May 28, 2020
We haven’t heard from this heroine is a long time! She was, for years, a caregiver to both her parents and her children. After her parents moved into a care facility, our heroine got a job in a corporate environment, which she loved. She excelled to the point that she was given a huge promotion, and then within a few months earned a gigantic retention bonus and raise; she and her sweetie took off for a very long weekend vacation!
Holy handbags, which a history!
This is her favorite painting – neutrals with brights – sort of like being business-ready, but still having some spark and some personality…
It all seemed as if it was going swimmingly. Until one day, they wanted her to lie about some statistics. Not lie – not in THEIR minds – but mislead the public, all the same…
She talked to her partner. And then she retired. Life’s either too short or too long to get caught up in these kinds of dishonest, just plain wrong undertakings!
And they’re going on a road trip. 1 bag per person, lots of hiking, lots of pub dining, lots of walking around small towns deciding if this is where they want to settle down.
And so she began to assemble a 3-cluster travel wardrobe for casual, retirement life!
She starts with her grey – it’s not fascinating, but it will be immensely versatile, neutral and always appropriate.
Dark and light gray tee shirts – Uniqlo; charcoal heather tank – Lands’ End; gray heather sweatshirt – Lands’ End; granite canvas pants – L.L.Bean
Since they’re going to be hiking a lot, she wants to be sure to have shorts and casual tops… (and lots of sunscreen!)
Cactus flower polo – Lands’ End; cobalt tank top – Dorothy Perkins; grey print tee – Aventura Clothing; flax linen shorts – Lands’ End; arctic gray shorts – Lands’ End
And to round out her capsule wardrobe, a pair of “nice” jeans and a good cardigan. Some nights she will want to be lovely for her sweetheart…
Pewter heather textured cardigan – Lands’ End; floral blouse – Marks & Spencer; linen shirt – Everlane; face masks – Banana Republic; imlay gray jeans – Lands’ End
Her backpack is pretty big, so this will all fit pretty easily, so long as she wears her sweatshirt!
Her only real concerns for having variety in her wardrobe are to be able to dress appropriately when she and her sweetie go out for meals, and to have something clean to wear most days! That said, she really will have quite a few options to pull out of her backpack…
Can you picture getting out of a car in a town you’ve never visited, walking around a bit, stopping for a meal, and then deciding that you’d like to spend the night? Let’s find a room, and a good pub; this might be where we want to settle down!
I’d be willing to visit about a million towns…
love,
Janice
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What a wonderful jazzy painting? It reminds me of a merry-go-round at a fair, perhaps one of those that has the brightly coloured cocks and horses.
Masks are becoming the must-have accessory for fashion companies. I wonder when fashion magazines will show photographs of models wearing co-ordinating masks?
Grey, pink and blue make up about half my summer wardrobe. However, to ring the changes a bit more, I include pink and blue bottoms and pink and blue cardigans. I also have a couple of tops with pink and blue flowers.
Today, I’m wearing mid-blue linen trousers and a pink ditsy floral print top. It’s going to be a warm sunny day so I doubt that I’ll need a cardigan. If I do later, it would probably be my light grey slouchy cardigan or a light blue one.
Oh, this was always one of my favourite heroines! Thanks for the re-visit.
Hi Janice!
Love the story, love the color scheme, love the masks. I have more black and navy in my closet than grey, so I’d probably do a color swap. Otherwise, I can soooooo use this capsule all summer for our staycation.
PS I look forward every day to reading your stories and seeing your color schemes, and hearing from everyone.
Janice,
It’s funny how our eyes pick out the colors from a mix that appeal to us more than what others might see. For instance, when I first looked at this painting I saw a denim blue, a pale creamy yellow, an aqua, and of course, a pinky red ! Something for everyone !
You know by now how much I appreciate your cluster posts ! For some reason they resonate with me more than a-piece-at-time approach ! I guess that I jump to garment group thinking, though your retrospective is more of an outfit at a time in thinking . I like the way you then analyze the “ what can I add” !
Restrictions are opening up here in PA, though I see too many people jumping full speed ahead with no masks, so inevitably we’ll all have to pay the price for that reckless behavior !
The grocery stores here continue to be picked over — hoarding for Wave 2 ? Sigh —-
I liked seeing a range of greys represented in a small capsule because I struggle a bit with whether different greys in one of my outfits looks good or not. I have figured out that some greys are warmer and some are cooler, and that trying to blend those is hard. But seeing this collection, I think another issue I have is trying to wear two greys that differ too much in their value…like a light grey top with a dark grey cardigan…without a medium grey that helps bridge that divide. I liked all these outfits until I got to the last one, which I am less sure about. Of course it looks perfectly fine and I would not notice or judge it on another person at all! But applying a high level of scrutiny, I realized that I experience some of the same “eh” feeling I get with the light grey top/dark grey cardigan that I wear. Now I’m curious whether adding a scarf with a medium grey to my top/cardigan is enough to bring the greys together or whether I should start keeping my eye out for a medium grey top to wear with the dark grey cardigan (which is a winter favorite that I would like to wear more often and more happily than I did this past year).
