November 13, 2024
Yes, THAT Julianna Margulies. Multi-talented, I’d say!
Lovely colors! That blue is just delicious…
Our heroine has to travel, and she wants to at least seem to fit in with the festivities! She’s not really a “red & green” type of girl, nor is she much interested in an ugly Christmas sweater…
So she’s going to go with a smile and a snowflake. That feels festive enough for her!
Blue turtleneck – Lands’ End; scarf – Echo; earrings – Talbots; snowflake brooch – Bling Jewelry; black cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; black pants – Lands’ End; socks – Casa Clara; boots – Sorel; weekender bag – Rains
Yes, she’s packing a few of the same things that her friend packed on Monday – simple black classics look very different when you wear them with a different accent color!
In her world, a pretty sweater and a skirt will be dressy enough! Most of the time she’s more likely to be wearing her jeans!
Light soft amethyst cashmere turtleneck – Lands’ End; butterfly earrings – Fossil; mother-of-pearl floral earrings – Michael Nash Jewelry; pink tourmaline tiny hoops – Harfa; striped tee – Lands’ End; scarf – Echo; blue jay cotton cardigan – Boden; silver bag – Talbots; black jeans – L.L.Bean; blue dotted shirt – Boden; patent loafers – Samuel Hubbard; flats – Naturalizer; black pleated skirt – J.Crew
When our heroine assembles her wardrobe, ready to start folding and tucking into her bag, she doesn’t see screaming holiday attire. But she does see clothes that feel like her, and that’s always what matters!
As always, a wise heroine works her way through a variety of outfits before she zips up her bag! Forgetting the dress shoes, or not packing socks, can be a real annoyance…
Yes, I’m never going to forget a long weekend with 300 of my closest friends at a wedding, with ONE pair of socks…
On a completely different subject: do you buy new winter pajamas EVERY year? I’m inundated by ads for jammies right now, and moreover, I’m supposed to buy matching pajamas for everyone in my household. Including pets!
Do people really do this? I can see it if you have children who need new, larger pajamas every year or two, but do adults wear out their pajamas in a year?
I’m so out of touch with this kind of thing…
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we started with a painting of Trumpet Creepers by Abby Williams Hill. What a great painting – worth considering for decorating inspiration, or wardrobe thoughts…
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
Lovely colour palette. To answer your question I buy pajama bottoms when mine wear out (not very often). I demote Tee’s (short and long sleeve) that are no longer fab for daily use but still cosy enough for sleeping in.
Demoted T’s are great for chilly nights.
I think of PJ’s as something to keep at the end of the bed in case of fire, or to hop in to for that first cup of coffee in the morning.
Nice to have a decent pair or a nightie in case of an unanticipated trip to hospital.
I have 6 pairs of pjs. Two are thick and cosy, two are mid weight, two are lightweight, I wear them according to season, or destination if travelling. So each pair gets worn for about two months each year, that’s 60 nights. I think each pair lasts about three years so that’s 180 wears, plus all the times in the laundry and being ironed. Nothing else in my wardrobe gets the same pound per wear value. But I never buy festive pjs! I suppose they are advertised every wear as they are a gift item.
To add, I sometimes (often in winter) get into my pjs by 6.00 pm and wear them for cosy evenings in, so I’m actually wearing them for 14 hours out of 24. And obviously on a normal day wearing them for 8 hours. So my six pairs do the majority of work in my wardrobe, far more than any other garments.
The colors are lovely. But the earrings! My fingers are hovering over the buy button for the mother of pearl flowers. They are exquisite. Sadly, I need to be on a shopping hiatus. Maybe I can ask for them for Christmas…
As far as pajamas,I have four pairs of summer pjs, two pairs of mid weight, and one set of sweats that act as winter Jammie’s. The summer weight ones get the most use since we now live in Florida. The mid weight ones are probably close to twenty years old. Yes, I wear them in cool/cold weather and I do launder them frequently, but honestly, they still look good. I wear leggings for pajamas when traveling, it gives me an extra set of clothes if I need them and I prefer to feel a bit more dressed when I’m not at home.
