The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for February 2013

February 2013 - Page 2 of 3

Sunk costs, Capsule Wardrobe Project 333, and a confession

February 16, 2013  

 

My tweed jacket isn't working. I bought it on sale (I should have known better!), and every time I wear it I feel... meh. Below par. Not on my game. Frumpy. I think you get the picture...So let's all think about this for a minute... my jacket is NOT the glorious Alexander McQueen pictured above, but let's say I paid $200 for the one that I have. That money is SPENT. GONE. In economic parlance, we call that a sunk cost.

There are now two possible "equations" for my life with this jacket:

(1) negative $200 spent on jacket + negative feelings wearing jacket = double negative (2) negative $200 spent on jacket + positive feeling wearing something else = neutral outcome

Piling onto a ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Linen & A Common Wardrobe

February 13, 2013  

Maybe it's my eyes, maybe it's my computer, but to me, this looks like a lovely pale pink. Back in the dark ages, when I was a wardrobe consultant at a department store in Des Moines (!), we used to advise EVERYBODY to buy a handful of tops in the same color as their blush.  A blouse, a tee shirt, a twinset, maybe a turtleneck - these colors can be worn with ANY neutral, and they were always flattering.  

But that was also at a time when there would always be an entire round rack of "house brand" blouses in every color of the rainbow, ditto for tee shirts and sweaters, somewhere in the store.  Now, you have to be an internet detective to find garments in varying shades of rose, pink, coral ... View the Post

More insights from The Colorist

February 12, 2013   While I don't know that any of us are in a position of completely revamping our wardrobes based on the insights from one book, I do think it's interesting to read and study things like this.  A greater understanding of one's own preferences and tastes can never truly be wasted...The first exercise in The Colorist (Shigenobu Kobyashi) is to choose 10 colors you like, and five colors you don't like:

 

Then you find these favorite colors on a full spectrum array, and determine if your color preferences are more for different shades of one color, or for different colors of a particular depth or intensity.  Yes, this is impossibly difficult to read... but on my computer, I can "right click" on ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Monaco Blue goes to work

I chose to work with a light version of Monaco blue, because (a) it was what's available, and (b) I think it brings a more sophisticated look to the gray and navy of the Common Work Capsule Wardrobe.  A nice alternative to the usual light blue that's always available in oxford shirts...    

 

Bracelets – Swarovski, blazer - Paul & Joe, silk blouse – 0039 Italy, scarf – Athena Procopiou, watch – Georg Jensen, sweater – Paul Smith, flats – Thierry Rabotin    

 

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 ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Monaco Blue in the warm palette

I confess, Monaco Blue is NOT an easy color to find.  I ended up going with lighter tones of it, but you might have to use your imagination a little bit for this color, until it becomes more widely available in stores.    

   

Earrings - 1928, cardigan – Marc Jacobs, denim tunic – Mulberry, sunglasses – Ray-Ban, loafers – Bottega Veneta,

 scarf – Vivienne Westwood, sweater – T by Alexander Wang    

 

 

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 ... View the Post

A question…

What would you consider an essential garment for summer?  I'm going to try to build a Common Wardrobe for warm weather, and since this one will NOT be based on my observations of real people, I'm open to suggestions and ideas.  Please leave a comment...

thanks! Janice ... View the Post