The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for 2012

2012 - Page 2 of 25

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: White Center by Mark Rothko

Not colors for the faint of heart, but another example of how combining warm and cool colors is not just possible, but potentially a striking and memorable personal style statement. 

Earrings – Kenneth Jay Lane, sweater – Jack Wills, pink pants – Romwe, oxfords – Dieppo Restreppo, earrings – Tresor, dress – Sonia Rykiel, slingbacks – Miu Miu    

Blouse – Reiss, bracelet – Stella & Dot, cropped pants – Reed Krakoff, sandals – Marc by Marc Jacobs, cardigan – Dsquared2, skirt – J. Crew, flats – Giuseppe Zanotti, scarf – Monica Vinader      

Color-blocked sweater – Stella McCartney, necklace – Jennifer Loiselle, pink skirt – Herve Leger, pink pumps – Kate Spade, orange earrings – ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Hermes Flacons

A perfect example of combining warm and cool colors successfully!

scarf – Hermès, earrings – Banana Republic, tweed jacket – Burberry Prorsum, skirt – Burberry, pumps – L.K.Bennett, black blazer – Alexander Wang, sweater – Vince, bracelet – Armani Exchange, suede skirt – Ralph Lauren, pumps – Diane von Furstenberg    

Scarf – Hermès, sweater – Burberry Brit, skirt – Allsaints, ring – Fabrizio Riva, brown boots – Maison Martin Margiela, black cashmere hoodie – Closed, bracelet – Elyona, brown cords – Dolce & Gabbana, black suede boots – Rag & Bones    

Scarf – Hermès, earrings & ring – Kenneth Jay Lane, sweater – Dsquared2, gold pants – 3.1 Phillip Lim, loafers – Chloe, earrings & ... View the Post

Emerald and the Common Office Wardrobe

One thing we know for a fact: there will NOT be fashion police, running around the world with Pantone swatches, enforcing the "fidelity" of every green item that's manufactured during 2013.And for us, that's good news, because this means that there will be a variety of... interpretations... of "emerald" available to purchase.  If the authentic emerald isn't your best green, you will still have lots of options available, if you choose to explore the possibilities of green in your wardrobe.

Blouse – Equipment, ring – Toosis, scarf – Hermès, flats – Bottega Veneta      

Turtleneck – L.L.Bean, blue striped shirt – Golden Goose, blue shirt – D&G, white shirt – Theory, navy blazer – A.P.C., grey ... View the Post

Emerald, and A Common Capsule Wardrobe

To great fanfare, 2013's "color of the year" has been announced, and it's the very easy-to-wear emerald!  Emerald's particularly "neutral" to most capsule wardrobes, because it's a perfect balance of yellow and blue i.e. a perfect balance of warm and cool.  This means, theoretically, that pretty much everybody should be able to wear it without looking ghastly...First off, let me make it perfectly clear that if you don't LIKE green (okay, LOVE it), you don't have to participate in this little marketing-driven pseudo-trend.  Green becomes the color of the year when everybody is TOLD that it's the color of the year, and then they all buy it, and voila, the prediction comes true.  Heaven knows that I didn't participate in ... View the Post

How much do you need? Really?

December 8, 2012

My commenters are the most insightful people...  Yesterday, someone pointed out that, to her, having 33 pieces of clothing didn't seem like a big sacrifice - it in fact felt like a lot of clothing to her.  And she continues by asking me - is this a cultural thing?Well, I know people who have over 200 tee shirts.  Over 100 pair of jeans.  Over 100 pair of shoes.  More than a dozen handbags.  Who buy 2 or 3 items a week, EVERY week, although when you do the math, you can clearly see that they're not wearing 10% of what they ALREADY have...

The average American DISPOSES of 68 pounds of textiles per year.  Yea, this includes towels and bedding, but it's still a LOT of stuff...  and that doesn't even touch the huge ... View the Post

33 = 208 (at least in my world!) with Capsule Wardrobe Project 333

You don't need to make teeny pictures in order to create a Project 333 capsule wardrobe for yourself; a list will do just fine...   It would, of course, be possible to print these images and then "check them off" as each ensemble was worn.  But the point, ultimately, is NOT to have an infinite number of different outfits, but rather to have just enough choices to be able to quit shopping and move on to more rewarding activities!   And of course, 208 is NOT exhaustive... but it would get me well into July, so I just plain quit finding new combinations.  I think after 6 months, I will be ready to ditch cashmere, tweed and ... View the Post

Preference meets practical: my 33 to start 2013

December 6, 2012   I set up my collapsible clothing rack (this very portable baby), and started pulling garments out of the closet, and onto the rack, in order to isolate the 33 that are going to be my wardrobe for the first three months of 2013.My priorities: 1. My favorite stuff must be here! 2. It could get cold... (I say this after being able to sleep with the window open most of this week) 3. I've got to look appropriate for work, probably a serious meeting or two, and my leisure time.Here we go!

 

 

love,

Janice ... View the Post

75/25: A Warm Common Capsule Wardrobe, and Signature Blush

Top row – L.L.Bean, cream shirt – Kitsune, peach blouse – Chloe, cardigan & v-neck sweater – L.L.Bean, brown long-sleeved tee – La Garconne, tan pants – Jil Sander, cream jeans – Les Copains, brown pants – Maison Martin Margiela    

Cardigan – Miss Selfridge, tee shirt – People Tree, jeans – rag & bone, sweater – Vanessa Bruno    

Scarf – Ahilya, sunglasses – Charlotte Olympia, earrings – Irene Neuwirth, bracelet – Folli Follie, watch – Anne Klein, bag – Alexander Wang, ballet flats - Lanvin    

 

 

 

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75/25: A Common Office Capsule Wardrobe, and Signature Purple

Blazer – Paul Smith, tee shirt – Jane Norman, paisley sweater – Sonia Rykiel, tweed skirt – Eastex    

Fringed scarf – Gucci, geometric print cashmere & modal scarf – Athena Procopiou, square silk scarf – Hermès, bag – Folli Follie, pumps – John Fluevog    

Turtleneck – L.L.Bean, blue striped shirt – Golden Goose, blue shirt – D&G, white shirt – Theory, navy blazer – A.P.C., grey sleeveless sweater – J. Crew, grey cardigan – J. Crew, navy v-neck – J. Crew, navy shirt – J. Crew, navy pants – A.P.C., grey skirt – Comme des Garcons, grey pants – Theory    

 

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75/25: A Warm Common Capsule Wardrobe, and Signature Red

Lest you thought that red was not going to work with warm colors...    

Cardigan – La Garconne, shirt – Rag & Bone, jeans – MiH, sweater – Bird of Paradise by Trovata      

Scarf – Givenchy, sunglasses – Ray Ban, earrings – Michael Kors, bracelet – Punch & Judy, watch – Skagen Denmark, bag – Banana Republic, flats - ChicNova      

 

 

 

 

 

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