February 1, 2021
Ah, I’m so happy! I love these scarf-based wardrobes…
If you want to catch up on where we left off last month, click on this sentence to jump back there!
Since we are (for now) loosely following the Starting From Scratch wardrobe guidelines, this month brings us to a 2nd pair of pants and a shirt.
For most wardrobes, these pants will be chosen so that our heroines will each have a pair of jeans and another pair of pants that are somewhat dressier. The new shirt will be neutral if that’s what they need, and accent if that’s what’s missing. A few more accessories, and any of us would be in good shape for an overnight trip with what’s included so far.
This is our first scarf, and palette. The only possible issue I ever expect with this wardrobe is that the accent colors don’t all go together. But since they’re accent colors, that doesn’t really matter…
Black jeans and a classic pink shirt (I own this shirt, and it really seriously doesn’t need to be ironed!) – so straightforward. More flowers in her accessories, and a wonderful tote bag is all she will need:
Chrysalis silk square – Echo; onyx earrings – Neeru Goel; bag – Coach; watch – Ted Baker London; no-iron shirt – Lands’ End; jeans – L.L.Bean
You can see that – at the end of 2 months – there are 8 outfit possibilities here:
This next palette always feels like an early summer day to me… This should be an easy wardrobe to develop, since there are really no clashing colors here. 2 seasonless neutrals are a great base, too…
This heroine started out with a strong dose of yellow in her wardrobe, so I’m going to take things down a notch or 2 with a timeless white shirt and khakis. Navy leather goods, and lovely silver rose earrings are ideal with everything else she owns so far:
Patchwork Painted Floral silk square by Echo; no-iron shirt – Lands’ End; silver rose earrings – Pakaon Sojintarit; watch – Hamilton; tote – Longchamp; khaki pants – L.L.Bean
Again, you can see the possibilities:
Ah… purple!
This heroine needed jeans, and why NOT a purple watch?
Lofty plaid ruana – Echo; tee shirt – J.Crew; backpack – Tumi; earrings – Lois Hill; watch – Nine West; jeans – L.L.Bean
I could be delighted to have just this with me for an overnight trip..
And warm, summery colors…
Here, a pair of pants to match the beige cardigan from last month, and a warm red top, are perfect additions to this growing wardrobe. I love a nice red handbag too…
Patchwork Painted Floral silk scarf – Echo; bag – Nordstrom; earrings – Style & Co.; watch – Hurtig Lane; tee shirt – L.L.Bean; knit corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
This wardrobe is going to be great – our heroine already has a solid neutral column AND a “suit” of sorts…
This next heroine is going to have a challenging time making this all work; I’m eager to see how this wardrobe evolves with 2 very different neutrals!
But sticking to the general plan, our heroine chooses grey pants and an accent tee shirt… We shall see!
Chrysalis silk square – Echo; tee – J.Crew; earrings – Narinee; bag – Longchamp; watch – Skagen; knit pants – L.L.Bean
So far, this looks like 2 rather different wardrobes co-existing. It will take some time to find the garments that “knit” the whole thing together… I think!
After wrestling with grey and brown together, this very restful scarf is welcome!
Neutral but not insanely dressy pants, and a timeless tee shirt….
Mountain View Wrap – Echo; grey tee – J.Crew; bag – Dagne Dover; earrings – Hema; watch – Olivia Burton; navy canvas pants – L.L.Bean
This wardrobe is so… calming? Easy? I find it very appealing…
Has your favorite changed since last month? I’m pretty stuck on the first wardrobe – anything black and pink will interest me, but I could easily see myself in the purple ruana wardrobe, or the last one with lots of denim and sky and water colors…
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, we were in the 2nd month of an Hermes scarf-based wardrobe building exercise… All of the dresses shown could still be worn without apology today – I love timeless garments!
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Love this series! Yes I have switched to the Chrysalis silk square. I am 2 and half months in growing in my natural hair, which is looking like it will be very silver and with my cool toned skin and light blue eyes light gray and icy and or pastel pinks, blues, greens etc are looking very appealing.
I’m really liking the grey and brown wardrobe so far. To me those pieces are definitely interchangeable. Excited to see where this will go!
I’m still with the purple ruana and the Mountain View Scarf. I have A LOT of purple for the winter, so have worn it several times. It doesn’t “shed” as much now as it did the first time I wore it! ;)
The cardigan shown with the Mountain View Scarf is actually a much brighter blue in person FYI. However, since navy is one of my core colors, I’ve still worn it quite a few times and find the brighter blue cheery. (though I’m still not certain how great it actually works w/the scarf). I’ve been looking forward to this post for the past week to see what was next! Thank you Janice.
I’m still loving the purple ruana as my #1 choice and the mountain view blues as #2 choice. That first Chrysalis wardrobe is looking beautiful too and if it were navy-based rather than black, it would be my #2 choice.
