Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Summer shopping - Color

The beauty and colors of Venice are still very much present in my mind, and with summer approaching, they have decidedly inspired  this summer's capsule wardrobe additions.

When shopping for color I don't have to look far, a darling member of my family has a wonderful range of beautifully made cotton basics, in nearly all colors imaginable. Originally, her business (Kettlewell Colours) catered to those who had their colors analysed, but because of the fantastic range she has, many just come because they know it's a great place to find that specific shade to match other wardrobe items or accessories. With my new Ceintures de Liens shawl in mind, and full of memories of beautiful Venice, I selected across the board, although most pieces seem to be from the summer category.. so perhaps this is my season?



First row: sleeveless v-neck top in marine blue and sleeveless cowl neck top in mallard
Second row: square neck 3/4 sleeve t-shirt in vibrant pink and slash neck 3/4 sleeve t-shirt in navy
Third row: square neck vest in breton blue and scoop neck 3/4 sleeve t-shirt in seaspray


Long cascade wrap in deep teal, black and navy




In the coming blog posts, the new pieces will be featured individually, and teamed with existing pieces and scarves in the Capsule wardrobe series format. The associations with Venice will hopefully be enjoyed, especially by those who did not want the travelogue to end (me included)...


 You might also like:


left and center: long cascade wrap in french grey, right: Twist top in marine blue: all by Kettlewell Colours




32 comments:

  1. How beautiful are all of these capsule pieces! Are coming new waterfall necklaces in colors to match with? I would like a little bit of Venice shade in them... Love your creations!
    Thank you very much.
    Love,
    Lorna B.

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    1. Many thanks dear Lorna, happy you like the new additions. Re the necklaces, you got me thinking! ;-) x

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  2. Ok, now this is pretty cool my friend! Wardrobing to match your memories of places and spaces! Super lucky you are to have this resource! Now you will have to head back to Venice to take these pieces on a tour! You never cease to amaze;) Looking forward to the Venice capsule wardrobe pics in action...fun! I can even feel the plot thickening with perhaps a new piece for the MT Collection inspired by Venice! Now that really would be cool! Have fun plotting dear friend!
    Big hugs, T xx

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    1. Aww my darling friend, how I love your fun and witty insights and catch phrases! Wardrobing to match memories of places and spaces...what a post title this would have been! Re the MT Collection, you are one step ahead of me <3 Have a most wonderful weekend, and big hugs right back xx

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  3. Just curious, what's your seasonal color? Love your website!

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    1. I have not had a color analysis, but most of the above colors are in the summer family. I love certain autumn colors too, and of course I am a big fan of black, which is winter!

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  4. Yes, I would definitely say you are a Summer. I'm always surprised to see you wearing golden browns as well as you do; our coloring is very similar and I can't go near your oranges and browns. I love your mustard coat but cannot wear that color near my face. And I even have brown eyes! You are lucky to be able to pull off so many colors so well!

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    1. Love the color discussion, dear Pam! I know there are many colors I can absolutely not wear, and most of them seem to be gathered in the Spring family. The mustard coat is supposedly not to work for me as it is an Autumn color, but I looked at it again, and it is actually a very cool mustard, and would therefor probably belong into a different group. Re the golden browns, they are not my best colors, but comes autumn I can not resist them (particularly my Carré en Carré)... To make them work best, I keep the rest of the outfit in colors which suit, and wear a strong, warm colored lipstick.. happy to get away with it!

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  5. It's always your season ;-)! Awesome choices yet again and did I mention just how much I admire those beautiful (if not artistic) pics of Venice?! hugs, me

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    1. You are the sweetest, my dear Macs! Hugs right back, and have a most wonderful weekend!

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  6. Quelle que soit la saison tous vous va a ravir
    Très joli choix de couleurs et jolis assortiment de gilet
    J aime beaucoup les manches trois quart.
    Pour les manches courtes je me demande si nous allons les porter un jour!!!!!!!!
    Bises
    MYRIAM

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    1. J’adore les manches trois quarts aussi, ça fait toujours un peu plus habiller que les courtes.. Mais on n’a pas vraiment besoin de poser la question cette année!! Un très bon week-end à vous, chère Myriam. Bises

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  7. I prefer to look atl that on you dear MT Difficult to imagine things without you inside mainly that these beautiful coulours are not quite mine but on you sure it will be as usual, very nice with your perfect taste.
    You spoke about summer coming in your place but here we still have not seen the spring approaching....
    Amicalement
    Monica

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    1. All these lovely things will be shown in action quite soon, my dear Monica, one by one! I rolled out the red carpet for summer, but so far it has not arrived.. All the more fun to plan the outfits for when it is finally here... Have a lovely weekend!

