February 27, 2019
I am often asked if it’s possible to have a wardrobe that’s TOO neutral…
Hmmm. My first thought is that if someone is concerned about feeling this way, maybe their wardrobe is too neutral for them. Conversely, maybe these questioners are perfectly happy with their wardrobe, but they get critical feedback from others. (how often do those of us who love wearing black get criticized for being Goth, as if that made any sense…)
The answer, I think you already know, is NO, no wardrobe is too bright, nor too neutral, nor too pastel, unless it doesn’t suit you, and doesn’t make you feel beautiful and happy and free to do your important things.
But in the interest of investigating a wardrobe that’s 75% neutral, let’s experiment…
First up, I really love this scarf. At first glance it feels kind of bright, but when you study it for a minute, you see that it’s mostly black, white, and denim blue. I’ve pulled out 3 accent colors, but I suspect that you could easily make a good case for both brown and grey in this palette too!
These colors should be great for spring and summer!
So let’s start with black – my favorite. These are relatively expensive clothes, because these, jeans and a denim jacket should be the garments that last the longest in your wardrobe. Your mileage may vary, and you should only pay what’s comfortable and appropriate for you. Nobody should be paying attention to what your clothing costs – if they care, they can pay for things for you, right?
jacket – Eileen Fisher; sleeveless silk top – Eileen Fisher; pants – Eileen Fisher; v-neck tee – Eileen Fisher
I could go a long way with these garments, a couple of scarves and a few pieces of jewelry…
Next up, let’s get some denim! I have a denim shirt that I’ve had for a long time, which I purchased as a replacement for an earlier shirt that didn’t last very long at all. You just never know, eh?
I own this very same denim jacket, and I quite like it. It’s not at ALL tight – I think the description actually uses the word baggy – which is how I like it!
Long-sleeved shirt – L.L.Bean; jacket – Levi’s; short-sleeved shirt – J.Crew; jeans – L.L.Bean
Other kinds of things to consider here would of course include a denim skirt, denim dress, or chambray shorts. (I like chambray better for shorts because it’s lighter weight – if I’m wearing shorts, it’s warm enough that I don’t need a heavy fabric!)
Now let’s get some white things. I personally would be reluctant to invest a ton of money in white garments, although I’ve had the same white cardigan for at least 10 years… Still, it would be a pity to spend a lot of money on a white tee shirt that was worn and sad looking by the end of the summer…
Sleeveless linen shirt – Uniqlo; cardigan – Lands’ End; shorts – Lands’ End; jeans – Lands’ End
And now for the fun! 3 very different solid-colored tops, and a quite distinctive tunic:
Yellow tunic – Everleigh; patchwork tunic – Pierre-Louis Mascia; orange tee – J.Crew; green top – J.Crew
I’ve put all of these pieces into the 4 by 4 grid, which I’ve slightly relabeled to reflect the predominance of neutrals we’re using.
Frankly, I’d toss in a pair of denim shorts, probably a pair of black shorts, and this would be an all-summer wardrobe! (okay, maybe a black and a white tank top, too…)
How far can you go with these pieces? I made a point, when building outfits from this wardrobe, of alternating “all-neutral” outfits with “bright accented” outfits. I’m pretty certain that there are more outfits possible using just neutrals, but the 4 accent tops definitely pull their own weight!
With different accent colors, this wardrobe could last me all summer…
2 quick questions:
Would you like to see accessories for this wardrobe? and
Would you like to see this with different accent colors?
love,
Janice
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This is basically the structure of my wardrobe! My neutrals are muted blue, grey and beige, with accents of rust, dull forest green and pale pink. It works really well for me, and I’m excited to see it here :)
(A slight complication is that I tend to prefer not to match my top/bottom colours so I buy darker greys and navy on top, with medium grey/denim on bottom, and then beige pants, cream tops. But if I were to go more matchy, it’d be this structure exactly!)
Both accessories for this and a quite-neutral base with other accent colors would be nice to see.
Funnily enough I have been asking myself this very question the last few days. I am retired, living in a very casual area with a very casual lifestyle. My wardrobe is about 95 percent neutral, denim, tan, black and navy mostly. T shirts, jeans and chino crops. The Eileen Fisher clothes are dressier than what I normally wear, but having a nice outfit set aside and available would not be a bad thing. I really like the denim shirt. It could be a real work horse. And, while color is good in theory, in practice it is too much work! Love these posts!
