travel capsule wardrobe Archives

Want Something Pretty? Start With a Scarf – The Artiquel Scarf by Artifact.

December 18, 2024

Sometimes, you see something that just makes you happy. If you keep thinking about that thing... six hours later?... you might want to listen to your heart!

That's my feeling about this scarf; the minute I saw this, I knew I wanted to share it with you all here:

What an interesting image - dill? Some sparse hydrangeas? And artichokes? What do you think?

Of course, these colors are difficult to find...

Our heroine knows that she's going to struggle to find the soft accent colors - the green and purple are QUITE elusive. But she also knows that she can wear this scarf with her neutral grey, or she could look for a different green like soft olive. Or use beige as her neutral. There are always ... View the Post

Need a Warm Break? Start with Bracelets – Winter Sky Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

December 13, 2024

They spend Boxing Day cleaning up. And on the 27th, they're in the car early in the morning, heading SOUTH!

She's dreaming of the Winter Sky, but the sunny winter sky where they go every year for a while - just to avoid the worst of the cold and snow...

This year, she's inspired by these:

She has some clothes down there already - no reason to bring them back north! But she has new colors in mind to expand her existing wardrobe of navy, beige, white and bright green:

It's not bitterly cold where they are right now, so she doesn't have to bundle up all that much the first morning... But she loves feeling cozy for the first day of the drive...

She packs some warm-ish things, and some ... View the Post

Festive? Start with Art – The Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

December 11, 2024

I'm leaving for Paris this afternoon - and so is today's heroine!

Remember this most elegant woman - of the upswept and braided white hair, the immaculate red manicure, the lush jewel-toned accents in her black and white wardrobe?

We first met her when she was a university guest lecturer;...

In January 2018, she took a group of students to the Cloisters;

In August 2019, she was in Paris to help with reconstructing Notre Dame;

In December 2019, she was off to Venice;

She assembled a "work from home" wardrobe in May 2020;

which she accessorized in May 2020;

and we visited her in November of 2021, when she went to Dublin;

Oh my! I knew I loved this woman, but I never ... View the Post

Packing For the Holidays by Starting With Art – Canyon Country by Georgia O’Keeffe

November 29, 2024

Not your usual "holiday colors," but how many of us really want to wear a ton of red and green? (I know at least one of you is absolutely delighted to wear red and green...)

When you look critically at the painting to isolate the colors, it looks more promising!

Okay, we're going to take that really yellowish patch and focus on the camel edge! If we revisited this wardrobe for warmer weather, we might go full-tilt into a bunch of yellow...

A key to this wardrobe looking festive is the accessories - but isn't that often the case, that you achieve the desired effect by adding just one or two little touches?

Our heroine is packing "outfit by outfit," and then we'll re-evaluate what she has, and see ... View the Post

Feeling Festive? Start with Bracelets – Festive Lynx Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

November 27, 2024

It's getting to be that time of year...

She LOVES a Party... Which is a good thing because she goes to quite a few! This year, she's keying all of her party outfits around her new bracelets...

She's including navy in her plan because she can include jeans and navy pants that she already has! But she collects evening bags and is a sucker for a beautiful dangly, sparkly earring...

Her travel outfit is pretty restrained - as much as she likes to dress for a party, she also doesn't want to be terribly gaudy and inappropriate in transit!

Packing is such a joy - this is what she's taking with her:

She collects everything together the night before she leaves and is just a bit giddy at the thought ... View the Post

Needing Some Brightness? Start With a Scarf – The Nina Knaudt & Rianna Kounou scarf by Echo

November 25, 2024

Our heroine has a couple of weekend holiday trips this year, and since the people that she will see don't overlap (that's handy!), she's decided to really refine a small wardrobe and take it for all of her trips...

AND!!! She's really being brought down by the darkness that comes so early in the Northern Hemisphere this time of year. Therefore, she's decided that she's going to work with bright colors to accent her chosen neutral of navy...

This scarf would be delightful in the heat of summer, but she's going to make it work in November and December!

She's chosen her accent colors from the many that she found in the scarf. Orange might be tough to find in November (oddly enough - isn't it a fall color?), ... View the Post

A Navy & Grey Lover? Start Packing with The Common Wardrobe

November 22, 2024

It's snowing like the end of the world here in Chicago - I'm very happy! Of course, it will last an hour, and then melt... sigh...

