The Vivienne Files

Chic Sightings – Combining Two Neutrals: Black & Brown

September 28, 2026

I've been seeing a lot of black with brown in my neighborhood, and I've been meaning to share it with you...

And then I stumbled across this painting! I've been having quite the run of good luck with paintings corresponding with my "real life" sightings; I think that's a good sign.

The first brown and black sightings I made were of women wearing a brown skirt or pair of pants with pretty much everything else in black. A scarf with the two colors, or a pair of earrings in onyx and tiger's eye, served to pull together everything and make it look intentional:

I particularly admired this dressy version:

A brown dress might be a fun way to experiment with brown; add a scarf and earrings, and your ... View the Post

I Love It But How Will I Wear It? Seasalt Cornwall Fair Isle Cardigan

September 25, 2026

Some of you have been over the Seasalt Cornwall website with a fine-tooth comb! There have been questions about how to incorporate Fair Isle sweaters into a wardrobe, so I'm going to address one of the (at least) three Fair Isle sweaters I see there.

This sweater is lovely, and the colors are unusual:

Our friend who wants to buy this sweater is interested in using it as the fulcrum around which she will assemble a small autumn wardrobe. She only needs clothes for weekends, and an occasional week night, so she feels like the Slot Machine will work for her...

Just as a reminder, this is our plan:

Pants are pretty straightforward - taupe, olive, and my favorite ivory cords!

I grabbed my favorite ... View the Post

Looking for a Bright, Cheerful Accent Color? Pantone New York Fashion Week Colors, Spring/Summer 2027

September 23, 2026

Always a favorite post for me! It takes HOURS and HOURS to find things that even come close to the "new" colors, but it's always weirdly fun...

I'm a weirdly fun woman!

First, a painting that I've seen a few times in the last few weeks, which reminded me of these colors:

Just a random art gift, from me to you!

What's the point of an accent color, anyway?

For me, when you have all of the core colors of your wardrobe chosen, and you own sufficient neutral things to be able to get dressed every day without effort, it's time for accent!

Maybe you already own a single item or two in a color that you've always liked, but never really made a focal point.

Maybe it's a color that you loved as a ... View the Post

I Love It But How Will I Wear It? A Liberty Floral Skirt from J.Crew

September 21, 2026

Autumn shopping - so much fun, so much stress!

When in doubt, don't.

Take the time and effort to figure out what you need, what you REALLY want, and how it can be happily integrated into your wardrobe.

One among you is longing for this skirt, to use as a "keynote" item for a quick weekend trip with her sweetheart. She's a big fan of crewneck sweaters, button-front shirts, and flowers...

So first let's admire this lovely thing:

She likes the Slot Machine approach to packing for a long weekend, so let's start there:

First - the sweaters! Simple, classic, in her three main wardrobe colors. And to make it just a bit romantic - a beautiful rose brooch and pink pearl earrings:

Now that she ... View the Post

I Love It But How Will I Wear It? Brown Striped Sweater from Seasalt Cornwall

September 18, 2026

I finally remember why Seasalt Cornwall ISN'T a strange brand to me - there's one on the main shopping street where my uncle lives in England! I'm occasionally crazy, but I'm not completely gone. Yet...

So one of you - at least - has a longing for this sweater, and isn't at all certain if it will work for her. My first instinct: if you have brown in your closet already, this sweater is going to fit in like it was born there!

THE LINK IS WORKING! AND YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT THE FIVE COLORS IN WHICH THIS SWEATER IS OFFERED...

Maybe our heroine is headed to Garrett County Maryland, for the Autumn Glory Festival?

At any rate, she's got a long weekend of "leaf peeping" ahead, and wants to build a tiny ... View the Post

I Love It But How Will I Wear It? Black Floral Print Cardigan from J.Crew

September 16, 2026

Oh, so MANY of us right now are seeing lots of things that tempt us - my email is full of queries about what to buy, what to ignore, and what's not to be missed!

How did Monday's heroine miss this cardigan? If it's still around by mid-October, when she next shops, I suspect she may have to have it!

This particular heroine is heading to her college homecoming - just for Friday night arriving late, and then Saturday night, departing Sunday after brunch.