Yeah, It’s the first of the month. Janice will post her next installment of 6 scarves. I bought the lovely purple ruana so I can play along. I put the ruana outfit on and know I am styling. I have invested in the purple but I am not sure it will be my favorite at the end of the year. I love it so far. We will see what Janice the magician creates. Honestly, I marvel at your skill and talent. Thank you for taking the time to teach us about fashion. Your blog is unique. It is the holy grail of fashion in my opinion. Thank you. patval
I bought the plaid ruana in blue for a friend. When she gets chilly at home, she throws it on and says it is comfy–very soft and just warm enough.
That mountain view wrap is becoming more and more appealing to me. I could shop my closet for the clothing except the white top.
The butterfly scarves are gorgeous, but I would have to choose between the black and the navy.
I noticed that White House Black Market has sold out of the Forever Olive tee shirt that you show, but they have several other shirts available in that color. I thought it really looked good with the knit corduroy pants from L. L . Bean. I have those pants in three colors. They wash very well but need to be dried in the dryer to regain their fluff–hanging them leaves the nap looking splotchy. They are a little warmer than jeans, comfortable around the house, and nice enough to wear out.
I love these wardrobe building posts. Your using the starting from scratch plan helps me organize my thinking. I just can’t imagine pulling together so many versions at one time!
I have four pair of those LLBean pants and just love them. Wear them at home and work. Very comfortable.
Looking for a navy sheath dress as well as affordable options to J.Crew blazer that is always listed in the posts. Thanks for your suggestions.
Affordable blazers are a pain to find – keep your eyes on Uniqlo, in case they bring one out later in the spring.
Lands’ End should have navy dresses as the weather warms up – it’s tough to find really simple, plain ones…
hugs,
Janice
Hi! This just in – my Lands End catalog ( “Carefree Comfort”) that just came in the mail features blue elbow sleeve and cap sleeve twist front fit and flare dresses. It was in the ‘plus ‘ catalog and they list L and XL sizes in this issue. Probably have smaller sizes too.
A sweater blazer is available at so many retailers right now. If you do a google search on “sweater blazer,” you will see a lot of options. I saw J Crew Factory, Banana Republic Factory, Talbots, Old Navy, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Amazon (the Chaps brand) options come up anywhere in the $25-$75 range. But if you like the J Crew one that Janice links to often, it’s on sale for $74 today, if that works for your price range. If not, I think you can find an alternative.
The vintage cotton t-shirt shown with the Mountain View wrap–which shade is that? I thought maybe it was light grey, but I don’t see a grey one on the website. The natural one?
When I look, I see one called “Hthr grey” that I assumed was the one Janice picked.
It’s the heather grey one…
hugs,
Janice
Must be the Canadian version of the site–it’ slightly different.
Mountain View all the way! (Even knowing that the cardigan is brighter than it may appear on screen.) The runner up is the purple ruana set. Navy + denim + white is probably my very favorite neutral core so those wardrobes generally appeal strongly.
My “can’t wear it but admire it” choice is the olive + red wardrobe. The color palette is gorgeous and the wardrobe so far is extremely wearable…classic-relaxed silhouettes, wonderfully grounding neutrals, and such delicious accent colors. I admit that the red T + beige pants combination is reminiscent of a Target employee’s work clothing, but I still like it a lot!
Totally agree with everything you stated about the Mountain View scarf as I wear the colors presented with that scarf almost exclusively. Also ditto your comments regarding the olive + red wardrobe.
My favorite is that tricky chrysalis in copper … BUT I think this wardrobe would come together more easily if we let go of the pink and, instead, pick up the beautiful green. Then all accent colors would play well with either the copper or grey.
The Hermes look-back is fabulous. I agree: so many of those nice pieces are still very relevant today! That must make you proud, Janice!
Hmm… green… hmm….
hugs,
Janice
Oooh, I like the idea of the green, Linda! And I think the orange and green play together very well, which might help integrate things.
Hi Janice and everyone: The purple ruana one is my fantasy favorite, and your choices for the brown and grey Chrysalis scarf work for me!
It’s a new month, and therefore a new 21pc Wardrobe Challenge. I wanted to wear a little burgundy (Valentines) and navy because I haven’t worn it in a while. So I am adapting a past TVF capsule and putting in some cream/ivory and tan/camel. Any additional accent colors will be based on how warm they are ?
“It’s the heather grey one”
Thanks! I must have missed it.
(Can’t reply in the right place, not sure why.)
I’m always excited to see what pieces you choose to add to these wardrobes. My favorite is still the second one, with the blue version of the patchwork scarf. I treated myself to this scarf and am very glad I did! My runner up is the same scarf in the red and orange tones, which I must say is very appealing to me with the addition of this month’s pieces. I already love olive green, khaki, and orange, and my hubby would love it if added more red pieces to my closet. Red is so often featured with black, but it is really nice to see how well it plays with warmer neutrals.
I agree…red is much more versatile than we typically see. Yes, it is great with black, but I think I might like it even more with beige, brown, or olive. Red with navy, of course, is my absolute favorite.
This month, the blue patchwork slipped a bit for me because I’m pretty meh about a white shirt and beige pants. But I’m guessing that as more accent pieces get added to the mix, it will rise in my favor once again.
