September 12, 2014
This color palette felt to me like it was giving you permission to indulge in a variety of shades of pink, and so that’s sort of what I did. I also took this opportunity to pretend that the person choosing this capsule wardrobe had a deep and abiding passion for stripes. That sort of fondness/obsession is great in a wardrobe, if it’s deeply and truly felt. You should definitely wear your heart on your literal sleeve if you know what you like, and you’re happy sharing it with the world. It certainly makes shopping more focused, and you project a clear point of view to everyone around you!
Why yes, the grey and blue shirts are the same, except for the color. When you find shirts that fit well, it’s not crazy to stock up. Difficulty with fit is why many of us avoided button-fronts for so many years. Finally, manufacturers are figuring out that they might want to make these in a wider variety of cuts… I personally have great luck with Lands’ End Petite shirts, if anyone with shorts arms and a full balcony wants to venture into the shirt market.
Always remember that a simple cardigan can be worn alone, as a sweater – sort of a two for one purchase!
Here’s where the stripe fondness became really fun – notice the subtle ridges in the bracelet, and the stripe-like nature of the silver earrings!
The nicest thing about having a good-quality core of solid garments is that you can indulge in a preference for things like stripes for a while, and then if you decide that you want to branch off into plaid or floral or metallic, you don’t have to spend buckets of money in order to put together a few outfits showing your new crush. When you are well-rooted in your base colors, you can express yourself in a variety of ways, so that you feel current, and always happy!
love,
Janice
Elbe says
"Short arms and a full balcony" – you crack me up!
Anonymous says
I loved that phrase, too. I'm the opposite: long arms and a full balcony with wide shoulders thrown in. I'm always having to "mind the gap" as the Brits would say.
Anonymous says
You are not making it easy to pick just four, or six, or eight colors I love, when there are beautiful surprises each morning when I open your blog…! So pretty!!
Sue in WI
Madame Là-bas says
You have a very funny and very accurate way of describing the button blouse situation. Thanks for the advice since I have been avoiding the "gape" for years. I'll look at Land's End.
Virginia says
The last paragraph is the single most important thing I've learned from TVF. Thank you. :)
SewRuthie says
Agreed. I went back and re-read it and am nodding to myself.
cheryl :) says
I really love this one. I lead this kind of casual lifestyle and love these colors. I also have a thing for stripes, lol.
Carol says
I love, love this one! This is perfect for me, Such a beautiful everyday wardrobe. I have always liked stripes. Your term "full balcony" made me LOL.
Anonymous says
Stripes are fun, but I am a "dot" fan. They make me happy!
Jane says
I'm a dot fan as well. Loved dots as a kid & even though I'm well estsblished in my mid/late 40's, I'm even that much more smitten with dots.
Anonymous says
This is very, very close to my casual wardrobe. It's amazing. I also like "dots", and I use them in place of the plaid. (Plaid is iconic in the Puget Sound region where I live, but I am not a huge fan of plaid on me.) Susan in WA
Trish says
Absolutely, positively love this!! These are my colors and my style. Now I have to start researching to find these-I am in the awkward size gap between misses and plus sizes.
Marilyn Leslie says
I love this one. As soon as I saw it I thought of my sister, who exudes casual elegance. She wears these colors all the time.
webb says
Just pack it all up and send to me. I'll gladly pay the shipping!!
Jessica says
You mentioned "full balcony" and it reminded me that I wanted to share a bra fitting resource: http://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/comments/rh26h/is_getting_fitted_for_a_bra_as_humiliating_as_it/c469bi0
I was horrified by the size I calculated, but I got over it the minute I tried on my first ever well-fitting bra. It was comfortable and made everything look very, very nice.
webb says
Interesting sites. Went shopping this afternoon and I think this method may work for me – if I can find a store with a wider variety of sizes. Recently moved from C to D, but this says F (or DDDD)! I think I have been enlarging the band, when I should be looking for bigger cups. Could not find that, but DD was definitely not right. I sort of remember this method from my mother, back in the AA and A days.
Blush and Barbells says
I have a deep and abiding passion for stripes! (And argyle, but that's for another blog post)