A khaki & green summer wardrobe, with accessories

Many people have asked me to clarify how I choose the accessories that I put with these simple wardrobes; I will try to explain my thought process.  And some of you have expressed a desire to see these wardrobes with fewer shoes - thinking that these little vignettes would make great packing templates...

The accessories I've chosen are:

Silk/cashmere cardigan – Diane von Furstenberg, sunglasses – Jimmy Choo, dangle earrings – Kara Ross,  necklace – Fossil, seashell earrings – Rose Pierre, tee shirt – Balmain, daisy bracelet – Stella &Dot, striped cotton scarf – Mapoesie, skirt –Sophie Hulme, fabric slingbacks – Andre Assous, ballet flats – Franco Sarto, gold sandals – Taryn Rose, scarf - Hermes

Starting with the most basic garment - the white tee shirt.  Arguably the easiest outfit possible is to grab the khaki skirt, but that's pretty... blah.  So I wanted to incorporate the green accent color, in a cardigan that will be worn, tied around the shoulders, or carried, depending on the temperature situation.  This all gets pulled together with a simple green necklace...

Or the basic tee shirt is the perfect thing to simplify the utterly beautiful busyness of a printed skirt.  Some gold jewelry, and comfy flat gold sandals, make this dressy but still relaxed.

Sometimes nothing is cooler than head to toe khaki linen, but that can be REALLY drab. But with a scarf, and some jazzy, but comfortable shoes, things look much brighter.  I always put an Hermes scarf into accessory packages, but you could easily substitute another scarf from any other company; the essential variable is that it shows at least a hint of the leafy green that is the common thread of the wardrobe.

And shorts - for many of us, they're essential.  But they can still be gorgeous, and show your signature colors, with a pretty tee shirt, comfy espadrilles, and great sunglasses. (you MUST have sunglasses - you know how much damage the sun can do to your eyes, right?)

Sometimes, you have to wear a skirt!  These neutrals get perked up with a lightweight cotton scarf - great stripes with our favorite green, and the ballet flats to make it look like  you chose these things intentionally.  And the cardigan - even if just carried - picks up the colors of the green necklace, and lends a bright accent to the workhorse linen dress.

Casual outfits are a piece of cake - any amazing tee shirt stands out against the simple white pants - dressed up with some earrings that carry a feeling of khaki and white, with a luminous surface.  Green flats pick up the green notes in the tee shirt, and tie everything together.

And sometimes you just want a tank top and shorts - with a cardigan to guard against air conditioning!  But gold flat sandals and a gold bracelet finish this outfit much more neatly than would a pair of tennis shoes, or rubber flip flops...

And you always have the opportunity to wear a sort of mellow linen "suity" kind of look with coordinating pants and shirt jacket.  But again, we elevate this from blah beige by matching the tank top to the go-to flats in that personal signature green.  Slide a cotton scarf under the collar of your jacket, grab some amazing earrings, and you're set for dinner at the nicest place around...

Lastly, we must wear that floral skirt again - it's just too amazing to become a closet orphan.  The tank top gives you a feeling of a long monochromatic column of clothing, and some simple touches of gold jewelry finish off the look, without weight or clutter.

And let us take an appreciative look at the simple, well-made, timeless garments that serve as the basis of all of these variations:

All clothes - L.L.Bean

When is L.L.Bean going to give me a contract????  Here's there site -  L.L.Bean - I need lobbyists to get me away from my day job and committed to full-time blogging!  (I love my readers - you have no idea how much...)

Project 333 for warm weather - my search for a uniform

I won't even try to kid you - I've been under a lot of stress recently, and there's no apparent reason for it.  I have one of the easiest lives that any human being could want, but I still have been feeling pressured, inadequate, hurried to get things done, and as if much of what I do has been "weighed in the balance and found wanting."

So as the weather finally warms up, my goal is to simplify, and to try to give myself more time to accomplish things that will give me a sense of gratification and competence.  Thus, I'm stripping this summer's wardrobe back to the absolute basics - a uniform of sorts.

The late Olivia Goldsmith co-authored the above, very insightful, book.  It's all about finding a uniform and sticking with it. That's sort of what I'm going to do this summer... starting with four black dresses:

And then adding in two black tee shirts, two black tank tops, two black skirts, and two pair of black pants:

Although I know for a fact that I can go a very long time wearing black, and nobody will notice, I am going to include a number of tee shirts -as much to give myself some laundry "wiggle room" as anything else!

 Now things to finish off these long columns of black - four cardigans, two linen jackets, and two silk jackets.

And four really cool sweaters - mostly to layer over things, as they are all rather sheer.  They bring a lot of texture and interest to my outfits, while still being easy to pull on and run, and easy to peel off if the weather requires.

So my days would unwind something like this:  Start with a solid column with a skirt or pants, pull a sweater over it to finish things off.

Another option is to grab a dress, and put a jacket or cardigan on, for warmth and "completeness."

Or slip into some variation of a black suit - either a cardigan or jacket, with either a skirt or pants.  Toss in a tee shirt, maybe a scarf, and move on the more interesting things.

I know that my tolerance for wearing a lot of black is very high, and that I have the accessories to keep this from looking too sober.  I wonder how it will play out in practice...

