The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for 2013

2013 - Page 16 of 27

Common Capsule Wardrobe Accessories, step by step: Khaki and Green

May 26, 2013  

  white scarf - Sperry Top-Sider, green striped scarf - Faliero Sarti, starry scarf - Dianora Salviati, solid green scarf - Kin by John Lewis, two-toned bandanna - Jacob Cohen, green earrings - Nan Fusco, solid beige scarf - Valentino, watch - Wewood, necklace - Seta di Jaipur, striped flats - Keds, sunglasses - Oliver Peoples, sandals - Massimo Dutti, bag - Georgina Skalidi, green sandals - Diba

Okay, the above shows the accessories that I would choose if I were going to have the following green and khaki Common Capsule Wardrobe for this summer.

all clothes - L.L.Bean Right away, you can see a sort of harmony between these ... View the Post

Black, White and Pink – expanding on a core wardrobe

  May 24, 2013

 

Let's go back and visit our friend who loves black, white and pink.  She has a black suit - remember?  and I suspect that she has a simple black sweater to wear with her black cardigan.  And she wouldn't be a real lover of pink if she doesn't have a pretty pink blouse. Since she owns black pants, a pair of black loafers would certainly be included. So she has a core of items looking kind of like this:  

White cardigan - Rag & Bone, black blazer, skirt and pants - Mango, pink cardigan - J. Crew, black cardigan - J. Crew,  black sleeveless sweater - J. Crew, sunglasses - Ray-Bans, pink silk blouse - J. Crew, ring - Baccarat, black ... View the Post

Surviving the Treadmill – The Great Courses

May 23, 2013  

Yes, I go to the gym five days a week.  I walk two miles, at least, on a treadmill, at something just over 4 miles per hour.  It's boring, and tiring.And I don't really find that television keeps me amused...

So a few years ago, I started buying and downloading courses on music, philosophy and literature from The Great Courses. 

 

    I'm particularly smitten with this professor - Dr. Robert Greenberg.

 

He's smart, he's funny, and I know more about opera, symphony, and a bunch of composers...

You might as well enjoy yourself and learn something while you're burning calories.

Why yes, I AM running behind schedule... More normal posting will ... View the Post

One dress – Six ways, in Black, White and Pink

May 22, 2013  

Okay, let's do some imagining... Imagine a person who has truly made the choice that their wardrobe core colors are going to be black, white, and pretty pink. Over the years, she accumulates the necessary basics - cardigans in her colors,  a black suit, shoes and sandals in black, with a fun pair of pink dress shoes, just for kicks. She has a beautiful pink scarf that has been around forever, and she has been carefully, gradually accumulating pink and silver jewelry...

 

Now, one day this person is shopping, and they see a dress. A classically cut, simple, (no beads, nor sequins) dress.  In black, white and pink!

It's easy to immediately fear that a dress in a print or ... View the Post

A Common Capsule Wardrobe: A Variation of the standard, in navy and coral

May 20, 2013   Navy and pink were well-received, and almost immediately I received requests that would use coral rather than pink.  This is a particularly nice color combination that I often forget about! So this is The Common Wardrobe with which we will start:  

 all clothes - L.L.Bean  

 Square scarf - Nina Ricci, square scarf - Antagoniste Paris, bracelet - Kenneth Jay Lane, earrings - Kara Ross, navy & coral rope and enamel necklace - Orly Genger, watch - Olivia Burton, bag - Debenhams, sunglasses - Guess, embroidered scarf - J. Crew, navy penny loafers - Bass, coral flats - Sam Edelman, coral heart socks - Dorothy Perkins, coral ... View the Post

The Navy & Pink Common Capsule Wardrobe – with Navy & Pink accessories!

  May 18, 2013   Okay, this is the most obvious way to accessorize the navy and pink Common Capsule Wardrobe!  But with so many beautiful accessories available in these colors, why resist?  

 Striped scarf - Missoni, square scarf - Dareen Hakim, bracelet - Luv Aj, Pink quartz earrings - Fantasy Jewelry Box, pink necklace - J. Crew,pink watch - Radley, tote bag - Jack Wills, silk bracelet - Brooks Brothers, Hermes Passementerie scarf - vintage, navy penny loafers - Bass, pink flats - Sperry Top-Sider, pink socks - Bank, pink argyle socks - Chrissy's

 

 

all clothes - L.L.Bean

  love, Janice ... View the Post

A Common Capsule Wardrobe: A variation of the standard, in navy and pink

May 17, 2013

Sometime back, someone asked me if it would be possible to put together a Common Capsule Wardrobe that would include neither black nor white.

Of course!  Pretty much anything is possible with clothing - my first idea was to work with simple navy and pink garments, while keeping a bit of grey and khaki. While you couldn't wear every last possible sort of accessory with these colors, you would still have a great many options...

 

Shall I build some variations with accessories?  Let me know; this could be a lot of fun!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333 Failure of the week, and the best advice I didn’t take

May 16, 2013  

 

  Every  wardrobe advice writer in the world will remind you that you should try on ALL of your clothes on a regular basis. It seems obvious - your body changes, the clothes can change, and the way your body feels in the clothes (an elusive concept, but you know what I mean) can change more than anything. But I, in a moment of reckless confidence, decided that I could just roll with last summer's clothes -it was only a few months ago - without trying things on.AND... my striped tee shirt is terrible. It just feels short and tight and awkward - I will never wear it...

Okay, so this isn't a tragic problem. I donated the offending tee shirt, and I found a wonderful replacement at Eileen ... View the Post

Chic sighting: Mixing bright colors, with metallic shoes

May 15, 2013  

Yesterday was the first truly spring-like day here in Chicago.  This was the kind of outfits that I saw often on the street - bright colors, floral sleeveless tops, and metallic flats.  Bright and springy, but still very appropriate for most offices!

orange and pink tank - Topshop, orange cardigan - Mango, Pink chinos- Levi's Made & Crafted, gold flats - Rocket Dog, yellow and green tank - Madewell, green cardigan - Paul Smith, yellow capris - Erika Cavallini

blue tank - Uniqlo, blue cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, hot pink capris - Miu Miu, green tank - Uniqlo, mint cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, lavender capris - Mother Denim, silver ... View the Post

Packing for a warm-weather vacation, in red & navy

May 13, 2013  

This was an interesting question - how do you pack if you want to carry on your bag, and you're on one of those airlines with a really LOW, and really STRICT, weight limit? (At least the destination was a warm weather vacation spot...)   My first advice was to get the lightest bag possible - nylon, with no structure at all.  You should consider lining it with dry cleaning bags, or packing your clothes in plastic bags, because these bags are not waterproof.  Beyond that, a very few items of clothing, in silk, linen or cotton.  No jeans -they weight too much!   The other aspect of this request that really piqued my interested was the desire to wear navy, red and white - a color combination ... View the Post