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Colette Marchand
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Colette on an autumn cobbled street with a camel coat

Style writer

Twelve pieces, in the order to buy them

I’m Colette. I write about dressing well after sixty with a small wardrobe, and I sell wardrobe guides, planners and two video courses.

Start at piece 1

The build order

  1. Tier 1:

    The base

    Four pieces you will wear every week.

    Pieces 1 to 4

    12 outfits by piece 4

    1. 1

      1. A cream blouse

      Fabric
      Washable silk or fine cotton
      Fit
      Loose through the body, cuffs at the wrist
      Flaw
      Shows every crease

      Three ways

      1. With dark trousers
      2. Under a grey cardigan
      3. Open over a plain tee

      +2

      outfits

      2 in all

    2. 2

      2. Dark straight trousers

      Fabric
      Wool blend with a little stretch
      Fit
      Straight leg, a finger of room at the waist
      Flaw
      Pills at the thigh in a year

      Three ways

      1. With the blouse and flat shoes
      2. With a knit and boots
      3. With a blazer for dinner

      +3

      outfits

      5 in all

    3. 3

      3. A fine black knit

      Fabric
      Merino or a soft blend
      Fit
      Close but not tight, hem at the hip
      Flaw
      Catches on rings

      Three ways

      1. Alone with a scarf
      2. Under a blazer
      3. Over the blouse collar

      +3

      outfits

      8 in all

    4. 4

      4. Mid-blue straight jeans

      Fabric
      Rigid denim with a little give
      Fit
      Straight leg, mid rise
      Flaw
      Stiff for the first month

      Three ways

      1. With the knit and a coat
      2. With the blouse and earrings
      3. With boots and a long cardigan

      +4

      outfits

      12 in all

  2. Tier 2:

    The layers

    Four pieces that make the base look new.

    Pieces 5 to 8

    30 outfits by piece 8

    1. 5

      5. A grey cardigan

      Fabric
      Wool or cotton, medium weight
      Fit
      Long enough to cover the hip
      Flaw
      Stretches at the elbows

      Three ways

      1. Over the blouse
      2. Buttoned as a top
      3. Open over a dress

      +4

      outfits

      16 in all

    2. 6

      6. A navy blazer

      Fabric
      Wool crepe, half lined
      Fit
      Shoulder seam on the bone
      Flaw
      A pricey fix if the sleeves are long

      Three ways

      1. With jeans
      2. Over the black knit
      3. With trousers for a meeting

      +5

      outfits

      21 in all

    3. Woman in a camel coat walking a leaf-covered park path
      7

      7. A camel coat

      Fabric
      Wool with a little cashmere
      Fit
      Room for a jacket underneath
      Flaw
      Marks easily on the cuffs

      Three ways

      1. Over everything in winter
      2. On the arm in autumn
      3. With a scarf and boots

      +4

      outfits

      25 in all

    4. 8

      8. A black midi skirt

      Fabric
      Crepe or heavy jersey
      Fit
      Sits at the waist, hem below the knee
      Flaw
      Needs a slip in cold weather

      Three ways

      1. With the knit and boots
      2. With the blouse and a blazer
      3. With a long cardigan

      +5

      outfits

      30 in all

  3. Tier 3:

    The finish

    Four pieces that make it yours.

    Pieces 9 to 12

    50 outfits by piece 12

    1. Hands tying a silk scarf at a cream blouse collar
      9

      9. A silk scarf

      Fabric
      Square silk twill, 70 cm
      Fit
      Knotted loosely at the neck
      Flaw
      Water marks, so keep it dry

      Three ways

      1. At the collar of the blouse
      2. Tied on a bag
      3. In the hair

      +5

      outfits

      35 in all

    2. Chunky earrings, beads and bangles on a linen cloth
      10

      10. Bold gold earrings

      Fabric
      Light metal, not solid
      Fit
      Wide enough to be seen from the side
      Flaw
      Heavy ones drag the lobe

      Three ways

      1. With a plain knit
      2. With the blouse
      3. With a coat collar up

      +6

      outfits

      41 in all

    3. 11

      11. Leather ankle boots

      Fabric
      Smooth leather with a rubber sole
      Fit
      Low block heel, room for a thick sock
      Flaw
      Salt marks in winter

      Three ways

      1. With jeans
      2. With the skirt
      3. With trousers in the rain

      +4

      outfits

      45 in all

    4. 12

      12. A structured shoulder bag

      Fabric
      Firm leather, plain hardware
      Fit
      Fits a book and a water bottle
      Flaw
      Heavy when full

      Three ways

      1. With the camel coat
      2. With the navy blazer
      3. With jeans on a walk

      +5

      outfits

      50 in all

Online course

My course

Downloads, a course and merch

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Downloads arrive by email. Merch is printed to order and shipped by Printful.

Woman in a red scarf at a cafe window as snow falls

About

About me

I am sixty-eight, and I have worn the same silver crop and red lipstick for most of my sixties. What changed is my wardrobe. I used to own a great many clothes and wear a handful of them, so I emptied the closet onto the bed one winter and started again with pieces I could wear four different ways.

I write about that on this site: what to buy first, what to keep, how a scarf or a pair of earrings can do the work of a whole new outfit. What I sell is the part that is useful to you. There are printable workbooks and planners, a guide to the first twelve pieces, and two video courses for choosing clothes that fit the body you have today.

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