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ysabetwordsmithHere are the content notes for "The Quickest Way to Know a Woman."
Omaha weather for January 5, 2015
A moderate breeze of 13-18 mph stirs small branches.
Shrewd Dude is a T-American clothing store for men that supports a wide range of formulas for capsule wardrobes. They carry everything from hats through clothes to shoes, mostly in midrange quality and prices. Style ranges from casual to business, with most of the items in the middle. Staff are trained to assist men, and they have a body scanner. So you can walk in, tell them what colors and dress mode(s) you want, set a budget, and they'll dress you for it. You can pick a capsule if you want to, but it's not required; the staff can suit one to your price range and clothing needs. It's an easy and relatively affordable way to fill a closet with essentials that look nice together, for men who don't like fiddling around with fashion themselves but want to look decent.
This graphic shows a range of men's dress codes for various occasions. Using a visual interface makes it easier for someone like Shiv to indicate what he needs to buy.
Some people use more color words than other people. Here are similar colors lists indicated for women/men and artists/normal people. Regardless of what the label says, it helps for a shopkeeper to know what level of detail in color vocabulary a customer prefers to use. This is one palette offered to customers who are fluent with colors, with 32 colors in classic shades used in menswear. This simplified palette is for kids, men who don't care much about colors, English language learners, people with mental issues, and other folks who may struggle with a larger palette.
This 5-point scale uses hand signs to indicate customer feelings about colors: Love, Like, Ehhh, Dislike, or Hate. Salesmen will offer first the Love and Like categories, broken up with Ehhh if necessary, and not items from the Dislike or Hate categories.
This simplified 3-point scale uses faces to indicate customer feelings about colors: Happy, OK, or Sad. Salesmen will offer first the Happy category, broken up with OK if necessary, and not items from the Sad category.
Color theory can be shown in detail or in simple form. Here is a blank worksheet for the simple form. This fashion spread for women's clothes demonstrates how to use color theory in creating outfits; the same principles apply to men's clothes. Colors also have connotations that you can use to express yourself.
Fashion palettes are often created by color season. This chart compares different features to derive a season. Here is a palette for winter men. Different systems may yield different results. Regardless of which chart you use, always check your results by holding the palette against your skin. That will tell you which set of colors look best on you. A very easy mistake to make in color seasons is putting someone with pale icy colors (in Shiv's case: cool porcelain skin, blue eyes, and white-blond hair) in Summer. Those soft summer colors look terrible on them. They need either icy pastels, pure bold colors, or deep shades -- all of which are in the Winter palette. Shiv also wears earth tones and khakis because they're good for blending in. They're not his best colors, but looking drab is great when you want to disappear. He knows perfectly well what to wear to dress up, hence his attraction to blues. He hasn't noticed nearly as much that certain warm colors will also look good on him.
The first seasonal palettes underserved people of color. Now there are guides for Asian and black folks, among others. Luci's coloring makes her look good in many autumn and winter colors.
Double-sided towels are good for cleaning, but also for wiping away unpleasant skin sensations. While most people don't sense anything from a body scanner, some people with super-senses, sensory processing disorder, or other sensitivities may detect the scan and then either like or dislike the sensation. Shiv is sensitive enough to feel it, and hates it. Since he also hates having other people's hands on his body, that leaves him with no comfortable way to get measurements. He settles for the scanner as more detailed and less dangerous.
Fashion seasons run ahead of calendar/weather seasons, so that people can buy things just before needing them. In Terramagne, most brands release either two seasons (spring/summer and fall/winter) or four seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) of clothes.
Originally, boyfriend fashion was simply wearing clothes borrowed from a boyfriend or brother. Later, women's clothing introduced garments with a masculine look but still subtly shaped to accommodate female bodies. In T-America, menswear stores often have a section of boyfriend clothes that are either from women's designers, or men's designers that fit well on women. Common choices include blazers, jackets, work shirts, and jeans. Boyfriend fashion overlaps with tomboy style, but is inherently more feminine due to the implied heterosexuality. The masculine clothes are usually worn one at a time as accents against a feminine backdrop.