More heroines than you might expect are committed to wearing navy, grey, and accent colors that vary with the seasons. I hear from you often, and I can entirely agree that your choice is an elegant and pretty foolproof way to dress...

For you, I've chosen to include denim blue in your palette, just to give you options! My idea of what The Common Wardrobe would look like for you is delightfully uncomplicated and versatile:

One could certainly pack this, some jewelry, a handful of scarves, and a couple of pairs of shoes, and be fine...

But our heroine's going to be seasonal for ... View the Post

Foolproof Packing in Warm Colors? Start With The Common Wardrobe

November 20, 2024

Let's suppose that you really like what I'm packing for Paris, but you wear coffee brown, cream, toffee... (oh my that sounds tasty!)

Let's start with the "old school" Common Wardrobe, and see what I can do. For those of you who weren't here when I first realized the existence of The Common Wardrobe, you can look here to find out what it's all about. I truly was in a big room full of creative people, and virtually every person was wearing at least one piece...

This is where I started:

This is how I picture replicating the above wardrobe, only with warmer colors, and with long-sleeved tee shirts, since it is getting close to winter! (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course! I don't forget my friends in the ... View the Post

Foolproof Packing? Start With The Common Wardrobe

November 18, 2024

Come rummage through my closet with me!

Yes, I'm going to Paris after all. You may recall that Belovedest and I had to cancel a trip to London and Paris last month after my wee pratfall in the hotel bathroom; there was no way that I could face an international flight that soon after I broke seven ribs!

But I'm finding now that I can sleep on my side (which is a game-changer, for me!), walk on a treadmill for over a half hour, and be outdoors for 3 or 4 hours at a stretch. I'm not leaving until December 11, so I'm working with the assumption that I will feel at least somewhat better than I do now, and be quite a bit stronger.

All that said, Belovedest insists that I check my suitcase, even though it easily fits ... View the Post

Love Bright Accents? Start With a Scarf – The Kelsey McKinney Scarf by Echo

November 15, 2024

She likes red and green. And purple. And pink. And blue. And yellow...

She's going away for a long weekend that will be FESTIVE. Not necessarily big splashy parties, but she knows that anywhere she goes, there will be a bit of a holiday fizz in the air! So she decides to travel with her core of black essentials, but to round out her travel capsule wardrobe with four accent colors.

Remember, not every heroine flies to her destination! This lovely lady might be taking the train, or the boat, or driving...

And yes, Vivaia shoes are everything they claim to be; I've got two pair, and I live in them. Both will go to Paris next month!

She reviews her packing... jeans, a skirt, bright but not gaudy or ... View the Post

Love Blue and Lavender? Start With a Scarf – The Julianna Margulies scarf from Echo

November 13, 2024

Yes, THAT Julianna Margulies. Multi-talented, I'd say!

Lovely colors! That blue is just delicious...

Our heroine has to travel, and she wants to at least seem to fit in with the festivities! She's not really a "red & green" type of girl, nor is she much interested in an ugly Christmas sweater...

So she's going to go with a smile and a snowflake. That feels festive enough for her!

Yes, she's packing a few of the same things that her friend packed on Monday - simple black classics look very different when you wear them with a different accent color!

In her world, a pretty sweater and a skirt will be dressy enough! Most of the time she's more likely to be wearing her jeans!

When our ... View the Post

Want a Fresh Palette? Start With Art – Door of Light by Akada Misao

October 30, 2024 Just For the Night... They tell her that's all she needs to do - just meet with the core workers, take the whole staff to dinner, and then come back the next day.

Unless she gets stuck, because of air traffic, or a strike, or volcanoes...

She's not THRILLED about the trip, so she decides to be inspired by something as unlike work as possible:

She seldom wears yellow. But she's in the mood to shake things up a bit, so this is going to be her color palette. She knows that for a longer trip, she could easily add lots of beige, and bits and pieces of green...

It's not a madly dressy office, so she knows that she doesn't have to dress up. Comfortable pants will make all the difference if she's stuck on a ... View the Post