The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Articles
    • Starting From Scratch
    • Common Wardrobe
    • Packing
    • Start With Art
    • Project 333
    • 4×4 Wardrobes
    • Weekly Timeless Wardrobes
    • Archives by Date
    • Archives by Categories & Tags
  • Support The Vivienne Files
    • Books, Clothes & more
    • Templates & Color Planners
  • Contact
Home » Can You Build a Casual Wardrobe from a “Dressy” Work of Art? Water Lilies by Monet

Can You Build a Casual Wardrobe from a “Dressy” Work of Art? Water Lilies by Monet

As much as the dressy wardrobe based on Monet’s Water Lilies was a lot of fun, most of us don’t dress quite like that on a regular basis!

So our heroine, who was so overwhelmed with invitations through the holiday season, decided to build an entire 4 by 4 Wardrobe around her favorite art inspiration, to take her through the rest of the winter…

Monet's Water Lilies with style guidelines and color palette

Water Lilies by Claude Monet

One day when she was racing around shopping for holiday gifts, she realized that the outfit that she was wearing would fit perfectly into her “dream” color scheme; it has the right colors, as well as a floral watch and scarf, and some very “fluid” earrings:

a starter outfit in navy and bright blue

earrings – Rattiya Chaiwong; scarf – Echo; jacket – Madewell; watch –Ted Baker; sweater – Banana Republic; waterproof boots – Bos. & Co.; jeans – Marks and Spencer; small velvet backpack – Herschel Supply Co.

She had been really organized when she built her holiday party wardrobe, so she thought that staying with a plan would make sense! Random purchasing of clothes can be amazingly wasteful…

First step in building a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

Her first step was to see what she had in navy, and what she might need to buy. For cool weather, she decided to use navy as her only neutral, so she ideally wants to have 8 garments…

Six navy garments, to build a cool-weather 4 by 4 Wardrobe

navy top – Uniqlo; navy sweater – Uniqlo; navy cardigan – Uniqlo; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; knit pants – L.L.Bean; skirt – Whistles

Now, when she looks at her 4 by 4 Wardrobe, it looks pretty somber, but also pretty versatile. She’s not worried – there are accent colors in her future!

second step in building a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

Now the fun starts! A suede shirt-jacket? Heck yes! A water-colored blouse in all of the colors of her painting? Done! And a pretty, simple tee shirt in a subtle pinstripe will be great when she knows that she’s going to want to peel off her jacket…

3 blue additions to a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

suede shirt jacket – Banana Republic; blouse – Florence Bridge; tee shirt – Banana Republic

third step in building a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

Her accents were mostly bright, except the tee shirt, so she thought that she would look for some pieces that reflected the more soft, subtle colors in “her” painting. And in anticipation of warmer weather, she grabbed a great pair of ivory denim pants…

accents of green, cream and pink for a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

green sweater – H&M; paisley shirt –Lands’ End; ombré pink top – Vince Camuto; ivory denim pants – Eileen Fisher

Now, she looks into her closet and see her tidy 16-piece wardrobe, and feels the peace and tranquility that she feels when she looks at Monet paintings…

4 by 4 Wardrobe in navy, blue, green and pink

Feeling tranquil is great, but she also wants to make sure that she has some clear ideas of how she’s going to wear these pieces!

2 ways to wear navy corduroy pants in a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

2 ways to wear navy knit pants in a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

2 ways to wear dark wash jeans in a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

2 ways to wear a navy skirt in a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

2 ways to wear ivory denim pants in a 4 by 4 Wardrobe

Today’s the day that I’m supposed to be returning from Paris… I will, of course, share what I saw with you, starting Thursday. But should I hang onto this post and add some accessories to our heroine’s wardrobe?

love,
Janice

Can You Build a Casual Wardrobe from a

Like this article? Save it to Pinterest!

 

 

Tweet
Pin199
Share
199 Shares

12.19.17 18 Comments

Tags: blue, casual, cool weather, Four by Four, navy, pink, Start with Art
<<Does Your Wardrobe Work for You? Some Ideas for Figuring Out What You Need…Just a Few Pretty Things…. and an Excellent Book!>>

Comments

  1. HunterMASH says

    December 19, 2017 at 8:39 am

    Yes, please do add some accessories! Thank you, Janice

    Reply
  2. Hallie says

    December 19, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    Yes please and look at what I found yesterday at L Vuitton. Perfect for this wardrobe: http://us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/stories/masterscampaign2#film/details

    Reply
    • Hallie says

      December 19, 2017 at 12:51 pm

      http://us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/stories/masterscampaign2#masters/monet/details

      Reply
  3. Kimm says

    December 19, 2017 at 1:13 pm

    Yes to accessories, please!

