September 23, 2019
How fun! We finish the first 13 weeks – the Autumn segment of The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe… with a dress! (I love dresses… I find them the easiest, and possibly the most comfortable, thing to wear…)
If I still worked in an office, I’d have this dress in a New York minute:
black plaid dress – Lands’ End
Of course you might not want a dress, which is your choice. There are always options; you should insist on being yourself!
Yes, many of the accessories that you’ve used when wearing your earlier garments from the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe are equally useful with your dress…
scarf – Missoni; earrings – Talbots; watch – Daniel Wellington; dress – Roberto Collina; flats – Naturalizer
It’s NOT too early to start thinking about what you’re going to want to wear for the winter holidays; the best dresses will be in and out of stores before you can blink twice!
earrings – Kendra Scott; bracelet – Kendra Scott; bag – Staud; dress – All in Favor; pumps – Everlane
Once you have a scarf that you love, you will find lots of ways to wear it!
earrings – Kenneth Jay Lane; dress – Boss; cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; scarf – Claire Gaudion; pumps – Naturalizer
A scarf can be the thing that ties your entire wardrobe together! Which is not to say that you wear it every day (unless you want to!), but more that you make clothing choices with that scarf in mind. This sort of unifying idea can really help keep your wardrobe focused…
earrings – Kendra Scott; scarf – Image Diary; dress – Lands’ End; bag – Madewell; flats – Trotters
If you’re a fan of sweaters, a sweater dress is worth considering! I have one that I wear at least once a week in the cold weather…
earrings – Lois Hill; watch – Olivia Burton; bracelet – Lois Hill; boots – LifeStride; dress – Nolita
For those who know that they will never wear a dress, it’s still worth thinking about what you will wear for a “dress” event. I’ll say it a dozen times – the best things come and go in the stores really quickly, and the sooner that you start looking for what you will need, the better are your chances to get something that you will love!
earrings – Carriere; sweater – Equipment; bracelet – Ragen Jewels; evening bag – Stelle; flats – Naturalizer; silk pants – Eileen Fisher
And what, exactly, have we accomplished during these 13 weeks? How about assembling a really versatile capsule wardrobe? Doesn’t this feel like “Whatever’s Clean 13”?
white, black and red tee shirt – Lands’ End; blue tee – Lands’ End; black cardigan – Banana Republic; white shirt – Lands’ End; black cabled sweater – L.L.Bean; striped sweater – Madewell; floral cardigan – Lands’ End; black jeans – Lands’ End; washable wool dress pants – Lands’ End; tweed skirt – J.Crew; dress – Lands’ End
I’ve always liked the number 13, for no good reason… It’s surprising how much I run into that number on The Vivienne Files!
love,
Janice
p.s. 3 years ago our heroine the diplomat was packing for a trip to Europe, based on a Diego Rivera painting…
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This series has been most helpful! I was trying on my items and am very pleased with the results. Thanks for showing the sweater and pants option for a dress. I never wear one and was trying to figure out how I would manage this week.
Great success!
I used this template for a trip planned for August/September/October, plus a few from the summer template I couldn’t resist filling in, and it worked brilliantly. Unfortunately the trip had to be cancelled, but I hope to use it next year instead. Thanks for all your ideas.
I love dresses — perhaps a bit too much. I have pared my closet down to a dozen or so, but I still reach for them more often than not. They are thought-free styling that make me look way more put-together than I feel. I envy the people who can combine separates into polished outfits without artifice or frump. Until I figure out how to become one of those people, I will continue following your amazing advice (and continue enjoying my dress collection).
Janice,
Thank you for this summary — I had gotten lost along the way . Thank
Thank you so much for this series, Janice! It has come at the perfect time as the weather here is just starting to turn. I adore the brown ensemble (except for the handle on the purse!) And I love the shoes but ibthought kitten heels were supposed to be about 1″; it seems every pair I look at is closer to 2″ : (
How do you do your photo montage of the various ensembles and then of the final fall 13 TWT?
Can we hope for winter starting next week, please?
Hi Janice. Thank you for all you do. I just ordered that brown dress for a wedding in a few months. Finding a pretty dress with sleeves is no easy task! Fingers crossed that it works for me!
A
As a reluctant dress wearer I always fall back on separates as I always get more wear out of them, so I’m glad you’ve offered up that option as an alternative. love this series and have followed along – great for focussing the mind and identifying gaps in the wardrobe. Look forward to the next 13 weeks for winter staples.
Despite there being a surfeit of lovely dresses this year, the trend that has pleased me most is the return of coordinates. I now have 3 tops with matching skirts and a top and matching trousers and it’s less seasonal than a dress would be. It reminds me of the 1970s. Also it’s easier if you’re bottom or top heavy!
I’ve noticed that trend too and swooped down on a few options. You’re right, feels like the 70s again!
I loved those days! I worked in retail back then, and that’s a lot of where I learned what I know about coordinating an efficient wardrobe! If only they would come back…
hugs,
Janice
This comment thread is interesting to me. I would love to learn more about the 1970s trend to which you are referring, i.e. what does that look like? I sew and purchase vintage patterns a lot. I’ve noticed a lot of wardrobe patterns from the 1970s where you sew several suiting-type pieces, plus blouses and sweaters to go with them, such as this one:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/709361259/simplicity-7070-capsule-wardrobe-sewing?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=1970s+wardrobe+sewing+pattern&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&organic_search_click=1&cns=1
I’ve also seen wardrobe plan guides that mention picking several solid pieces and then a print blouse and skirt that goes with them. Is that the type of coordinates you are referring to?
I can’t believe that it has been 13 weeks since you started this series. The grey dress you highlighted at the beginning brought back good memories. I had a jacket and skirt in that pattern with a burgundy stripe running through it. I did get a lot of wear out of that outfit. Thanks for the memory.
I also love the number 13! Thanks for all you do to add beauty to our lives!!
Camille
Ooh, that Equipment sweater! I’m seeing stars – and I love it!
I would wear things covered with stars all of the time, if I didn’t know that it would make me look… eccentric! But a sweater now and then? Heck yes!
hugs,
Janice
I have looked for the Nolita sweater dress and cannot fund it online. Can you direct me?
Thanks
Marilee
It’s at Yoox:
https://shopstyle.it/l/8OOB
hugs,
Janice
These 13 weeks have been fantastic – thanks so much! I really appreciated the pants and sweater idea in place of the dress. I live in the middle of no where and when people dress up here they put on their newest jeans! Now I have a great outfit idea thanks to you and it does not include jeans!!
Dresses always gather dust in my wardrobe along with the skirts. My version of the dress is a jumpsuit. I have dressy and casual ones and always feel true to myself when wearing one rather than a dress which make me feel self conscious. I also wanted to thank you for the Timeless Wardrobe series. I am enjoying it immensely and like that you always highlight that items can be swapped out for alternatives that suit you better. This series also helps me realise that I already own enough clothing and do not need to buy more (so far anyway, no holes discovered in my wardrobe yet!)
I LOVE anybody that can wear jumpsuits happily! Wear what makes you feel best, and be happy that you’ve got that part of life figured out!
hugs,
Janice