I have friends with holiday pajamas but I’ve never had the need for them. Not like I need those mother of pearl earrings, anyway.
What a pretty capsule! I can see this for a woman who abhors red and green, without question. I love red and green and while I don’t go in for the ugly Christmas sweater trend, in my own wardrobe, I just cannot get enough plaid, velvet and fair isle sweaters for the holidays here in Maine.
Onto the pajama question: no, I don’t buy new holiday PJ’s every year. I have three summer nightgowns and three winter nightgowns. All are made from bamboo, which allows for far more comfortable sleeps. I have three robes (one light summer weight, one mid-weight that I’m in most of the year and one super thick fleece) and two pair of slippers (summer and winter). Regarding Christmas pajamas; I have one set of buffalo plaid that my adult children and I will wear when we get together at the holidays, which isn’t every year. I don’t sleep in them because they’re just too darn warm for my hot flash stage of life, but they’re fun to hang out in. My children and their spouses will often buy new sets for Christmas tree photos (with pets), but they’ve come up with a brilliant idea…rather than spend money on new sets each year, they will swap with friends and family, including the pet bandana. I think this is a brilliant way to have fun with this cute trend, while not breaking the bank. They’ll swap at their “Friendsgiving” celebrations. I believe this is an adorable way to have fun with those Christmas jammies and then pass them onto another couple the following year.
The family PJ swap idea is brilliant!
You family is brilliant! They take after you…
love,
Janice
Such a soft and gentle wardrobe. The scarves are beautiful. Re: pajamas. My daughter and I buy each other a new SOMA set every Black Friday when they are reduced so much. It’s a fun tradition for us to cap off our early morning shopping.
I adore this color palette! As soon as I saw it, my heart leapt.
The pj thing. NO. lol. I have quite a few organic short sleeve gowns in organic cotton I wear year round. I love the Asian wrap ones from Garnet Hill and buy them when they’re on sale. I hate Garnet Hill’s shipping rates, though!
WELL that was a fun Rabbit hole to fall down in the Garnet Hill website. I’ve never come across them before. I do think it would be fun to have a lounging wardrobe from Janice for when you are a guest etc or having people to stay.
Love the blues. I’m similar with your other commentators in having a couple of pair of pj’s in different weights. That being said, I have quite often given pj’s as gifts to my boys and husband. And they always seem to appreciate them. It’s something fun to give them, and they don’t think of buying themselves. Of course, when they get them from me they don’t have to!😂 Have a lovely day ladies.
I love the idea of these colors for the holidays. Snowflakes are my favorite seasonal ornament as well – I can (and do) continue wearing them on through the rest of the winter and they go great with my preferred winter colors of cobalt/royal blue and iced aqua.
As for the pjs question, no. I have a handful of long-sleeved nightgowns for cold weather and sleeveless nightgowns for warm weather, all short since I can’t stand having things tangle around my legs in bed. I do own some pajama bottoms, but use them as lounge wear pretty exclusively. And none of this is holiday or seasonal per se.
I like this wardrobe very much, although my version of it is navy instead of black. i’m packing today for a similar trip, and I also planned to include a lavender turtleneck, so I feel validated!
I do wear pajamas, mostly print cotton sets.
I love this combination! I would swap the black for navy and be perfectly happy. I used to buy fun print sets, but they always look shapeless after a few washes. Now I like cotton or bamboo sleepshirts – no buttons, lace, or scratchy elastic.
Nice and sweet travel set – I love the snowflake brooch. I have a pair of snowflake earrings I pull on every time it snows (and sometimes when it doesn’t).
Re: PJs. No, I don’t buy new ones every year, although I am tempted. Have a couple pairs in different weights, as do most of this community it seems. I have 2 pairs that I use almost exclusively for travel, both in blue florals … but I don’t have a simple blue robe that will pair with both. On my list to remedy! Black Friday or even the post-Christmas/ first 2 weeks of January, most lingerie is on sale (although not having your size can be a challenge).
