November 18, 2020
a question first – does anybody else have ankles that get cold? I was out today, and saw many people appropriately bundled for winter, except they were wearing cropped pants with nothing covering their ankles…
Shaking Up the Routine
She still has to go to her office – she’s often the only person there. But she sits by a window onto the street, and people often stop to read the real estate ads posted very near where she sits. So she feels that she has to dress nicely, even if she’s alone!
In the normal world, she wears black and white, with accessories. She likes to mix patterns, and the austere discipline of her wardrobe pleases her.
But THIS year? It’s time for some fun!
And this is what inspired her! She’s going to stick with her black and white wardrobe core, but she’s going to add ONE garment in each of the six accent colors!
This is where she is starting:
Black open front jacket – Eileen Fisher; marled cotton cardigan – L.L.Bean; v-neck cashmere sweater – L.L.Bean; glen plaid sweater-blazer – J.Crew; white & black turtlenecks – J.Crew; white and black tee shirts – J.Crew; velvet ankle pants – Eileen Fisher; wool pencil skirt – Eileen Fisher; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; v-neck shift dress – Eileen Fisher
And then, the fun starts!
Blue turtleneck – L.L.Bean; bright meadow cashmere sweater – J.Crew; butter yellow tee – L.L.Bean
So pretty!
Burnt orange satin blouse – Express; red cotton turtleneck – L.L.Bean; purple cashmere sweater – J.Crew
She couldn’t find anything in a true “ripe fruit” shade of orange, but burnt orange is close, right?
Hmm… but now what?
This isn’t a bad balance, but she definitely needs another pair of pants or skirt! Maybe a 2nd layer too…
After some searching and pondering, this is what she chose:
Floral turtleneck – H&M; cardigan – Boden; pleated skirt – Anne Klein
No, neither the turtleneck nor the cardigan go with everything, but she’s alright with that!
Now, she has a 21-piece Garde-Robe du Mois that includes plenty of neutrals, a literal rainbow of accents, and a few prints and textures to keep things interesting.
In an average work month, there are 22 working days. I think she’s going to have no problems figuring out what to wear!
Heck YES I’ve got to do accessories for this wardrobe, right?
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, a pink and brown wardrobe was inspired by a vintage Hermes Napoleon scarf.
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This wardrobe is such fun.
Wow – psychedelic! ? Something for everyone here.
The deep purple is mine at this time of year. The blue with grey is one of my favourite New Year combinations. The other colours are too bright and intense for me. The Boden cardigan is a whappage winner – I just wish it came in a different colourway as well.
I can imagine that somewhere in this heroine’s wardrobe (or her mother/grandmother’s wardrobe) is a psychedelic patterned blouse from the late 1980’s/early 1990’s. My mother had one which my daughter now wears.
I would love to see accessories – a challenge that we know you like.
Thanks for the look back. I have a couple of underused large square scarves/wraps – one soft cotton with roses and the other a large silk paisley/floral. They both have a navy/burgundy/pastel blue/ pastel pink colourway on an ivory background.. Now that my wardrobe is sorted out, I think they will come into their own in the New Year as I bring out the lighter blues and pinks looking forward to Spring.
May I ask why large square speech bubbles inside black circles have appeared?
I think it’s because we don’t have a photo of ourselves.
I wouldn’tknow how to load one anyway.
Well that’s just plain weird; they’re making “improvements” somewhere, I suspect…
Let me see what I can learn!
hugs,
Janice
I agree with the bare ankels. Doesn’t they get cold? I got gold already at the end of the summer with bare ankels
I agree with Ansi – that is why I don’t wear ankle pants. Too cold in NY for that.
I grew up in Montana and every year you would see several teens/adults running around in three feet of snow wearing parkas, shorts, and sandals. I still don’t get it.
I don’t have many pair of crop pants, but when I wear them in cold weather I wear black knee socks and black ankle boots…. most of the time my pants are long enough to meet the top of the boot or even a little longer…
Or we could do as Kamala Harris does: Converse hi-tops or Timberland boots. She looks great in them.
Some people just don’t seem to feel the cold. I’ve seen people with bear legs in winter!
My ankles will not see the light of day again outside until at least Easter. I wear boots as well to keep my ankles cosy. By Easter socks or tights are OK but it has to be a very hot day before I go outside without tights or socks at all.