Yes, her college's "colors" are black and red...

She knows she doesn't need to pack much, and so she decides to go with a foolproof approach to packing:

She starts with pants and skirts - no jeans, but cotton twill pants, and corduroy pants, are ... View the Post

September 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

September 14, 2026

Almost halfway through September, and in Chicago, we're still wearing linen...

But our most elegant heroine, the architectural historian, is preparing to spend the autumn semester in Paris, teaching!

She shops VERY carefully, and bases her personal style on this most gorgeous painting of two saints:

She currently has this 36-piece wardrobe, which she could just toss into a (really big) suitcase and be just fine!

She will need another bag for her accessories, but they're what really makes this wardrobe sing:

She would like another skirt, and a couple more sweaters. When she saw this classic black jacket, she knew what her plan would be for the month:

Her wardrobe tucks neatly into the ... View the Post

September 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Common Shelduck by Dennis A. Jones

September 11, 2026

Before we visit our heroine the wildlife statistical analyst, let's spend just a second admiring her favorite photograph:

One of the things that our heroine really likes about Common Shelducks is the high-contrast juxtaposition of colors on their body. She's keeping that in mind this month when she shops!

Right now, after her August shopping, her current wardrobe looks like this - certainly a wardrobe that would get you through quite a bit of time, or a VERY long trip:

These accessories are delicious...

Maybe it's because it's September, and maybe there's some magical, hidden fashion reason, but there's a lot of brown clothing available right now! Our heroine decides to take a look at where she ... View the Post

September 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Spirit of Autumn by Albert Pinkham Ryder

September 9, 2026

Our heroine the professional listener had great luck last month finding some brown clothes - maybe this month she will have luck with teal?

But first, let's look at the painting which is her inspiration. The art will endure long after all of our wardrobes have been dispersed to the winds...

After she bought her dark brown garments last month, this is her (currently 36-piece) wardrobe:

And these are her accessories. I swear, I could wear the same clothes every day if I had the right accessories!

The morning of our heroine's shopping adventure for September, she pulled out of her closet all of her greenish, teal-ish, aqua-ish clothes.

There's one big gap - she doesn't have a pair of pants in ... View the Post

September 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Ruffled Autumn Clouds by Emile Nolde

September 7, 2026

Our bank employee has stumbled into a perfect bunch of things for her wardrobe... It's nice that colors come and go, so all of us get a chance to buy what we most love!

Our heroine's favorite painting is this beauty:

She had assembled a 36-piece capsule wardrobe for work by the end of August. She's so busy studying everything she can find about banking and finance that she's not interested in spending a lot of time worrying about what to wear!

She's delighted that she's taken the time to find excellent accessories! Having these things in her wardrobe make her morning much simpler:

Shopping was stressful for our banker this month, because she found SO MUCH that fits her wardrobe really well! ... View the Post

September 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Winter Cottonwoods by Georgia O’Keeffe

September 4, 2026

Starting with a beautiful painting, and finding yourself with a lovely, subtle wardrobe...

At the end of August, our heroine had the following wardrobe - a balanced mix of yellow accents with a touch of grey, and a wide range of cool-ish, dusty browns:

And her accessories are a thing of beauty - I'm always SO smitten with each heroine's combination of essentials and ornamentals!

Our heroine doesn't have any one thing she desperately needs, but she quickly saw the usefulness of a matching cardigan and pair of cords for cooler weather! And she's learning that any time she sees a classic top in a "new to her" shade of beige or brown, it's worth a second look...

She finds the 56-garment Template ... View the Post

September 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Lonely Erika Giovanna Klien

September 2, 2026

Our typography expert has some travel in her future; she's been tapped to redesign the colophons and other graphic signatures for a group of publishes owned by one company. What fun! New York in the autumn...

First up, let's re-visit the painting which inspires and informs our heroine's wardrobe:

At the end of August, our heroine had added black garments to her wardrobe, and now things look pretty balanced:

Her accessories are delectable...

After last month's dive into the black clothes in her wardrobe, our heroine thought that it might make sense to examine her light neutral clothes too!

She calls this color - depending on what comes to mind first - natural, ivory, bone, or off-white. Maybe ... View the Post