Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
August 24, 2021
Just a quick note today to let you know that one of our friends here has pulled together a wonderful wardrobe, and shared it on her blog:
https://deweystreehouse.blogspot.com/2021/08/inspired-by-estuaries-fall-clothes-story.html
She does a particularly lovely job of finding a handful of ways to style 1 dress, and she shares it with all of us...
Much to admire, and much to learn...
hugs,
Janice ... View the Post
August 23, 2021
As I sit here writing this, even shorter pants feel like they might be too much! But since we can't spend our entire lives nude (can we?), we should be prepared to cover our knees sometimes...
Yes, this is the same cardigan! But the whole purpose of this ongoing exercise is to show that your wardrobe can be built gradually with garments that will all work together. Yes, you can have lots of accents, but this core will make your life SO much easier...
I tried really hard to scrub the background from these pants, because I think they're so lovely - such a great color. Ignore the ragged edges of the image!
Short pants - whatever you want to call them - are great for the transitional time of year with cool ... View the Post
August 20, 2021
For much of the Northern Hemisphere, the weather is still decidedly summer. But (I know I've said this before!), if you have a specific desire for your cool weather wardrobe, this is the time to look!
I think that this is especially true this year, because so many retailers are keeping inventories very small; I've been interested in items that - literally a day or 2 after my first look - will be sold out.
So let's dream about sweater weather!
This first ensemble has my name written ALL OVER IT... sigh...
For those among us who are eager to cuddle up in something warmly brown and gold, this might do the trick:
If you live in jeans, you can still look amazing!
Some of us try to avoid things ... View the Post
August 18, 2021 They're FINALLY Going... And she's got to pack smart!
Their destination involves a lot of food and wine, but isn't overall a really dressy destination...
She's had a pretty clear color palette in her wardrobe for a very long time: black, beige, coral and pretty shades of blue, so THAT part of preparing is easy enough!
Her first impulse is to grab her "go-to" hot weather clothes:
And with that, she... is... sort of stuck!
But she starts thinking, and not just pitching clothes into her suitcase. Thinking is always a good way to get out of a packing "stall" like this...
How many pieces of clothing does she want to pack? Well, 7 days feels like at least a dozen garments, doesn't it?
Does she want to ... View the Post
August 16, 2021
Ah, let's continue to ponder what essentials we might want in our warm weather wardrobes!
Many of us are going back to our offices - reluctantly, I might add. If you're like most women, you find the office to be bitterly cold, and then when you walk outdoors you melt immediately! So a 2nd layer is essential to stay warm indoors, while something relatively light and cool underneath is important to be able to survive the commute, or the walk to lunch...
This might do the trick!
One of the many beauties of the cardigan above is that it could easily be worn through the winter with something heavier underneath...
This next cardigan, on the other hand, is pretty strictly a hot-weather garment:
When you ... View the Post
August 13, 2021
Happy Friday, the 13th!
We often ponder the merits of having a LOT of accent colors in a wardrobe... I think this post might offer an idea of how to manage them all!
This heroine understands that she needs quite a bit of navy to establish a base for her wardrobe. After that - watch out!
She starts with this - yes, it looks familiar:
Of course, I would be perfectly happy with this - I'm content with neutrals. But our heroine has other ideas, starting with bright blue!
Just out of curiosity, this is what her wardrobe would now look like with these additions. Yes, it gets her to a "4 by 4" Wardrobe plus 1 garment:
But she's just getting started - let's toss in 4 pieces in bright ... View the Post
August 11, 2021
It's nice to know that I'm not the only person around who gets their dates confused and loses track of time! An Open-Ended Plane Ticket The settlement was large, as was only fitting. She quit her job the next day, and now she's going to start her roaming where the weather feels like early fall; as soon as the weather gets too cool, she's going to hop a train and head a bit south...
Eventually, she will have to buy clothes. But that's for later...
She knows that she's only packing a carry-on bag. Originally, she planned to limit all of her clothes to navy and grey, but then her bracelets caught the light...
She's going to wear her current favorite outfit on the first leg of her voyage...
And she's ... View the Post
August 9, 2021
Why yes, this is supposed to be the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe...
BUT...
Some week this summer, I completely lost count; I can't believe I missed a number... and I can't face looking for any more sleeveless tops! I'm going to assume that you all have a pretty clear idea of what a sleeveless top looks like, and what it will do in your wardrobe...
So instead, I'm going to address a couple of questions that came up when I showed you a couple of Weekly Timeless Wardrobes last week.
First, the question that I was asked the most was about having lots of prints in the wardrobe - could you actually have 4 of the 13 garments in print and still have some versatility?
In the wardrobe above, I traded out the ... View the Post
The Echo scarf company was so impressed by how many of you commented on the post on which they gave away a scarf that they have extended a 20% discount to ALL OF US for the next 2 weeks... Use code TVF20 to get 20% off of anything on their site: www.echonewyork.com
I'm sure I can find something I will adore...
August 6, 2021
Better late than never!
I was thinking that we could look at some nice "back to the office" outfits for autumn... but then I started reading my email, and I quickly realized that a lot of people were back in their office LITERALLY once or twice, and are back to working from home!
And they're sort of aghast...
So let's treat ourselves to some soft, comfy, but pretty new sweatshirts and sweatpants, as ... View the Post
August 4, 2021
Yes, I am going to do the "6 Scarves, 12 Months" post on Friday! I've sort of lost track of what month it is; maybe the delay will make it a little bit easier to find things for that "back to school" feeling I always have in August!
But first, let's think about this interesting question that I received...
The gist? Our heroine knows what she likes to wear, but she feels like she should "mix it up" a bit when she travels.
To which my reply is HECK NO - stick with what makes you feel best, and what feels most like you when you get dressed. We all, collectively, need to move away from this idea that we must have a widely varied wardrobe!
She dresses like this in cooler weather:
I'm hypothesizing that our ... View the Post
August 2, 2021
The weather here in Chicago is great for sleeveless - some days! Other days, we're wearing cardigans and long pants... One never knows, right!
When you're starting to get really quite tired of your summer wardrobe, having a "suit-like ensemble" in a neutral color can be really handy. You've got a perfect system in place to treat yourself to a new top, and maybe an accessory or two!
Maybe you can test-drive an accent color that you've never worn before?
Any color can be worn with black... and are you ready for a new pair of sandals? I managed to cut my foot CATASTROPHICALLY (I swear I could see my Achilles tendon!) and I've been wearing the only pair of sandals that work for weeks... sigh...
If ... View the Post
July 30, 2021
It's a question that's turned up in my mail a few times this last month - "What exactly would a summer Weekly Timeless Wardrobe look like?" "Would this be enough clothing for me if I wear a uniform for work?"
So I offer a couple of possibilities...
First up - navy and white with shades of blue for accent - classic summer colors:
For reference purposes, these are the 13 garments that I have included in my Weekly Timeless Wardrobe list; you can (of course!) adapt these to suit your needs and preferences!
If I only needed "real clothes" for evening and weekends, this would probably be sufficient for me. Of course, you still need gym clothes, and swim wear if that's something you do, but for normal ... View the Post