Janice yes to both questions. Another interesting collection.
For me, it’s always about the accessories!
I love all the neutral pieces in this wardrobe – but not really fond of the coloured pieces. It’s probably just that they aren’t really “my” colours but I find them a bit “jarring”.
Personally, I would add a few back & white pieces (print/stripes/polka dots in both tops and bottoms & perhaps a dress) to go with the black & white pieces already chosen and then I’d opt for some more tops in a soft blue (but dressier options, not denim) that would work with the black, white & denim pieces. To me these options would make for a more sophisticated and more coordinated look.
You’ve taught me too well Janice – I’m now looking at things with a more critical outlook and really thinking about what would work for me!
Accessory stories are always fun!
OMG that silk tunic!!! And I can’t say enough nice things about the Uniqlo linen sleeveless shirt – the two I bought last summer are workhorses. Loved this post!
This is a great integration of denim – very casual – into a casual dressy wardobe. Thank you!
Love this because although your point is that YES you can have 3 ‘neutrals’ – there are also 3 accent colors, which is often a lot because you’ve done 1 or 2 accent colors a lot but three is less common.
Love it all as I work on my summer wardrobe for my new body! Thanks!
That patchwork tunic is so fun! When you are in the mood for cheery and bright, you put that on. When you feel calm and serene, you wear the neutrals. Love the range of choices!
Very cheery! This would make a nice summer color scheme. Or for a tropical vacation. I went on a mall crawl for the perfect tee and I can report this orange tee is junk. $24.50 for a tee that is cut out crooked to the grain. You can see it in the web site photos, so at least they don’t hide the fact. Every tee, at every price point, crooked. If one doesn’t mind crooked, Target tees are 2 for $14.
Yes, please, Janice. I’d love to see some of the outfits with the scarf too.
Would love to see accessories, Janice! Such a perfect variety of colors and neutrals for the upcoming seasons! Thanks!!
I really like this wardrobe, and love how there are more neutrals and then some pops of colour that match with all the neutrals. I especially like a paler or mid-tone denim as a neutral.
Love this and look forward to accessories!
I had to laugh Janice. You’ve made me realise that in my wardrobe I think of white and soft blue as accent colours. Which means that instead of having four neutrals as I’d thought, I really only have two — black and navy. Perception, eh. I like the wardrobe shown here for its mix of colour and the inclusion of pattern. Playing with colour is so much fun.
Janice, I would love to see accessories for this summer wardrobe. I am pulling these same three neutrals out for my summer wardrobe, but would use grey, rust and olive as accents.(Three more “neutrals”???) Thanks for these wardrobe ideas!
Love the range of colours you’ve chosen – they give lots of mileage. One just would not get bored. I love the patchwork top – it adds a certain je ne sais quoi! I’d love to see accessories and different coloured ones too.
Janice,
When on a trip I alternate neutral outfits with accent colored ones. Great inspiration here again, with that fun print too ! Many thanks !
After years of struggling to balance my love of color and my need for a cohesive wardrobe, this is where I’ve landed. The bulk of my clothes are neutrals (gray, navy, white, and denim). Then I have small pops of color (all shades of pinks, that bright grass green, that bright pool blue, purple, cognac, and olive). When I don’t want to think about what to wear, I can grab some neutrals and be done. When I want to be more creative, I can throw on whatever color suits my mood. And since they’re accent colors, it’s okay if they don’t necessarily “go” with each other. My closet is now a happy place. :)
I love this! Whenever I travel, these colors are my neutrals. Cruises, Europe, US, Mexico, South Pacific…the location doesn’t matter, it’s so versatile. Yes, I would love to see accessories!
Great wardrobe. I really enjoy the core of 4 structure. Can’t wait to see the accessories and alternate accent colours.
This is likely the best plan yet that I’ve come across. Thank you. And yes please. Do bring on footwear options and accessories!
Yes! The core of 4 is the most common way that I pack these days. Although I love – and often wear – denim, I don’t mix denims in outfits, so in a travel capsule I usually bring either denim tops or denim bottoms so that I can maximize mixing and matching (but not matching denims, lol!) – nancyo
Love the neutrals and have these in my wardrobe all ready. Would love to see accessories and other accent colors. Typically I wear clear bright blue, green and magenta and am taking these colors with beige/stone, denim and black on 20+ day European trip this June-July. Will be incorporating the “modesty” and “uncertain weather” concepts from your blog. Thank you.
I like very much.