The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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December 2012

Capsule Wardrobe 2013 accent: Dusk Blue, casual

Pantone, bless their silly hearts, actually gave us TEN "new" colors for Spring and Summer 2013.  Now we, as wise humans, understand that you can't invent a color, but we also appreciate that the Pantone nod of approval means that these colors will be available in stores.  So if we're considering a new accent color for 2013, we are going to have choices...

Dusk blue is pretty, versatile, flattering to most of us, and easy to mix with your current core wardrobe. ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Hermes Reve de Corail

I get LOTS of questions about what to wear with scarves - many people seem to feel that they're not wearing their scarves as often as they should.  So I'm going to walk you through what I think of, when I see a scarf for which someone wants suggestions.

First, the obvious way to wear a scarf - match the colors!  Wearing a scarf with two differently colored garments can make it clear that this ensemble wasn't an accident.

Next, it's always easy to wear almost any scarf with black!  The addition of another accessory in a similar color ties it all together.

Moving just a bit further afield, I think of what other neutrals are obvious with the primary color of the scarf - in this case, grey and navy are easy choices ... View the Post

Lavoisier and your luggage, or folded versus rolled

He was a really landmark scientist, sadly beheaded in 1794, and later exonerated.  Small consolation...

There's a lovely little Hotel Lavoisier in the 8th arrondissement in Paris, too.

But I was reminded of him yesterday morning, when I was packing my suitcase after the end of a long holiday visit to relatives.  As is normal for the luckiest woman in the world, I had more things to bring back with me than I had expected.  So I thought that this would be an IDEAL time to test the theory of rolling clothing to pack, and the widely-held belief that this gives you (somehow) more room in your bag.

Antoine Lavoisier was the guy who originally posited the theory of the conservation of mass i.e. "matter can be neither created nor ... View the Post

Two sides of the whole “color” system question

I was appropriately named (if spelled differently), in that I can see two sides of many issues.  And that's certainly the case with the question of having a personal color season, or palette, or other scheme for clothing and personal adornment.

First off, I believe that it's absolutely essential for almost all of us to limit our wardrobe color palette to a manageable 6 to 8 colors.  Ideally, I'd think three neutrals and three to five accent colors.  This limitation makes it much easier to shop, to coordinate garments and accessories, and to have those serendipitous moments when (this happened to me this morning) your can reach into your closet and grab a scarf that exactly matches the stripe in the argyle of your sweater. ... View the Post