Build a Capsule Wardrobe Archives - Page 18 of 81

Start with Art: Flowers and Flames by Kay Nielsen

January 22, 2020

You'll notice that this heroine is packing many of the same garments as the heroine from last Wednesday! It's amazing how much difference changing up some accent colors - and the accessories that bring everything together - can make a wardrobe look completely different... It Calls to Her...

She's been working for years on a species of eucalyptus that won't catch fire quite as easily as the existing plants. It's suddenly a timely subject... And she's been invited to a conference about post-wildfire reclamation, at which her new plants will be a subject of conversation.

Since she's only going for a couple of days, she's packing according to the Perfect 10 Packing template:

Normally, this heroine is pretty ... View the Post

I Love IT, but Will I Wear IT? Camel Cardigan

January 17, 2020

Oooh, this is SUCH a good garment for this kind of thinking. Camel is so lovely - rich and warm, and pretty difficult to find in a lot of garments. So you might find yourself really stuck for ideas about how to wear something cozy and nice like this:

I'm not going to offer up a single color palette for this cardigan, because I frankly don't know what the favorite colors are of the heroine who received this over the holidays. Rather, I'm going to share SIX possible "neutral partners" for camel...

When in doubt, you always know that denim goes with... everything? Is there a color that you wouldn't wear with denim and chambray? I can't think of one...

I like the possibility of wearing ivory corduroy pants ... View the Post

Start with Art: The Black Duck by Marsden Hartley

January 15, 2020

As I start sorting out my brain to pack for Paris, I'm looking a lot at the Perfect 10 Packing Template... Bird Watching

Nothing rigorous - no cameras, no sitting in a blind somewhere waiting for hours for the sighting of the rare crested whompalicious swamp duck... Just lounging by the lake, on the deck, sipping a warm beverage and watching the birds come and go...

Her plan is to keep it simple:

She loves the unexpectedness of using brown with black. Why don't more people wear them together? Lots of birds pair the 2 colors in the plumage...

She will be going out at night with friends, so she plans for a couple of slightly dressy evenings...

She reviews her template carefully...

And ... View the Post

I Love IT, but Will I Wear IT? Light Blue Cotton Tunic Sweater

January 8, 2020

This seems to have happened to quite a few of you this holiday season; you received a sweater as a gift, and you're not really sure what to do with it!

I've heard from a few people who are concerned that the only way they know to wear a new sweater is with jeans - especially if the sweater is blue. (apparently, LOTS of us consider blue our favorite color!)

Let me offer a few ideas...

First up, this is a great sweater - "sweatery" enough to wear all winter, but since it's cotton you can keep it in your closet forefront all year. Even in the heat of summer, you're going to go into a restaurant or store where they've got beef carcasses hanging somewhere.... (at least it FEELS that way, doesn't ... View the Post

Should I Keep My Suit? A Perfect 10 Packing Capsule Wardrobe…

January 3, 2020

Answering a handful of questions in 1 post today! First - someone who has a lovely navy suit was wondering if she should get rid of it now that she's retiring. Heck no, unless the very sight of it brings back horrible memories!

Secondly, one of the scarves from Aspinal of London that I did NOT choose for the 12 month adventure is the source inspiration for today's post, AND

I'm addressing travel for a combination of business and leisure. This is the kind of adventure for which your suit can be madly useful!

The template that I'm going to use for this packing adventure is the Perfect Ten Pack. I'm seriously thinking about this, with a modification or 2, for my upcoming Paris adventure!

Our heroine's ... View the Post

What Does a Winter Capsule Wardrobe Look Like? 3 Ideas, Starting with Art!

December 30, 2019

Ah, before we dive in, I have a few observations that I want to share:

Winter clothes are flying out of store - it wasn't at all easy to find these garments for these wardrobes! If you need something, start looking now. L.L.Bean still has a full assortment of sweaters and warm pants, but most other places are running out of sizes/colors even as I type. NOW I remember why I started this project before the season had even really started! By the same token, if you need specific things for warmer weather, be prepared to start looking by the end of January. It's weird, but it's the way the retail world seems to want us to shop... Lots of garments are currently sporting a "puffy sleeve" thing - especially at the ... View the Post

Start with Art for Cold, Wet Weather Travel: Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

December 27, 2019

Remember our art/architecture Gothic specialist? She was a guest lecturer back in 2016, took a group of students to visit the Cloisters, and then was invited to lecture in Paris...