This is interesting to me because I think there is something about grey specifically that elicits this “eh” response. I don’t feel that way about other neutrals or colors when even a very light and a very dark version are worn together (though I know outfits look better on me when I step through the light to dark value range). I mean, white with black seems like a very extreme version of this and I love that combination. And cream with brown is lovely. So what’s the deal with grey? Hmmm. Maybe black/white and cream/brown feel like 2 different neutrals together whereas light grey/dark grey feel like 2 version of the same neutral, as reflected in the words used for them, and that plays into this? I’m not sure how I’d feel about light navy and dark navy together, for example. (Or would such a light navy just be mentally categorized as a form of “blue” and hence another color?)
In any case, this was so helpful for me to realize, Oh, it’s not that specific grey top and cardigan I don’t like together; it’s this thing where light grey and dark grey are right next to each other with no medium grey in the outfit that makes me go “eh.”
On another note…I am sad/mad for all the heroines who are dealing with this nonsense in their jobs. I’m glad this heroine and her beloved are riding off together with a versatile set of comfortable, well-coordinated clothing (and face masks!) as they explore this next stage of the adventure.
Grey is difficult, no doubt. I’ve thought for years about gradually shifting my wardrobe from black to grey, and I still don’t quite get there…
One thing I’ve noticed when I put these outfits together is that I’m much more picky about things looking close together in color or tone. For example, in “real life” I would never care if a handbag had silver hardware on it, but the outfit included gold earrings. But when I put them on a page together so that they’re going to be THREE INCHES APART on your phone, I want them to blend beautifully. It’s interesting…
hugs,
Janice
Well, it’s good to know I’m not alone in still figuring things out about the color grey!
Sally in St. Paul,
Just recently I have become aware of value in both an outfit and how that outfit relates to my own personal coloring . My hair and skin have become lighter with age, though I still have my hair colored and shall again when the restrictions subside ! With my warm medium light brown/blond hair, fair skin and brown eyes, I have become aware that I feel the most satisfied when wearing 3 values within an outfit, stepping in value from medium light to medium dark , no matter the neutral or the hue . Just last week I set aside a total Chico’s Traveler’s outfit to be donated and worn only once because the brown is just too dark and overwhelms me, as does any bright color . However, with too little of a contrast value between pieces, I also feel unsatisfied . It works the best when I can find a print or an accessory that combines all three values of medium light, medium, and medium dark as a stepping stone .
So as I think about any future purchases, I shall be more aware of not only the hue, but the intensity or brightness of saturated color as well as the value and how that works with other pieces and with my own coloring ! Lots to consider to make it worth the purchase !
Shrebee, I like this strategy of a “stepping stone” item. I look forward to trying that. Your awareness of how this intersects with your own coloring is instructive. I am pretty light value overall in my coloring, but I find it boring to dress in as light of a palette as that suggests. And like you, I find too little value contrast is unsatisfying. There’s still a lot for me to learn here, and I appreciate your thoughts.
Hi Sally
Have you had your colours analysed? Grey is a difficult colour for some people to wear, particularly those with Autumn or Warm colouring. Equally some greys can have a yellow tinge which can make people with cool colouring, like me, look sallow.
Another thing to consider is that grey is essentially black diluted with white. The more white the paler the grey. However, black is rarely true. There will be an undertone – blue, green, red, purple or brown. This may be surprising.
I used to sing in a choir. It was decided that we would have a uniform of black velour trousers and coloured silk blouses which were made for us. We were told to wear our trousers to a rehearsal. It was then discovered that the blacks all had different undertones.
In the end our wardrobe mistress decided which undertone went best with the colours of the blouses. They bought all the trousers from one shop!
So when you look at grey and go ‘eh?’, it’s because your eye is seeing the undertone which is jarring with you. As white is added to black, the undertone is also diluted.
I am a Soft Summer, so I have the coolness of Summer but a bit of muted warmth of Autumn. Grey is a good neutral for me but some greys can make me look sallow which is probably because the ‘black’ it derives from originally had a green undertone.
Looking at these clusters I would choose:
Cluster 1 – light tee, light hoodie and granite trousers.
Cluster 2 – patterned grey tee which I would wear with the granite trousers above and the cardigan below.
Cluster 3 – my favourite cluster ? I would wear these two greys together because they are close in tone and undertone.
If you look at Janice’s last image of the post, it features the greys I have chosen and how I would wear them!
Hope that helps
Beth
By the way, I’ve not had my colours professionally done because it is so expensive. I hope Janice won’t mind me saying that I just bought all the Colour Me Beautiful books over the years and worked it out for myself! The only thing I dont have are the colour swatches but I’d probably lose them.
The books also provide helpful advice on working out what shape, scale and fit of clothes suit your body shape which is very helpful for a 5 foot pear-shaped medium built person. We are all different.
Beth, I am astonished by this information about the various undertones of black! That really helps explain how greys can look so different from each other. I need to spend some time looking more closely at blacks and greys and see if I can notice the differences! I have not had my colors done, and I find it difficult to apply the seasons to myself…I have teal-green eyes and golden blonde hair but a pinkish cast to my overall pale skin, so I seem to clash with myself somehow ;) I would definitely need an expert to help me there.