Whatever's Clean 13 is a template system for creating a capsule wardrobe that can't clash. It often goes from one extreme to another, such as warmer to cooler. Check out this men's capsule wardrobe of cool colors for cool weather. Shiv would be perfectly happy in that.
The 4x4 Wardrobe uses blocks of four garments: the Core of Four (2 tops and 2 bottoms in a neutral color), the Expansion Four (2 tops and 2 bottoms in an accent color; or at least 2 tops with maybe a bottom or a dress in various colors), the Mileage Four (4 tops in the same neutral and/or accent colors), the Integration Four (accessorites in the same neutral and/or accent colors, often multicolor). You can build a wardrobe just from blocks of four, or start with a focal item like a scarf.
Building a capsule wardrobe requires a little thought and a lot of choices. Since Shiv doesn't know what he's doing and quickly gets overwhelmed by choice paralysis, he sensibly delegates much of the work to an expert. This leaves him with 4 Oxford shirts (pink, white, light blue, light gray), 4 long-sleeved t-shirts (tan, white, gray, navy), 6 sweatsuits (red, navy, light gray, medium gray, olive, black), 4 sweatshirts (light gray, black, khaki, navy), 4 dark blue jeans, 2 trousers (black and navy), gray flannel trousers, a gray wool sweater, a black-and-white plaid overshirt, 2 vests (brown and blue), a blue striped wool sweater, 6 sets of long underwear (black, medium gray, light gray, blue, khaki, white), 6 pairs of cotton boot socks (2 black, 1 each of gray, white, khaki, blue), 3 pairs of wool boot socks (dark gray, medium gray, light gray), tall winter boots, chelsea boots, a wool coat, and a set of hat-scarf-gloves. Such service creates intense customer loyalty for Shrewd Dude.
The Patagonia Black Hole duffel bag holds 120 liters and is one of the best duffel backpacks. Shiv has the blue one, and this is how a Black Hole looks when carried. For comparison, this is the canvas duffel that Shiv was considering. He's far enough along now to choose a nicer product when he can, even though it's a bit flashier. A set of bungee cords and carabiners makes it easy to lash things to the outside of the duffel bag.
In T-America, assistance cards are readily available for a wide range of challenges. Official ID cards require a diagnosis, but simple notices do not. Many organizations offer them in premade or customizable versions, typically disclosing a problem and a solution(s). Shiv's says "Please be patient. I have difficulty with math. Thank you!" on the front and "This person helps me with math:" plus Dymin's contact information on the back. He loves it because it requires no official registration and saves him a ton of arguments.
Outfit making apps allow you to drag-and-drop images either online or on a smartphone.
Revitalizing foods help people to recover after expending energy. Shrewd Dude stocks such snacks because shopping tends to make their customers feel drained.
Luci's TOHO Bead Round 8/0 Dichroic Lined Aqua Blue Rainbow, 8g bag
Code: TBRD8-995 $0.62
These TOHO seed beads are perfect for bead weaving or for use as spacers. The versatile 8/0 size is an excellent choice for peyote stitch projects, looming, or even stringing. They are the perfect way to add small accents of beautiful color to your designs. These seed beads feature colorful stringing holes that shine through the iridescent aqua blue glass.
Each 8g package contains approximately 350 beads.
Size 8/0, 8g bag
Luci's 1 Kilo Fancy Mixed Glass India Lampwork Beads Loose Bulk Bead Lot 2+ lbs Jewelry US $29.99
This lot contains approximately 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of India lampwork glass beads, similar to those pictured in the photos.
The beads vary in size, but are mostly larger beads in varying designs, colors, and shapes, most with metallic or other embellishments.
Most hole sizes are approximately 1.5-2mm.