Thank you for this wardrobe, but I am wondering if there are any actual people in a real world, that could wear all 6 rainbow colours next to their face (l’m thinking cold/warm, light/dark colours)?…
I know someone with dark hair and a clear complexion who would wear these colours. They would also look fabulous on a redhead.
I’m a copper redhead. ???This is the first post I’ve read that actually reflects most of what I wear, bur in a more refined way. Thank la Janice for the inspo, and yes please do accessories next.
Fantastic Sarah!
Re ankles – if I put on socks, I’ve made a commitment to winter . . . I’m just not ready to do that yet :-) xoxox
Yes, my ankles get cold! That’s why I have zero ankle or cropped pants. I must have socks and coverage. Fun wardrobe today, Janice.
Agnes, I could wear certain shades of each of the colors. I might even change the neutral to navy or gray, but I could take the idea and run with it. I love this concept for adding lots of colors with the addition of just a few carefully chosen garments. I think the goal is to shake up your brain and consider another way of putting together a wardrobe that would make you happy.
Bingo!! Welcome to my world! All black and white with some strong color added at the end. Very easy to get dressed and so much fun (for me). When I’m sitting (in the previous world) in church etc surrounded by nothing but DRAB, I can sneak peeks at my scarf/shawl/blazer/cardi and be cheered. Topic of discussion in my quilt guild: do we all see color in the same way? Maybe bright and cheery to me is searing to others? I describe myself as “the eight crayola box”, not the 64!
After years of being required to wear dresses/skirts to school (imagine walking across a college campus in an Iowa January in a skirt) my legs, ankles are more resistant to cold than the rest of me. Nevertheless, they are not bare in the outdoor winter.
Seeing colour differently is an interesting topic of discussion. A couple of years ago a photo of a woman wearing a dress did the rounds on social media. The debate about the colour of the dress was incredible. Was it white with gold lace or blue with black lace? Though I saw a blue dress with coffee coloured lace (just to be even more different!)
Apparently it’s something to do with light receptors at the back of the eye and whether you are looking at something in natural or artificial light.
If the latter, is it blue light, warm yellow light or ‘,natural’ daylight. The dress was actually white with gold lace.
This is why we find it difficult to match colours using just our ‘mind’s eye’. We will be invariably wrong. Hence why I’ve ended up with several green t-shirts that aren’t aqua!
Janice,
What a FUN kaleidoscope of colors ! Not mine, but fun to look at in this now leafless environment !
You have provided an answer to a dilemma in my closet and right on time ! No surprises there, you often do ! When breaking down the various pieces into categories, I wasn’t sure how to include the garments that could be both a top or a topper . Easy peasy — make them their own category ! I am in the process of paring down and assessing how many items that I have in each category, as I often see that you do . So thanks once again for the help !
The turtlenecks are being unpacked — temps are only in the 40’s for the highs this week with lots of very cold wind !
I finally threw in the towel and realized that need to recognize the dual nature of so many sweaters! That tasty Boden Fair Isle cardigan certainly could be worn without anything under it…
hugs,
Janice
I wear a fancy top or jumper with thermals underneath.
Good tip for parties when the host lives in a draughty house or turns the heating down because people will heat the room!.
It’s also saved the day when singing in a concert in a freezing cold church! Now I just watch but wear plenty of layers and boots with thick tights and socks. I I even take a rug and cushions (hard pews).
I’m a fan of the tops or 2nd layer category too. Umm… why didn’t I think of that?
The dress would totally work over the right pair of pants too.
As for cold ankles, a big yes! Also hot feet apparently. In the summer I stop wearing enclosed shoes as soon as the weather heats up. My socks stay in the drawer. As soon as the temps drop, out come the socks. Ankle length pants just get matched with cute socks. In very cold weather, I wear tights topped with socks.
I like the concept of this wardrobe and the cute color wheel. I think most people could sub in their personal shades of the rainbow colors. I would do greyed versions or shades of all of them, plum, olive, burnt orange, mustard, etc…
For me, accessories would make all the difference here – mainly scarves to pull things together. And can I say I LOVE the way these conversations carry on between posts on the “off” days of Tuesday and Thursday and sometimes over the weekend? It’s always such a great pick me up to pop on and see something new to ponder. Especially on the weekend when I have more time for thought. Cheers!