A simple navy & pink summer wardrobe, with accessories

Cotton cardigan – Maison Scotch, sunglasses – Vera Bradley, earrings – Ylang23, opal bracelet – Majolie, necklace – Twist & Scout, gold earrings – Brooks Brothers, tee shirt – Jack Wills, pearl bracelet – Stella & Dot, navy & white bracelet – Wing Paris, flowered cotton scarf – Marc Jacobs, skirt – Isabel Marant, navy sandals – David Tate, navy flats – Tabitha Simmons, pink flats - Balenciaga, gold sandals – Taryn Rose, scarf - Hermes

All clothes - L.L.Bean

How to wear a lavender (lilac? light purple?) v-neck sweater

Why yes, we have seen this silver skirt before - a few times!  I'm delighted to see how it adapts to the various sweaters...

Sweater – Bellerose, earrings – Allegro, skirt – Bottega Veneta, sandals – Alexandre Birman, earrings – Swarovski, skirt – Marc Jacobs, flats – Butterfly Dream

 A gold necklace and sandals are pretty versatile too, as are simple white sandals, and a classic mother of pearl earring.

Sweater – Bellerose, necklace – Amrita Singh, pants – MONO, sandals – K Jacques, earrings – White House Black Market, pants – Rag & Bone, sandals – K Jacques

Sweater – Bellerose, scarves - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, loafers – Cole Haan,  khakis – MaxMara, flats – Madewell

Sweater – Bellerose, pearls – Blue Nile, blouse – Balmain, pants –  Burberry Prorsum, flats – Repetto, earrings – Blue Nile, cotton shirt – L.L.Bean, skirt – Indigofera, pumps – Yves Saint Laurent

I don't even want to think about how much fun these boots would be...  Yes, I'd need a whole new wardrobe to wear with them... 

Sweater – Bellerose, tee shirt – Yumi, white jeans – J. Crew, sneakers – Vans, tee shirt – Rag & Bone, suede tapestry boots – Martin Margiela

Sweater – Bellerose, scarves - Hermes, white cotton shirt – Equipment, pants – Akris, loafers – Mootsies Tootsies, white silk blouse – Chloe, skirt – Comme des Garcons, pumps – L’Autre Chose

Accessories for a very simple summer wardrobe

Many people felt that my very simple summer wardrobes were just too plain, but the wardrobes as they were shown were never going to be the final  product.  With a few accent pieces of clothing (which count as accessories in my world), some shoes, scarves, and jewelry, the look of the clothes can change quite a bit...

Cardigan – Valentino,sunglasses – Ray-Ban, earrings – Karen Millen, striped bracelet – Jean Lous Sherrer, spiked necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane, gold earrings – Brooks Brothers, tee shirt – J. Crew, pearl bracelet – Stella & Dot, navy & white bracelet – Wing Paris, checked cotton scarf – Aquascutum, skirt – Montaigne Market, black sandals – Manolo Blahnik, flats – Born, espadrilles – Michael Kors, gold sandals – TarynRose, scarf - Hermes

All clothes - L.L.Bean

How to wear an ORANGE v-neck sweater

Sweater – Closed, scarves - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, flats – Seychelles,  khakis – Vince, flats – Pretty Ballerinas

Sweater – Closed, earrings – Accessorize, skirt - Versace, pumps – Christian Louboutin, bracelets – Wetseal, skirt – Stella Jean, sandals - Seavees

Sweater – Closed, bracelet – Miriam Salat, pants – J. Crew, sandals – Le Capresi, bronze ring - Nallik, jacquard pants – Topshop, pumps – VC Signature

Sweater – Closed, scarves - Hermes, white cotton shirt – Equipment, pants – Armani, flats – Thierry Rabotin, white silk blouse – Chloe, skirt – Eastex, pumps –  Jimmy Choo

Sweater – Closed, tank – Red Valentino, white jeans – J. Crew, sneakers – Keds, tee shirt – Pucci, espadrilles – Ralph Lauren

Sweater – Closed, watch – Trax, blouse – Proenza Schouler, pants –  J.W. Anderson, boots – Whistles, earrings – Amrita Singh, blouse - Etro, skirt – Ralph Lauren, slingbacks - Debenhams

How to wear a BLUE v-neck sweater

Sweater – Joseph, scarves - Hermes, white cotton shirt – Equipment, pants – Armani, flats – Vivienne Westwood, white silk blouse – Chloe, skirt – Eastex, pumps – Tabitha Simmons

Sweater – Joseph, scarves - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, flats – Cole Haan,  khakis – Vince, flats – Madewell

Sweater – Joseph, bangle watch – DKNY, sleeveless blouse – Mary Katrantzou, pants –  Burberry Prorsum, flats – Repetto, earrings – Banana Republic, jacquard blouse – Stella McCartney, skirt – Calvin Klein, pumps – Acne

Sweater – Joseph, earrings – Allegro, skirt – Bottega Veneta, sandals – Alexandre Birman, earrings – Betsey Johnson, skirt – Essentiel, sandals – Stuart Weitzman

Sweater – Joseph, necklace – Amrita Singh, pants – Louise Gray, sandals – K Jacques, earrings – White House Black Market, pants – Emilio Pucci,sandals – K Jacques

Sweater – Joseph, tee shirt – Equipment, white jeans – J. Crew, espadrille sneakers – Rag & Bone, tee shirt – Closed, espadrilles – Missoni