The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for 2014

2014 - Page 19 of 26

I Built Us a Worksheet…

 

    I realized that I needed a good worksheet for building my own 24-piece wardrobe, so I built a JPG file that we can all use.  

Click below - it costs 99 cents, to help me pay for the file hosting.  Let me know how it works for you! ... View the Post

More Wardrobe Leverage: 3 = 30

April 19, 2014  

Let's say that you are the happy owner of the 24 piece wardrobe in navy and beige that we've looked at for the last two days...  And you decide that you want a little bit of brightness for spring!The only real thing you want to keep in mind while shopping is the degree to which anything new that you choose can be worn with your core pants and sweaters.  A scarf that includes your core colors, along with a couple of pretty accent colors, is a good place to start.  Pick up a pair of tee shirts in the accent colors, and you're on your way!

At first, these don't see to be a particularly compatible choice for your original wardrobe:

  But in ... View the Post

2 dozen = 12 dozen, at least

April 18, 2014  

I'm always intrigued by how many outfits you can pull together from a well-chosen capsule wardrobe, so after I built yesterday's ensemble, I started pulling together outfits, just out of curiosity...Remember, these were the 24 garments with which I started:

  There are almost certainly more possibilities here; I threw in the towel after I passed twelve dozen...  

love, Janice ... View the Post

A “Two Suit” Wardrobe in Navy and Beige

April 17, 2014   Another visit to this concept, keeping the beige linen (I'm SO lazy...) and using navy as our other neutral. I'm going to try to explain the steps for choosing these items in more detail, so that you can recreate what I do in your own closet.

 

Also, I want to address the question of having multiple pairs of dark neutral pants. Often, we're told that "you shouldn't own three pair of navy pants", but I heartily disagree, because of the wide variety of navy pants that you might own. In this particular example, I've included very narrow navy capris in a cotton fabric, a wide-legged trouser (full-length), and a silk-like palazzo pant. My feeling is that these three pants give three very different outfits when ... View the Post

Can Chanel Guide Us to a Workable Casual Wardrobe?

April 16, 2014   One of the most popular posts I've ever written was asking if Coco Chanel was right when she told us that a woman only needs two suits to be well dressed.  (find it here)  I'm often asked how this idea translates for those among us who wear mostly casual clothing, and who don't really have any use for a suit.  So these are my thoughts:   First off - the equivalent of the black suit - a cardigan, capris, pants, and a dress:  

  and then a similar approach in beige - another cardigan, linen pants, a pair of shorts and another:  

  First add-on is a couple of "twin-sets" in accent colors.  But only one cardigan, and a linen shirt to take the place of the ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Dots!

April 15, 2014   Now that it's snowed in Chicago, it feels strange to post the very warm-weather outfits that I saw over the weekend.  But spring WILL arrive - it always has...   This dress was amazingly attractive; while I don't in any way need more clothes, this would really tempt me!  

  The girl wearing these pants looked fabulous.  I think her legs were 4 feet long...  

  The tunic in the 2nd outfit was WAAAAY cuter in person than the photograph really conveys, and it looked tremendously comfortable too.  

  love, Janice ... View the Post

The Spring 2014 “Must Have” List…. ahem

April 11, 2014   If you've been reading The Vivienne Files for very long, you know pretty well that I am NOT convinced that there is every ANYTHING that you must buy. I believe that the majority of us need to wear shoes, but beyond that, I think that clothing and accessories are pretty much an open field...   That said, most of us want to look as if we are at least somewhat aware of evolving culture and style around us. So when I saw a fairly reasonable five-item "must have" list, I thought I would at least take a look.   First item up was a total reject for me: Little White Dress.

White is not flattering on many of us. White is difficult to wear, from a see-through/lingerie point of view, and White gets ... View the Post

Inspired by a Blue and Beige Hotel Room

April 10, 2014   Ah, you wanted to see outfits from the OTHER hotel room?  That, I can do...  

  This isn't entirely different from yesterday's room - it shares a camel/beige sort of feeling, but some beautiful shades of blue give us a different wardrobe.  

There are lots of stripe influences in every room I've seen in this hotel, and that's great, from a clothing choice perspective.  A striped cardigan is always going to get my vote...  And the lace skirt and trimmed blouse are the same as from yesterday, but take on a different look with a blue cardigan.  

  Soft blue will always make me think of chambray, and I love the striped sweater with the skirt (more than any pair ... View the Post

I Want to Dress Like an Empire-Style Hotel Room

April 9, 2014  

This is a typical room in the Hotel des Grands Hommes, in Paris.  The colors and the details in this room can inspire a beautiful wardrobe.  The colors words that I focused on were taupe, beige, camel, apricot, slate, gold, copper and bronze.  I was looking for soft, patterned, draped and refined looks...  

   The striped colors of the headboard drew my eye to this sweater - it's softness confirmed my choice.  And the combination of apricot and charcoal with a detailed scarf were irresistible.  

   I loved this coat, and the ornate flats appealed.... and the draped tunic dress, with warm tobacco leather leggings and metallic ballet flats are a ... View the Post

A Case for Overpacking

April 8, 2014   So a couple of weeks ago, very shortly after we got back from Paris, I learned that someone very dear to me was quite ill. I immediately offered to go help with their care-  I was thinking I would be gone for a day or two...   Normally, I have a pretty well-defined plan for emergency travel, which I outlined in a post here, way back when. To recap, this is what I recommended for a travel outfit:  

  and this is what I suggested one might pack...  

  But I was only going to be gone a couple of days, right? So I traveled in this:  

  and packed this (not exactly these garments, but these are a fair representation of what I DID ... View the Post

11 Minimalist Icons

April 7, 2014   I'm pretty busy these days with my care-taking responsibilities, but someone asked about the 11 Minimalist Icons mentioned on the cover on last week's featured book, Ma To-Do Lists - Dressing. I don't know that I fully appreciate all of these choices, but they are certainly thought-provoking! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  love,

Janice ... View the Post