Sheila,
When I started the conversation yesterday about the inclusion of cool medium denim blue into an otherwise warm wardrobe, it later dawned on me that I was doing so on a Tuesday, and thought that no one would read my post ! How mistaken I was — yaaa ! I gain insights from my fellow readers here as well as from Janice, and what they do in their closets — so much fun and instructive as well !
Absolutely!
I love the international friendship of this group, although we may be thousands of miles apart. Our weather is wildly different but it’s fun reading about how we each adapt and mould our wardrobes to meet our needs. I’m alsobenjoying reading each post all over again between times. Comments are always helpful, intuitive and fun.
Today, I’m wearing a purple long sleeve tee with a frilled scoop neckline. It was an orphan but is becoming an autumn favourite, now that I’m sort of following Janice’s seasonal wardrobe idea plus lots of helpful tips from others about choosing colours tonally throughout the year. I got a bit chilly earlier so I’m now swathed in a burgundy and grey fleece reversible cape style wrap with a faux fur collar and sleeve edges. It looks like a medieval style robe but made by my sister because I couldn’t find one where the sides were enclosed.
Ditto in the friendship. Beth, you never cease to amaze me with your wardrobe. BTW, given the discussion on denim yesterday- today I do have on my sage green cardigan with a red blouse that has small yellow flowers w/leaves the color of the cardigan. The point to all that is I DON”T wear denim with these tops – I bought a pair of tan-ish cords which look much better to me. Then, I HAD to buy a pair of gray/tan boots as I thought my black shoes looked weird with the rest of the clothes. I wear the tan cords/boots with other tops/sweaters/jackets that lean more to the warm than cool side of the colors. SO my comment that I thought denim goes with everything wasn’t strictly true.
Your outfit sounds really pretty. Like me you choose a cardigan to match a less obvious colour. I have a blue blouse with pink and blue flowers on it which I wear in Spring. I wear it with a green cardigan to match the leaves.
However this season, I’m eschewing proper florals and wearing stylised florals, paisley and swirling abstract patterns. Mostly in dark reds, purple, and plum with a bit of mid-blue and grey and teal. I have ended up (again) with too many plain tops for my liking but I find it a challenge to find patterned tops I like in Autumn/Winter.
Sheila,
You’re forgiven ! Said sweetly !
Hi Janice,
Yes, my ankles get cold. So when the temperature drops below 70 degrees, I put on socks and shoes rather than sandals. But when I was young, I could suffer for beauty and fashion. Today my style is classic and comfortable.
I love today’s wardrobe. I could wear all the colors except orange, which makes me look a little sick. If I wore orange, it would have to be much closed to red than to yellow.
Keep up the good work.
Louise P
PS When the nights get cold, I wear a hood to keep my head warm. I usually have to make sure that my ears are covered. They get very cold.
The night cap existed for centuries for a very good reason! You’re smart…
hugs,
Janice
Louise, in winter I keep a snug fleece cap and a pair of fleece gloves next to my pillow, and I get use from them. I like feeling very snug when I fall asleep.
I love this so much! When people ask me my favorite color, it’s very difficult for me to choose one because I love ALL the colors.
Beth T, I’m one of those lucky fair skinned brunettes who can wear most saturated colors, and I do. But I think Dawn is right about it being more a matter of which type of color you chose – a pretty pastel version of this would be fabulous on the right person.
It’s probably a good thing that Boden sweater has wool in it, so I can’t allow my sensitive self to be tempted by it.
Oooh, I can’t function when my ankles get cold. It just shoots up my legs and makes the rest of me cold too. That is why I often also wear socks with my slippers.
This color wheel resembles my closet too, I would like to see it with a navy/denim core also. Yes, I’m one of those who uses denim as a neutral and I don’t think there is a color that doesn’t coordinate with it. :)
Since finding this blog just over a year ago, I’ve been taking nuggets provided by both Janice and this wonderful community to trim my wardrobe and now I’m so happy when I open my closet and choose my outfit for the day. Thank you, all!
Hi Janice and everyone! Soooooo glad the heroine decided on some bright colours to perk up the b/w wardrobe. So I was wondering how people felt about including a skirt in an accent color-? A nice red ? Or deep purple-? to complement black or grey? Be daring!
On college campuses pre Covid bare ankles, even in p!owable snow, were evident everywhere. I think, as Scottie said, students don’t want to admit that warm weather is long gone.
I wish I had the idea to wear capris with knee-length socks or tights. I think once I put capris away they are gone until May.
