July 27, 2022
On Michigan Avenue, you see all sorts of people – locals, tourists, people in from around the region for a shopping day…
In the parks near my home, it’s much more a neighborhood crowd…
Linen top – Boden; watermelon quartz earrings – Farra; chain link bracelet – Judith Leiber; suede sandals – Munro; white linen pants – J.Crew
Maybe it’s because most of us are pretty close to home, but people don’t seem to be nearly as worried about wearing white as you might expect:
Shirt – J.Crew; earrings – Anne Marie Chagnon; linen v-neck tee – J.Crew; bracelet – Adina’s Jewels; shorts – J.Crew; sandals – Mephisto
One of the many joys of wearing white pants or shorts is that ANY top that you have clean will go perfectly!
Daylily plaid top – L.L.Bean; earrings – Kendra Scott; bracelet – Lot 28; sandals – Cole Haan; white gathered linen pants – J.Crew
Of course, living this close to the lake means that we will see a fair number of people dressed in classic sailing colors!
Striped tee shirt – Caslon; earrings – Shrimps; bracelet – Aspinal of London; cropped pants – Halogen; sandals – Adidas
Any top with a white background is a candidate for these kinds of outfits:
Earrings – Seol + Gold; shirt – Sohuman; tank top – Lands’ End; bracelet – La Meno; 10 inch Bermuda shorts – J.Crew; moccasins – Minnetonka
If you choose the right top, your can have accessories in green, or orange, or yellow…
Sunset gold floral top – L.L.Bean; earrings – Taolei; bracelet – Latelita; sandals Kate Spade New York; ankle pants – Wit & Wisdom
For many of these women, what really made their outfit stand out was a pair of colorful sandals!
I don’t have any sandals in bright colors, but I am contemplating a pair of purple moccasins for autumn…
love,
Janice
p.s. Just 2 years ago, I finished the first version of The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe – summer dresses!
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Oh, last time was my last capsule’s signature look, this one is my current one! Beige/ivory bottoms and green/apricot on top, accessories in gold, dark green and ivory (plus a pair of blingy apricot sandals). I feel very chic, thanks for the vindication!
I’m not sure that I’d ever wear white bottoms as I know that they would be a stain magne. So very pale grey is my choice. Love the patterned shirts and the coloured shoes. If I didn’t already have enough shoes…, so I wear coloured socks instead.
Yesterday, I laid out all the clothes that I think I’m going to take on my trip. I’m now slightly rethinking my colours. I was originally going to base it on navy, grey, light blue, aqua blue/green and white. However, I realised that I haven’t got any short sleeve pale blue tops and no blue floral tops that fit either. Though I have a light blue dress and a sky blue top and skirt plus an aqua green dress. Question is whether I will want to wear so many dresses and skirts. My pale blue tops that fit are long sleeved. Wondering whether I should add one in? So I’m also considering adding periwinkle to the mix just in case I have an urge to wear purple one day. This blog has inspired me to try on a few of my patterned cotton shirts to see if they could be worn as a second layer over a cami with the sleeves rolled up. The problem I have is that many of my shirts feel too tight in the upper arm. Mmmm, choices 🤔
Janice – since I started receiving your beautiful emails (seems like more than 10 years ), I have built a beautiful wardrobe that makes it easy for me to get dressed each day, pack for travel and feel terrific. You have taught me so much. I used to think I should be on the show “What not to wear”, Now I see people light up at my choices of beautiful colorful clothing and accessories. Thank you.
I loved that show! Yes thank you Janice for helping me clarify my wardrobe. It’s never going to be small and I like several color groups but I am one heck of a packer and can get dressed in short order. White goes in the wash and I love it in hot weather.
Just wondering…it seems much of the jewelry you show recently is gold-toned. Is that the trend these days? I wear silver or white gold with my white hair.
I’m with Beth… considering the amount of time I spend kneeling on the floor (shelving books on low shelves) or sometimes even sitting on the floor, out with the dog, etc… I stay away from white bottoms. In fact, until last year I avoided white tops as well. I do like the outfits though – for someone else! I’d love to think I could wear any one of those, but know I wouldn’t ;)
I was explaining to my husband the other day about a cardigan I just bought, and what it would go with, and why, and why this particular navy cardigan was different from my other navy cardigan (which gets worn A LOT) and he just looked at me blankly. Thank goodness for TVF where I can find like-minded people!
Sheila, I can so relate!
Too funny!
The combination of the retro Adidas slides with an Aspinal bracelet made me smile. I trialed a white denim bottom with rose pink and light blue tops last summer ( Southern Hemisphere). I wasn’t that comfortable in the look.
This post has inspired me to give it another go with different tops and accessories. I bought a pair of plum suede ballet flats on Etsy and they are such fun to wear on dry, sunny days this winter. Very versatile with a range of bottoms.
