6 Scarves 2021: July Additions, #5 Brown & Black, Nelly

For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.

For a description of my method, see this post.

Let's keep plugging away at the casual summer additions to our wardrobes, this time focusing on this color palette (and adorable mascot).

After six months, here's where we stand with our garments. For warm weather, we have:

-9 skirts: 6 print, 3 solid

-4 pants: 3 full-length, 1 ankle

-2 short-sleeved tops: both teal

-1 3/4 sleeve top: teal

-1 sleeveless top: teal [are we seeing a theme here or what?]

-1 short-sleeved cardigan: blac

-2 3/4 sleeve cardigans: 1 marl, 1 print

-1 lightweight jacket: print

Our new garments are making me happy for this wardrobe! The brown capris and short-sleeved T supplement the winter "trio" in our wardrobe's second dark neutral. The maroon short-sleeved T likewise brings an important accent color into the summer period. The striped blouse will be a nice breathable, lightweight top or second layer for summer. And finally, the teal exercise tank is so needed because we have SO FEW TEAL TOPS in this capsule...OK, well, it may be just yet another teal top, but clearly Nelly's Sally likes teal tops, and extra tops for summer is just not a problem I worry about! I'm a bit surprised that there aren't any topper pieces this month, but for casual wear in the heat of the summer, that will work out fine.

Brown T - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 2X - $8.59 - 6/2018

Ivory striped crinkly blouse - CJ Banks - 3X - $10.83 - 12/2020

Brown capris - CJ Banks - 24W - $9.76 - 9/2020

Maroon curve hem T - Shein - 4XL - $9.43 - 7/2020

Dark aqua exercise tank - Kohls - ?

We have a nice set of accessories so far. I'm actually pretty excited to see that this wardrobe already has warm-weather compatible flats in black, teal, and maroon.

Summer is a great time to bolster the necklaces in the wardrobe. I know that some people live places that are so hot in the summer, you don't even want to wear a necklace, but I don't have that trouble in Minnesota unless it's the very hottest days of the year and I'm outside for an extended period (which, obviously, I avoid as much as possible because I hate the heat!).

The centerpiece of this necklace collection is the adorable Slothlórien necklace (also available as a pin; not affiliate links) that was featured on The Vivienne Files in June. The white faux pearl tassel necklace is one that I made this summer. I purchased the gold circles necklace from JCP three years ago after seeing it on Fonda at Savvy Southern Chic. The white faux pearl necklace was bought recently with necklace layering in mind. Finally, the black/burgundy bead necklace was made by a friend, probably 25 years ago or so.

Slothlórien necklace - Amar & Riley/Wolf & Badger - $42.00 - 6/2021

Long white faux pearl tassel necklace - made by me - 6/2021

Long gold circles necklace - JCP - $9.00 - 2/2018

White faux pearl necklace - Kohls - $10.20 - 12/2020

Black/burgundy bead necklace - made by a friend - ?

Other accessories this month include numerous beaded stretch bracelets that I have made over the last two summers, a pair of glass pearl hoop earrings I made this summer, two silk scarves (which are very cool in summer), and two pairs of brown shoes to go with the brown garments we added above. The plaid sneakers look distressed, but they actually have held up extremely well over the years; they were made with that worn, rough-around-the-edges look.

Maroon/purple/golden mix pearl bead bracelets - made by me - summer 2021

White seed bead bracelets - made by me - summer 2020

Black/white seed bead bracelet - made by me - summer 2020

Brown tiger-eye/gold/cream bracelet - made by me - summer 2021

Art Deco silk scarf - thrifted, Adrienne Vittadini/Goodwill - $14.00 - 12/2014

Cream/mint/pink striped silk scarf - thrifted, Accessorize/ThredUp - $10.93 - 8/2020

Light rose-brown pearl/gold hoops - made by me - summer 2021

Brown flats - Frye/Zappos - $110.99 - 4/2014

Brown plaid sneakers - Rocket Dog - ?

One pair of capri pants + 4 tops = 4 outfits from these additions. Let's get started with the ivory striped crinkly blouse and Slothlórien necklace, a combination I've been wearing a lot this summer. You could view these necklaces as an "and/or" situation. I would definitely experiment with the sloths worn under the collar, on top of the shirt, and the beaded necklace worn above the collar. This trio of stretch bracelets were made from a set of about 10 colors of 4mm glass pearl beads in the pink/red/orange/purple color family that I bought from Amazon. And yes, I made them specifically to coordinate with this striped top because I'm sort of crazy that way.