We have tried to sort through and remove any broken or malformed beads, but some may have escaped our notice, so additional beads will be included to compensate for any that are broken.
You will receive beads randomly selected from the lot displayed in the photos
Shiv's 1/2 Pound Dichroic Glass Scrap 96 Coe - Fused Glass - Jewelry Making - Dichroic Jewelry $49.75
This listing is for a (1/2 lb) assortment of 96 Coe dichroic glass scrap ON BLACK AND CLEAR.
You will receive a variety of textures, patterns and colors including specialty glass ie: fracture glass ect. Glass pieces range between 1/2" - 3" square or larger.
Great for jewelry making! This is a wonderful starter kit to get you introduced to the world of fused glass. This is unfused glass ready for you to cut up and fuse in your kiln. You will receive a variety of sizes and shapes. The pictures included are an EXAMPLE of the glass you may receive and will vary depending on the glass that is on hand in my studio.
Textured yarn comes in many styles.
See Shiv's sari yarn and monochromatic twist yarn.
Sometimes you see yarn of different types bundled together to make a project. Here is Shiv's blue-and-yellow batch and his mauve-and-white batch for Luci's hat.
Shiv finds yarn in super chunky ripple (aqua or multicolor) and this caramel ripple.
This yarn, More People Love You Than You Will Ever Know in basic sock reminds Shiv of Halley because it resembles the maybe-colors that thon likes to wear. But he has no active plans to make anything of it.
Once Shiv has seen examples of bundling different yarns to complement each other, he starts doing it himself. The furry black yarn will go with the white-tufted black. The slub yarns go from white to gray, then there is a gray with red tufts.
Luci has Self-Care is NOT Selfish in classic worsted. She also buys tie-dye silk and indigo multicolor. The Orion set includes the colors Dark Orion, Orion, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Mintaka, and Rigel; the color family is shades of indigo blue.
Double-pointed needles allow knitting in the round. Read text instructions or watch a video for knitting with double-pointed needles. Shiv buys packages of single-pointed and double-pointed needles for learning to knit.
There are handouts for flat knitting and a classroom booklet. Patterns include hats and mittens, sweaters and vests. This flyer shows how to knit in the round.
Stitch markers are valuable accessories for knitting. See Shiv's numbered rainbow stitch markers. It's not rare for a shopkeeper to throw in little perks like this when someone drops a lot of money on one purchase.
Omaha weather for January 5, 2015
A moderate breeze of 13-18 mph stirs small branches.
Shrewd Dude is a T-American clothing store for men that supports a wide range of formulas for capsule wardrobes. They carry everything from hats through clothes to shoes, mostly in midrange quality and prices. Style ranges from casual to business, with most of the items in the middle. Staff are trained to assist men, and they have a body scanner. So you can walk in, tell them what colors and dress mode(s) you want, set a budget, and they'll dress you for it. You can pick a capsule if you want to, but it's not required; the staff can suit one to your price range and clothing needs. It's an easy and relatively affordable way to fill a closet with essentials that look nice together, for men who don't like fiddling around with fashion themselves but want to look decent.
This graphic shows a range of men's dress codes for various occasions. Using a visual interface makes it easier for someone like Shiv to indicate what he needs to buy.
Some people use more color words than other people. Here are similar colors lists indicated for women/men and artists/normal people. Regardless of what the label says, it helps for a shopkeeper to know what level of detail in color vocabulary a customer prefers to use. This is one palette offered to customers who are fluent with colors, with 32 colors in classic shades used in menswear. This simplified palette is for kids, men who don't care much about colors, English language learners, people with mental issues, and other folks who may struggle with a larger palette.
This 5-point scale uses hand signs to indicate customer feelings about colors: Love, Like, Ehhh, Dislike, or Hate. Salesmen will offer first the Love and Like categories, broken up with Ehhh if necessary, and not items from the Dislike or Hate categories.
