March 14, 2015 Belovedest and I are leaving Wednesday for New York for what is either a very long weekend, or a rather short vacation - six days. B lived in New York a few different times (he had one of those jobs that required frequent transfers), and so we know the city very well. Our anniversary is next Friday, so we have an excuse for some festivities. Overall, it will be a nice opportunity to spend some time together and reacquaint ourselves with a favorite city. My biggest packing constraint for this trip is the desire to take gym clothes with me. Normally, for European vacations, I just throw my workout routine into the shredder and assume that my walking will stand in for exercise. (uh, it really doesn't work that ... View the Post
Six-Packs Archives - Page 11 of 12
Solid Clothes with Patterned Jewelry in a Capsule Wardrobe
March 12, 2015
I'm often asked about the possibility of wearing only solid-colored clothing - nothing patterned. Because I show stripes and flowers (and every other kind of print) so often, some people seem to be concerned that wearing only solid colors is somehow prohibited.
First off, let me make it perfectly clear that, in my opinion, you can wear anything that makes you happy. So long as you don't get arrested, or fired from your job, go for it. Let your preferences shine through. Express your personal preferences, your inner nuttiness, or your freak flag - it's only clothing, and as long as you are truly, deeply happy with what you wear, the rest of us can just accept it. Ultimately, it's up to you!
Another request I recently ... View the Post
Start with Art: Still Life with Bottle by Samuel John Peploe
March 11, 2015 Ah, this made me think of warm weather, leisure, simplicity, being outdoors...
Yes, it's a cardigan, but it's relaxed, and it's linen! When choosing loafers for this trip, I would make sure that they were low enough cut over the foot so that they would look nice with shorts, worn without socks. I'd even travel without socks, although I think I'd want some sort of little socklet/footie for in the airport. Barefoot in the airport gives me the willies!
If you're only going away for a few days, a Six-Pack is the perfect way to pack. These clothes would fit into the smallest tote... (No, this dress has not been made to measure for someone - the brand name is ... View the Post
Start with Art: Version THREE of Peripheral Vision 2 by Elis Cooke
March 4, 2015 More and more ideas for this particular painting continue to be suggested - today, I'm addressing the possibility of using this lovely work as the basis of a summer travel wardrobe.
For the travel outfit, I kept the basic idea of a cardigan "suit" and a contrasting tee shirt, but I lightened up the cardigan considerably, as well as finding a lighter short-sleeved tee.
For the rest of the six pack, I stuck with the general theory of a "core of four" in grey, but I chose a seersucker skirt, rather than solid grey. Why aren't there more things available in seersucker??? All of the jewelry in this little vignette has an starry aspect - the necklace (this one is Libra) is ... View the Post
Start with Art: Version 2 of Peripheral Vision 2 by Elis Cooke
February 26, 2015 As soon as I did the earlier version of this painting (found here), people emailed me asking that I use a different mix of colors, and that I do a business travel version of a wardrobe. So I'm combining requests here - I hope it works out!
I kept many of the elements of the original travel outfit, just swapping out the sportier tee shirt with something just a smidge dressier, and then coordinating earrings and a scarf with this new top.
love, Janice ... View the Post
Start with a Scarf: Hermes Maroon Shawl
February 24, 2015 Someone sent me a photograph of this delectable item - a shawl, no longer available, from Hermes - and asked if it would be possible to build a little something beautiful around it. Ooooh, yes, this is DEFINITELY possible...
First up, a color scheme, as always. Using camel as the neutral, there's a whole range of maroon, dark red, bright red, and hints of yellow here - lots of possibilities!
My imagination called this transition season dressing - either spring or fall. Maybe for business, or for pleasure. One dress, for a splashy night out, and otherwise dressy but not fussy separates for business or elegant sightseeing. (Note that the accessories are either angular, or have a ... View the Post
Start With a Scarf: Le Voyage de Pytheas by Hermes
February 20, 2015 A couple of days ago in this post, I included this page:
And someone asked if I could build a wardrobe around this scarf. Since I already had a clear vision about the details of the scarf, and the color scheme was familiar, it was pretty straightforward!
Maybe because I'm freezing my toenails off, or maybe because I've received lots of questions about seeing some warm-weather travel capsules, but I pictured this as a long weekend to a warm destination. (PLEASE notice that I included starfish earrings to go with the fish mosaic border of this scarf; it's details like this that keep me amused!)
This would keep you covered for a few days, ... View the Post
White Capsule Wardrobe with Grey, Turquoise, or Celadon Green Accessories
January 24, 2015 For now, I'm finishing up this idea of monochromatic outfits and "accessory families" with some summery white linen items. (yes, they look sort of beige or ivory on the page, because white on white would be an incomprehensible blizzard...) Since the available linen white shoes are limited in January, I decided to grab some shoes that match or tone with the accessories - always a fun option! And for the elusive celadon, I chose some gold sandals; metallic are always worth remembering when you're struggling with a shoe color choices.
I'm starting to work on some more "Start With Art" wardrobes - anybody have some ... View the Post
Brown Capsule Wardrobe with Accessories in Light Blue, Brights, and Brown
January 23, 2015
Brown can be so beautiful, and surprisingly versatile...And speaking of versatile, I find that I keep using and using the bright accessories. When I assembled that family of items, I didn't honestly expect that I would get so very much mileage from them!
love, Janice ... View the Post
Denim Blue Capsule Wardrobe with Floral, Bright and Silver/White Accessories
January 22, 2015 Denim blue is a great, versatile and flattering color, even when the fabric isn't denim! Imagine these six garments, along with a pair of real jeans, a white shirt, and a couple of tee shirts - the perfect simple travel capsule wardrobe. I'm ready to go on vacation ANY TIME NOW...
love,
Janice ... View the Post
Olive Capsule Wardrobe with Accessories in Brown, Lacy Gold and Turquoise with Coral
January 21, 2015 Today, I've found some olive items - not the easiest of projects! But as elusive as olive is, it's well worth the effort because nothing looks quite as subtle, warm yet relaxed as olive. I put together six outfits - three for warmer weather, and three for cooler temperatures. From there, a few accessories are all that's needed...
love, Janice ... View the Post
Navy Capsule Wardrobe with Accessories in Rose, Amethyst and Marsala
January 20, 2015 A handful (plus one) of navy garments can give you nine different combinations. Once you toss in three different "accessory families", you have a world of options. With a tee shirt or two thrown in, wouldn't this be a blissfully easy way to pack?
love, Janice ... View the Post