Well, this post just completely sorted one of my holiday trips! The final wardrobe doesn’t look a thing like this one, but the logic works. 😊 (I’m going with black and burgundy & raspberry this year.)
And I’m with the first poster – pj’s are mostly well loved basics that have retired from public life, with a couple of “official” pj bottoms thrown in. All of which tend to last for many, many years.
I literally sighed when I saw today’s scarf as I opened this post! Those colours definitely live in my happy place. I just mentally change the black to navy.
I have a few sets of pyjamas and one nightgown but we never buy the Christmas ones. Flannel is just too hot for me. I have a health condition that flares up sometimes and those days are automatic PJ days. Consequently, I augment my sleepwear collection with leggings, long-sleeved t-shirts, etc.
My struggle is to find a long, plus-sized, light or medium weight housecoat. Most robes are just knee-length and are made of at least inch-thick material. I would roast wearing something like that! Argh!
Back to today’s wardrobe…. I love the idea of simply wearing the colours you love and not feeling pressured to wear the colours associated with a season or holiday.
Oops – I overlooked the main question regarding pjs! I never buy sleepwear for myself; my daughters will often gift me a non-seasonal set at Christmas.
Black is definitely not my color. Yet I own uncounted black pants and skirts. The ease of adding different tops, cardigans and jackets to black keeps me coming back for more. This cool color combo is beautiful. On my last trip I packed blue and black. Everything worked together.
Sorry, didn’t address pajamas. I’m a nightgown girl, owning different weights and sleeve lengths for the different seasons.
Like others, I love today’s wardrobe, but would sub in navy for the black. I have one pair of lightweight PJ pants that I either wear with a short sleeved tee shirt or long sleeved one if it gets a bit cooler. However, what I wear most frequently are my lighter weight flannel PJs. I wear these close to 6 months of the year and I have had them for 4 years or so. As I was waiting for them to come out of the dryer the other night, my husband suggested I buy another set. I told him I only wear one pair at a time, so that’s all I need😊. I have one robe, probably 10 years old and one pair of slippers.
I don’t have any pajamas specifically for Christmas, but I love checked ones and I wear them all year round.
❄️
All very pretty, I take everything from the review. I love teal.
My perfect wardrobe! Thank you.
I went on a trans-Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2 with one pair of socks, so your wedding story made me chuckle. (We figure i packed socks then took the cube out to reorganize and never put them back.)
I love periwinkle- and lavender-based wardrobes, so this is perfection to me.
Lovely wardrobe, beautiful scarf, and a worthwhile cause to support. I would wear this in a heartbeat. As for pajamas, I wear nightgowns only. I’ve always purchased Lands End nightgowns, but they have changed from Pima cotton to something else, so I am wearing out the ones I have as long as I can. I don’t buy them every year. But – I have a cousin who outfits herself, her husband, her three daughters, her three sons-it’s n-law, and her seven grandchildren in new pajamas every year, all the same print. Honestly, I don’t know how she gets those three big bearded sons-in-law in those pajamas, but she does, at least for a photograph opportunity! I will say they are one of the happiest extended families I have ever met.
If you find another source for nightgowns similar to the Land’s End Pima cotton nightgowns of yesteryear, please share! I’m in need of replacements and am not satisfied with what I’ve been finding. Fabric quality is my number one issue with shopping these days. Sigh.
Very pretty colors. As for pjs, I usually have a couple pairs for warm months and another set for cold months. I replace them when they get worn out or change in my weight :/
Question…maybe I haven’t seen it, but have you done a winter/holiday wardrobe with warm colors other than the typical ivory/beige/gold?
What a beautiful butterfly scarf. I’m totally with you on the wisdom of a few pretty accessories with quality classic to achieve a holiday look. As for pjs, my cozy real flannels get worn year round. I live with a man who loves his air-conditioning cranked to “meat locker” temperatures. (I stole that phrase from Janice!) when I find a pair of real flannel at a good price I pick them up on an as-needed basis.
