white Archives - Page 14 of 24

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Cheval Surprise Remix Version 2

January 20, 2016 You wanted to see some purple? I found purple, and hot pink!

You could certainly do worse than to use all five bright colors, plus black and white, as the basis of your wardrobe...

How many horses have you found in the scarf? I think I can see seven...

This is SUCH a great dress - you could literally wear it all 12 months, with a range of accessories that would keep it fresh. If I needed a dress, this one could easily vault to the top of the list!

Many have mentioned their preference for white shorts, so I honor your preference. And while the paisley top isn't exactly "cleaning out the basement" casual, I thought it was too irresistible ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Toasting Friends

January 15, 2016 So many of us have these events coming up this spring or summer - a wedding, graduation, bar mitzvah, baptism, or other celebratory event. What a nice excuse to travel!

But it does require a bit of planning, because in just a few days, you might well span the full gamut of activities from a very dressy event or two, to things like cleaning out a dorm room, or playing frisbee with nieces and nephews. Barbecues, picnics, and more relaxed family activities require a completely different wardrobe from what you'll wear to the actual event itself.What to do? Just plan to take more! A normal long weekend is a great time for a 6-Pack or an 8-Pack, but for these very special weekends, I think 13 pieces is perfectly ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: The Common Shelduck

January 14, 2016

When I say there's inspiration everywhere, I'm really NOT exaggerating! My recent trip to Florida is a good example - I saw these lovely guys all over the place (although they are not, in fact, indigenous to the area I was visiting - someone imported them! Someone with good taste....)

The color scheme was so easy!

Come Sit on the Veranda... Well, the invitation was a little bit more fleshed-out than that! It went more like "we have great internet down here, so you can work during the day, and then in the evenings, we'll sit on the veranda with a bottle or two of wine, and watch the birds on the lake until it gets dark. Then after dinner, we can come back out and look at the stars..."

Her toes ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Brooch: Boucheron Lotus Brooch

November 20, 2015

Oh. My. Goodness....If this somehow became mine, I would wonder WHAT in the world was going on, and then I would indeed build my entire wardrobe (and that of my bodyguards!) around it. What a beautiful piece of jewelry...

But even if one is not destined to own this, it can still certainly be used as a style focal point, or inspiration. The colors are straightforward enough:

Yes, I included the black of the background; I think it serves well as a foil for the diamonds, sapphires and emeralds.

So she's heading home for a long winter holiday weekend. She doesn't wear lavish, or amazing clothes - mostly things that are readily available. But in her mind, she remembers the brooch, and ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Hermes Napoleon

November 18, 2015 This is the scarf of the day:

Falling in Love, Gradually...

She knew the scarf was beautiful - rare, intricate, quite fascinating just to look at, to pick out little details that weren't apparent when the scarf was being worn...

But it took her a while to realize how many different ways she could wear it!

Her love for Napoleon was long-standing - she has the "bee" jewelry to prove it. So she started carefully, gradually, wearing her gorgeous scarf with a simple brown dress (but NOT with the matching fabric belt!), and then with a white sweatshirt and her brown corduroy pants. Every time she put it on, she loved it a bit more...

Dress – River Island; brown earrings – Fornash; gold belt – MICHAEL ... View the Post

Scarf Selling Saturday: A TWO-fer: Les Instructions du Roy, and Soleil du Soie

November 14, 2015 I want to clarify that the following post was written and scheduled for publication late Thursday afternoon; had I known of the horrid news that would emerge Friday afternoon and evening, I would had written something very different.

However, I'm going to leave this post here, for comments and for beauty's sake, because I feel like defiantly living life as normal. Let's appreciate small joys, and marvel at the wonders of the craftsmanship and creativity of our fellow humans, in the face of barbaric actions that would prefer we spend our time thinking only of negative and dark things...

You are, each of you, very important to me. I take your thoughts and feelings very seriously, and try to be sensitive to ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: White Trousers, at the Art Institute of Chicago

October 2, 2015

I haven't done Chic Sightings for a while because... well... I haven't seen much! But last week I was walking home past the Art Institute of Chicago (which I do frequently, since it's 3 blocks from home!), and I saw both of these women. It was one of those days that started with a cool-ish morning, building to a warmer afternoon, and they both looked lovely, and perfect for the day.Is it the museum that attracts the simple, chic, eye-catching woman?

It feels like the "brunette version, blonde version" of wearing white trousers in the city...love, Janice ... View the Post

Mixing Solids and Patterns, or 18 = 108 (or more…)

September 7, 2015

Ever since I started trying to identify my signature wardrobe items, and have worked with A Common Wardrobe, I've pondered the various ways in which printed or patterned garments can be incorporated into your wardrobe. I think for most of us, either non-solid pieces, or accent colors, are pretty important to give a sense of change and variety...So I started with a wonderful 9-Piece Slot Machine Wardrobe in solid black. These pieces run the gamut from a tank top for warm weather to a cashmere turtleneck for (in my life) about 6 months of winter. Just doing the math, these give you 27 3-piece outfits (3 x 3 x 3), plus 12 more 2-piece outfits. Some of the combinations might be a little unlikely - like a ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: French Paisley Striped Shawl from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

August 31, 2015

For all of us who are art lovers, it's important to remember that we can indulge ourselves while supporting our favorite museums. Gift shops make a real point to find the most beautiful items available, and they always have a certain quality that you just don't see in every store...This beauty screams fall, doesn't it?

What really appeals here is the way that the strong camel and brown tones provide a perfect backdrop for the clear red, green and blue:

Under the Radar She wanted to travel. A lot. She has a project, and some goals in mind. So she wants to get out of town, maybe as often as every other weekend, through the autumn and winter...

There are LOTS of cities really close to her - ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Hermes Cavaliers du Caucase

August 3, 2015 She never thought she'd be a mom of teenagers in her sixties. But life intervened in the form of two precious and adoptable kids. She has a more casual lifestyle now, but she still loves beautiful clothes. Call her style casual luxe. Her life is all about her children, but she does allow herself a few treasured indulgences...

Every plan she ever had for her life has fallen completely apart.

She's never been happier....

This, by the way, is a true story; the first 4 sentences are a direct quote from the wonderful woman herself!

love, Janice

... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With Art: The Boating Party, by Mary Cassatt

August 1, 2015 "Mom wants us all to come down for the Regatta... I know we said that after the kids quit sailing we wouldn't go, but I think it would really mean a lot to my mother." Well, that's a loaded invitation, isn't it? But that's okay, you know she misses her only child, and that she cherishes her memories of Regattas from years past... "Of course we can go. I'm assuming that we'll be there for the entire week?"

yes, you're a saint...

While navy isn't the color that covers the most area of this painting, it's definitely the "anchor" ***cough, cough*** color here.

Same thing with white - especially when you're ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Gentian Blue by Yuh Okano

July 15, 2015

I've really admired scarves from textile artist Yuh Okano for a while, but it wasn't until I held one in my hands that I realize how truly wonderful they are. Her scarves have that beautiful reflectiveness and iridescence that's characteristic of organza, but they're not "crispy" or difficult to wear... I'm smitten! But best of all, if you leave me a comment on today's post, you will be entered to win this gorgeous scarf shown here! It's all silk, 70 inches long by 13 inches wide (or 180 cm x 33 cm for most of the world), and is gorgeous. (I have it here in my apartment, and I can assure you that giving it away wont be easy!) commenting closed 7 a.m. Chicago Time July 22, ... View the Post