For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.
For a description of my method, see this post.
October and November additions for the Darcy wardrobe continue to be a grab bag as we approach the end of 2021. But we have some items that will incorporate themselves very well into this color palette.
October brings a pair of skinny taupe-beige knit pants and an ivory cardigan to the wardrobe, which are welcome versatile pieces in the Darcy palette's light neutral. (A pair of khakis is probably the most classic beige/tan pants option, but I just don't like wearing them!) I bought these knit pants as comfortable WFH pandemic pants, but I can see myself continuing to wear them afterwards too. The floral print blouse brings in the orange and yellow accent colors and the striped T has a variety of aqua/teal colors that correspond to the aqua piece in the palette. I admit that the short-sleeved T with the maroon floral print is a less obvious match to the palette, but there are some dark coral bits in the print that should make it work just fine in this wardrobe.
White/coral/aloe floral top - Loft - 20/22 - $6.00 - 7/2020
Cream/dark aqua striped long-sleeved T - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 3X - $4.24 - 11/2020
Ivory cardigan - CJ Banks - 2X - $17.99 - 5/2020
Taupe-beige Starfish pants - Lands End - 2X - $17.98 - 5/2020
White/coral/maroon floral T - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 2X - $4.99 - 5/2018
We have some great colorful accessories for October that reinforce our accents of aqua, yellow, and coral/orange. I made the yellow and dull orange stretch bracelets this summer from one of the inexpensive mix packs of strands of various stone beads from Fire Mountain Gems, so I don't know what specific kind they are, but the colors are just right for this capsule. I especially like these thrifted suede smoking slippers with the taupe-beige knit pants.
Yellow ombré scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $8.99 - 5/2020
Medium aqua open weave scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $4.90 - 5/2020
Gold/resin chain necklace - Loft - $6.00 - 5/2020
Mustard leather leaf earrings - Amazon - ?
Taupe smoking slippers - thrifted, Gap/Goodwill - $9.99 - 7/2015
Orange/clear seed bead endless strand - Fire Mountain Gems - $0.38 - 7/2021
Soft yellow stone bead bracelet - made by me - summer 2021
Dull orange-rust stone bead bracelet - made by me - summer 2021
Our November additions are hitting hard on the navy/dark denim neutral and the aqua accent colors. I have to say that bright ankle pants are a non-traditional garment for fall in Minnesota but with my continuing WFH situation, I don't need to worry about exposing my ankles to the freezing outdoor temperatures. (Yes, we have already been hitting below freezing temps at night, which means it's fall.) The cream cardigan is a somewhat confusing piece because it's quite warm yet short-sleeved, so I wear it as a cardigan vest over long-sleeved tops.
Seafoam striped long-sleeved T - CJ Banks - 2X - $7.18 - 5/2020
Navy/white striped long cardigan - Lane Bryant - 22/24 - $11.99 - 6/2020
Cream short-sleeved cardigan vest - Lane Bryant - 22/24 - $11.99 - 6/2020
Light teal ankle pants - Liz Claiborne/JCP - 18W - $17.49 - 6/2017
Skinny ankle jeans - ana/JCP - 22W - $26.39 - 9/2019
Navy/white check long-sleeved shirt - thrifted, JCP - 2X - $3.60 - 12/2019
November's accessories are all about those mint/aqua/teal accent colors...plus some random bits of red. Red isn't in the color palette, so these additions may seem oddly chosen (and they might BE oddly chosen, if I were purchasing items instead of sourcing them from my closet). But I think a case can be made for these pieces despite their slight deviance from the color palette! I don't think we have to view a color palette as a strict rule-book for what we can buy, own, or wear. Sticking close to the color palette makes it easier to make more outfits from fewer pieces, but we can certainly move outside the strict boundaries of the color palette so long as the piece still works with our wardrobe. In this case, we have a lot of items that create neutral + aqua outfits to which these pieces can be added. In fact, we have a Power of 3 beauty bundle here in aqua/red/silver!
Aqua/red fan necklace - Target - $9.27 - 9/2014
Seafoam leather leaf earrings - Amazon - ?
