September 2, 2022
I’ve realized that I really like doing these six wardrobes in 3 separate blog posts; I can spend a lot more time looking for things that strike my fancy!
Let’s start with Chrysanthemums!
scarf – PJ Studio Accessories
As our heroine looked at her existing wardrobe, and began to think of what she might want for autumn, she began to feel that the soft, dusty, smoky blue in her wardrobe palette is underrepresented in her wardrobe.
So she set out to find some pretty things!
She’s not fanatic that all of these things match – she will be happy to wear the blue with all of the charcoal grey that she already owns…
Sweater – Boden; blue topaz earrings – Charlotte’s Web Jewellery; silk bandana – Henelle; cotton wrap – You by Tokarska; shirt – Orvis; skirt – Samsøe Samsøe; pumps – Calvin Klein
I’d say she did pretty well!
Her new clothes blend in well with her existing wardrobe; if someone is really looking carefully, they will see that there’s a bit more darker blue present than she had in the past.
And her accessories continue to be flat-out lovely. She seems to have a fondness for simple, solid-color large scarves, doesn’t she?
And how do her new garments work with what she already has? I think they look great – what do you think?
Now, let’s look in on the heroine who is using the Sampler scarf for her central inspiration.
Sampler modal/silk scarf – PJ Studio Accessories
She’s beginning to realize 2 things – (1) there are touches of dark brown and deep emerald green in her scarf, and (2) she really would like to have some darker colors in her wardrobe!
These additions are going to stand out pretty conspicuously in her wardrobe, but she knows that she can wear darker colors with the beige, ivory and pink things she already owns…
brown merino sweater – J.Crew; paisley neckerchief – Elizabetta; earrings – Argento Vivo; green cashmere sweater – J.Crew; crossword scarf – Lost Pattern; chino pants – J.Crew; brown boots – Lucky Brand
As she suspected, her 3 new garments are a LOT darker than anything that she already owned. But that’s the point – she wants some clothes that will feel more “autumnish”!
Her new accessories are also a bit conspicuous, but that’s fine!
Even though she’s made some uncharacteristic purchases, she made the purchases with a clear idea of how she would wear them. Wise heroine!
There’s certainly a lesson here – change happens, and we should embrace it!
love,
Janice
p.s. Flash back six years, to an early “12 Months, 6 Scarves” post; these wardrobes still look pretty good to me!
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The scarf! The silk bandana! If pigs could fly! Now starting my day with cheery thoughts and a chuckle.
Oh, everything else is also wonderful.
I love what the darker colors do for the Sampler wardrobe. Pure genius!
The stone and rich brown together are absolutely gorgeous.
Lovely additions. The range of hues in each wardrobe just gets better and better.
I’m imagining the new blue camp shirt with the pale green slacks and the blue pleated skirt with several of the pastel tops. I guess my eye reads blue as a neutral colour, possibly because we wear denim with everything.
Chrysanthemums makes me swoon. So lovely. Also enjoyed the look back. I followed the gray/light blue/green splatter scarf at that time, then decided I needed more saturated colors, and now I”m gray have swung back in the other direction…. sigh…. Looking forward to Monday’s post, and have an awesome weekend everyone!
Oh, I love in the look back that they were getting chords, flannel shirts and puffer vests. My kind of outfit. I am looking for boot-cut chords this fall in a fun color. We shall see what I find!
I always love the “look back” links and often wish some of those tops/sweaters were still available.
Big sigh…
Have a great weekend everyone!
I was just in Uniqlo yesterday, and if you’re yearning for a down vest or “puffer” jacket (not crazy about that name!) they’re in stock again!
hugs,
Janice
Love the blue you’ve chosen. It’s divine. Thanks for all you do for us. A daily tonic.
Oh those blues! Love them, especially the Boden sweater.
Bumping up the soft blue-grey is the first wardrobe is a good idea. I would love to see this heroine wearing some of her accent colors together rather than always in a neutral + 1 accent outfit palette. Those soft colors will go so well together, and the green (sage) and blue-grey (almost denim/chambray) are near neutrals in themselves.
So glad to see a darker accent color added to the beige sampler capsule. There can be a lot of pressure on heroines with an overall light value to their personal coloring (raises hand) to stick to wearing light colors, but on both a practical and aesthetic level, many of us do want to wear some darker colors as well. I think this heroine would benefit from filling in that entire range of cool browns from the stone/beige to the dark brown. Right now, she’s got the makings for some high value contrast outfits but is missing that mid-range brown and darker taupe to serve as the value stepping stone between the two extremes. She has *7* beige bottoms in her capsule, which feels quite excessive! I would prefer to see a few of those switched out for mid-value browns and/or accent colors. At least I can hope that no more beige bottoms are added in the last months of the year. We shall see :)
Maybe this is my Gen X talking, but I am frankly always astonished at seeing a capsule wardrobe without a pair of denim blue jeans. (By this I mean the traditional light, medium, or dark wash of denim, not a pair of blue colored denim in cerulean or sky blue or another accent color blue.) I can’t think of a single wardrobe color palette that a pair of standard blue jeans wouldn’t work with; that traditional denim color is the ultimate neutral that is great with every color.