I would swap the black for navy personally but otherwise, I LOVE this wardrobe! That scarf is so gorgeous. I love just about anything with butterflies or flowers lol.
As for the pajamas, I do have a pair of pink pj bottoms with reindeer and candy canes on them. I suspect they will last a good long time. In the past I’ve had pj’s that lasted about 5-6 years before the elastics in the waist bands wore out, and night gowns seem pretty indestructible.
I have an entire big drawer full of pajamas and night gowns of various weights and levels of cozy from micro plush and warm to t-shirt style tanks and shorts. Because of various disabilities I spend a rather large portion of time at home and either in bed or on the couch so it just makes sense. Besides, who can resist pjs that are pink and gray and have little coffee cups and croissants all over the bottoms, and that says “On Sundays We Brunch” in swirly steam letters in the shirt? Hehe. It’s where my whimsy lives.
Having a good pj and loungewear wardrobe frees up my regular “out of the house” wardrobe to have some much nicer pieces since there are fewer of them that I actually need.
Love the scarf, love the wardrobe, although I am firmly in the “sub in navy for the black” camp! That said, I still wear black pants from my working days (now retired) and simply team them with tops from my navy or grey 4X4s; periwinkle, rose, purple.
For me, Christmas PJ’s fall into the same category as Christmas sweaters and a lot of the other kitch that comes on the market at this time of year. If you need them (PJ’s or sweaters, Christmasy or not) this is often a good time to buy, otherwise, they feel like sales gimmicks that leave you shaking your head in January wondering whatever were you thinking.
Unless these are part of your traditions and fill you with joy at Christmas…then enjoy and more power to you!
Hope those ribs are healing well Janice. Take care of yourself.
I consider a deeper purple to really be my color, but I do love this wardrobe! Since it snows where I live (although you can never count on how much snow falls in a given year), snow and snowmen are my personal Christmas themes. And as at least one other person commented, the snow theme lasts for more months than the Christmas red/green does! I have a couple of nightgowns and several different weight PJ bottoms for different seasons. Since I am not the same size on the top and bottom I also pair old T-shirts with the PJ bottoms. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a pajama “set,” and rarely have bought a holiday piece (if it’s on sale at the end of the season, maybe). They are replaced when they’ve worn out.
Beautiful scarf and such a lovely wardrobe, will give this some thought as we are away for the holidays, will see what I can take from this to make it my own. Absolutely love this blue.
Do people still wear pj’s? I only have 1 pair for travel I am afraid.
No to new pajamas yearly. I have a warm-weather nightgown that I bought before I had surgery 12 years ago that is still in service. Its opposite is a cold-weather flannel nightgown that has outlasted the marriage of the couple who gifted it to me. Sure, I bought flannel pajama pants when they were off-season and my joggers are now lightweight pajama pants. Any unembellished t-shirt will finish the outfit.
Growing up in California, I always wore pajamas to bed. You never know when you’ll end up standing outside in nothing but jammies and slippers holding your pet, waiting for the aftershock.
I think that is my favorite of all the Echo 100 scarves I’ve seen. Such lovely, soft, pretty colors! If it were not the holiday buying season, I would be seriously considering a splurge. It’s out of the budget of anyone who would be perusing my Christmas wish list, though. Maybe it will still be around in January, lol.
I tend to wear pajamas in the winter and nightgowns in the summer…and I also keep my nightwear until it’s pitiful, lol. I have one very old sleep shirt in which the print has nearly faded off the front, but it’s otherwise in good shape. Still wearing it….
This is me to a tee. Just swap black for navy. I’d swap the striped top for a floral top/shirt. The plain blue shirt would be upgraded to satin which is party wear but not OTT.
Today, I’m wearing navy cotton trousers, a blue/lilac floral blouse and a pale lilac thick cardigan. I have snowflake, brooches, earrings and pendant. They are great for seasonal accessories throughout the winter without screaming “Christmas”.
I’ve just bought some new winter PJ’s and replaced my winter slippers that had split. Having short legs, the PJ bottoms have to have a tight cuff or elastic ankles. I also have a couple of velour tracksuits which are great for lounging about the house or throwing over PJs for the midnight ‘taxi run’. I have never bought Christmas PJs, though I did once buy some with snowflake on them.