There is a really pretty sweater on the Sundance cover/website that looks like it would be great with the Mountainview option. I just don’t need another sweater!
There are three color palettes this year that I could put in my closet…I’m not sure which one I will end up liking the most! I bet it changes monthly, lol.
And the (backordered) pink button up from wardrobe one is in my Lands’ End shopping bag even as we speak. I’ve decided I need to add some pink to the ol’ wardrobe…
OK I literally just now realized that when a commenter’s name is in all-caps, that means you can click on their name to be taken to the own blog/website.
Lisa, I enjoyed reading about your face mask experiences. I’ve gotten lucky that the paper clips I used because I didn’t have wire seem to have held up well so far (knock wood). (My sewing skills are minimal, so it would be good for the ones I have to stay in good shape!)
The new mask guidance is interesting. I’ve purchased a 50 pack of disposal masks from Amazon to double mask with a fabric mask, after seeing Fauci recommend it.
Why oh why do clothes vary so wildly in size? Even size guides don’t help. I’ve just ordered some trousers from one company. Erring on the side of caution, I ordered a size larger than my usual size. It now seems that I will have to order trousers from this company 2 or even 3 sizes larger! ?
I shall now turn my attention to these lovely scarves. It goes without saying that the Purple Ruana wardrobe will be my favourite closely followed by the Mountain View, though I would swap the orangey colour for salmon pink or cameo rose. I can shop my wardrobe immediately. I shall wait to be surprised if Janice, the magician, finds something that I haven’t got in my wardrobe for these two.
The Patchwork Blue is very similar in colours and pattern to a floral blouse I have. So I shall follow this one to see how I could build a wardrobe around the blouse.
I love flowers and butterflies which draws me to the Chrysalis scarves but these colours are too bright and I don’t wear black or brown. So, I’m going to create a wardrobe around two flower and butterfly scarves in my own wardrobe – one is a navy background and the other is off-white. It will be an interesting experiment for me to ‘Start from Scratch but shop my wardrobe at the same time. My neutrals will be navy, grey and ivory with lilac, pink and aqua as accents.
I don’t wear the colours of the Patchwork Orange or the orange/gold of the Chrysalis scarves. Although I like the juxtaposition of brights and softer colours. So I thought that I would take a wrap of my own – soft mid-purple with brighter pink/coral flowers and try to make an outfit from my wardrobe to wear it with. It would help if I could find a plain dress that doesn’t make me look frumpy. I choose floral dresses because they distract the eye. ??
Thanks for the Starting from Scratch look-back. I enjoyed the navy and grey with pink and lilac accents – right up my street! I can use these posts as a checklist for my wardrobe.
For the someone special 2021 looking for a navy sheath dress – I too spent some time looking for one yesterday and found these two options- or check dillards for some with sleeves or lace sheath dresses.
https://www.jcrew.com/p/womens_category/dressesandjumpsuits/shortsleeve-sheath-dress-in-bistretch-cotton/AW307?color_name=navy
OR
https://www.dillards.com/p/antonio-melani-pepper-plain-weave-sheath-dress/512231229
So far I really like the second wardrobe. I love the butter yellow color. There are a couple of changes I would make though. I would use gold jewelry, I don’t wear silver. Also, that turquoise blue wouldn’t work for me. I would probably use only denim and chambray for the blue and maybe pick out the green leaves as a third accent color.
I noticed that all of the wardrobes feature silver jewelry, was that an intentional decision? I’m always interested in knowing your thought processes when creating these wardrobes. I know that gold jewelry has been really popular the last few years. Is silver what is now more widely available? Is it becoming a trend? I don’t follow trends and will always stick with my gold, but I was just curious.
Oooh… I never really thought too much about it. Silver tends to be much more affordable, of course, and it just seems to have been what caught my eye. I suspect in months to come, some of these heroines will see a mix of silver and gold in their wardrobes!
Thanks for asking; it’s always good for me to think about these things in depth!
hugs,
Janice
You really do beautiful work, Janice! Right now, I would probably choose the olive-based wardrobe because of my love for saturated colors. But my favorite scarf is the first one. I would love to see you bring out the leaf green in this scarf, probably in place of the yellow, which is a lovely color but not really flattering to me.
The last scarf is not my favorite to look at, but the wardrobe definitely is. Denim, warm grey, and white are my neutrals! So glad to see this wardrobe. I think it will be really helpful for me to follow this year, as I’m in the final stages of buying my basic neutral pieces. I have different accents in mine: a purple and a red for each season and occasionally a brighter green. I’ve also had so much trouble finding the 2nd top layers for denim blue especially, so I’ll be watching those with interest. I already have an eye on a blue zip hoodie and a blue marl cardigan from LL Bean.
I love all the comments. Even though 1st and 2nd picks are the purple ruana and the Mt. View scarf, I am very drawn to both patchwork scarves, the red in particular I could incorporate very easily into what I already own in my closet. The blue would be starting from scratch….
I’ve been torn between the first one – the Chrysalis and the last one- the Mountain View. Love both but Mountain View is my favourite.