The Vivienne Files

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet: Forget-Me-Not Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

March 24, 2023

Inspired by FLOWERS!

Our heroine is happy wearing muted colors, unless it's a day during which she wants to wear something bright! You can have both in your wardrobe, of course.

A sweatshirt for travel, as well as a cozy scarf, is rarely a bad idea - especially if you're traveling in an air-conditioned vehicle...

She's only going away for the weekend, but she never knows ahead of time if she's going to be in the aquamarine, subdued, calm mood, or in the bright yellow, outgoing and active mood. Not a problem - she's prepared for both:

Kindness Gems has those lovely necklaces available in a bunch of different stones, and in gold...

Her travel wardrobe is both an homage to her favorite flower, ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Wagen in Silberner Strasse by August Macke

March 22, 2023

Our second heroine who plans to use a LOT of beige in her Spring and Summer wardrobe!

Here is the art that inspires her - she is captivated by the dark, intense lines against the neutral background...

this wardrobe would work really well with chambray/faded denim as a neutral, too!

She's excited about the prospect of wearing deep, saturated accent colors with beige; her coloring is intense, and she is confident that she will look just right in these high-contrast outfits...

For starters, she assembles the beige core wardrobe that all of our heroines will have in common:

And THEN she finds 8 garments for accent - chambray shorts and a matching cardigan, and then navy, green and cranberry shirts ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Shunbun – Vernal Equinox

March 20, 2023

I'm writing this on Saturday morning; the temperature is WAY below freezing... sigh...

The first day of spring is my anniversary! 19 years - it seems like almost 2 decades...

I was thinking of pretty outfits for Easter, or some other wonderful Spring dressy occasion. Having one truly lovely outfit in your closet is only right!

A dress with smocking looks MUCH better on a person, rather than just stark in a photograph...

First sign of Spring in a lot of the world:

A pretty blouse or shirt can be worn a lot in the warm weather - with a skirt, certainly, but maybe shorts?

At a distance, this skirt doesn't seem to have much pink in it - you need to ... View the Post

Wardrobe of the Week: March 12 – 18 2023

March 18, 2023

The weeks go by...

Every day so far in March, I've worn the same black long-sleeved wool tee shirt. It's sort of a miracle the way it does NOT smell bad. It's hard to explain unless you actually wear one yourself, I guess... But these things that I'm learning about wool clothing are going to change the way I dress - less, better, and less laundry!

love Janice ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Windows by Robert Delaunay

March 17, 2023

This is pretty cheerful! And I always sense a feeling of the Eiffel Tower when I look at this...

So I have FOUR heroines that I'm thinking of, right now... Each of them is going to start the spring with an 8-piece core of beige - lots of linen!

And then each will channel her favorite painting to choose 8 accent garments... What colors might be chosen from our first painting?

First, let's look at what our heroines are each going to use as their wardrobe base...

Frankly, if you want a handful of linen garments for this summer (and then next 10 summers, to be honest; linen lasts a long time!), now is a good time to start looking...

I'm not going to show you the various outfits possible ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Flowers by Sir Cedric Morris

March 15, 2023

Beware the Ides of March...

Or maybe not! Maybe the Ides of March bring flowers to you...

This palette is particularly good for someone who wants variety in their wardrobe - it would be possible to find maybe 10 accent colors in this painting!

Our heroine starts with beige; you can do a lot and go a long way with a simple beige outfit!

Next, she indulges in olive green...

Before she forgets, she tosses in her favorite blue spring sweater, and a pair of jeans in a very light beige...

She wants shorts! So it makes sense to stock up on olive - some accessories will be useful...

Now let's get to those accent colors! A beautiful cotton sweater in a delicious shade of purple? Don't ... View the Post

An Exciting Event (for me) and a Fun Distraction for You

March 13, 2023

Tomorrow, the very elegant and highly esteemed auction house Hindman is holding an auction of "Spring Fashion & Accessories." It starts at 10 a.m. Central Time, and can be viewed online...

The exciting part? I'm auctioning my Hermes Poster (lot 243)!

If you've never watched one of these auctions before, they're worth the time! Seeing what's still around, what things are worth, and just getting caught up in the bidding excitement...

I wanted to share!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: (Country Doctor) Night Call by Horace Pippin

March 13, 2023

She is ready to simplify. The recent report "Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable" recommended that people living in 4-season climates should have a wardrobe of no more than 85 things - garments and shoes...

For winter, she's going to start here:

If she's going to have 85 items, that means 22 per season, with a bonus item; she's already decided that her bonus item will probably be a wool dress than can be worn all year!

The colors:

She's going to go outfit by outfit - 3 garments and a pair of shoes... And she's starting with jeans!

Next she starts with her black knit pants...

A simple grey and white outfit with jewelry:

And black jeans too! Her life is pretty casual...

She ... View the Post

Wardrobe of the Week March 5 – 11, 2023

March 12, 2023

We expected, but did not experience, TWO snowstorms this week...

I'm reading a report on the environmental impact of fashion on climate change:

Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable

It's a somewhat challenging technical slog, but sobering; they recommend 85 garments (including shoes) in a wardrobe for a 4-season climate.

Accent Colors to Wear With Beige/Taupe or Olive Green – Pantone New York Autumn/Winter 2023

March 10, 2023

One last visit with these 10 colors - this time with both beige/taupe and olive green!

The first neutral grouping is mostly described as Cobblestone; Eileen Fisher regularly carries this color, and it's a consistent, excellent taupe. Other cobblestones may fall short, and look more beige... Sigh...

Conversely, olive green was simple to find; I'm assuming that this heroine isn't quite ready for warm weather!

From here to the end of this post, I'm just going to show you each of the 10 "Accessory Families," and then a couple of outfits using each of the 2 neutrals as base. I don't need to editorialize about what combinations I do and don't ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Keichitsu – Awakening of Hibernating Insects

March 8, 2023

I can't really make a good connection between emerging insects and a well-planned wardrobe... except...

Maybe we should start thinking about how we will dress when we can bring our knees, ankles, elbows and other body parts back out into the fresh air! Heaven knows that my knees haven't seen sunlight in months!

If you're in the mood to freshen up your warm weather wardrobe, THIS is the time to start looking. I think that the hang-over from the pandemic has made retailers reluctant to stock up on merchandise; I'm seeing lots of things sell out, far before the clothes are in season. Hmm...

I think it makes good sense to take a careful, critical look at things like flip flops, white pants, and anything that ... View the Post

Accent Colors to Wear With Gray – Pantone New York Autumn/Winter 2023

March 6, 2023

Grey for warm weather is hard to find! Later on, I might be able to find gray linen without a lot of trouble, but right now we have to think of grey as something we will wear on cool spring days...

All I'm doing here is showing all 10 of the Pantone Colors for Autumn/Winter 2023, as chosen from the New York Fashion Week shows... (which means that there will be ANOTHER bunch of colors for London, and probably ANOTHER bunch for Autumn/Winter, without any fashion show connection!)

I'm eager to hear from you all about which of these color combinations you like, and which you ... View the Post