This simplified 3-point scale uses faces to indicate customer feelings about colors: Happy, OK, or Sad. Salesmen will offer first the Happy category, broken up with OK if necessary, and not items from the Sad category.
Color theory can be shown in detail or in simple form. Here is a blank worksheet for the simple form. This fashion spread for women's clothes demonstrates how to use color theory in creating outfits; the same principles apply to men's clothes. Colors also have connotations that you can use to express yourself.
Fashion palettes are often created by color season. This chart compares different features to derive a season. Here is a palette for winter men. Different systems may yield different results. Regardless of which chart you use, always check your results by holding the palette against your skin. That will tell you which set of colors look best on you. A very easy mistake to make in color seasons is putting someone with pale icy colors (in Shiv's case: cool porcelain skin, blue eyes, and white-blond hair) in Summer. Those soft summer colors look terrible on them. They need either icy pastels, pure bold colors, or deep shades -- all of which are in the Winter palette. Shiv also wears earth tones and khakis because they're good for blending in. They're not his best colors, but looking drab is great when you want to disappear. He knows perfectly well what to wear to dress up, hence his attraction to blues. He hasn't noticed nearly as much that certain warm colors will also look good on him.
The first seasonal palettes underserved people of color. Now there are guides for Asian and black folks, among others. Luci's coloring makes her look good in many autumn and winter colors.
Double-sided towels are good for cleaning, but also for wiping away unpleasant skin sensations. While most people don't sense anything from a body scanner, some people with super-senses, sensory processing disorder, or other sensitivities may detect the scan and then either like or dislike the sensation. Shiv is sensitive enough to feel it, and hates it. Since he also hates having other people's hands on his body, that leaves him with no comfortable way to get measurements. He settles for the scanner as more detailed and less dangerous.
Fashion seasons run ahead of calendar/weather seasons, so that people can buy things just before needing them. In Terramagne, most brands release either two seasons (spring/summer and fall/winter) or four seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) of clothes.
Originally, boyfriend fashion was simply wearing clothes borrowed from a boyfriend or brother. Later, women's clothing introduced garments with a masculine look but still subtly shaped to accommodate female bodies. In T-America, menswear stores often have a section of boyfriend clothes that are either from women's designers, or men's designers that fit well on women. Common choices include blazers, jackets, work shirts, and jeans. Boyfriend fashion overlaps with tomboy style, but is inherently more feminine due to the implied heterosexuality. The masculine clothes are usually worn one at a time as accents against a feminine backdrop.
Whatever's Clean 13 is a template system for creating a capsule wardrobe that can't clash. It often goes from one extreme to another, such as warmer to cooler. Check out this men's capsule wardrobe of cool colors for cool weather. Shiv would be perfectly happy in that.
The 4x4 Wardrobe uses blocks of four garments: the Core of Four (2 tops and 2 bottoms in a neutral color), the Expansion Four (2 tops and 2 bottoms in an accent color; or at least 2 tops with maybe a bottom or a dress in various colors), the Mileage Four (4 tops in the same neutral and/or accent colors), the Integration Four (accessorites in the same neutral and/or accent colors, often multicolor). You can build a wardrobe just from blocks of four, or start with a focal item like a scarf.
Building a capsule wardrobe requires a little thought and a lot of choices. Since Shiv doesn't know what he's doing and quickly gets overwhelmed by choice paralysis, he sensibly delegates much of the work to an expert. This leaves him with 4 Oxford shirts (pink, white, light blue, light gray), 4 long-sleeved t-shirts (tan, white, gray, navy), 6 sweatsuits (red, navy, light gray, medium gray, olive, black), 4 sweatshirts (light gray, black, khaki, navy), 4 dark blue jeans, 2 trousers (black and navy), gray flannel trousers, a gray wool sweater, a black-and-white plaid overshirt, 2 vests (brown and blue), a blue striped wool sweater, 6 sets of long underwear (black, medium gray, light gray, blue, khaki, white), 6 pairs of cotton boot socks (2 black, 1 each of gray, white, khaki, blue), 3 pairs of wool boot socks (dark gray, medium gray, light gray), tall winter boots, chelsea boots, a wool coat, and a set of hat-scarf-gloves. Such service creates intense customer loyalty for Shrewd Dude.
