navy Archives - Page 30 of 41

A 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe in Saffron, Ivory, Navy and Brown

September 2, 2014

We've spent a lot of time considering the many charms of navy, but nothing quite compares to the new look that we get when we introduce a bright orangish-gold color into the mix! The beauty of these bright accents is that you still have the option to dress is a neutral, monochromatic way, when you wish to, but you also have the ability to break out some statement accents when you want to stand out in a crowd. I was amazed at how beautiful this is... I think what we can all learn from this capsule wardrobe is that you should be faithful to your accent color of choice, no matter how rarely it appears in the garment world. If you truly (TRULY!) are drawn to a particular color, be loyal to your instincts ... View the Post

Adding a “Pantone” Accent Color to a 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe: Mauve Mist

August 30, 2014

What do you do with a Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe if you want to dabble in a currently trendy accent color? This has been asked a couple of times in the last few days, and I think it's a pretty important thing to think about; we all know that stores will show colors WAAAAAY outside of our plan...

This applies to those of us will well-established Four by Four Wardrobes, and for any of us who are still considering what to use for accent colors. If you have a wardrobe that includes a LOT of your neutrals, sampling a seasonal neutral is a good way to give yourself some variety without breaking the bank.

I actually put together a little (relatively) document that shows all ten of this seasons "new" colors, ... View the Post

A 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe in Smoky Blue, Pearl Grey, Navy and Grey

August 27, 2014 The same core of navy and grey looks a LOT different when the accent colors are soft and subtle!

I think this demonstrates that you can invest in a core of neutral colors, and then, as your preferences and tastes (and personal coloring...) change, you can shift into a different "feel" of accent colors, without having to completely redo your wardrobe.

I changed out a couple of these tops, in order to soften up some of the more crisp colors and graphics of earlier wardrobes.

Realistically, if you've chosen pearl grey as one of your accents, you've opened the lovely door to all shades of grey in your wardrobe. Grey is a great color ... View the Post

A Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe in Bright Blue, Ultra-Violet, Navy and Grey

August 26, 2014

This capsule wardrobe is a perfect case study in having to be really patient in the search for the accent colors! While navy and grey are pretty readily available, these particular beautiful, vivid shades of blue and violet were quite difficult to find! But that's okay - you've lived this far into your life with your current wardrobe, and even if you only have the navy and grey pieces of this wardrobe for quite a while, you've got plenty of options. If you settle for something that's close, but not exactly right, then you won't love your new clothes any more than you love your existing wardrobe, and that accomplishes nothing for anybody except the retailers!Here's our color ... View the Post

A Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe in Apricot, Celadon, Navy and Brown

August 25, 2014

Sunday morning, I built a spreadsheet to analyze all of the color combinations that you've requested, and it turns out that navy is the most requested color (followed closely by brown and medium grey). So I'm going to persevere with the various ways to use navy as a capsule wardrobe base - are you more interested in seeing dressy/conservative office attire, business casual (which to me feels like an oxymoron, even though I lived with it for decades), or casual/weekend? Or shall I mix it up? Let me know...

First up today is this excellent color combination:

The familiar brown core:

And the navy Core of Four. Don't forget that these four items, all on their own, give you ... View the Post

A Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe in Berry, Beige, Navy and Brown

August 22, 2014 I was going to save this post for during my Paris vacation (September 18 - 28!!!), but I really like it, and I think it shows two great accent colors that many of us could consider incorporating (at least in small doses) in our capsule wardrobes. The fact that the berry red is going to be pretty flattering for many people is worth remembering...

The same starting four in brown, with a really brown skirt...

And navy separates that look familiar too!

And these guys have been around too...I think the most amazing thing about the clothing from The Row - aside from their prices - is that they're designed by the Olsen twins. From Full House. I don't see that they have any fashion ... View the Post

A Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe in Navy, Brown, Green and Beige

August 20, 2014 While these are the same neutral colors that we saw yesterday, these accent colors are much more subdued and much more frequently seen along with the neutrals. Therefore, this capsule wardrobe came together much more quickly and with greater ease.

This was my color scheme:

And this is our familiar brown Core of Four:

I've changed up the jeans for a skirt, since I'm going to swing this wardrobe a little bit more toward a work environment. If you don't need skirts, you could certainly keep the jeans.

I found ONE more sweater in this color combination - equally blindingly expensive... And I opted for a more tailored ... View the Post

A Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe STRUGGLE in Brown, Navy, Leaf Green and Bright Pink

August 19, 2014

I know from my emails that some of you who are working on Four by Four capsule wardrobes are running into some challenges, and so today I'm sharing with you the hardest wardrobe (so far) that I've done. As we get to each step of the process, I'll tell you what (hair pulling) issues I encountered, and what my adjustments and accommodations to the normal process were.First up, let's console ourselves with the final product:

The more I look at these four, the more I like them...

And these are quite nice too - although the blouse is silk, it's a quite casual style. Thus far, eight really good, classic, timeless items.

But let's be serious - I had NO IDEA that finding ... View the Post

A Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe in Navy, Grey, Teal and Burgundy

August 13, 2014

The Four by Four capsule wardrobe - in which you focus on four garments at a time - is a great way to move toward a complete wardrobe when you can't face a ton of shopping at one time. The fours can easily be pulled from your Step by Step Capsule Wardrobe; this is sort of Step by Step with lots of resting in between steps!

One of the great beauties of Four by Four is that sixteen garments, plus accessories, is a great quantity of clothes for travel...

While these sixteen items could be purchased in any order or combination, I've got to admit that I would be VERY tempted to get all of the solid navy pieces at the same time, and maybe even from the same place. Navy is not a color that can just be ... View the Post

Starting From Scratch Summer Office Wardrobe in Navy and White

August 12, 2014 Yes, it still exists: the office with the strict dress code. Pants only on Fridays. No visible knees, nor underarms. Absolutely no HINT of cleavage... This is even more challenging in the summer, when it can be sweltering outdoors, but the office will invariable be quite cool. The rules are made, and the thermostats are set, by men in wool suits, long-sleeved shirts, and an undershirt. (why, if they dress like this in the heat of summer, do we let them run the world?) But you can still have a great, fun, spiffy capsule wardrobe!

Remember this color scheme? A few weeks ago, I showed a very casual summer wardrobe using these colors. ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Navy Tunic and White Cropped Trousers, times 6

July 22, 2014

It seems to be almost the uniform of the weekend - roll up the sleeves of a navy linen tunic, pull on some white cropped trousers, and accent with brightly colors jewelry and sandals... The jewelry isn't all precious stones, and the sandals are casual, but the effect of the bright accents was very eye-catching.I think you can learn a lot about your personal color preferences based on which of these looks appeal to you, or which you swear you could never wear!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

How to Build a Summer Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch in Navy and White

July 19, 2014

Someone specifically requested a Starting From Scratch capsule wardrobe in these colors, and many of you have expressed concerns about how to implement this plan if you're dealing with scorching hot summer weather. I really felt like I wanted to go through an entire wardrobe in one post, just to clarify and illustrate one more time how I see this project working. So here you have it! Please note - the white garments here really ARE white - they just show up looking sort of beigy/grungy against the background. I generally don't promote the wearing of mungy clothes...

The first three steps are pretty straightforward: pants and shoes, then a cardigan and tee, then a neutral top and ... View the Post