Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
2011 - A wee lesson in a new way to tie a long scarf: Decoding the mysterious "weave knot."
2012 - The weather warms up and I had a bunch of Chic Sightings: three pairs of ideas.
2013 - Getting dressed is hard enough, but choosing accessories?!?!? Check out Accessories, step by step: Khaki and Green. ... View the Post
May 24, 2014
About a year go, I wrote a pretty popular post about how to isolate the perfect scarf from among a range of similar items. My thesis is that your new purchase should feel as if it's coming home to be among it's relatives...
Someone sent me a question - they love this particular scarf design, and they've got a few orange garments. But how do you make the final choice?
You've got garments kind of like this to wear with the scarf that you finally choose.
Are you fond of the high contrast between the orange and cooler tones of greens and blues?
Or is the base of your wardrobe mostly subtle beige and ivory tones?
Maybe you love orange because you love ... View the Post
I've found that storing my jewelry hidden away just isn't working well for me - I forget what I have, and then I have a really bad habit of buying duplicates. So I bought myself a couple of dozen pretty taffeta drawstring bags (from here), tucked all of my necklaces into their own bags, and tossed them into a pretty Spode serving dish. Now they sit on the corner of my desk looking ornamental, and keeping me from doing more shopping... Makes packing jewelry quite simple, and cuts down on tangling and scratching too!
2012 - Sometimes, you want to take a particular garment with you when you travel, and thus I shared Packing: start with a favorite cardigan. 2013 - There is no way to get out of exercising; my method ... View the Post
May 22, 2014 A second look at this great painting - focusing on the left half of it, and picking up the lovely periwinkle/chambray blue details...
It is interesting that such a drizzly and cold painting lends itself so beautifully to hot-weather clothes.
I love this dress...
A couple more garments, some accessories, and shoes:
Soft and pretty - a great travel capsule wardrobe!
love, Janice
Looking back: 2012 - What to wear with a necklace: dragon pearls 2013 - We look at a whole bunch of ways to wear One Dress: Six Ways in Black, White and Pink ... View the Post
May 21, 2014
This wonderful work is back in the Art Institute of Chicago; it was being restored and was not available to view for a while. It's such an amazing work - the asymmetry, the subtle powdery colors, the juxtaposed angles...
Even though this is a chilly winter scene, I'm going to look at some warm-weather clothes... I love this coral color, so that's going to be the primary accent color in this wardrobe.
And the taupish grey that suffuses this painting is a perfect base for some simple summery tops.
A few more lovely coral items...
These should get you through at least a long weekend in style!
I ... View the Post
May 20, 2014
After thinking a while about last week's book (Une Annee de Style), I realized that this book was basically just a variation of my old standard Common Capsule Wardrobe - a small collection of neutral, simple garments upon which one can build all kinds of personalized styles and outfits.Let's say that you get a wild inclination to buy a fantastic tee shirt... You find some pretty outrageous sandals that go with your tee shirt, and also a beautiful, solid scarf...
If you start with that simple core of garments that we all should own (in some variation or another)...
You have all of these ways to wear the fabulous new tee shirt, as well as the cool green sandals and the beautiful ... View the Post
2011
I marvel that... Well, this has been interesting... as I share that I was recovering from pneumonia. Why we think that it should be springtime before Memorial Day in Chicago is beyond me!
2012
In an attempt to come to grips with the advice that we all received in French Chic by Susan Sommers, I tried Visualizing French Chic: 7 in Black. ... View the Post
I really wanted to like this book. Actually, I'm not sure that I've finalized my opinion about it. Let me share with you what I've found since I bought this, and you can make your own decisions.
CON:
Price - 35 Euros. A book better be pretty amazing for that much money...
PRO:
The book starts with the basic thesis of starting with twelve garments and building a full year of outfits from there. While the author plays quite fast and loose with the number twelve, the overall idea is one with which I'm in complete agreement.
CON:
The twelve garments are really sixteen garments, and many of them aren't terribly flattering to many women. A peacoat, or a classic trench, can be terribly ... View the Post
May 16, 2014 This is the second half of the Neutral Accessories: Shoes post that I started yesterday. Although I'm trying to show all of the 14 neutral colors that I've included in my Combination of 3 Neutrals document, I chose put both of the shades of grey together. Similarly, I've put natural and khaki together... In both of these cases, the number of items available are so small that it didn't make sense to break them into separate listings!
love,
Janice Looking Back:
2012 - one of my favorite paintings of all time - I got to Start with Art: Monet Water Lilies. 2013 - Sometimes I need to be reminded of my Project ... View the Post
May 15, 2014
One of the keys to putting together a truly effortless wardrobe is to assemble the minimum necessary clothes and accessories, so that getting dressed is a nearly foolproof exercise.Once you've made it through the most difficult step - deciding what your basic neutral is going to be - you just gradually stock up on basics and move forward...
The most important accessory?
Neutral Shoes
You've got to have shoes. Not a ton of them, and not with insane stupid heels, but a few good timeless styles that can take you almost anywhere.
For my world, I narrowed down all of the world's available footwear to six pairs: a pair of flats, a pair of pumps, some loafers, a pair of sandals, some ... View the Post
May 14 2014 I am asked this question often - is there anything I can do to be prepared when I have one of those mornings and I just can't get dressed? Today's a particularly appropriate day for me to write this, because I'm wearing my version of this today - head to toe black with accessories... For me, the best way to be prepared for this is to have ten items - six garments and four accessories - specifically assigned (in my mind, at least) for these days when everything feels like it's falling apart. You can work this in any color scheme, and the garments in question are an excellent base for both a travel wardrobe or a new simpler closet. You have to accept that you're going to wear a very simple ... View the Post
May 13, 2014
The most beautiful color scheme, combining warm tobacco brown, black, and brilliant blue and golden yellow highlights... That Vermeer guy was good!
One nice warm outfit, for in transit, or for a sudden cold snap, and some beautiful silky solids...
A simple outfit, and a nice basic dress:
A much less basic dress, and a warm-weather outfit with an over-shirt for air conditioning.
And a few extra pieces, for versatility!
love,
Janice
Looking Back:
2012 - one of my readers had a piece of jewelry that she wanted to wear more, and so I suggested What to wear with a ... View the Post