The Patagonia Black Hole duffel bag holds 120 liters and is one of the best duffel backpacks. Shiv has the blue one, and this is how a Black Hole looks when carried. For comparison, this is the canvas duffel that Shiv was considering. He's far enough along now to choose a nicer product when he can, even though it's a bit flashier. A set of bungee cords and carabiners makes it easy to lash things to the outside of the duffel bag.
In T-America, assistance cards are readily available for a wide range of challenges. Official ID cards require a diagnosis, but simple notices do not. Many organizations offer them in premade or customizable versions, typically disclosing a problem and a solution(s). Shiv's says "Please be patient. I have difficulty with math. Thank you!" on the front and "This person helps me with math:" plus Dymin's contact information on the back. He loves it because it requires no official registration and saves him a ton of arguments.
Outfit making apps allow you to drag-and-drop images either online or on a smartphone.
Revitalizing foods help people to recover after expending energy. Shrewd Dude stocks such snacks because shopping tends to make their customers feel drained.
Luci's TOHO Bead Round 8/0 Dichroic Lined Aqua Blue Rainbow, 8g bag
Code: TBRD8-995 $0.62
These TOHO seed beads are perfect for bead weaving or for use as spacers. The versatile 8/0 size is an excellent choice for peyote stitch projects, looming, or even stringing. They are the perfect way to add small accents of beautiful color to your designs. These seed beads feature colorful stringing holes that shine through the iridescent aqua blue glass.
Each 8g package contains approximately 350 beads.
Size 8/0, 8g bag
Luci's 1 Kilo Fancy Mixed Glass India Lampwork Beads Loose Bulk Bead Lot 2+ lbs Jewelry US $29.99
This lot contains approximately 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of India lampwork glass beads, similar to those pictured in the photos.
The beads vary in size, but are mostly larger beads in varying designs, colors, and shapes, most with metallic or other embellishments.
Most hole sizes are approximately 1.5-2mm.
We have tried to sort through and remove any broken or malformed beads, but some may have escaped our notice, so additional beads will be included to compensate for any that are broken.
You will receive beads randomly selected from the lot displayed in the photos
Shiv's 1/2 Pound Dichroic Glass Scrap 96 Coe - Fused Glass - Jewelry Making - Dichroic Jewelry $49.75
This listing is for a (1/2 lb) assortment of 96 Coe dichroic glass scrap ON BLACK AND CLEAR.
You will receive a variety of textures, patterns and colors including specialty glass ie: fracture glass ect. Glass pieces range between 1/2" - 3" square or larger.
Great for jewelry making! This is a wonderful starter kit to get you introduced to the world of fused glass. This is unfused glass ready for you to cut up and fuse in your kiln. You will receive a variety of sizes and shapes. The pictures included are an EXAMPLE of the glass you may receive and will vary depending on the glass that is on hand in my studio.
Textured yarn comes in many styles.
See Shiv's sari yarn and monochromatic twist yarn.
Sometimes you see yarn of different types bundled together to make a project. Here is Shiv's blue-and-yellow batch and his mauve-and-white batch for Luci's hat.
Shiv finds yarn in super chunky ripple (aqua or multicolor) and this caramel ripple.
This yarn, More People Love You Than You Will Ever Know in basic sock reminds Shiv of Halley because it resembles the maybe-colors that thon likes to wear. But he has no active plans to make anything of it.
Once Shiv has seen examples of bundling different yarns to complement each other, he starts doing it himself. The furry black yarn will go with the white-tufted black. The slub yarns go from white to gray, then there is a gray with red tufts.
