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Home » Start with Art: Flowers and Flames by Kay Nielsen

Start with Art: Flowers and Flames by Kay Nielsen

January 22, 2020

You’ll notice that this heroine is packing many of the same garments as the heroine from last Wednesday! It’s amazing how much difference changing up some accent colors – and the accessories that bring everything together – can make a wardrobe look completely different…

It Calls to Her…

She’s been working for years on a species of eucalyptus that won’t catch fire quite as easily as the existing plants. It’s suddenly a timely subject… And she’s been invited to a conference about post-wildfire reclamation, at which her new plants will be a subject of conversation.

Since she’s only going for a couple of days, she’s packing according to the Perfect 10 Packing template:

Normally, this heroine is pretty reserved. But when this subject of plants and fires is discussed, she becomes quite animated. Thus, she’s traveling in a very muted palette, but she’s packing some garments with a definite jolt of color!

woodland green cardigan – Eileen Fisher; jasper earrings – Shashi; scarf – Treasure & Bond; watch – Tissot; chain bracelet – Brooks Brothers; black jeans – Lands’ End; woodland green tunic – Eileen Fisher; tote – Allsaints; loafers – Via Spiga

This will NOT be a dressy gathering, but she knows that she wants to go out for a couple of nice dinners, so her skirt and her favorite dress will be in her bag. Neither of these pieces is too dressy for a meeting – especially if she’s going to be called upon to speak in front of a group…

black cardigan – Lands’ End; red earrings – Alexis Bittar; scarf – Missoni; hoop earrings – Ten79LA; 3 bracelet set – Halogen; mineral red cardigan – L.L.Bean; sunglasses – DIFF; black & white tee shirts – Lands’ End; necklace – Kendra Scott; evening bag – Whiting & Davis; striped blouse – Closed; mineral red v-neck sweater – L.L.Bean; black corduroy pants – Lands’ End; black ponte skirt – Vince Camuto; black & white striped tee – Lands’ End; black dress – Banana Republic; waterproof boots – Blondo; ballet flats – Josef Seibel

She’s happy that this came together so easily:

And in a world where so many things are spiraling out of control, at least her travel wardrobe is concise, logical, and very neatly planned!

As she’s folding things and arranging her suitcase, she daydreams about the variety of outfits that she will have at her disposal. She can see at least 8 possibilities off the top of her head:

Have you ever traveled with a combination of introvert and extrovert outfits? I haven’t; my life is one long extrovert extravaganza…

love,

Janice

p.s. Six years ago, a black and white Hermes scarf inspired all sorts of outfits to wear with it…

CREATE A TRAVEL CAPSULE WARDROBE INSPIRED BY ART: FLOWERS AND FLAMES BY KAY NIELSEN

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01.22.20 8 Comments

Tags: black, green, Perfect 10 Packing, Start with Art, travel capsule wardrobe
<<The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 29: A Light Neutral Tee shirtI Love IT, but Will I Wear IT? Ivory Cardigan>>

Comments

  1. JoAnna says

    January 22, 2020 at 9:57 am

    I am in love with this color pallet! Olive is one of my neutrals and/or accents (I love that it can be both!), and that shade of coral is so lovely. I tend to gravitate toward more mauves/pinks/burgundy (depending on the season), and I think I’d like to try that coral for my spring looks. I think I might have added one more t-shirt in the coral :-)

    Reply
    • yasmara says

      February 18, 2020 at 2:51 pm

      Me too! Coral – green – back – grey feature heavily in my wardrobe!

      Reply
  2. Aurora says

    January 22, 2020 at 12:31 pm

    Hi Janice,
    That black and white Jewellery capsule (the one from six years ago) was a wonderful idea. That could be the starter of an amazing series!
    Have a fantastic time in Paris,

    Reply
  3. Nancy says

    January 22, 2020 at 1:49 pm

    I love this! I could almost put it together, with what I have. The dress is wonderful..but it is so short for someone my age, even the tall. Sigh…..

    Reply
  4. Beth T says

    January 23, 2020 at 12:00 am

    We all see things in a different way. When I look at this picture, the predominant colour for me is Forest/Dark Emerald Green with accents of olive, coral and black. I also see a flashs of bright blue, gold/yellow and pale pink. Dark green could be a neutral colour for some people, like my daughter who is drawn to all shades of green, just like I am to all shades of purple.

    Reply
  5. Andrea says

    January 23, 2020 at 3:51 am

    Dear Janice
    When looking at your clothing combinations, I wonder how to wear a thick sweater with a skirt. Do you tuck the sweather or the cardigan in or have them overlap the skirt? I am asking because everytime I put on a skirt with a warm top (cardigan, jumper) I am at a loss how to arrange it.
    Love and thanks, Andrae

    Reply
    • Janice says

      January 23, 2020 at 6:23 am

      Sweater over skirt unless you are alarmingly thin. I’m seeing lots of women dressed like that here in Paris!
      Hugs,
      Janice

      Reply
  6. michelle says

    January 24, 2020 at 10:54 am

    I ordered that black dress! It just seems so versatile, and i love a more casual look (plus it was on sale). I really hope i did it the correct way so you get a small percentage Janice.

    While i try to keep to a core of navy in my wardrobe, I still have a fair amount of black which is just so easy to work with, and looks elegant. I’ve also been inspired (or perhaps nagged by uber-organized hubby) to go through closets and drawers; get rid of faded and hardly used, and refresh those hard-working basics. You are inspirational as usual.

    Reply

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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...
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