Nobody has the first clue how old she is; her white hair is braided into an intricate crown (how DOES she do that by herself?), her fingernails are always a practical length, but red and flawless... I still suspect that denim has never touched her body, except in passing!

She's inspired by these 2:

The Saddest of Projects

She's off for a couple of days in Venice. Things are going to have to be moved, and she's going to make some suggestions about what needs to go first... The flooding isn't going to get better with ... View the Post

How to Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet – December

December 11, 2019

Yes, I was going to start analyzing our 12-month Hermes scarf-based wardrobes today, but I thought it might be smarter if I got this GORGEOUS bracelet in front of you in time for upcoming gift-giving events. And remember, a nicely printed photograph of this bracelet (right-click on the image below, print it, roll it up and tie it with a piece of re-used ribbon), will be a lovely notice that this bracelet is on the way, if it doesn't arrive it time!

I'm going to tackle analyzing those wardrobes on Fridays. Should be educational - at least for me!

How lovely is THIS?

What great colors - warm and cool, neutral and accent...

She Wrote the Book Years Ago... Literally the first months out of ... View the Post

Start with Art: A Holiday Rebel Six-Pack with Azalea Garden by Patrick Heron

November 27, 2019

Their Calendar...

They both work on computers, so when they have something to schedule, they put the event onto a computer calendar that they share...

One of them decided to glance ahead to December, just to see what was planned... And realized that, between them, they had committed to attend FIVE different events in a 3-day period. All of them downtown.

The obvious answer? A hotel room, some late mornings with room service, and a tidy holiday travel capsule wardrobe with NO black velvet (this woman is a heretic, in my world!), nothing red, and nothing green.

Red and green really aren't her colors, and standing out in a crowd of friends makes her happy...

I personally can't ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet – November

November 20, 2019

Always one of the best days of the month!

THAT Phone Call...

She knew when the phone rang that it wasn't great. But a couple of weeks taking care of a loved one isn't a curse either - it's a privilege, and she's going to treat it as such...

It's not a dressy thing, but she still wants to look nice; she isn't going to have to do any really difficult manual labor. A bit of cooking, a bit of laundry, a bit of keeping her dearest one entertained and comfortable...

As soon as she looked down at her watch, and her bracelet, she knew roughly what she was going to pack. Grey because it's easy and neutral, and lovely, pretty accent colors to brighten up the days.

She knows that if she starts with a ... View the Post

Dressing for the Winter Holidays – Festive but not Foolish

November 15, 2019

It's an indelible memory: a corporate holiday party, back in the 80's. Most of the women were wearing those silk jacquard dresses that were so easy to find back then. (mine was red, with a dropped waist, and a big bow on my left hip, at the dropped waist; the skirt was a bit flared below the dropped waist, so that it moved when I danced. And THE SHOULDER PADS were a thing of wonder...)

One women showed up in strapless sequins. Oh my. I felt bad for her...

Since then, dressing for holiday events has been stressful for me; I've always been frightened that I would make that kind of "career limiting move," or otherwise just not fit in.

So let's be sensible, and intelligent in this planning, eh? Since many ... View the Post

La Valise de la Garçonne, or How I Packed for Paris

November 13, 2019

By the time you read this, I should be back from a long weekend in Paris. Yes, 4 days... (in fact, literally the moment I was getting ready to walk out the door to the airport, I was SMACKED to the floor with back spasms, and have spent the entire time since then sacked out in bed, or sitting in the jacuzzi in my building, trying to recover... sigh...)

It was somewhat impromptu - friends were going there, and we talked so much about what we might do if I was going to be there too... I'm weak!

This painting sings to me. It feels like black, white and denim, which is my entire wardrobe right now! (I've lost interest in accent colors for myself - I can't explain why!)

My original plan was to pack all dresses, ... View the Post