Luci has Self-Care is NOT Selfish in classic worsted. She also buys tie-dye silk and indigo multicolor. The Orion set includes the colors Dark Orion, Orion, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Mintaka, and Rigel; the color family is shades of indigo blue.
Double-pointed needles allow knitting in the round. Read text instructions or watch a video for knitting with double-pointed needles. Shiv buys packages of single-pointed and double-pointed needles for learning to knit.
There are handouts for flat knitting and a classroom booklet. Patterns include hats and mittens, sweaters and vests. This flyer shows how to knit in the round.
Stitch markers are valuable accessories for knitting. See Shiv's numbered rainbow stitch markers. It's not rare for a shopkeeper to throw in little perks like this when someone drops a lot of money on one purchase.
Re: Capsule Wardrobes
Date: 2019-08-19 04:43 pm (UTC)Thank you!
>>The tricky thing about gray is that it comes in 'warmer' and 'cooler' tones.<<
I noticed that when looking through my closet. I think I have mostly warm grey, but I do have at least one cool grey top, and I noticed it doesn't seem to go very well with the pants. I think both greys look ok against my skin, but some of the other cool colours don't.
>>Here's a great pink-black-gray 4x4 wardrobe that shows how to add accents:<<
That bright one is pretty much the colour of pink I have, but I don't have the light shade. I'm not sure it would look good on me and it doesn't catch my eye as much. I might try the green, but I might need a slightly different colour. On the other hand, I have enough grey and black to make a 4x4, so I can just wait until I find more of the hot pink.
>>Now split that circle in half down the center, and you've got a shade guide to warm pinks on the left and cool pinks on the right. Which do you think is prettier unto itself?
Next, blow it up, then put your hand over the middle. Which set looks better against your skin?<<
I like the cool pinks better, but I think warm looks better against my skin. I am fairly certain I could get away with warm or cool for the darker pinks though, which works out because I like those better than pale pinks.
>>Adding black and gray to icy pink:<<
That scarf actually reads warm to me, but I do like the idea of multicolour items bringing things together. I should probably buy them at the same time as other items though, otherwise I'm liable to end up with all different shades that don't match. I like the taupe and pink scarf too.
>>If not, a black fitted jacket looks dressy and a flowing gray cardigan is relaxed.<<
I have a grey one and and working on acquiring a black jacket. That is proving hard to find at the moment. I'm not much for vests, but some long sleeved shirts have the argyle pattern. I might look into those.
>>Unless you utterly adore that bright color, chuck it and keep the neutral.<<
Luckily most of the bright colours I like and have match a neutral, or at least my jeans. They may be less versatile, but it does let me keep a slightly greater variety of colour.
>>If you can't fill a template, what's missing?<<
I went out amd did some shopping, and now I have enough clothes for my neutral parts of the capsules, so I can actually see what's missing. I need a few outer layers, a few bottoms and accessories. I don't actually need many accent colour pieces, so I can take my time on those and find ones that I like and match what I already have. And I shouldn't be lacking for options in the mean time.
I did do some cleaning of my closet before starting all this and I think it's actually in pretty good shape.
Re: Capsule Wardrobes
Date: 2019-08-20 06:43 am (UTC)If you find it hard to match the cool gray with your other clothes, you might want to get rid of it. But if you have things you like to wear it with, then it can stay.
Cool colors that don't look good on you should also go, unless you really love them and they can be worn farther from your skin.
>> That bright one is pretty much the colour of pink I have, but I don't have the light shade. I'm not sure it would look good on me and it doesn't catch my eye as much. <<
If you don't like the light pink, avoid it. Hot pink looks fantastic with black and gray, it really pops. As long as you feel comfortable and confident with a color that bold, go for it. Hot pink is one of the very few pink shades I like.
