The last time I gave this capsule much thought was years ago before we went on vacation to Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Later this year we’re heading to Greece — and possibly other pool-centric destinations before that — so a refresh was in order. For one, I’m in the mood to wear very matchy-matchy one-pieces in brights, instead of my old navy and white polka dot bikini.

I headed straight to Bleu by Rod Beattie, a swimwear brand I spotlighted a few years ago. I was looking for new one-piece swimsuits. Supportive, covered, interesting design details, a little modern retro, bright, patterned, and sold with a matching support act. I tend to lie in the shade, cover-up in the sun, and don’t swim much. I don’t do water sports either, which is why I don’t need a rash guard.

I found the size guide quite accurate, the quality of the swimwear impeccable, and the service extremely good. I ordered two one-pieces, both of which were perfect fits, absolutely gorgeous, and winners right away: A shirred bandeau with straps, and a strapless bandeau. This is NOT the norm. Usually I need to fit on many styles before I land on what I’m happy with.

Feeling the matchy-matchy vibe, I ordered a solid pareo to match the turquoise strapless, and sarong pants in the same pattern to match the other. The pareo was perfect, but the pants needed alteration to fit properly. I had them altered, and now they look great.

I’m a shirt gal, and tend to cover-up with long-sleeved shirts when I need more coverage up top. I found J.Crew’s long beach shirt in the light blue stripe awfully fun, and got that on sale. It’s my version of a ‘70s kaftan. The white shorts, packable hat, and polka dot beach bag are old. A solid beach bag would have looked visually better, since there is a lot of pattern already. But I can live with the pattern mix, and decided the old bag would do just fine. The ECCO slides are new, and fit my very low-volume feet because the velcro vamp straps can be adjusted.

Last, I needed a new pair of sunnies, and chose Ray-Ban’s iconic classic new round style in gold metal. The colour and shape work well with my new darker and longer hair. I used to wear a similar pair thirty years ago, but they broke. I’ve come full circle, which is fun too.

My beach and pool capsule refresh is complete, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. I’m very much looking forward to our trip to Greece, which we had to cancel the first time round because of the pandemic. I don’t anticipate needing to think about this capsule for a good long while.

We try to be thoughtful and discerning with our wardrobe purchases, making sure they are comfortable, good looking, great quality, and suit our needs. We prance around at home in new wardrobe items for a bit, and when they pass our at-home test, we store them until their first outing. But sometimes this isn’t enough for a good decision. 

I bought a pink dress back in January at a discounted price. I’ve worn it twice, and although it was very comfortable and I like the colour and silhouette, it did not pass the road test to my satisfaction. I cannot get the lining to lie flat once I’ve moved around in the dress. That makes the dress look very creased. I tried pressing the dress and wearing different underpinnings. No luck. It’s a quality issue with the fabric, lining, or both. I returned the dress to Nordstrom, who apologized for the problem.

There is nothing like truly putting an item through its paces in order to figure out whether it will behave or malfunction. It’s after that all-important road test that we ultimately know whether new items will work for us. Most of the time they do because we were thoughtful upfront, but sometimes they don’t.

When you can return a malfunctioning item easily, like I could in this case, it’s all good. The irritation is when you can’t return it, and you simply have to write off the purchase as a mistake. This happens to me with shoes more frequently than any other wardrobe item. A new pair seems fine when I walk at home in them for a while, but disastrous when I pound the pavement outside on their first road test. Occasionally I can figure out the cause of the discomfort and successfully troubleshoot. Other times I have to pass on the shoes because I can’t return them.

You can’t always do a road test before committing to an item, so there is some luck involved. Have you had similar experiences with your own purchases?

Artful Home did a great job of showcasing a range of colour combinations this season. These combinations might inspire you to create similar outfits, thereby increasing the versatility of your wardrobe. Some looks are more causal than others. All tops are worn untucked. 

1. Non-Neutral Column of Colour

Two-piece sets, and especially casual linen sets, are all the rage at the moment as a strong nod to ‘90s fashion. Here’s one in solid purple, where the colours and fabrics of the top and bottom are exactly the same. Roomy cropped lantern pants are combined with a roomy short popover blouse with high-low hem. Metallic sandals are a neutral finishing touch. The patterned bag which has a little purple in it, is a punchy addition.

2. Dark Florals with Black

Florals on a black background give them a harder edge. You can wear them with a solid black support act, or throw in a black pinstripe. Here a dramatic asymmetrical draped floral top is combined with pinstriped cropped palazzo pants. Caged sandals, or sandal booties in solid black are the choice of footwear. I’d add a black bag, or one to match a colour in the floral.

3. Brights and White

Bright and pastel patterned tops look great worn with solid white bottoms. Finish off the look with shoes that pick up one of the colours in the top, like the green slides do here. Or stick to neutral white and metallic for footwear. Add a bag to match. If white bottoms aren’t your thing, try a very light wash faded blue denim, or tan bottoms instead.

4. Earth Tones and Jewel Tones

Last, earth tones can look stellar with jewel tones. Olive, toffee, cinnamon, caramel, paprika, khaki, mustard, forest green, camel, chocolate, and oatmeal can be combined with all sorts of purples, cobalt blue, emerald green, teal, turquoise and ruby reds. Here, a pair of khaki pants and a camisole are combined with a sheer, fluttery and ruffled high-low botanical tunic made up of earth and jewel tones. Black sandals pick up the bits of black in the pattern and bookend the model’s hair. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.

I have very sensitive facial skin that is prone to rashes and irritations. A couple of years ago I switched out my products to Vanicream and haven’t looked back. It was an excellent recommendation from my dermatologist. I have been using their facial moisturizer twice a day, and the sunscreen once a day.

I’ve since discovered Vanicream’s new-to-me moisturizer with sunscreen (SPF 30). Now I use that in the morning, which is a little easier. I continue to use their moisturizer sans sunscreen at night. Granted, the Vanicream sunscreen has an SPF 50, which is higher than SPF 30. I’m going to use that on days when I am more exposed to the sun. But for the most part, the two-in-one moisturizer with SPF will work in Seattle, where I don’t spend a lot of time out in the sun.