February 28, 2020
She Doesn’t Want to Go…
to this week-long “professional development” seminar. She’s made it clear that she’s not the right person to go, and that there are other members of the staff that are MUCH better suited to attend.
Tee – Lands’ End; earrings – The Met Store; flannel tunic – Land’ End; scarf – Emily Carter; cardigan – Lands’ End; loafers – Clarks; velvet jeans – Lands’ End
Worse yet, the weather there is uncertain, and nobody seems to know how dressy this whole shebang might be…
sweater – Victoria Victoria Beckham; earrings – Priscila Canales; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; skirt – Endless Rose; scarf – Hermès Etriers Remix; cashmere hoodie – Rag & Bone; shoes – Naturalizer
So she has her own plan… She’s going to very quietly do her own thing, in colors that might daunt a less annoyed woman!
Dotted shirt – Banana Republic; melting pearl earrings – Marie June Jewelry; tee – Lands’ End; skirt – Banana Republic; scarf – Missoni; ballet flats – Schutz; jeans – Lands’ End
She will be perfectly appropriate, and will behave impeccably. But a little bit of acid green from time to time is going to be her way of showing a bit of… ire, shall we say?
blazer – J.Crew; melting hoop earrings – Marie June Jewelry; sweater – Halogen; flannel pants – J.Crew; scarf – Ingmarson; silver loafers – Driver Club USA; jeans – Lands’ End
She understands that she will, in fact, probably have a great time. And she’s going to go with a good attitude; her only real act of rebellion is this slightly “off the beaten path” wardrobe!
She thought that this was a nutty idea, but once she realizes how many options she has for getting dressed, she’s kind of pleased!
Have you ever been a rebellious employee? I’ve never really busted out and done something to make my feelings clear; I wish I had….
love,
Janice
p.s. Back in 2014, we looked at a lovely Peter Simpson painting, and assembled a few outfits…
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I love this unusual color mix!
Brilliant and hilarious! And those black and white selections are the bomb!
Two of my favorite colors (together!) plus black and white (majority of my working wardrobe) — makes me wish I had a conference to go to…
Well she’ll certainly stand out from crowd in a sea of ‘business appropriate colours’! She will be the centre of attention and maybe start a rebellious trend amongst the other women!
I love magenta purple but I am a soft summer with a wardrobe of soft and muted colours. Expressing ire or rebellion (very tempting at times) could be a challenge. Perhaps I would team magenta purple with bright blue, turquoise or bright pink. I would be tempted to wear the polka dot blouse and skirt together! Perhaps clashing patterns could be my rebellion or head to toe snakeskin print?
Janice,
Magenta Purple ? On my monitor it just looks like a nice shade of burgundy . Yes, the neon Green Sheen screams rebellion ! Who names these colors ?
That phrase “colors that might daunt a less annoyed woman” just made my day, as did this bold combination of colors. I already have a fair amount of black and white in my wardrobe, and lately I find myself attracted to that shade of purple. I have jeans in a similar shade (called plum my the manufacturer), and recently bought two purple-based tops to go with them. While I have never been especially fond of acid green, it is a color I can wear, and today’s post has inspired me to try to find an inexpensive top in that hue to wear with those jeans as well. Who knows, I may just like the color combination, and I am sure there will be times when I am annoyed enough to wear it! ?
I can’t wear acid green but have a gorgeous handbag with these colors. I love wearing acid green gloves with a burgundy scarf. I love the green and plum combo
I love your stories! Some are funny, others romantic, and some are just me. ? My biggest problem throughout 46 years of employment is that I can’t stand rules or being told what to do. It’s been a bit of a challenge for me and my employers. Yes, I have dressed in rebellion (OK, fury), and various combinations of chartreuse and plum have appeared in my work wardrobe over the years. I love these outfits!
While I love your outfits and selections, and follow religiously, I especially like and look forward to the stories of your ladies. Today’s story was a hoot and really rang a bell with me! Thanks for creating such a fun post.
Too bad the green sheen skirt only goes up to size 6 (and calls that large). A guess a message is being sent.
I loved seeing these colors together! It’s so unusual. Too bad I can only wear the black and white. That doesn’t look like magenta to me- more like a dark wine color. Naming of colors can be so strange. The capsule is so original and refreshing. You make my day with your inspirations, Vivienne.
Pantone color naming is not useful, if you’re actually looking for garments in these colors! I searched for wine, merlot, burgundy and maroon (and others that I don’t remember!) in order to find these colors. It’s necessary to have a great imagination!
hugs,
Janice
A •week long• professional development event… super-rare these days, and so is this colour combination! I’d probably choose the less-striking black/white or black sets toward day four so I wouldn’t be spotted when sneaking out for a little respite; a week would tax my attention span. The Emily Carter scarf is special: geometric, but with movement.
Back in the 80’s and 90’s I worked for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) which had a very strict dress code. Men had to wear a suit and tie and could not leave their cubicle without their jacket. Women could only wear a blazer, skirt and blouse or a dress with nude pantyhose (or as we called it, government-issued pantyhose!). Being in my early twenties and feeling rebellious, I remember wearing cream colored pantyhose one day – which was very on trend at the time. I never had so many second looks at my outfit in my life. Luckily I was not sent home to change but I did get a raised eyebrow from my manager. I never broke the rules again, but it sure was refreshing for that one day!
I love the earring selections in the context of this wardrobe!
Janice, I have spent the last couple of months working right through your archives from the start. Although I’ve been a fan for a number of years, it’s been fascinating summer (I’m in Australia) reading for me. I have more than enough clothes and seeing all these small collections is keeping me from shopping needlessly. Thankyou so much for all the hours you spend on this amazing resource. I hope you get a small something everytime I click a link, even if I only look ?
Following on from Dea’s comment about the earrings. By the way I love the acid green bee earrings adding a sting in the tale! However it is just the small details that can lift an outfit and catch the eye. Yesterday I went to our local theatre yesterday. I like to dress up a bit so wore a soft velour burgundy trouser suit (loose jacket and wide leg trousers) with a grey with pink floral blouse underneath.
The blouse was decorative enough not to need a necklace but I like a bit of sparkle. A brooch on the jacket was the answer. Following Janice’s guidelines, my choice was a open worked flower style brooch to pick up the blossoms in the blouse. It’s made of a grey etched metal interspersed with clear diamante stones and really catches the light. It is a pretty brooch and caught the eye of several people who thought the stones were diamonds! I’ll take that even though it was an inexpensive purchase in a sale.
Your examples are very good. Even though I have great difficulty imagining how a particular piece of clothing is going to look on my body, I learn from the colour mixing. I have always had difficulties with clothes collages, boards, but also when I see clothes in the shop on a hanger, my brain shuts down. No idea what to pick, what will be good on me. Plus… I tend to go for the pieces that scream “I am unusual”. All very nice to have a few of those in your wardrobe, but with me they compete a lot with each others. I am bad at basics.
This was a bit of a rant and I only wanted to say: thanks for the colour education.
Greetje
I’ve just read your look back to your blog on the stunning landscape painting which looks like a photograph. It gives me an idea of looking at photographs of special places and putting some outfits together as a way of remembering the experience.