April 5, 2023
It’s tempting to think of what one might do with a completely new wardrobe – horrible as that would be in reality. I admit that I would be really tempted to wear all different shades of grey… hmm…
So this “every shade of brown to ivory” really appeals to me – using texture and lots of accessories to keep things interesting, while at the same time always being easily recognizable!
This heroine’s not all that interested in Spring, yet. But she has the good sense to at least get a pair of linen pants, and some sandals!
brown-eyed Susan bracelet – Fierce Lynx Designs; agate & pearl necklace – Farra; denim shirt- L.L.Bean; Saddle cotton sweater – L.L.Bean; canvas pants – L.L.Bean; sandals – Franco Sarto
Many will find this boring, but I’m very drawn to the calm variations of color here:
And I’m quite smitten with her accessories!
Let’s see what new possibilities our heroine’s shopping has given to her:
Next, a gorgeous painting, and a favorite color palette:
All our heroine is thinking right now is (1) I really need some more of that soft green in my wardrobe, and (2) I haven’t been in Orvis for ages!
Oh my…
Green sapphire earrings – Perle de Lune; Lotus necklace – Perle de Lune; Tidewater hooded sweatshirt cardigan – Orvis; campshirt – Orvis; cropped pants – Orvis; sandals – Teva
If you’re shopping for a color that’s difficult to find, be prepared to spend your entire budget in 1 place! If you see the sweatshirt, there’s a decent chance that there’s also a shirt, and maybe even pants in the color your want. It’s worth trying…
These 3 garments change the entire feel of this wardrobe:
And her new accessories fit right into her wardrobe:
I have to admit, buying a complete outfit like this makes shopping MUCH easier; but for a while you may find that you wear the new pieces together most of the time. That’s okay – everything doesn’t have to be infinitely mix-and-matchable Garanimals…
This wardrobe really calls to me; I still can’t put my finger on exactly why…
It starts here:
Our heroine grabbed an easy dress, and then a simple warm weather outfit. It doesn’t have to be complicated!
Lapis bead necklace – Banana Republic; tan linen sweater – Banana Republic; navy cotton poplin dress – Banana Republic; navy print scarf – Banana Republic; cotton shorts – Banana Republic; sandals – Stuart Weitzman
This image really calls to me – is it the classic colors?
And I love any wardrobe with high-top sneakers!
Let’s see how this heroine will be dressing for the next few months:
As much as each of these wardrobes holds a lot of appeal to me, I think I’m wearing black and brights until I get bored with having purple highlights in my hair!
love,
Janice
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My favorite is “every shade of brown to ivory” to which I’ve added shades of pink to raspberry as my accent. I’m finally doing the 3-3-3 idea for a planned road trip. Putting everything else away is freeing and making outfits is even more fun. BTW check Bangs shoes for high-tops.
Morning Janice and Everyone, I too, have light purple/lavender hair – the purple colors the gray! However, I do wear all colors with it. One of my friends said she wouldn’t want to wear anything that clashed with purple, but mine is subtle enough I personally think it works. Anyway, Just really like all the wardrobes. I’ve been introducing some browns and tans. It’s a process. BTW I don’t know if I should bless you or curse you for introducing me to Orvis and Alex Mill. I will say that at Orvis I found my perfect lightweight pants – tencel, with a straight leg and elastic waist. I ordered every color so I can replace the pants in my closet which are too big. And I love the Alex Mill chunky cotton sweaters. I am wearing an orange one today! Have a great day ladies.
Oh Interesting – I don’t think anything Clashes exactly with Purple. I say this as another Purple hued person. I get the colourist to put it in quite dark so that over the subsequent weeks it fades to a lavender which complements my early grey so well. I find at the begining of the cycle I need stronger deeper colours and by the end I’m wearing my pastels but I get compliments and people responding positively right through the 6 weeks.
The one colour I don’t wear is anything in the orange spectrum as that’s a huge contrast and very eyecatching.
Loving the Degas and Renoir. The maximalist in me would love to have both collections! The minimalist in me appreciates the refined simplicity of the Degas but if I have to choose one over the other it would be the Renoir. I so enjoy how these wardrobes develop each month. Thanks for the inspiration.
Good morning Janice!!
This is the exact combination that I’ve been looking for!!! I’ve been following for years, but for some reason, my email has dropped off of your blog list!