    Reply
  4. Unknown says

    December 19, 2017 at 4:15 pm

    Yes please

    Reply
  5. Deb from Vancouver says

    December 19, 2017 at 4:21 pm

    Hi, I really hope your flare-up is on its way down. And yes to accessories for me too.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    December 19, 2017 at 5:44 pm

    I do hope you are feeling better. I was packing for a Christmas trip to Phoenix and then became ill and can't go. My wardrobe selections look just like today's post. I will look forward to using today's ideas to perfect my look! With new accessories. Hint hint.
    Joan Cecile

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    December 19, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    Along with new accessories, I am thinking about a shoe wardrobe based on pewter and silver. Do you think that could work? Joan Cecile

    Reply
    • Sheri says

      December 19, 2017 at 6:29 pm

      I love shoes in those color tones!! Great idea :)

      Reply
  8. Sheri says

    December 19, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    I'd love to see shoes and accessories in the wardrobe!

    Reply
  9. Gail Finke says

    December 19, 2017 at 6:33 pm

    I hope you're feeling better! This is confusing me — I thought it was supposed to be a cold-weather wardrobe. But that t-shirt is a very thin t-shirt, and the drapey blouse with the tied sleeves could not really be comfortably warm under a sweater, cardigan, or jacket. Seems to me that a long-sleeve t-shirt and a turtleneck would make more sense. But maybe that's because my "transitional" wardrobe can all fit in a drawer — it's either cold or hot here.

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says

    December 19, 2017 at 8:39 pm

    From Germany with Love, excuse my English, please;-)

    Dear Janice, a year ago, I started to read your blog, a very amazing blog!!!
    I'm a 60 years old lady with size xs/s and curly, nearly dark hairs.
    I have learned so much about wardrobe, thank-you. I like the way, taking a famous picture and creating a wardrobe, but I think, three colours are not enough.

    2018 I want to change step by step my wardrobe, a at this time black, grey, burgundy, petrol, white wardrobe. It ist boring now and 60 Years is a good age to start with something new.
    Is it possible to create a basic wardrobe for a whole year with black and all the other colours, for example: black jeans, burgundy cardigan, black shirt; black skirt, petrol Sweater; black Chino, yellow longsleeve, grey cardigan….not only a few colours, but many colours, and always one or more pieces black?
    I think, it doesn't work, do you think so, too?
    If not, please, please start in january a new project: build a capsule with black and all he other colours

    Herzliche Grüße
    Margita

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      December 20, 2017 at 2:12 pm

      Tag, Margita! Check out these posts (replace navy/grey with black in in some of them):
      https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2016/01/start-with-art-porcelain-figurine.html
      https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2015/11/choosing-accent-color-for-black.html
      https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2017/02/how-to-build-capsule-wardrobe-with_14.html
      https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2016/08/one-navy-dress-14-ways-to-wear-it-with_31.html
      https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2017/10/start-with-art-french-5-piece-wardrobe.html
      https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2016/09/a-drop-of-wine-with-6-neutral-colors.html
      https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2017/07/travel-capsule-wardrobe-inspired-by-saint-john-by-gerhard-richter.html

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      December 20, 2017 at 8:40 pm

      Thank you for showing all these wardrobes, I'll study them. Many Greetings!

      Reply
  11. Carole Hustead says

    December 19, 2017 at 11:49 pm

    Thank you, Janice, for honoring my request for this 4 X 4 wardrobe. As time goes by, I would like to add some of these items to my wardrobe. Plus, I found 3 old posts that contain these colors: A Touch of Teal, 9/15/2016; A Touch of Turquoise, 9/28/2016; Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Teal and Jade, 10/20/2016. I especially like these posts because of the medium value of the neutral colors. The Teal cardigan and tee are still available from LL Bean, so I ordered them. Again, thank you for all you do. I hope your current fibro-flare doesn’t last long.

    Reply
  12. LisaP says

    December 20, 2017 at 6:42 am

    I'm also chiming in to thank you for showing us how to systematically build a compact wardrobe that works for all kinds of situations–and allows for fun and quirky additions through accessories. And also for your heroines and their stories!

    I'm sorry to hear you are under the weather–hope you feel better soonest! If you need to take a break so you can rest, we'll be right here waiting for you….

    (By the way, I'd love to see accessories for this colour palette too!)

    Reply
  13. Carole Hustead says

    December 20, 2017 at 2:47 pm

    Here is a Pinterest board I made: "Monet's Waterlilies & Vivienne Files". https://www.pinterest.com/carolehustead/monets-waterlilies-vivienne-files/

    Reply
    • Janice Riggs says

      December 20, 2017 at 2:56 pm

      Very nice!
      hugs,
      Janice

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

logo
The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

STAY UP TO DATE

Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

  • Build a capsule wardrobe starting with a bracelet in aquamarine and amberBuild a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet: Forget-Me-Not Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs
  • Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Wagen in Silberner Strasse by August MackeBuild a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Wagen in Silberner Strasse by August Macke
  • Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Shunbun – Vernal EquinoxJapanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Shunbun – Vernal Equinox
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 The Vivienne Files | All Rights Reserved - Built with ♥ by RockFort Media

THE VIVIENNE FILES IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR US TO EARN FEES BY LINKING TO AMAZON.COM AND AFFILIATED SITES.