October 8, 2021
Life is almost back to normal; thank you SO MUCH for your patience, your kindness, your generosity, your lovely messages…
Before I jump in, I want to explain what I’m thinking with all of these white turtlenecks! But I really can’t… I just kept feeling like each wardrobe needed 2 things – a bright accent color, and then a clean, bright neutral top to wear under it!
Many of us love accent colors that don’t necessarily flatter us – this white turtleneck (or a white shirt with a collar) can change the impact of a color on your complexion dramatically.
And many of us find ourselves called upon to wear colors (because of work, sports, schools…) that aren’t our very best. Breaking up the impact of something (like I used to wear ORANGE…) with some white makes a lot of difference.
That’s all I can offer for an explanation!
Monarch butterfly scarf – Cosel; sweater – Paul James Knitwear; white cotton turtleneck – L.L.Bean; boots – Aquatalia; socks – ERL; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
You will notice that I took the “inspiration” scarf off of the outfit page, because it was all getting too confusing – just because a scarf inspires your wardrobe doesn’t mean that it has to be worn with everything!
This isn’t the first time that gold has been in this wardrobe, so the sweater doesn’t startle when inserted into our heroine’s closet:
The Monarch scarf does stand out – but in a good way!
As always – if we’re doing this correctly! – 3 new garments in a well-planned wardrobe makes it possible to pull together FAR more than 3 new outfits:
I’ve never done this before – this scarf was ALREADY in this wardrobe! But I keep finding that this scarf looks SO GOOD with anything that I add to this wardrobe… I can’t ignore this kind of serendipity!
Floral Tree silk square by Echo; sienna brick sweater – L.L.Bean; white cotton turtleneck – Lands’ End; boots – Diba True; socks – Collina Strada; twig corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
Coral wasn’t a big part of our original palette, but the coral and yellow together are pretty significant…
The balance among all of the colors in this wardrobe is quite good – I’m always happy when things work out this way!
Yes, this wardrobe has 1 fewer scarf than the others, but when you have the PERFECT scarf, you don’t need as many! (I keep telling myself this…)
Our heroine’s new outfits look like her – which is pretty much the perfect thing to be able to say about anything you’ve purchased!
For a fraction of a second, I considered adding something other than purple to this wardrobe… but then I realized that it wouldn’t be true to the emerging DNA of this closet, and this heroine!
I covet this sweater, and I do NOT need it; I already HAVE a purple cashmere crewneck sweater. But it’s a different shade – that’s different, isn’t it?
sigh…
heather grape cashmere sweater – J.Crew; white cotton turtleneck – L.L.Bean; Sapporo scarf – Arctic Fox & Co.; cashmere socks – Portolano; boots – Easy Spirit; gunmetal gray corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
This ruana is lovely, but I couldn’t have imagined how far down the purple path I would wander…
Lofty plaid ruana – Echo
Honestly, if I had to start from scratch, this could easily be where you would find me!
I may want this wardrobe just so I could have the scarves:
So long as our heroine has a solid base of navy and grey in her wardrobe, she can incorporate purple (lilac, lavender, violet etc.) accents ’til the cows come home…
The original color palette for the next scarf has ALWAYS included a warm-ish pink; for some reason, finding this lovely scarf just made everything make much more sense!
Flamingo cashmere sweater – J.Crew; white cotton turtleneck – L.L.Bean; scarf – Weronika Rosa; socks – Talbots; boots – Dr. Scholl’s; heritage stone cotton pants – L.L.Bean
There is indeed a bit of rose in this scarf. I don’t think it’s as pink as the sweater, but I also don’t think that this is a deal-breaker!
While the pink sweater is indeed a new color in this wardrobe, it doesn’t clash or scream horrible things at the rest of the garments…
And there’s lots of potential for the new scarf!
All of our heroine’s new clothes work beautifully for her:
Brown! I FOUND MORE BROWN… And a glorious scarf, too!
Brown sweater – Open Edit; white cotton turtleneck – L.L.Bean; scarf – Fetolia; knit pants – L.L.Bean; socks – Ralph Lauren; boots – FitFlop
Golden orange has always been in our desired color palette:
Maybe this wardrobe IS going to work out!
Maybe my biggest concern with 2 radically different neutral colors is that I feel like she could use more shoes… or that I might have done a better job choosing brown shoes that she could wear with grey? Men wear brown shoes with grey a lot, and it can look elegant and rich. But you have to plan…
At any rate, our heroine has succeeded in bringing a LOT of new possibilities to her wardrobe:
I really wanted to bring some green into this wardrobe – this sweater couldn’t have been more perfect!
white cotton turtleneck – L.L.Bean; scarf – Doria & Dojola; dusty pine cashmere sweater – L.L.Bean; socks – Darn Tough; boots – Toms; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
This color palette has proven to be wonderful, hasn’t it?
While our new green sweater does NOT match the existing sweatshirt and tee shirt, it doesn’t really matter – our heroine would never wear them together!
And it’s so pretty….
