a Scarf Archives - Page 16 of 35

Analyzing 2 Wardrobes: When Your Color Palette is Challenging

December 20, 2019

The last two wardrobes! These were the most difficult - no question. And I made a couple of early strategic mistakes that I would re-do...

First up, this excellent scarf!

I should NOT have tried to make white one of the neutral colors. White as a neutral really only works well if you live in a hot place and don't mind laundry...

A smarter move would have been to use brown and navy as "co-neutrals" and then white, red, turquoise and orange as accents. This would still have been a big stack of colors with which to work, but it might have been a better balance. It's always easy to look back and say what I might have done differently, isn't it?

I went off the rails in a big way in February - I had designated ... View the Post

Analyzing 2 Wardrobes: When Everything Looks Pretty Good…

December 13, 2019

Let's jump in and see the good, the bad, and the just plain misjudged from this year's wardrobes!

First up - I'm really happy that I chose this scarf. The color palette is delectable, and the clothes were reasonably easy to find. When tied, this scarf would probably look really interesting. All in all, I'm giving myself a pat on the back for this choice!

2 concerns from the first 4 months:

multiple shades of blue aren't the best possible option - for example, the February scarf can't be worn with the January, nor the March sweaters. It's not a huge issue, but if you're really working toward the smallest possible wardrobe, looking for a consistent accent color in the early stages would be helpful. That ... 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 a Scarf: Lion and Peacock Scarf by Aspinal of London, in navy and camel

December 6, 2019 She Decided to Branch Out...

She's worn navy with pastels for decades... And she's now ready for an update!

She's always felt drawn to camel. The richness, the warmth, and elegance. And she's been told repeatedly that it was a color that she could happily wear. But she starts small... something below the waist!

Success! But the real camel item that has always caught her eye is a lovely cardigan...

Now she's feeling positively emboldened! She looks closely and her scarf and sees a beautiful shade of blue; would a matching sweater and flats be wrong?

But she's not going to rely entirely new purchases - when she look in her closet, she realizes that her aqua sweater would be perfect with ... View the Post

December 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

December 4, 2019

I can't believe that this is the last month of these outfits! It seems like yesterday that I was trying to decide if I would continue to use the Appaloosa des Steppes scarf, because of the concerns about cultural appropriation...

Let me say right upfront - not one of these wardrobes is perfect! So for the next 3 Wednesdays, I'm going to take a look at all of them (2 per week) and see what we can learn from my mistakes, over-enthusiasms, and general lack of a good plan. Thus I'm not going to bury you in analysis today...

That said, any of these wardrobes could take you a long way, for a long time. If this was the core of a wardrobe for someone who wears uniforms during the day, she would need never fear having ... View the Post

I Love IT, but Will I Wear IT? Start with a Scarf: Lion & Peacock by Aspinal of London

November 29, 2019

I know, I should be showering you with holiday gift ideas and telling you about all of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. I'm NOT that blogger, though... sigh...

However, I firmly believe that those of us who are holiday shopping should treat ourselves to one really LOVELY thing for the upcoming season, and of course for the years to come. We don't buy something just to wear it once or twice, unless we're getting married or standing up in someone else's wedding!

So maybe a scarf has caught your eye, and kicked you in the heart... (I love the phrase coup de coeur...)

It's all the right colors - warm and cool, neutrals and accents...

But can you wear it? How will you wear it? You don't want ... View the Post

November 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

November 1, 2019

OH my! It's the first of the month AGAIN? It seems like this happens every 30 days or so... (Did we pay the rent????)

Let's get right to some beautiful colors, and some outerwear. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are finally starting to really need these things!

I wanted to find this heroine a great blue coat, but I didn't see anything that came down over her hips enough to merit inclusion. It can be pretty important to have a coat that covers your longer sweaters...

But this scarf consoled me A LOT...

And yes, MORE Blondo boots. I'm so smitten with them that I want to make sure everybody sees them about a million times. Seriously, I can walk for miles in them, and they're legitimately ... View the Post

October 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

October 2, 2019

This month, I looked deliberately at each wardrobe to try to make choices that would be versatile and fill in some of the holes that I could see...

This first color palette still delights me:

A simple outfit; most of these wardrobes could benefit from the addition of a white shirt...

I have these lantern pants - I can't wait to wear them!

Everything still looks wonderfully coherent, doesn't it?

And each new garment added this month gives you plenty of new possible outfits...

I'm still loving these colors...

Yes, another white shirt...

Could you imagine finding this all in your closet?

Here again, the new pieces of the wardrobe fit right in...

When I first chose ... View the Post

September 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

September 4, 2019

My favorite post of the month! Although I love everything I give you, I must admit...

For new readers, the thesis is this: in January I choose 6 Hermes scarves from the new season, and then, for a year, I add a new outfit each month to six gradually growing and developing wardrobes. It's fascinating to see how the wardrobes evolve...

Even though the weather is still quite warm (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is!), this is honestly the time to start getting your fall and winter outfits together. The selection is best now, both for styles and sizes. And having these outfits ready for that first cold day gives you both a sense of security AND something to anticipate! (it's good to have something wonderful to ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Tom Baker’s Doctor Who Scarf!

August 30, 2019

When one of my favorite people in the whole world wants me to try something, I'm there for him! EVERY TIME!!! She's An Event Coordinator... And she's being sent to another property to supervise a Doctor Who convention. Her kids bought this for her; they thought it was hysterically funny....

She looked at the scarf for a few minutes, and then had an epiphany! She loves camel and olive, and she realized that this could work...

She bought a couple of sweaters to pick up her "new" accent colors, and found that it was indeed possible to pull together a travel capsule wardrobe using a VERY unlikely color palette...

She forced her kids to come into her room before she packed, just so they could see what ... View the Post

August 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

August 2, 2019

This file is getting insanely big! I live in terror of having it becoming corrupted; I've got it backed up EVERYWHERE...

Now that the stores are beginning to look legitimately autumn-ish, it might be a good time to check the condition of your boots. If you're picky, of if you wear a difficult size, don't hesitate to start looking now, even though it might feel insanely early...

A plain white shirt or blouse would certainly work well here, but I love these dots...

As always, if we choose a new outfit based on the same scarf, the garments will pretty much by definition work with the rest of the wardrobe:

And as always, these new pieces add a lot of new possible outfits to your small ... View the Post

July 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

July 3, 2019

Ah, finally we have warm weather in Chicago, which makes these choices look logical!

This month, I fell warmly into the wonder of white shorts. I do not EVER get a tan, but I find that my legs tend to look reasonably good in white shorts. Don't ask me how that works - I'm not complaining! If shorts aren't your thing, anything that helps keep your legs cool will work: capris, or a swishy mid-calf skirt...

How did this wardrobe get this far without a black tee shirt????

This wardrobe has a range of shades of blue, but the core of black makes everything work pretty well...

As always, new additions to the wardrobe offer more than just 1 option. This should almost always be a rule when you buy something; ... View the Post