>> I might try the green, but I might need a slightly different colour. <<
Here is a serape showing a Mexican palette of mostly warm, super-saturated colors. Hot pink is at the bottom. A little above that are some bright greens that lean toward yellow, from lime to deeper leafy greens. You might also think of bougainvillea with its lipstick-pink leaves against darker green ones. These might help you find greens that would fit well in your wardrobe.
>>On the other hand, I have enough grey and black to make a 4x4, so I can just wait until I find more of the hot pink.<<
Yay! That's a good idea.
>>I like the cool pinks better, but I think warm looks better against my skin. I am fairly certain I could get away with warm or cool for the darker pinks though, which works out because I like those better than pale pinks.<<
If your skin is neutral or nearly so, you may be able to wear both. Another trick for wearing colors that you love but don't look great with your skin is to use them away from your face. Bottoms usually work. So does a pink belt on a black or gray dress. Try small spots of color on a safe background -- pink flowers on a black or gray blouse, for instance.
>>That scarf actually reads warm to me,<<
That can happen due to differences in personal perception, or computer screens.
>> but I do like the idea of multicolour items bringing things together. I should probably buy them at the same time as other items though, otherwise I'm liable to end up with all different shades that don't match. I like the taupe and pink scarf too.<<
Ideally, yes, buying things together makes matching easier. If you can't do that, try to choose multicolors that use many shades of a given color. Sunset and floral scarves often do this.
>> I have a grey one and and working on acquiring a black jacket. That is proving hard to find at the moment.<<
That's one you have to wait on, then. A fitted jacket needs to fit. With a cardigan, close enough is good enough. I have one in my office for when it gets chilly, and that thing is several sizes too large -- so it'll fit over other clothes.
>> I'm not much for vests, but some long sleeved shirts have the argyle pattern. I might look into those.<<
Check menswear stores right about now. They should get their fall fashions any time. I've got argyle cardigans, maybe a sweater, as well as a vest or two. If you get the kind where only a few diamonds on the chest are the contrast color, that can be any color you like, as long as the background is a good color for your skin.
>>Luckily most of the bright colours I like and have match a neutral, or at least my jeans. They may be less versatile, but it does let me keep a slightly greater variety of colour.<<
As long as they match other things, and you like them, they're worth keeping. It's the stuff that's hard to match which you want to toss out. Here is an example of a black core wardrobe with three accent clusters: one blue/yellow, one pink/peach, one red/green. Each cluster consists of one multicolor scarf, two solid sweaters, and two pieces of jewelry. That makes six accent clusters for the same core wardrobe. They don't match each other, but they don't have to. Another good accent option is a set of four: two garments (such as a sweater set) and two accessories (such as a belt and a necklace).
Try this with your random cool colors and that black/gray 4x4. Can you put together each colorful garment with 1-2 matching accessories and your neutral core, to create at least 2-3 outfits with each? If so, it's probably worth keeping. If you can only do one thing with it, or there's nothing else to match it with, ask yourself how much you really love it if you only have that one piece. If you love it but can't match it, maybe look for an accessory that will. That would encourage you to wear the piece more often.
Because your base neutrals of black and gray take bright accessories so well, consider building clusters of those in your favorite colors. Here are two great posts showing sets of 6 accessories in 26 colors with popular meanings:
https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2016/04/lharmonie-des-couleurs-and-13-accessory.html/
https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2016/04/part-2-lharmonie-des-couleurs-and-13.html/
>>I went out amd did some shopping, and now I have enough clothes for my neutral parts of the capsules, so I can actually see what's missing.<<
Yay!
>> I need a few outer layers, a few bottoms and accessories.<<
Now is the best time to shop for outer layers, when everyone has them coming in. You'll pay more than you would at the end of the season, but you'll have a much easier time finding specific things.