Outfit #2 is a very casual combination with some subtle print mixing between the plaid sneakers and striped scarf (which I'm seeing as a headband or knotted on a ponytail). In the spirit of a very warm day, the outfit has no necklace, but statement earrings and a beaded bracelet give the look a finished feel.

I like the brown column in Outfit #3; even though the browns are not identical, they blend together beautifully. This time I'm imagining the scarf worn loose around the neck and either dangling down the front or loosely tied while the faux pearl necklace is worn above the V neckline of the T. The brown + black combination in the scarf's print is a boon in a capsule with both of those neutrals represented.

Our final outfit pairs the maroon curve hem T with the capri pants, and demonstrates that the beaded bracelets made to match the striped shirt will find other uses in this capsule. I have worn these two necklaces before quite effectively; the pearl tassel necklace is a bit shorter, so the gold circles necklace frames it nicely.

I purchased these brown capris last September, and they immediately went into once-a-week rotation. Brown is a perfect neutral for that "calendar says Fall, temperature says Summer" period that we experience for most of September. (Because the nights start cooling off in September, we often have to turn off the A/C overnight, which means that it's often warmer in our apartment in September than in July or August when the A/C is a "set it and forget it" situation. Having lived in places like OK, TX, and NC, this was not something I was prepared to experience!)

Here are three ways I wore the brown capris last September, utilizing the handy outfit formula of Capri Pants + Stand-Alone Summer Top. The stand-alone top in this first outfit is a loose-fitting 3/4 sleeve thick but breathable knit top (almost a tunic in length) with an interesting wavy diagonal stripe texture/pattern. I put it together with three brown items from the Nelly capsule and I'm ready to go.

This striped linen top is probably my #1 stand-alone summer top right now (last summer and this one). It has a boxy cut through the body and arms, so I can layer a lightweight cardigan vest over it (and probably a loose-fitting jacket) but cardigans usually don't work with the roomy sleeves. No matter: it is a terrific top that doesn't need any layering. I also find it very easily to pair this top with all kinds of colors of pants, whether the pants color exists in the stripes or not. I mean, sure, there are some colors like red or bright green that would probably give me pause, but even my matchy-matchy self finds many color pairings to work quite well. In this outfit, I think the brown capris and flats look very nice with the stripes.

In this final outfit from last September, I wore another variant on the "loose-fitting stand-alone summer striped top that doesn't have brown in it yet is worn with brown capris and flats" theme. Teal + brown is such a rich color combination that feels especially right for that late summer/early fall transition season. The rust stripe in the top doesn't match the brown capris but seems tonally related.

Now to introduce the latest member of the Nelly menagerie: Barb the brown Mini Lop! Speaking of rich color combinations, don't the variety of brown tones in her fur look very luxurious? Her shapely dewlap adds to her soft mystique. The dewlap is not a "double chin" or any sign that the bunny is overweight. This secondary sex characteristic in some mature female rabbits serves a very practical purpose: when a pregnant doe is preparing a nest for her babies-to-come, she has easy access with her mouth to the fur growing on that bulged area, which she can pull out and use to line the nest.

My recognition of the stand-alone summer top as a category of clothing is fairly recent. For me, a good stand-alone summer top has a loose but not sloppy fit, breathes well, has an interesting print/pattern/texture, and looks complete without a layer over or under it. Do you have tops that fit this description? Did you discover them by accident or did you seek them out?

In my next capsule post, we will look at the last of our July additions: the #6 Grey & Navy, Sophia wardrobe.

I link up with:

Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge (Mondays; 3rd Thursday)

Mica at Away from the Blue (Mondays)

Debbie at My Random Musings (Mondays)

Leelo at Beauty by Miss L (Mondays)

Roxanne at Glass of Glam (Mondays)

Claire at Claire Justine (Mondays, Weds, Fridays)

Laura at I Do deClaire (Tuesdays)

Emma at Style Splash (Tuesdays)

Jess at Elegantly Dressed & Stylish (Tuesdays)

Gail at Is This Mutton? (Wednesdays)

Shelly at The Queen in Between (Wednesdays)

Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom (Thursdays)

Ada at Elegance and Mommyhood (Thursdays)

Jacqui at Mummabstylish (Thursdays)

Suzy at The Grey Brunette (Fridays)

Nancy at Nancy's Fashion Style (Fridays)

Michelle at My Bijou Life (Fridays)

Erika at A Little Bit of Everything (Fridays)

Rena at Fine Whatever (Saturdays)