When I was very slender i had an amazing pair of white linen pants very like the first one you show. With a spring green floral ruffle top, I got tons of compliments. Then I had 3 boys and let’s say I’m a different size and shape now. Not quite sure how to wear white pants even as I age to be less stain-prone and more laundry-adept.
Cheers to the brave fashionistas!
Just went online shopping for white pants and remembered that my favorites were LINED & linen so they just fell straight from my hips- maybe more like the Halogen pants above – and Spanx had just been invented. (invented to wear sandals & white pants with no see through)
I’m wary of shopping for white pants online because the lining probably varies a lot and might need to be seen & tried in person- I’ll look for good return policies!
I am at a certain age & size & yes income where I prefer the better lined & constructed garments, but the athleisure/sweatpants shown here are cute too and dressed up well! Thank you Janice!
Unless I know the material/lining is thicker, I almost always size up in white shorts or pants to prevent see through.
I enjoyed how you found earrings and shoes in the same colors. Those little touches really do make an outfit! I got pretty excited when I saw the blue moccasins. And then you mentioned purple. 🤔 Decisions!
White trousers/jeans are a staple in my wardrobe and I have never worried about dirty marks as they wash easily. Drop of dishwasher liquid on a stain before they go in the machine does the job. I have just bought myself a pair of blue loafers which even the OH complimented me on. I love the nautical ear rings but I too only wear white metal. It won’t be many weeks before I will be thinking about packing for a med cruise. Going to and from the U.K. so no weight limit. Off the top of my head I guess most day/casual night clothes will be white, blue and pink based with black and white making an appearance for formal nights.
dee
I wear skin tone pants because they don’t show through white trousers.
Oh, Janice, you’re showing one of my go-to looks for needing to look nice at work when I have no time. White slacks with a pretty top and a pair of gold earrings always look good. People are always amazed that I wear so much white, but my secret is making sure it is all machine washable. If you find a spot, a dab of the white Goop hand cleaner as a pre-treat usually does the trick.
Goop is a new one on me! I love white tshirts but sooner or later soy sauce does them in.
That reminds me that one drop of the old Prell shampoo was my go-to for spots. I bought one bottle for about $1.70 in 1994 and used the last of it about 18 months ago. It’s no longer available, so I’m relying on dish detergent. Thanks for the tip on Goop.
Nice post, but the pair of Adidas slippers make my eyes bleeding.
My version of these outfits is based on a lined white skirt. Back in the 90s I had a (thrifted at that time, so even older) pair of lined white pants that I LOVED. Lined garments have their disadvantages but I do like it for white items.
That first top from Boden is really cute! and of course I enjoy seeing all these colorful accessories.
If I was going to wear a pair of white pants the first outfit is totally me! I just love that top!! I do wear a few pairs of linen pants and decided butter yellow was as light as I could comfortably go. So those have been working great and actually go with so many of my clothes. Oh, and I actually love the Adidas slides. I borrow my kids all the time to run out of the house quick. So easy to slip on! :)
Hi Janice and Everyone! I am admiring these outfits from afar. I appreciate the laundry tips for white clothes. What has happened with me is that I will put a Magic Chemical on a stain on one piece of white clothing, and find bleach(ed) spots on clothing in subsequent laundry cycles. I have had to dispose of a number of navy and black pieces of clothing because of this. (this after sorting delicates from casual, and whites from colors.) .
On our recent trip to Chicago to see daughter and fiance’ I went with a black, beige, pinks/purples and olive combination. What really saved the day was a beige long – sleeved calf length jersey open cardigan. (Philosophy is the brand name). The weather was surprisingly cooler than recently and it was handy for going in/out of air conditioning.
I wear white pants all summer long and pack them on trips. I don’t find that they get as stained as people seem to expect and they can always be cleaned. The biggest danger, honestly is to my white tops: I am large busted and am always dripping things!
The danger to white pants, I find, are dogs that might have muddy paws.
I love these wardrobe selections! White is my main neutral. Living in one season almost tropical climate, I wear my other neutral, navy, far less. I don’t find white hard to keep clean, bleach is your best friend if all your fabrics are natural. I am looking for another neutral to add and would like it to be pale gray but it is so hard to find here.
While I do not wear a lot of white, I do find that it is much like my beloved denim, anything goes. Any color, and all sorts of add ons and accessories make white or any wash of denim the perfect choice for casual or dressed up. Beautiful selections. Thank you for sharing. – Amy
https://stylingrannymama.com/
I’m so prone to making a mess that I don’t even wear mid-toned pants like khakis, let alone white. All my bottoms are navy or cool brown. But oh, how lovely and cool white looks on other people!