I have strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes so these are my favourite colours to wear and I too don’t want anything too fussy, just comfy and classic. Ralph Lauren makes beautiful pajamas that are a lovely splurge for me every Christmas. My family are all encouraged to come to our house for brunch on Christmas morning wearing their pj’s. Comfy and fun!
I, like others, love the wardrobe. My colors and style.
As for PJs: No, usually I don’t need new flannel nightgowns in winter or any time, but sometimes I do supplement better nightwear with a cheap set of microfleece. The cheap ones don’t really last that long for me.
I buy holiday jammies for myself and sometimes for my boys (not the matching family version as I have teenagers). But certainly not every year. And I wear them throughout the winter (so I’m careful to buy more subtle patterns, not giant Christmas trees or Santas).
Of course, I also have a separate set of accent pieces I pull out this time of year to create a holiday mini-capsule wardrobe. Normally, I wear burgundy and purple. Late November and December, I wear red and green (not together). These pieces incorporate nicely into my core wardrobe I really don’t need that many to create a whole new capsule. I have a few pieces of “holiday” jewelry too.
This is what I do too! I have a flannel with olive and red, a fun White Christmas tee in red and a holiday sweatshirt in green and a special red cardigan that was my grandma’s. When I put these with my normal navy, black, cream, burgundy separates they make a great “Christmas season” capsule. :) I find a few things that I will wear over and over for a few weeks go a long way. And I am a seamstress so I sew new pj pants for my kids each year and every few years I add my husband and I to the list as our old ones start to wear out. My kids love this tradition. Some years they match and sometimes they are specific to each kid. But I generally keep 2-3 pj pants and a couple pairs of sweatpants for lounging/sleeping and then old tees or the tee I was wearing during the day to sleep in.
I have young children and have been known to get them matching pj’s. 😅 But definitely only for the children – and usually not in a Christmas print, penguins are about as festive as we go so that they can wear them all winter. The entire matchy household, pets and all, is definitely a trendy influencer thing that I have been seeing a lot more the last few years along with “Christmas Eve boxes”. Anything to get people buying more, I suppose.
I do love the soft purple and bright blue here, with glittery snowflakes it’s definitely festive enough! 😊
I kind of like the Christmas Eve box idea – we used to often open one gift on Christmas Eve, because we didn’t open our gifts until after 3 p.m., when my mother got home from work. (nursing home…) I can see the idea of pajamas/cocoa/holiday movie, specifically from parents and NOT Santa, to give little kids something to sedate them (somewhat) on the night before. But I don’t have children, so what do I know!
love,
Janice
When our boys still lived at home I gave them a wrapped gift each Christmas Eve – always new pajamas so they would be forced to wear something presentable Christmas day! They tended to sleep in “comfy” old t-shirts and old lounge pants – no guarantee they weren’t threadbare or marred with stains. As young children they were constantly growing so needed new pjs anyway. As they got older, it was just a habit that became tradition. On the occasions when everyone will be sleeping at my house, I’ll still gift them pjs on Christmas Eve.
Pretty color combo. I would swap the black for navy or charcoal gray. As to pjs, I sleep in cotton sleeveless tanks and long cotton bottoms or light cotton sleeveless nightgowns all year round (I sleep hot). I lounge in my flannel bottoms or sweatpants with a long sleeve tee if it’s chilly.
I love this color palette. Is the blue turtleneck the same as the cobalt blue on the website? The one you have looks a little more muted. I guess I am in the minority, but I love the black as the neutral. I’ve tried to go with navy as a neutral in my wardrobe, but I am just not crazy about it.
As far as pj’s, I used to buy myself new pj’s for my birthday from Soma, but I found that I kept wearing the same 2 black tank tops that I bought from them years ago. They feel like nothing on. I need to see if they still carry that material. I do own a few nice pajama sets, but I wear those sometimes during the day.
Thanks Janice