June 5, 2024
Today’s three heroines went three very interesting, different directions in their wardrobes – all of them valid!
Let’s start with Rothko, who is fast becoming one of my very favorite artists:
Our first heroine has a wardrobe that feels like it has a lot of accent color in it, although it’s not a huge percentage of the whole (37.5% to be exact) …
And she has gloriously pretty accessories:
But for June, she felt like settling into some neutrals – especially a workhorse pair of black linen pants. (these should be worn at least weekly until the first frost…)
She also decided to go ahead and buy a cashmere hooded sweatshirt – yes, she might have grabbed a cotton one instead, but this feels more like a long-term buy. She will only be able to wear it on cool days through the summer, or over her shoulders in the million overly air-conditioned places she goes. But she knows that these sweaters will only get more expensive (and possibly lower quality!) if she waits to buy one…
A couple of fun tops round out here June wardrobe plan:
Cashmere hoodie – J.Crew; mother-of-pearl and onyx earrings – Artisan; striped tee – Alex Mill; print hooded tunic – Lands’ End; bag – Madewell; linen pants – J.Crew; sneakers – Allbirds
Her wardrobe now feels a bit more grounded in her neutrals:
And it’s starting to feel as if she is getting enough of those essential black accessories!
Her new outfits that she can make with her purchases aren’t shocking or amazing; when you buy neutrals, you don’t get a lot of shock value! Nor do you want it…
Next up is the heroine who’s wardrobe calls to me – in a different life, without purple highlights in my hair, this would be me!
This heroine’s wardrobe at the end of May was well balanced and wildly versatile.
And she has really pretty accessories…
Her goal for this month was originally a nebulous “something for hiking,” but once she stumbled onto the treasure trove of green garments at Orvis, she was able to focus and make her choices pretty quickly!
Earrings- Auree Jewellery; linen shirt – Orvis; sweatshirt – Orvis; camp shirt – Orvis; backpack – Béis; shorts – Orvis; canvas boots – Billabong
The green additions give her wardrobe a more balance feeling of nature in the spring and summer:
And her accessories look a bit more rugged, with the addition of high-tops and a backpack! This may not be the kind of thing that every wants or needs, though…
It’s hard to imagine how many new outfits she can actually find with the addition of her June purchases; here’s a sample:
Let’s finish our June wardrobes with a look at our heroine who is inspired by the work of Paul Klee:
This is the kind of painting that can inspire a one-of-a-kind wardrobe, in surprising colors and combinations. Our heroine is starting to feel a little bit like she’s skipping the “surprising accents” and leaning too much on the beige…
Her wardrobe is certainly versatile, and offers a lot of accent possibilities, and her accessories (especially her scarves) are just right:
She was looking for accents – maybe two or three different colors, this month?
But THEN, she found the yellow currently carried by Boden… Oh my…
Earrings – Anthropologie; cashmere cardigan – Boden; Yellow top – Boden; cropped trousers – Boden; dress – Boden; wool shawl of Autumn – Jessie Zhao New York; flats – Spring Step
A bunch of Jessie Zhao New York scarves are on sale…
Yes, she bought a wool scarf to go with all of this! It’s not as if the scarf is like a heavy cashmere muffler – this wool is going to be pretty light and airy. But our heroine is willing to buy it now, even if it she doesn’t wear it frequently in the summer. The first cold day, with her yellow cashmere sweater, she’s going to be delighted that she bought it when it was available!
NOW, her wardrobe feels more bright and eccentric – the feel she was wanting!
And her accessories – what’s not to love about bright yellow shoes?
This heroine had bright print tops in her wardrobe, that she was wearing with beige. Now that she has those yellow pants… Her outfit possibilities are both cheerful and pretty!
I don’t think anybody is surprised that my favorite wardrobe is the Rothko, but it would be an interesting experiment to wear one of these for a month… Don’t know how that could be possible, except in our imaginations!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, someone among us wanted to buy a black and white Hermes scarf, and was overwhelmed with options. I had some ideas…
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Wouldn’t the Klee painting make the most fabulous scarf? I absolutely love it. Also love the yellow clothes, and very envious of those ladies who can wear that colour but am afraid I can’t. Thank you for the continuing inspiration; you have helped me so much over the years since I retired and completely lost the plot as regards my wardrobe!
Of the six I’m finding that the Nash wardrobe is the one I could most comfortably live in long term. It’s soft, and hazy and natural and I just love it. I had thought in the beginning that the Magill would be my favorite but it’s definitely turning out to be the Nash!
Hi Janice! There’s a bad link to the lovely new scarf in the last set— which has suddenly become my favorite. I would never wear beige on its own, but wearing it as a neutral to set off a bright color like tangerine or yellow is wonderful. Love how this set is coming together now!