Go for it Linda. Adding skirts and trousers in accent colours or accent patterns has added to my wardrobe possibilities.
Several people have mentioned that wearing a top with a black or navy creates a line between the top and bottoms. I also find that emphasises my lack of height as I’m only 5 foot tall.
However, wearing a patterned top with a accent bottom that blends creates a top to toe accent outfit, particularly if you wear a matching or blending 2nd layer. Gone are the orphans because you now have a blended outfit. You can also blend plain garments if you dont like patterns. It makes me look taller as my silhouette isnt cut in half. All you see is one colour or shades of.
Half my wardrobe this season is burgundy, plums and purple – tops, bottoms and second layers. So this is my first seasonal neutral. My second is teal because it looks fabulous with burgundy and purple. These are also the darkest colours I wear apart from navy.
I wear a lot of patterned tops and dresses that reflect these colours.
Navy and grey and mid blues are minor players with very few items. Ivory and light grey are my light neutrals but again very minor. Black is a token pair of velvet trousers.
Come Spring/Summer, navy, all the blues and greys are my neutrals. Purple is soft and muted. Pink in all its hues is the star. Teal and light green are reserved for country walks. Burgundy and plum reappear in late September as the leaves are turning.
Perhaps you have an orphan blouse or top that you like very much but it looks a bit dull with black or navy? Find a skirt or trousers that blends with it – doesn’t have to be an exact match. The top will come alive.
Have fun experimenting.
Beth T, I like the idea of using accent bottoms to create a blended column. Today I’m wearing burgundy skinny pants with a grey/soft black/burgundy/shades of pink floral tunic-length blouse, a long grey open cardigan-style sweater vest, and serendipitously perfectly-matching burgundy flats. Checking myself in a mirror, I agree that this patterned/accent blended look does have a vertical orientation, compared to the cut-in-half horizontal feel you were talking about. I also wear this blouse with black or grey pants, but the burgundy has more cheer and pizazz.
Another plus of accent bottoms is that it’s a good way to wear a nice big dollop of a color that might not do you any favors worn near the face. For example, clear, bright crayon colors are fun and happy colors for me, but they are overpowering for my face; so instead of wearing a bright green sweater like this heroine, I wear bright green pants instead. (I am plus sized and A shaped, but I do not fear drawing attention to my bottom half; nothing is going to make me look “thin” so I might as well look fabulous!) I do find that wearing another bit of that accent color on the top, like a patterned scarf or a necklace or a pair of earrings, does help bring the eye back up to the face (as I’ve seen advised on Liz Kleeba’s blog).
We could all do with some cheer and pizzazz and to feel fabulous, right now.
I love the burgundy and grey combo on me too.
Hi Janice,
I can’t go bare ankles, too. I follow one of your smart posts a few years ago, the 36-Hanger idea. I just have to change a few hangers every month, as the weather changes. So, the cropped pants go to the storage at the end of September and stay there till April, at least.
Longtime reader, first time commenter, etc.
My base wardrobe is black, gray, and white, and I use this general method to build travel capsule wardrobes (or I did in the Before Times.) As pleasing as an everything-matches capsule looks all laid out together or in a Pinterest post, it isn’t actually necessary for all the clothing in the same category to match each other, because they’ll never be worn together- your tops don’t all have to match each other, for example. I pack by thinking in categories: outerwear, middle layers, tops, bottoms, and dresses. So long as I can come up with multiple reasonable combinations with items in the other categories, there’s no need for things in the same category to match or even be in the same palette. If I’m packing dark jeans, black pants, a black skirt, etc. and neutral-colored middle layers and outerwear, my tops can be pretty much any color I want. My rule of thumb for middle layers, like light blazers and cardigans, is that they have to go with (roughly) half the tops and dresses I’m bringing, and my skirts and pants are pretty much always neutral dark colors that go with everything. This lets me add a fair amount of color while preserving versatility.
I love this selection of colors! In the last couple of years I have experimented with adding a variety of colors into my tops, including colors I haven’t worn for ages, such as a green and a blue cotton sweater from Boden. I have all these colors you show today except the yellow. Maybe I will be brave enough to try this one soon as well.
Since I let my hair go natural I find instead of gray or silver hair I have a variety of colors–gray streaks that can look blonde, brown tones, and dark gray. Not what I expected, but now that it is more muted, I want to wear color! While I admire most of your wardrobes, this is the one I like best for me.