Please add me back in! (I emailed you) I miss seeing you in my inbox in the mornings! It’s the first thing I read!
Thanks!
Susan
All wardrobes are really working beautifully. There is something about understated pieces that achieves elegance. The lifestyle observation I have here is that the camp shirt layered under the crew neck sweater with relaxed jeans & Bean boots really appeals to me. Looks very sporty-chic with the accessories.
And I’m loving the shades of brown & ivory wardrobe. I would be using these as the 4×4 basis with a range of very warm, clear, bright pops of color. Looking ahead, can you see our heroine in a beautiful pair of warm chocolate velvet trousers or a brown velvet skirt for the winter holidays? Beautiful gold & off white pearl jewelry would be the perfect touch… or a gold metallic belt! She could acquire these pieces in November and sail through the entire round of late autumn & winter social gatherings and concerts.
I’m loving the colours of the Momet wardrobe (cool blues, greens and greys) with the sightly dressier vibe of the third wardrobe.
The brown wardrobe is so lovely (though definitely not for me), and I love the two new jewelry pieces this month. I like the addition of the soft green to the cool muted wardrobe (though I personally would be itching to add some soft pink/sandstone for a bit of color contrast). I vastly prefer the third wardrobe of these three (though I would switch out the 3 rust/tan pieces for a color that works better for me)…I am Team Navy & Olive and I like the greater contrast. The navy dress + tan Converse outfit is so fun!
I love all of them for different reasons. I think the brown shades really call to me. I’m not sure why but I don’t know that I would like it in shades of grey, which is funny because grey is my neutral. Not sure why. I also love the Renoir wardrobe! I am really drawn to shades that look good on an autumn even though I have summer coloring.
I’m also not sure that grey had enough variations from icy grey to charcoal to be able to sustain a blended wardrobe. I think you might have to add in a touch of white/ivory and black. I think I would quickly get bored.
The Monet painting appeals to me because I would wear grey with shades of blue and green. It’s very restful and relaxing. Just like the trains are letting off steam, so the passengers are relaxing as they depart on their journey. Another of my favourite combinations is pink and grey. In summer I wear shades of lilac/purple and grey. So grey would be a good base but accents are needed for variety.
These are lovely, especially the grey and green and blue. These colors plus white and blush pink are the basis for my spring clothes, and this set has some really beautiful ideas for travel.
I have a theory about why the photo on the last wardrobe is so attractive: I think it has to do with having a wider range of neutrals. I noticed over time that I have gravitated toward four neutrals in a season—my two main neutrals denim blue and grey, one lighter I call a highlight color, like white that I only use in shirts, and one contrast color like tan. I think the picture is so attractive because you have essentially four neutrals, and the tan is represented in the fabrics rather than in leather or other accessories. I have a pair of canvas shoes in tan, and I love that they are a softer look than leather shoes, though I love those too. I wore them today with jeans and a light grey sweatshirt, and they are just satisfying or balancing in some way. Anyway, that’s my theory.
Yes, yes yes! on the different shades of grey! A lovely grey wardrobe in lots of shades and textures would be the perfect background for unique and interesting accessories. And I would accent it in my favorite petrol blue–the color of my eyes. Right now I’m trying to envision an amalgam of the Degas (translated to grey) and the Renoir. I love the feel and style of the Degas, and the colors of Renoir…
I think you might be right that to add interest to a grey wardrobe, it would have to have texture. One if my favourite grey jumpers is a chunky knit cowl neck that is slightly marled in the weave. My favourite grey cardigan has horizontal stripes of grey sparkly beads. Another charcoal grey jumper is crochet in a cotton weave that has a sheen. A big grey cardigan has silver thread running through it. So on that basis grey can create variety with texture and self-patterns.
I love the wardrobe based on the Degas. I actually “did” this wardrobe for awhile. I allowed in blue jeans, because, duh, jeans! I also veered into a reddish brown, clay color. I ultimately abandoned the idea because I am a light summer color type, supposedly better suited to the Monet scheme. So, readers, do you go with colors you love or what you’re “supposed” to wear?
Colors I love. Every time. I’ve done the “color analysis” route twice, and had 2 VERY different results, so I decided to ignore them both and wear what I want!
Your results may vary…
love,
Janice