I really like seeing the entire capsule laid out together. It’s a good way to get a heuristic view of the wardrobe’s cohesion and to see if there are obvious unbalanced elements or missing pieces. (For example, the under-representation of green in the first capsule and the lack of mid-value browns for the sampler capsule.) At the same time, there’s a limit to how helpful that is. I sometimes get the sense that the look and feel or the overall aesthetics of the overall capsule is over-valued in capsule wardrobe planning and analysis. Nobody wears pieces or capsules or wardrobes; we wear *outfits*. So in my view, a wardrobe works if it supports making outfits. How things look hanging in the closet just isn’t something I care much about. Obviously there is a strong relationship between what the capsule looks like and what outfits can be made using it! But I think the wardrobe-level focus can get too much attention. It’s like, yes, in interior design, you need all the elements to work together to create an overall look and feel – that’s the appropriate level of analysis. With a wardrobe, though, unless you spend all day sitting in your closet just looking at it (in which case, you do you), it’s not all that important.
We often start with: here is the capsule – now what outfits can we make? And of course we can make outfits. But I do wonder how things would be different if we started from: here are the kinds of outfits I want to make – now what does my capsule need to have to make those outfits?
I have to agree with the blue jeans comment… I always have blue jeans, in several washes in my closet. It’s a staple for me, but I am only 47 and live in the PNW (notoriously laid back style wise), so maybe it’s just me. I think I have been starting to think a little the other way about what I want to wear and if I have the clothes to make that work. But I have quite a few basics and am adding in my “frosting” pieces that I really love.
I LOVE opening my closet and seeing how everything hangs together. But I have a pretty small wardrobe and a pronounced preference for smoky, soft summer mid-tones. All my colors blend together well. Maybe it’s different for someone who prefers high contrast?
Love the sampler scarf and the darker colours you added.
Having said that I will still wear light coloured clothes and accessories all year round with or without a splash of colour, depending on my mood. The brown suits my colouring although the dark green is much too dark to wear on top. It would drain what little colour I have from my face and make me look ill.
Although I know some people who could carry it off and look and feel wonderful.
My hair is just a bit more red than strawberry blonde, hazel eyes with green amber and brown bits and my skin is always pale as I don’t
do sun. Like Janice walk in the shade. Looking forward to the other scarf outfits.
Sally, interesting analysis. Sometimes I do think too much about what the clothes look like grouped together. And as an aside, I have spent a pleasant hour or two sitting on the floor of my closet, with a glass of wine, looking at my capsule. TMI, I know.
Sally, love the way you think. Yes, we do need to remember that the capsule is made from outfits. Until my 1st big closet cleanout, I was guilty of orphans and disjointed outfits…and too many clothes. Now, I have a large collection that is related at least. Still have what is like an extended family reunion going on there, but at least I can put together a week of clothing that makes wash day easier. Sandy, I get distracted with colour sorting my tops…and then just stare at the colours in order from white to tan, pale butter to lemon, mint to emerald, etc. It just feels nice to have one thing semi organized. For today’s wardrobes, if someone switched the pink out of the sampler for a yellow or clear blue, I would take it in a heartbeat. Love the green…I think I may still have a sweater that shade…though it would be quite shabby now.
Oh my, oh my, the Chrysanthemum wardrobe has now just got its act together. That gorgeous blue grey – petrol blue. It just brings a subtle depth. I have an abstract scarf and a swirly glass pendant which pick up these colours perfectly. This wardrobe, I can replicate with my clothes. My husband had commented that he likes to see me in these soft, muted and slightly smokey blues, lilacs and mauves.
The sampler scarf is lovely too but I agree with others that there need to be some mid tone shades, otherwise it is a wardrobe of contrast or pale pastels.
Looking forward to the next two. I like this format. It allows an in depth view.
I like seeing pretty and unique things to savor and try to buy. So multiple posts works for me too. I just bought a blue linen shirt from a thrift store in that exact shade, and went to look at the other colors, wanted the green one but sold out in all sizes but large. So next that blue pleated skirt… sold out as well. Must be the Vivienne effect! My wallet is still intact ….