I had an ankle exposure accidently today, for the first time ever. Hahahahaha. Angie , from youlookfab.com taught us to wear pantyhose or knee high hose in nude or an interesting print …. like a micro fishnet to keep ankles warm.
Would fishnets really keep you warm? I don’t care for them because I find them very uncomfortable against the sole of my foot, but your mileage may vary!
hugs,
Janice
I have found Seattle in winter to be colder than I thought it would be (due to the humidity?) but still, perhaps not so cold as to make fishnets as ridiculous as they would be for us in the upper Midwest.
I will wear ankle pants into December and again starting in March, with a substantial pair of trouser socks (patterned by preference to make the overall look more intentional seeming and not that I just ran out of appropriate clothing!). With a skinny silhouette, these pants can be tucked into tall riding boots with any socks I want. For less-skinny pants, to the office, I will wear winter boots as appropriate to the amount of cold/snow, and change into flats or ankle boots indoors. But in January and February, ankle pants are a no-go; that is tights and skirts and tall boots weather. Long pants really don’t work well for me in the winter at all because I really do NOT go for that “pants stuffed into boots so you look like a pirate” look that my commute would often require.
I’m not so much bothered by cold ankles as I am by a cold neck! Once I start wearing turtlenecks and scarfs I find that I have to keep it up until warm weather, because I don’t like a draft on my neck. – nancyo
I’m with you! As soon as I wear a turtleneck that’s the last time you see my neck till spring!
Nancyo ,
Same here — if my neck area is cold, I feel cold all over !
Same here!
This is a popular response! I can’t stand cold on the back of my neck…as a knitter I have laid in a goodly supply of snuggly wools shawls that get wrapped around and around my neck fall, spring and winter-in bright colors to spark my black and white, of course! Have been known to wear a shawl in bed to keep that area warm.
Heck yes, accessories! Some marvelous scarves are required!
I enjoyed the look back at the brown, grey, and pink wardrobe. I was surprised by how much I liked the brown and grey together; I think the brown component was overall cooler than what I typically see/think of for brown, which made it work well with the cool grey and light pink. I’m curious about giving the brown/grey combination a whirl. I liked the grey sweater + brown skirt and boots outfit best. I used to have a cool brown corduroy skirt that would work perfectly, but given I’m staying indoors these days, I can easily make this grey sweater + brown jeans and flats instead. I’m missing the perfect brown/grey scarf, but I have an old reliable large-scale butterfly scarf in black, grey, shades of brown, and white with light blue and shades of pink that would work. If it’s chilly, I’ll add my coordinating brown quilted vest. Thanks for the idea.
My close is based on black, but I have red, blue, and green turtlenecks and crewnecks to liven up the choices. I also have a purple cardigan that I absolutely love as it goes with everything.
I’ve solved the ankle problem by buying brightly colored socks in all the colors of my sweaters. Adds a bit of entertainment value.
Sock manufacturers should rest easy in their beds, confident that they will be in demand…. High neck jumpers, are also essential to get me through the winter as are chunky jumpers, wraps and blankets.
The idea of using six different accent colors supports my need for variety. My neutrals are black, gray, and denim, and my tops are bright, cool variations of green, royal blue, red, magenta, hot pink, aqua, turquoise, purple and reddish-purple, plus white and black. I have learned so much here, and my last 14-day trip (just before the pandemic) used neutrals of black and denim with lots of different-colored accent tops. Of course, that meant packing more jewelry and scarves (which take up little luggage room), but a rainbow of accents provides a great excuse for owning and enjoying all those accessories. Great idea, Janice/Vivienne/heroine!
Yes to the cold ankles. I rediscovered knee socks in the early 2000s when boot cut jeans were everywhere and I got tired of a draft up my leg. Related to this, I don’t understand cropped puffer jackets. If it’s that cold I need something longer or my butt gets cold.
I so enjoy this blog, and your creative writing, Janice.
I do hope you enjoy your little break, so necessary sometimes.
But I really came to say:
I hate ankle pants in the fall, winter and early spring! They don’t make sense here in Ohio, where you will freeze wearing them.
Also, menswear, for the most part, does not have an equivalent… men don’t wear ankle pants, because ankle pants do not make sense for a good part of the year!
Clothing must be functional!
I mean, come on!