For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.
For a description of my method, see this post.
It has cooled down just a bit in St Paul, to highs in the 70s this week, but I'm happy to keep the summery vibes going just a bit longer as we check in with the August additions to the wardrobe based on this scarf.
Once again, navy and dark denim form the foundation of our new garments this month with a denim skirt, navy sleeveless blouse, navy and white striped peplum top, and a navy marl cardigan. Although navy and grey receive equal billing on our color palette image, they are definitely not equal partners in this (or my full) wardrobe.
Navy striped peplum top - Lands End - 2X - $15.93 - 5/2019
Denim pencil skirt - Lands End - 24W - $25.58 - 5/2019
Navy sleeveless smocked blouse - Loft - XXL - $26.70 - 9/2017
Navy marl 3/4 sleeve cardigan - Coldwater Creek - 2X - $14.97 - 7/2020
However, our light neutrals are represented in our August additions in the form of a white sleeveless top and a pale grey cardigan (that has an interesting pattern of textured stripes). The bright pink and blue Ts add a cheerful note to the collection.
Splash blue T - CJ Banks - 3X - $8.10 - 7/2020
Pale grey cardigan - CJ Banks - 2X - $14.83 - 5/2020
White crossover exercise tank - JCP - summer 2021
Light hot pink T - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - $5.00 - 5/2020
In a change from the other August capsules, this set of capsule additions features more scarves than necklaces! There isn't any deeper meaning to this than it's just the way the division of my full closet worked out. And while scarves may be too hot to consider (even in Minnesota) at the height of the August heat, things start to cool down a bit as the transition to autumn approaches. (Of course, for those of us in a pandemic stay-indoors-at-home situation who rely on air-conditioning, a lightweight scarf isn't a big deal even if it's 90 degrees outside!) This scarf quintet is entirely made up of purchases from the online thrift store ThredUp from my rather large December 2019 and May 2020 scarf orders. It definitely is easier on the wallet and the planet to buy them second-hand, and with accessories for which fit is not an issue, there's little downside unless you are looking for something very specific in terms of color, print, texture, fabric, etc...which you very well may be! I will say that ThredUp's $1.99 per item restocking fee means that it isn't the best source of purchasing scarves on spec, but they will refund in full without the restocking fee if an item is damaged, dirty, or not as described. In the two big orders of which these scarves were included, I was happy to browse through the listings to find some interesting-looking scarves in a range of colors/prints at relatively low price points so ThredUp worked very well for me.
White/blue/green gauzy floral scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $1.50 - 12/2019
Medium blue scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $5.60 - 12/2019
Bright pink/blue/green/tan owls scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $5.60 - 12/2019
Pink/white/blue floral scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $4.90 - 5/2020
Dark punch pink scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $4.90 - 5/2020
We will round out our accessories with a few more pink and blue items, including 3 DIY projects of mine: the sky blue seed beads on gold hoop earrings, a stack of seed bead bracelets in a mix of various blues, and a long dark blue seed bead necklace with two embroidery thread tassels. Representing pink we have the peacock pendant necklace and stud earrings. The cloisonné fish pendant (a gift from my blogger friend Jodie at Jodie's Touch of Style) and floral ballet flats are a blend of pink and blue.
Cloisonné fish pendant - gift from Jodie
Silver chain - gift from Mom
Gold/pink peacock pendant - Target - $9.50 - 11/2015
Dark blue seed bead/tassel necklace - made by me - summer 2021
Blue mix seed bead bracelets - made by me - summer 2021
Light pink circular stud earrings - Loft - ?
Cream floral flats - Payless - $13.00 - 5/2015
Sky blue seed bead/gold hoops - made by me - summer 2021
It would probably feel limiting to me in the long run, but a color palette of navy, white/light grey, blue, and pink could keep me happy for a while, so I am eager to look at a few outfits from this set of additions. Since the dark denim skirt is our only bottom piece in this set, it will form the basis of all the outfits. That's no problem because a denim skirt is like the summer version of a pair of jeans...I would wear it with just about anything!
Outfit #1 starts with a column of color in navy/dark denim (which I consider basically interchangeable neutrals in my wardrobe). For a warmer day, the earrings, pendant, and ballet flats could finish this look, but for a cool morning or as the season starts thinking about fall, a light cardigan and beautiful punch pink scarf can be layered on as well.
In Outfit #2, the vivid hot pink T provides the color pop while the blue accessories are a bit more subdued. I like that the fish pendant and ballet flats both contain a whisper of softer pink that subtly reinforces the pink idea throughout the outfit. Of course the pink T would work marvelously as a stand-alone pop of color, but I do enjoy the whisper of pink elsewhere in the outfit.