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  8. Hoped that you might relate your further posts to Venice in a certain way, however, frankly - did not expect the colourful wardrobe link (somehow I always linked you more to neutral basics and colourful silks).
    I am sure it will be feast for eyes, as you have tremendous taste and talent to put the colours and shapes together. Therefore, I am very, very curious (as it helps me very much when putting my own ensembles together and I use the colourful pieces a lot). The site whose link you provided looks very nice and has tremendous range of colours - I am looking forward to choosing the pieces from it.
    (Hope you do not pay a lot of attention to multiple visitors - my computer says for your blog: "you visited this page many times". Oh, yes, I know! So impatient for each new contributon here!).
    Lea

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    1. Dearest ‘frequent visitor’, can’t tell you how much I enjoy playing with the new pieces, particularly after this never ending winter/non existing spring! I am happily dressed in pink and blue today, and plotting new combinations with my scarves and existing wardrobe pieces. Hope you’ll enjoy the upcoming posts! Hugs to your computer ;-)

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  9. Beautiful and classy as always. I look forward to viewing your page each day to see your lovely creations. What are the brands of tops and wraps you posted? Thank you for sharing your creativity. Jaime

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    1. So happy you enjoy the posts, many thanks. The tops and wraps are by Kettlewell Colours. If you click on the item’s names, you’ll be directed directly to their site!

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  10. Dearest MaiTai,

    As dear Trudye so well says, "you never cease to amaze". Lovely pieces, bright colours! Can´t wait to see how you combine with your beautiful silks :)

    Hope the sun is shining where you are and send you love and sunny hugs, M xx

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    1. Thank you, my dearest Manuela! Thrilled you like the new pieces, and hope you’ll enjoy the upcoming combinations too. Have a most wonderful weekend, hopefully filled with warm and beautiful sunshine xx

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  11. I have to agree with the comment above, I think of you as classics and neutrals.. So great to see colour, I myself love colour and teal is a particular favourite.

    Have you had your colours done, I did years ago, it's interesting and a great guide although not an absolute science and seems to change as you age, skin tones and hair colour change .. So is life ..

    Really looking forward to seeing the outfits, inspiration needed for this long overdue summer.

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    1. Oh I love teal too, it’s one of my favorite colors! So many of my scarves have teal accents, and it is lovely to have a couple of tops to match. I never had my colors done, but can imagine how much goes into it... Also, I would have thought there are changes even within a year, our skin tones can be quite different from summer to winter (apparently not this year though.. I still have my winter coloring!).

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    2. Where is the sunshine ??? I am too planning my holiday clothes, off to Sorrento in a month... It has to be hot there... Doesn't it ???

      Any suggestions for evening wear, we plan to wander round the town sit in cafes and bars and watch the world go by... After busy days walking through the hills, small villages and I assume lemon groves etc....

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  12. Sorry for returning, did not figure out meaning of the photos at the very bottom of this post - they actually show the Kettlewell items you had earlier already (and they clearly say how beautifully you wear the colours). Therefore, you can put two negative marks next to my nick.

    Now, as you have had some items for a significant period of time now (and as I am considering purchasing some of them) - would you be so kind to say how are they holding up (i.e. how do you rate their quality during usage and washing)?
    I see the items on Kettlewell site have an extraordinarily high quality rating. Would you agree with the opinion of their users?

    (Namely, my criteria related to "balls" after first washing and colour loss have developed very much - some brands around us have low quality now (will not name them, but I refer to the mass brands which, as per fashion magazines, should be used in combinations with high-end brands, including our Hermes scarves. Hardly possible. It is why I ask...hope the quality might be on its return way...).
    TIA, Lea

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    1. Hello again, my dear Lea! No balls, no color loss and no other issues, even after many machine washes. The quality is beautiful, and they deservedly have great feedback... I am amongst their many fans!

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  13. Dear MaiTai,

    I check daily for your a new post and get so excited when a new one appears! You exude such class in your style picks. Especially loved your posts of Venice. Would love to go back. Can't wait to see the outfits you put together for us with your new capsule pieces. Thank you MaiTai, you are such an inspiration.

    Simone

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    1. Thanks so much for the lovely comment, dear Simone! It is wonderful to know you enjoy the posts and updates. Hope you can return to Venice one day very soon! I’d love to go too...

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  14. Wow, what a range of colors, and you can wear these styles for years to come.


    Rest assured, us Pinkies will lure you to the bright side. ;-) Depending on the shade, pink is flattering to most skin tones, but when you're fair and blue eyed, it's like blush!

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    1. Not much more luring needed, my dearest Laura! Very happily wearing vibrant pink today :-) Such fun to discover new grounds, and amazing to see how a few new items can ‘summerize’ an entire wardrobe. Blush hugs x

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  15. What a beautiful resource, so helpfull indeed.. I often admired the french grey long cascade in your "older post" beeing the perfect colour for me! Thank you for sharing your family's business(super lucky they ship to germany ;-) ). Will there be something in french grey back in stock, or was this a special colour order you made? Mit herzlichen Grüßen, Christina

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    1. Oh how I wish I had included the link to the french grey wrap back then! It was a regular color from the stock in 2010, but is no longer available. Hope you’ll find another color you like, or check the merino wrap, it comes in two different shades of grey. Mit lieben und herzlichen Grüssen

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  16. Weeee!! Love this little gem of a resource! Perfect pieces for travel,as they look easy to pack, minimal wrinkles. Although I always tend to steer towards neutrals, it's always nice to add a pop of colour!
    Have a spectacular weekend, dear Mai Tai!
    Barbara A

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