Years of experience have taught me that it’s wise to dress for the life you have, so this capsule is really perfect for the way I like to travel. What fun to wander into small towns! I usually park the car at one end of Main Street and walk to the end on one side and back on the other side of the street. There’s almost always something interesting. And then you find the local hiking trails! What a life!
We once traveled two weeks across the Swiss Alps with only small packs, hiking or taking a bus between villages. I got by with 3 T shirts (all of the poly knit type for hiking.) They come in some pretty colors these days and are cut to fit a woman’s body. Also packed 1 pair of zip offs ( long hiking pants that can be converted to shorts,) one pair of hiking pants with a wonderful cut that can easily double as a travel pant or something to wear to dinner. Then I had a long sleeved t- in the underlayer fabric for skiing & hiking. In grey, it looks pretty nice with a necklace or scarf and earrings with a light touch of makeup. I had rain pants, rain jacket and a zip up fleece jacket which was just nice enough for wearing either on the trail or around villages. I also had one set of long johns for sleeping or layering I’d the high altitude hikes turned cold. Hiking boots, and slip on grey shoes rounded it all out. Easy!
This particular capsule is fantastic for me, btw. I already have a lot of the pieces because grey is a super neutral for me. ( Everyone is different in coloring and taste, which Janice shows us repeatedly!) I haven’t been focusing on pink because I decided on coral for an accent, but you’ve been tempting me with so many gorgeous choices. But I could swap all of the pink for coral and the blue would be replaced with teal or a more flattering warm, clear blu. That’s the fun of this blog… so easy to see the possibilities in colors we already own and love.. or switch to a new set of accents if what you’re wearing doesn’t work. Bless you, Janice, for doing so much of the work for us. Sending hugs!
Your travel sounds heavenly; if we ever get out of this apartment, Belovedest and I are going to visit about a million medium-sized towns in Ireland. We already think we know where we want to live, but it never hurts to look, right?
hugs,
Janice
Just wondering as you plan your trip to Ireland whether you might explore some of the rest of the UK. I’m sure your British readers, like me, would be pleased to suggest some of our favourite places to visit.
Janice,
With the” Girl on a Sofa” grouping! I love, love , love how an outfit the second and third days can look and feel so very different in color and style ! That is my goal when I pack — to not feel like I am wearing the same colors together, day in and day out ! It looks like outfit packing , but is a well thought out mix and match grouping — great job !
The Girl on the Sofa – I looked up the artist and discovered he was British which was a surprise. I like the ethereal quality of this genre of portraits. Far gentler than the overtly pre-Raphaelite paintings of severe looking women.
Thanks for showing how to pack three different outfits which could mix and match. This is particularly useful if the weather is changeable and you are going somewhere new with no fixed itinerary. I’ve had several holidays like that and it’s fun exploring new places.
I like the little motif in the corner showing each neutral and accent in the outfit. I would probably add in a patterned dress or top that combines several of the colours for those times I might wish to dress up for dinner.
However, I can’t help thinking that if the Girl on the Sofa was really asleep, that she would wake up with a crick in her neck and stiff wrists…
I have fallen asleep like that and woke up with the worst headache from straining my neck muscles. Ouch.
I love gray, especially medium to charcoal values. If I were to wear different values of gray, I’d probably tie them together with a patterned scarf or top. Much of our travel includes hiking, and while I like the casual feel of this wardrobe, cotton isn’t the best choice for hiking. Technical fabric is more versatile, protects from hypothermia in case of rain on the hike, and often can dress up decently. So I’d at least replace the long pants with microfiber, and definitely the sweatshirt with a versatile fleece. A bonus is that your heroine would greatly reduce the weight of her luggage – cotton garments can be heavy. – nancyo
As ever a very interesting post – and lots of interesting and informative comments.
However, am I the only one who feels very uncomfortable indeed about masks now becoming a ‘fashion’ item? There are millions of people worldwide who have absolutely nothing, no masks let alone fancy ones, do not know where their next meal is coming from and trying to cope with these unprecedented times. It just seems terribly inappropriate to me.
Its a tough call – we all have to wear them – I literally can’t walk out of my apartment into the hall without one. And I’d love to see most of us avoid disposable masks if at all possible – the landfill doesn’t need that, and we should be saving the truly sterile masks for those who need them!
So if having a couple of pretty masks makes it more palatable to live with half of your face covered EVERY DAY, and if they can be reused (and shared with family members) I’m going to suggest them. We all have to make our own best decisions, and these days that’s not simple!
hugs,
Janice
I completely agree that reusable masks are the best options, although it makes me uneasily when I see people wearing unreasonably pricey ones as a status symbol. I wish humans were better…
As a health professional (and someone very concerned about environmental issues) disposable masks are my preferred option as we are actually not sure how effective fabric masks actually are whereas FFP masks are graded by effectiveness. I have bought fabric masks for my family for the pragmatic reason that disposable medical grade masks are currently pretty much only available for essential workers in the uk but if the opportunity arises to buy medical grade masks that is what I will do.