Outfit #3 uses a three-way print mix instead of color blocking to add visual interest in (what is for me) a relatively small number of items. There is an approximately 0% chance that I would ever have even considered whether these ballet flats would work with the rest of this outfit were it not for this capsule project, but I'm surprisingly OK with this look. The floral ballet flats with the small amount of pink is really not an obvious pick, but they do provide a bit of that "free to vary" aspect that I talked about recently.
Outfit #4 takes us back to a more coordinated look, this time with a lot of color. This top was a random purchase from CJ Banks during one of their incredible sales last year. I had bought this style of top in a different color earlier in the year, and I liked the boatneck, elbow-length sleeves with button detail, and general size/shape through the body that I purchased some more of them. I bought this one as a random "useful solid top in a shade of blue that is pretty" but it turned out to be a really great color that looks great on. I wish I had been able to snag a cardigan in this same "splash blue" color to produce one of my beloved modern "twin sets," but this was the only item they had it in. Luckily it's easy to wear it with neutrals and/or different accent colors like this denim and bright pink.
This white + denim + navy marl combination has two finishing options: a medium blue scarf and a pink floral scarf. I slightly prefer the floral version because I love prints, and it makes a pretty good floral print mix with the ballet flats, but the depth of color in the blue scarf makes for an interesting various-shades-of-blue outfit that starts to reach toward a more fall-like vibe than the double floral version.
Our focal garment today is the navy and white striped peplum top that was a terrific purchase from Lands End two summers ago. It is a remarkably thick 100% cotton fabric that provides exceptional structure for a knit piece, making it a great stand-alone top. But it also layers pretty well, making it wearable in colder weather also. In what is emerging as a theme in this post, I bought 3 of these tops during that sale, although the other two do not have the peplum at the bottom. They have all been quite versatile additions to my closet.
In this April outfit, I selected a stone utility vest and a lightweight butterfly scarf in a matching colorway. The cerulean blue ankle jeans (also from Lands End) bring a pop of color to the look. The butterfly scarf has a variety of muted tones that coordinate well with the cerulean blue, I think.
In this June outfit, I continued with the print scarf + colorful bottoms + neutral pointy-toed flats theme, only this time using the top as a stand-alone piece due to the warmer weather. As in the previous outfit, the striped top has a very stark, optic, high-contrast print while the scarf has a more subtle, washed print. I'm sure there is a print mix "rule" somewhere about wearing optic + optic or washed + washed rather than mixing the two, but I don't mind the optic + washed look here at all. There really is no substitute for just trying things together and seeing if you like it.
And the theme continues with this third outfit in the "bright colored skirt" variation! This scarf has a more optic pop art/Mod flower print than the previous two, and it does go really well with the striped top. Adding the burgundy flats here was just a little bit outside my comfort zone/usual method, but they are definitely more interesting than the typical navy or nude shoes, and if you look closely there is just a hint of a dark pink in the center of the flowers that ties in the burgundy.
And this brings us to my favorite wardrobe addition: a new rabbit! This wary-looking bunny, Lily, is a Dutch in the steel variety. The steel gene modifies the dark-colored areas such that there is "ticking" of off-white at the tips of the dark hairs, resulting in this lovely heathery look. Note that Lily has blue eyes, which is unusual for rabbits. The Dutch breed is one of the few rabbit breeds whose Standard of Perfection allows blue eyes...which is silly because every rabbit is perfect!
Do you ever buy multiples of an item?
In my next capsule post, we will take look at the August additions for our fourth wardrobe: #4 Olive & Beige, Kiwi.
I link up with:
Nike at Life as a LEO Wife (Sundays)
Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge (Mondays; 3rd Thursday)
Michelle at My Bijou Life (Mondays, Fridays)
Mica at Away from the Blue (Mondays)
Debbie at My Random Musings (Mondays)
Leelo at Beauty by Miss L (Mondays)
Roxanne at Glass of Glam (Mondays)
Claire at Claire Justine (Mon, Wed, Fri)
Laura at I Do deClaire (Tuesdays)
Emma at Style Splash (Tuesdays)
Jess at Elegantly Dressed & Stylish (Tuesdays)
Gail at Is This Mutton? (Wednesdays)
Shelly at The Queen in Between (Wednesdays)
Jodie at Jodie's Touch of Style (3rd Thursday)
Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom (Thursdays)
Ada at Elegance and Mommyhood (Thursdays)
Jacqui at Mummabstylish (Thursdays)
Nicole at High Latitude Style (Thursdays)
Suzy at The Grey Brunette (Fridays)
Nancy at Nancy's Fashion Style (Fridays)
Erika at A Little Bit of Everything (Fridays)
Lucy at Lucy Bertoldi (Fridays)
Kimberly at Being a Wordsmith (Fridays)
Rena at Fine Whatever (Saturdays)