The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Home » Start With Art: Flowers from Rosablue – a Four Pack for Business

Start With Art: Flowers from Rosablue – a Four Pack for Business

Turns out that this beautiful thing is from Rosablue, who prints her own fabrics…
 

fabric – Rosablue

 
 
Beyond the very obvious black background, there are quite a few colors in here that could come to the fore in a color scheme. How about black, white, and the orange and green?  Or black, pale green, pale blue, and soft pink?  But for today, I’ve chosen these colors:
 
 
 
As a woman in search of a red duffle coat, I’m drawn to all red coats right now, so that seemed a reasonable place to start. In my mind, the person in this vignette is heading out of town for a day of two of business meetings in which the people being visited have to do the impressing – her job is just to sit quietly and evaluate critically everything that is put before her. So her look is a bit serious, conservative, and elegantly in charge.
 
Straight from the plane to meetings?  A knit dress and boots in which she can walk will do nicely, thank you. Since she’s not presenting, there’s no need for a big businessy briefcase – an elegant small bag is sufficient. The person meeting her plane will carry her luggage, of course…
 
But despite her “in-charge” situation, she’s going to channel a bit of that floral image through her ensembles.  For travel, she dresses simply, but adds on floral earrings, a scarf with a small flower print, and a clutch with a geometric image that might feel flower-like.
 
I like to picture her striding through the airport, scarf drifting behind her, ready to get down to brass tacks and get the deal done…
 

Red coat – Planet, boots – NaturalSoul by Naturalizer, black dress – MaisonScotch,  flower earrings – Komang Wirawan, scarf – East, clutch bag – Fontanelli

 

Tomorrow, more listening to people trying to sell her something.  The blazer’s texture carries over the floral motif from the original picture, today’s scarf also has some beautiful flowers, and her jewelry also echoes the theme.  While this jewelry is indeed floral, this subtle green is neither saccharine nor ingenuous. Floral yes, but nobody’s fragile flower…

Scarf – Valentino, brocade blazer – Armani Jeans,  ivory blouse – Jaeger, labradorite earrings –  Alexis Bittar,  floral brooch – Alexis Bittar, green silk blouse – Vince, black trousers – Viyella,  suede wedge loafers – Taryn Rose

 
A dress cuts into the number of options that you have – maybe your dress would work under a different blazer, or you could pair a dress with a cardigan.  But for this woman, three options is quite enough; nobody is going to point out that she’s wearing something more than once!
 
love,
Janice
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Comments

  1. Cornelia says

    You just described my fantasy life! :))
    I am, however, truly impressed how some people can put colors together and create a work of art. Your start with art and start with a scarf series truly have opened my eyes to see more keenly. But I still want that life!

    Reply

  2. Maggie says

    I love these posts because they are like mini glimpses into someone else's life (and suitcase). I can just imagine her sailing serenely through the airport too – you are an expert storyteller, both in words and wardrobes.

    Reply

  5. Cléo says

    What a wonderful coat! Love the colors you have selected, too–very true to (my) overall perception of that picture. I found this T-shirt, too: http://printallover.me/collections/cheetodreads/products/0000000p-flower-painting-floral-art
    Janice, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to contact you, other than through G+ (which I am trying to resist). I am sure I am missing a very obvious piece of information, but it would be lovely if you could let us know!

    Reply

  7. Anonymous says

    I have a red Gloverall duffle coat that I got in the men's department of a small clothing store years ago. I love it.

    Reply

    • Anonymous says

      I have often had luck in men's departments; the clothes are frequently better made and better value (e.g. plain tee shirts in heavy cotton). Well done on the red duffle! Alice

      Reply

  12. Rosablue Hand-Made Originals says

    Hello Vivienne! Lovely to know the pattern gave you inspiration. I design and print my own cotton and my partner Penelope turns it into what we sell as Rosablue. I posted that image on Tumblr/Ello/Google+ some time ago as I do with many new patterns to get feedback from the larger social media audience. It helps get a better fix on who might like the work. This pattern has received 124000 notes on Tumblr but as popular as it might be with that lovely young bunch of folks, it's not the traditional rural romantic fare our own customers expect, so we have not developed it much beyond a few prototype wash bags. Anyhow, the original I posted on our Tumblr at http://thefabricpress.tumblr.com/ is a repeating tile, so you are free to use it as you like … All the best with your blog — Luca (& Penelope)

    Reply

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