Accessories: when you buy a new garment, think what you'll wear it with. Do you have a hat, gloves, shoes, belt, scarf, jewelry, bag -- whatever you wear -- that will match it? If not, check they store. They often have things that will match the current clothes, and you'll have the garment right there to match. Do you have jewelry with black or gray pieces? You'll need those for your neutrals. Something to match each accent color is also good. It doesn't have to be expensive. Some of the best hot pink jewelry is done with enamel or nylon cord.
>> I don't actually need many accent colour pieces, so I can take my time on those and find ones that I like and match what I already have. And I shouldn't be lacking for options in the mean time.<<
That's good.
>>I did do some cleaning of my closet before starting all this and I think it's actually in pretty good shape.<<
Go you!
Re: Capsule Wardrobes
Date: 2019-08-21 11:33 am (UTC)I like the idea of using flowers to find different shades of green I can use to go with the pink. However, I also found another colour scheme I like. Purple with grey. I think the purple is really pretty. I'm not sure I would add the light pink, but the purple would give me something else to wear with the black and grey, even if I don't mix the purple with my hot pink.
>>If you can't do that, try to choose multicolors that use many shades of a given color.<<
That's a good idea!
>>Check menswear stores right about now. They should get their fall fashions any time. I've got argyle cardigans, maybe a sweater, as well as a vest or two. If you get the kind where only a few diamonds on the chest are the contrast color, that can be any color you like, as long as the background is a good color for your skin.<<
I'll have to try that. I've never shopped for shirts from the men's department before, though I have bought jeans because pockets! I'll take a look and see what kind of patterns I can find. :)
>>As long as they match other things, and you like them, they're worth keeping. It's the stuff that's hard to match which you want to toss out. Here is an example of a black core wardrobe with three accent clusters: one blue/yellow, one pink/peach, one red/green.<<
I think I can do that with all of my current colours, and I think I have more than one shirt of every colour I do have, no real standalones. I like the idea of clusters, which is basically what I've decided to do now that I have my neutral cores. I might look into adding more accent colours, depending on if there is anything I want that I don't have, but that will probably take a back seat until I get a few more basics.
Outerwear and accessories will probably be the biggest struggle for me, but I think I will pick an item or two per paycheck, starting with the most important, and look around until I find things I need, like and that match my colours. :)
Re: Capsule Wardrobes
Date: 2019-09-03 07:33 am (UTC)Yay!
>> However, I also found another colour scheme I like. Purple with grey. I think the purple is really pretty. <<
That's good to hear.
>> I'm not sure I would add the light pink, but the purple would give me something else to wear with the black and grey, even if I don't mix the purple with my hot pink.<<
Some shades of purple will go with hot pink, the more intense ones.
>> I'll have to try that. I've never shopped for shirts from the men's department before, though I have bought jeans because pockets! I'll take a look and see what kind of patterns I can find. :) <<
Argyle and plaid especially appear in autumn and winter. Stripes are year-round. Heather, tweed, marle, etc. are much more subtle variegations.
>> I think I can do that with all of my current colours, and I think I have more than one shirt of every colour I do have, no real standalones.<<
Yay!
>> I like the idea of clusters, which is basically what I've decided to do now that I have my neutral cores. I might look into adding more accent colours, depending on if there is anything I want that I don't have, but that will probably take a back seat until I get a few more basics.<<
Once you have a solid foundation of neutrals, or signature colors that you treat as neutrals, you can add as many accents as you like. 2-4 each of garments and accessories will make a very robust cluster. These appear in various proportions.
Goldenrod
Marsala
Orange
Sea Green
Ultra Violet
This also works with multicolor items.
>> Outerwear and accessories will probably be the biggest struggle for me, but I think I will pick an item or two per paycheck, starting with the most important, and look around until I find things I need, like and that match my colours. :) <<
That is an excellent idea. Watch for things that come in sets, like earrings and necklace or hat/gloves/scarf. Other things like a charm bracelet have lots of different parts, making it easier to match some part of them later. Jewelry with a metal and a color will match any plain item of the same metal.