The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for September 2013

September 2013

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Double Lucky – Charley Harper

This is such a great painting - simple, but beautifully balanced and whimsical, with a wonderful usage of multiple shades of green.  Many people find green hard to wear, but if it looks good on you, I say wear it often, and with a smile. 

From this painting, I drew primarily the idea of looking for a lot of different shades of green, and of balancing the outfits through the strategic use of green accessories...

Does anybody else remember reading a book - maybe as a child in the '60's - that included a character named Mrs. Moss?  She was a schoolteacher, and she ALWAYS wore green?  It's tickling around in the back of my head, and I can't figure out if I really read this, or if it was a figment of my over-active ... View the Post

Infinity scarves – will we love them forever?

I know you're shocked to hear that I don't jump on every trend bandwagon that races through the streets of Chicago...  But lately I've been intrigued by the "infinity" scarf - aka an endless loop of fabric that you just toss over your head like a big poofy fabric necklace.  It would certainly obviate any worries about how to tie your scarf, and thus might be a good option for scarf rookies...  I've seen quite a few women wearing these around town, and they tend to look rather nice.  Maybe it's just the novelty that appeals to me, but I am seriously pondering the possibility of one of these in my winter wardrobe.

The pattern in this scarf appeals,and the range of colors available means that it could look good on many of ... View the Post

Elegance is Refusal? What DOES this mean?

This is a quote that gets bandied about quite a bit, but I don’t know how many of us have thought about how this idea translates into everyday actions and choices.

But I think it might be:

Refuse to buy what we’re told are “must-have” items. Elegance is not conforming to the dictates of others – especially when their primary goal is to sell you something, and not to help you be more elegant, more attractive, or more financially secure. Refuse to accept the conventional wisdom that you need new clothes constantly, no matter that you already have enough clothes, or that you don’t need to spend more money, or that the environment can’t sustain each of us buying clothes without restraint and planning. Refuse to fall prey to the “color of ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent Color: Linden Green

I wasn't crazy about this color when I started looking for accent items for our capsule wardrobe, but when I started putting it against the neutral colors it really began to grow on me.  And I'm also beginning to see the value in an accent cardigan.  I think it's easy to assume that an accent color for a season or two might be best purchased in a blouse, tee shirt or sweater, but upon reflection I can see that a cardigan could be worn more often, and make more of a visible impact...  Food for thought.

While I was combing the internet for this color, I noticed that the brand Schumacher had a variety of garments in this color currently available.  It's not uncommon for a brand or designer to do a grouping in a ... View the Post

Photography, Catalogs, Shopping, and My Wardrobe

After I took the photograph of my grey clothes a couple of days ago, I was so happy with it that I decided to take one with a few of my black garments too, and I realized something:

For some reason, once we get clothes or accessories home, in our closets, we don't see them as the same wildly desirable and outrageously beautiful things that they were BEFORE we bought them.  And that's absurd.  The items are unchanged, but our perceptions are skewed to leave us feeling as if we are always lacking something...

What if I took some time to assemble my most beautiful things in vignettes like the one above, and took some pictures of it, as if it were going to be in a catalog or an online store?  And what if I kept these ... View the Post

The Role of Texture in the Monochromatic Wardrobe

When you get a look at my upcoming Project 333 for Autumn, you might be terribly concerned that I've fallen into a deep depression, because a LOT of my clothes this autumn are grey...

But if you look carefully at the photograph above, you can see that my wardrobe's not going to be boring.  The dotted fabric is my skirt, the grey ribs are a dress, the absolutely WONDERFUL sequined sparkly thing is a cardigan, and the seed and ladder stitched garment on the right is a crew neck sweater.  I'm not at all sure how I'm going to wear these various garments, but as Project 333 moves forward, I will be sure to let you know.

Simple outlines or photographs of clothes don't always show the true depth of beauty in the garments; texture can ... View the Post

Travel Capsule Wardrobe Packing for a Book Tour: Leaf Green and Black

After I finished today's post for Tish at A Femme d'un Certain Age, I looked around at some other possible colors with which the black items could be worn... and stumbled upon some beautiful green options.  Not something which you might want to wear every day, but an interesting choice if you want to be remembered and make a statement of originality! ... View the Post