Eclectic Joy

16 Comments

• Elizabeth P replied 7 years ago

  Looks great Joy. I love how the scarf ties it all together. Also loving the way the finds are gelling together.

  At this point you don’t seem to have many “next to the skin” tops, so I can see that it appears you’ll have laundry bottlenecks. But I bet as you build your 30 and the numbers increase this won’t be such an issue. Do you wash your jeans every time you wear them? No need to answer that if you don’t want to, but four pairs seems plenty to me if you wear them 2-3 times. Plus you’ll have other bottoms as well.

  I grew up with no dryer. In Eastern Canada. Many a pair of jeans came off the line able to stand up by themselves!

• Joy replied 7 years ago

  Thank you, Elizabeth. You have given me many good ideas. My complete answer is not loading. I wear jeans twice before washing and also plan to add some more bottoms to my 30. I will try for 3 wearings before washing. If it gets cold enough, I will also wear layers under the jeans and tops. That will help with laundry bottlenecks.

• Bonnie replied 7 years ago

  The Challenge is supposed to help us find glitches and it sounds like it's working. I've decided to skip some days, like when we attend cultural events, but I'm working on a cold weather topper outfit capsule which will last for 30 days but will probably take 6 weeks since I'll be working with 5 day weeks.

• Katerina replied 7 years ago

  What an elegant casual outfit and it looks comfortable and warm! The scarf if very pretty, like how the cream softens the colours and “brightens up” the look. Lovely!
  Have you tried the outfit without the scarf as well? I am thinking that it maybe could be a nice minimalistic outfit and that the turtleneck with the cape might make a nice vertical line. Or would it be too dark withou the cream?

  Love the pieces and colours you chose for day 5! Large scarf by Natural is especially my cup of tea. Have a great weekend!

• Mainelady replied 7 years ago

  Joy, I am loving everything about your black and taupe outfit! The cape looks fluid without overwhelming you. I look forward to your future posts and think I can learn a lot from you. My hair is on its way to looking like yours and I am rethinking some of my color choices as it changes.
  You have some white pieces in your collection and I am eager to see how they look. I love white on others and want to wear it, it I often think it looks too bright on me.

• Style Fan replied 7 years ago

  I love your scarves Joy.  Gorgeous colours.  The cape piece is beautiful.  I like the neutral outfit as a backdrop to the cape and scarf.

• replied 7 years ago

  Well, what can I say?  You are my Style Icon.  Of course, I love these outfits and the additions to your wardrobe.  

  I have long admired all of your Eileen Fisher pieces. In fact, you were the influence for me to start buying her pieces.  Thank you.  I hadn't realized you also wear Kut from the Kloth.  I love that brand.  

  I love the additions to your Challenge.  Good use of color.  All coordinate well.  

• Joy replied 7 years ago

  It was lovely to find these helpful and encouraging replies.
  Bonnie, I am learning already doing this challenge. I may follow your example and not count the outfit for the christening today.
  Katarina, I do wear the outfits without the scarves if the day gets warm and the scarf feels like too much. I will have to remember to get photos without scarves. The first outfit looks ok to me without the scarf to brighten and lighten. I could wear the topper and other taupe pieces with white jeans and top too.
  Mainelady, thank you for your kind words. Just as I had to find the right shade of black ( dull, not deep like black velvet near my face), I also had to find my best white. For me that is a pale pale greyed white best represented by Eileen Fishers shade called bone. A bright white is ok as a bottom or a topper with some texture that casts small shadows back on itself, such as a chunky knit or faux fur. Your best white may change as your hair changes. For awhile mine was ivory, but now that shade is just ok.
  Style Fan, the cape piece is easy to wear and I am tempted to buy another one in a different color. As the style has been offered again by Nordstrom this year, For anyone interested, they run a little small in the arms. I am wearing a petite medium.
  Sterling, both Eileen Fisher and Kut are well represented in my wardrobe and I would recommend both brands. I hardly ever buy EF at full price and have been lucky with sales and second hand. With this challenge I hope to learn as time goes by if I can be happy wearing mostly neutrals adding a little color with accessories. I am also wearing bright underwear sets more if they don't show through my clothes.

• SarahD8 replied 7 years ago

  This is a lovely outfit, Joy. You are really showing how to do neutrals with interest - that dramatic but not overwhelming cape and the cream in the scarf against your hair are outstanding.

  I wish you happiness for your granddaughter’s christening today! I hope your outfit makes you feel fab whether or not it “fits” in the challenge.

• Jaime replied 7 years ago

  Great outfit and congratulations on your newly christened GD!

• Joy replied 7 years ago

  Thank you, Shevia and Sarah. The christening went well and DGD was a sweetie. Her brother was a bit jealous of all the attention his baby sister was getting.

• replied 7 years ago

  Hmmmm.  Very interesting about color choices (dull black and bone) to coordinate with your hair.  As I have allowed my hair to revert to its natural shade, I am finding it is a shade of brown I have never before seen and certainly would not have previously recognized as mine.  

  I have so many questions about this topic, I am having trouble framing them.  I think the first question is "were you and Mainelady ever designated a "Season?""  Do those seasons change as your hair color changes?  I ask this because I am considered a Deep Winter.  I always dressed using that color palette and it worked for me. Suddenly I have started to adjust my color palette.  I don't know the impetus for this change.  It just happened.  I wonder if it has anything to do with a "softening" of my original Deep Winter?  

• Angie replied 7 years ago

  Ruth, you rock my style world. You are fabulous in every way.

• Joy replied 7 years ago

  Sterling, my natural color also turned a shade I had not seen before, a sort of taupe. My younger hair was naturally brunette with lots of red and burgundy highlights. The red became more pronounced in summer.
  Then I suspect I would be an autumn. A couple of years ago I went with a friend to see two professional color specialists. Neither could put me in a season or even made a guess. I had a full head of grey hair then. Colors definitely change . Some of my used-to-be bests are now worsts...any blue-red, jewel tones. On the other hand I was never able to wear black or white and now I can if they are the right shades. I suspect that your colors are getting lighter than Deep Winter. Don't be shocked if they change several times over the next few years and may even flip. With your new shade of brown, you may want to carefully evaluate your neutrals, both light and dark.
  Angie, thank you! Your words give me a huge boost of confidence.

• replied 7 years ago

  Thank you, Joy.  My hair has many colors in it right now.  Some of it dyed.  Some of it natural.  I will be cognizant of this and be especially careful choosing neutrals.  

• Brooklyn replied 7 years ago

  You look fabulous Joy. I say give yourself permission to break out for occasions (I am going to for my birthday later in the month).

  I too am also thinking more about duplicates for laundry purposes. In summer it’s hard to get more than one wear out of a top.