Well THAT’S irksome… I can’t get a “commission generating” link to work. So I just put a normal link in place – it’s such a cool scarf, I don’t want you all to miss it. Especially since it’s on sale!
Thanks for letting me know the link was bad – I can’t usually see that from my side of the internet. Strange but true!
hugs,
Janice
That’s a bummer! Hopefully it’s just a one time glitch. You provide something so nice for all of us—such beauty and order in such a practical way—I always finding myself hoping you’re making zillions doing this page.
I love the Paul Klee wardrobe. It feel summery and fun, like something one would wear on a summer-long vacation.
Janice,
While I admire the drama of the Rothko with the clean black and white contrasts , accented with two colors, the muted Nash suits my own coloring to a tee !
Great job on all of these groupings !
Rothko and Klee for me! Sometimes the Klee looks a bit ‘busy” for me – as if there are too many colors. And then I have to stop and reflect – oh yeah, my closet has that many colors and I love them all!
I’m torn between the Magill and the Nash. Especially this month’s additions to the Nash. And of the two strategies of either stocking up on neutrals or stocking up on cheery accents, well, my June plan is to go for the basic neutrals. And if I see something warm and useful, I’ll probably grab it before it’s gone. I’m browsing fleece pullovers, which are mostly on sale right now, so yay.
Definitely the Rothko and Klee. Pretty, feminine and fun! The Nash would quickly bore me to tears but I get that many women don’t want or feel comfortable in strong contrasts or colours.
In the Klee I am trying to determine if the polo neck sweater is a blush pink. If so why is it an orphan in the mix of yellows and greens? Not sure if there is a blush pink in the painting but a little more of it would look lovely in the wardrobe.
That sweater IS blush pink, and it’s included because there is pink around the edges of the beige in the painting. I’ve not looked for more pink yet – maybe that’s what our July project for this heroine will be…
hugs,
Janice
Ok, I’m officially on the hunt for a painting (to suggest next year) that has a lot of colors, like the Klee, but the colors are more like the O’Keefe and Magill. All of these wardrobes are really coming together nicely.
I know some readers are always looking for brown. The June Talbots catalog has several pieces in brown linen plus coordinates in brown-and-white. They call the color Dark Walnut.
Janice, I loved the look back. I wish I had bought Chase en Inde.
Check places like The RealReal, Vestaire Collective and The Luxury Closet. People sell scarves ALL THE TIME, and you can often find exactly the one you want. You can also check Ebay – but if you find one you like, send me a note and I’ll take a look at it – Ebay is full of counterfeits.
hugs,
Janice
Thanks for the suggestions! Do you know Jan Goode’s site It’s All Goode. I’ve bought from her and also consigned scarves to her. She’s a great person and knows her Hermes merchandise. I used to buy from one man on eBay, but he doesn’t sell scarves any more. Otherwise, I’m very leery of fakes…
I’ve known Jan (over the internet) for years – I would trust her completely! Thanks so much for mentioning her; our friends here should know that’s she’s an excellent resource.
hugs,
Janice
I am growing more fond of Klee as it evolves…except for the coral. I wonder if “Morgan le Fay” by Sandys would be a good bright colour inspiration painting? It has a plethora of colour and a lot of rich detail.
I would love to use a pre-Raphaelite artist, but it needs to have a reasonably tight color palette – a painting with 20 colors is just as good as no painting at all! I’m already looking – I want to spend some time looking at all of the paintings that we’ve used here on The Vivienne Files – maybe I will see something that we loved and that has slipped my mind. (imagine that!)
hugs,
Janice
I was liking the Nash but it seems too bland now.
Janice, after your comment, I took another look at the painting. The 2 neutrals that pop 1st to my eye were med brown and cream. Then I looked at the main colours – bright green, yellow and your favourite purple. Second glance was crimson & slate blue. There are others, but not as visible. Would this one work for a post about using your process – explaining the how so we can see more of what you do in terms of the thought process rather than the heroine stories that we all love reading? Thanks. Even if not, I will still admit that after Mucha, my heart is drawn to the Pre Raphaelites for the rich detail, colour and romantic imagery of their work. Here’s hoping that you will include one of them for a post…
Hmmm…. hmmm…. let me think on this… Maybe a different Pre-Raphaelite painting? I would love to spend a few hours gazing at something fresh (to me) and gorgeous. What is your favorite?
hugs,
Janice
The Paul Klee wardrobe is my favorite this month, it feels so cheerful, I found myself saying “I could wear that!”
Thanks for showing us ways to wear color.