The green scarf and socks aren’t a radical departure – they’re just a new accent! You don’t want to start adding accents that require you to buy a whole bunch of things to make the work, but I think this is pretty modest…
SO many new possibilities here…
Maybe I’m infatuated with white turtlenecks because I’m looking for simplicity and clarity?
love,
Janice
p.s. Nine years ago, I was just back from Paris, and I was pretty fascinated by the way that women wore their summer dress LONG into the cool weather….
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I think the only outfit here that I wouldn’t wear is the first one, because Halloween colours don’t suit me. Everything else is to my taste.
We’re glad you are back with us. Hope everything is going okay.
What a lovely month of wardrobe colours, they are all coming along nicely, I’m growing particularly fond of number one but without the ochre, i would prefer to have more of that lovely bright violet colour instead.
Nice to have you back Janice.
Maybe it was the anticipation, but I find these particularly lovely this month. Welcome back and glad things are getting back to normal for you. Family emergencies can be very stressful. All the wardrobes are coming together so nicely. Can’t wait to see what the final two months might bring!
All the wardrobes are attractive. My least favorite is probably #1 because the warm yellow overpowers the cool colors. Perhaps the cool colors need to be warmed and deepened. Maybe adding a purplish color to the mix would add some balance as well. Hope you’re doing well.
My favs are the ruana wardrobe (the most cohesive overall) and the black chrysalis, although neither are my color palette. I might be able to get away with wearing that monarch scarf – stunning!!! Really pleased with the addition to the brown chrysalis wardrobe!
Thanks for all you do, Janice.
You make putting a wardrobe together without needless duplication! I love your capsules! Thanks so much…now to decide what colour I want to go with.
I love these, but especially the shades of purple! Have you done capsules based on season color types? I’m kind of obsessed with Kettlewell Colors right now and I’d love some ideas for a capsule for a Soft Summer.
Jill as a muted summer I quite agree.
I’m a Soft Summer and my favourite is the Purple Ruana as blended wardrobes look great on Soft Summers. Secondly, the Mountain View with perfect soft blues, though my green is more light teal and the coral is more a salmon pink. You couldn’t go wrong with either of these wardrobes. Hope that helps. In the winter, I wear the deeper shades of the Soft Summer palette.
I’m a light summer and I’m kind of obsessed with Kettlewell Colours too – I can spend ages on their website reading the blogs and looking at their colour combinations.
Scrumptious!
So glad to know things are mostly back to normal for you! It’s always cheering to see your posts, but far more important that your family is doing well.
I covet the mountain view wardrobe – particularly with the new shade of green. My favorite colors and you’ve put everything together so nicely!
Glad to hear your life is getting back to normal. Wishing you and your family all the best on this warm autumn weekend!
Cheers!
I love the first wardrobe! I think the ochre or golden yellow does not skew Halloween at all. I don’t wear golden yellow well but bright, clear, true orange I wear very well and have a cashmere sweater in that rare shade. I do wear it with black ( as I loath brown, tan, beige) but it looks quite ravishing with navy, dark grey and olive. The trick with orange is the clarity and depth of colour saturation. Its difficult to describe the perfect orange but it’s more like tangerine skin then the skin of an orange! Silks, cashmere and linen are up to the challenge, polyester and wool not as much. If you fear it don’t wear it but on me, I adore orange as an accent for fall as most other ‘autumnal’ colours wimp out on my strong contrast colouring. I don’t subscribe to the silliness of dressing for one’s ‘season’ but I feel we naturally gravitate towards what we like and in the end often that is what is most flattering to us anyway.
Welcome back, Janice! I personally dislike wearing turtlenecks but can’t disagree that a white one (or whatever is the heroine’s version of white) is a great idea. And man, strong antipathy to the golden-orange colors is coming through loud and clear this year with that color family showing up in half the wardrobes! Nevertheless, there is much to like.
#1: What happened to the purple accent from the palette? I would love to skip the golden-orange and include a range of pink/magenta/purple from the scarf; harmonious accent colors would make the capsule easier to wear.
#2: The sweater brought in a lovely variant on the coral accent, though I hope there is more aqua/blue coming.
#3: The variety of purples is beautiful, but oh how quickly I would get bored. But for a heroine with a deep love of all things purple who is appreciative of subtle complexity in dressing, this would be a wonderful wardrobe.
#4: The dove scarf is a stand-out. I really like the pink sweater even if it is an outlier in the capsule.
#5: Yes to more brown! I would like to see how cognac leather would work here; it goes well with both grey and brown. I also adore the magenta scarf; it grabs my attention every month.
#6: This soft palette/capsule continues to be my favorite. The addition of sage green is terrific; I would love to see more of it.
Sally,
Re your #5. I almost never wear brown, but my main purses are cognac and I have my eye on a phone crossbody in the same color. I recently read that you should think about matching your leather to your hair color – I had never thought this might be why I like this color so much. Although my hair is darker and my two girls have varying shades of brown, we all think purses should be cognac. I think that shoes of that color could work in almost all of these capsules.
