out of stock now, though I couldn’t afford it anyway, but maybe I could manage the bracelets.