Seafoam pashmina - thrifted, ThredUp - $6.83 - 8/2020
Aqua/red pearl/silver hoops - made by me - summer 2021
Teal/green-mint ombré scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $3.59 - 5/2020
Light mint scarf - thrifted, Goodwill - $2.99 - 7/2016
Navy floral Keds - ModCloth - $56.74 - 7/2020
Teal suede smoking flats - Nine West - $33.59 - 2/2021
I would like to start our outfit-building today with the light-colored knit pants because they bring such variety to the dark or bright bottoms that we have been seeing so much of in this capsule. Outfit #1 is a simple seafoam + beige + cream outfit with an extra punch of color from the aqua/red earrings. I definitely see red lipstick with this look to repeat the color from the earrings. Substituting the floral Keds would also be a cute way to finish this outfit for a more casual situation.
Outfit #2 is another overall light look, this time punctuated with fall-like shades of orange and maroon. Here I've included the two necklaces from our October additions but we could certainly supplement them with 1-3 (or more) gold pieces from previous months.
Outfit #3 uses the same pants, cardigan, and flats combination, this time with yellow/mustard accents. While it's likely true of most wardrobes, it seems especially true of capsule wardrobes that there is a lot of value in identifying base outfit combinations that can be worn over and over with different accent/statement pieces to create different looks. You don't have to start from scratch every single day to have variety in your outfits!
Outfit #4 uses the light-colored pants and cardigan vest from Outfit #1 and jazzes it up with aqua and red accent colors and a check + floral print mix.
Outfit #5 takes the check shirt + aqua/red earring combination in a more business casual direction with the ankle pants and loafers. The aqua/red necklace repeats the colors from the earrings. How does this necklace + earring combination land with you? Is it too matchy? I find it matchy in a good way! The colors are definitely very similar, but the pieces have different shapes and are made from different materials (glass pearls for the earrings and enamel/plastic for the necklace) so it doesn't read as a "matched set"...which would be too old-school/conservative for my style.
Finally, a couple of outfits with the skinny ankle jeans (that I'm not abandoning any time soon). Outfit #6 is a three-way print mix that doesn't overpower because it sticks to a tight navy + white color scheme on top. The solid seafoam/mint accents also help tone things down rather than over-complicating the look.
Outfit #7 is a nicely monochromatic look in various blending shades of seafoam and teal. I like the ombré print scarf with the striped T for a very subtle print mix.
Today I'll start the OOTD round-up with October's white/coral/aloe floral blouse. This past year I've enjoyed wearing it in a layered necklace look with my DIY coral/orange multi-strand seed bead necklace as a centerpiece. (The first photo shows an early sparse version of the necklace, before I added the gold chains and the seed bead/gold bead strands. The second photo shows the final version.)
I have not experimented as much wearing the blouse with aloe vera green, but I do think this combination is quite pretty. In this August Outfit, I kept things simple with a pendant necklace and the shoes I find hardest to incorporate into outfits: rust/yellow/grey print ballet flats. I think the shoes and blouse were a successful print mix due to the shared yellow and orange/rust colors, the large vs small size of the prints, and the distance between the two prints.
Now for November's light teal ankle pants that I have found to be a wardrobe workhorse. In this April outfit, the bright pants and coordinating print jacket make a strong statement, supported by simpler (but not boring) pieces. I really liked how this one turned out!
This April outfit is a variant on the "take pants in any color/print and pop on a denim/chambray shirt" formula, substituting a looks-like-denim-color-but-is-actually-a-knit top. A very pale grey scarf with stripes in various denim-like shades coordinates well without matching. I used the elastic and shank button scarf ring trick on this one.
This September outfit is another version of bright pants + denim shirt, this time using a twin set look of a chambray blazer and a knit peplum top in a similar shade of blue. While I will wear the top as a stand-alone piece, I like it best this way. I truly can't get enough of the "modern twin set" thing...a top and topper in the same or similar colors. I really like the low contrast look I get when the top and topper are of such similar colors, and in many cases I prefer it over any other combination.
Now to our new rabbits: one compact, one stretched. October's compact bunny is Jerry, the brown Jersey Wooly! I am impressed that her wild wooly fur is looking quite neat in this photo. We could call this pose the furry brick.
November's stretched bunny is Harley, the brown Harlequin! I love the shaded stripe pattern of this breed, and the white and brown color scheme is particularly sophisticated. She is relaxing in the popular sphinx pose.
What changes did you make in your wardrobe for the pandemic stay-at-home period? Are you still wearing any of those pieces?
In my next capsule post, we will look at the Oct & Nov additions for our third wardrobe: #3 Navy & Grey, Lily.
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