That’s funny because the last few years I’ve been leaning toward silver for my purses! (75 and gray here!). Silver goes with most things!
I wanted to add I picked up a very lightweight summer sweater (pullover) in a salmon coral that looks beautiful with both the Mt. View scarf and the striped coral scarf Janice included in her wardrobes. Was tempted to buy the same sweater in kind of a mint green but decided not to. But I’m not sure I can resist the Dusty Pine shown this week.
Welcome back Janice ?. .
The mountain view closely followed by the purple ruana remain my favourites.
I loved the 9 year old look back at wearing summer dresses with thick tights and sweaters having decided to stretch a couple of my summer dresses this autumn.
I used to love turtlenecks and think that they are flattering to me, but since I went through the “change”, I need layers that I can whip off at a moment’s notice. (just took off my cardigan).
I also have trouble with scarves in most weather as I get too warm. I recently purchased a couple of silk “kite” (diamond) scarves at Talbots that I think will work well for the warmer months. Not so much material or bulk and can use as a tie around a ponytail, as a hatband, tucked into a V-neck, etc.
Agree!!! Since “the change, I *always* dress in layers, and my first layer is always sleeveless, or at least short-sleeve. Pair with some kind of cardigan, and fine!
Janice,
I hope your family dilemma has been squared away ! Welcome back !
My two favorites here are both based upon the Patchwork scarves, with the blue one the preferred of the two. The accent colors of the blue one are so gentle , and I have beige and dark blue items in my wardrobe, so this inspires a search for the accent colors within my wardrobe too . The Strada socks are pretty, if socks can be pretty , but not at that price point ! Can you tell that I am doing a resist on shopping ? I have enough clothes , but I’m having great fun trying different pairings that I have not done in the past . And now it’s time to rotate out Summer garments and bring in the autumnal colored items that have been waiting to be unpacked and hung once again ! Our weather has remained relatively warm here in PA, so the Autumn colors and fabric weights have seemed too early to be wearing .
It is too bright for me as well as it is sold out, but that Monarch Butterfly scarf is a real eye grabber in the first grouping !
I’m glad things are going better, hope all is well. Great idea on wearing accents that don’t “go” perfectly by blending them in. I’m enjoying wearing my dark orange amber earrings and cranberry scarf together with my grey mix pullover. A little clash can add interest. Ditto my black & beige toned animal print top with grey jeans. A little bit of rule breaking adds interest.
Something about white- it’s refreshing and soothing. You wrote something once that struck me and it epitomized my love of white and grey especially when I am under stress or my medical problems are causing trouble. I saved it because it really cut to the core for me.
—- Here’s the quote: “She likes things clean, clear and uncomplicated: white sheets, white towels, white tableware. She mixes white with grey and silver to keep things simple and straightforward.”
I think it was 2014 or earlier and it went with a grey & white capsule. I’ll look it up and add a reply.
I was close. It was Jan 16, 2015. https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2015/01/a-grey-wardrobe-with-silver-and-white.html/ I remember the scarf which influenced my purchases of 2 grey print scarves which I love and some grey Majorica pearls that just thrill me whenever I wear them.
I have just discovered your blog and love how you put wardrobes together. I am fascinated about how you put colors together and you have inspired me to START with a scarf when I plan an outfit. I have a whole new way of playing with my clothes. Thank you!
It was a pleasant surprise to see you back, knowing how an emergency can develop into a lengthy crisis. I’m glad you feel able to carry on.
This is tremendous. Just looking at the overall six capsule image, I could wear five of those outfits, even though two of the wardrobes are not my colours. Perhaps, I’ll go through the wardrobes and select particular outfits.
My favourite wardrobe is the purple ruana ? which has enough variety in tonal shading to provide interest. Lilac/purple and grey are my go-to emergency colours as they are calming and soothing. I’ve just bought a soft purple/plum chenille cardigan for the autumn. It buttons to the top and with small patch pockets could work as a jacket.
Next is the Mountain View. My favoured green would be teal, though this soft sage grey-green also suits me. I don’t suit yellow greens but grey greens are great.
I love the two outfits from the Patchwork scarves, particularly the Flamingo pink top from the Patchwork Orange which I would wear with taupe trousers. The new brown scarf is gorgeous.
I’m glad that you’ve brought in another amazing scarf into the Chrysallis black. Are you going to introduce purple?
Thank you for all your inspirational work on these wardrobes. I’m looking forward to November and Decembet and hope that there is some party wear included. Having missed out on Christmas last year, we need a celebration this year.
Wishing your family well. Thank you for returning to TVF with such a great post.
I love these scarf posts. I don’t own any of these scarves nor are the color palettes perfect for me but they don’t have to be. You share wonderful examples of working with color and wardrobe so that I can apply your lessons to my own closet, inspired by my favorite scarves and especially when I add, or remove, a piece. Thanks.
Thank you Janice!
I am on the track of a great cashmere sweater and the best value I have seen for one so far is one in this post for $80. I confess I was very unprepared for cashmere prices. In you opinion, what is the best cashmere sweater deal I am likely to come across?