April 30, 2020
This heroine knows full well the degree to which the right accessories can make a TON of difference in an outfit! First up, she’s starting with this compelling painting, and lovely color palette:
Our heroine is starting with this most wonderful wardrobe in soft colors and timeless styles:
oatmeal open cardigan – L.L.Bean; blue cotton cardigan – L.L.Bean; camp shirt – Banana Republic; beige striped tee – Liverpool; dusty apricot tank top – Lands’ End; sailcloth top – L.L.Bean; plaid top – L.L.Bean; cream tank top – L.L.Bean; floral dress – Treasure & Bond; ivory cabled sweater – Lands’ End; oatmeal linen shirt – L.L.Bean; blue striped tee – L.L.Bean; beige dress – Banana Republic; flax linen shorts – Lands’ End; sandstone cardigan – L.L.Bean; stone cropped pants – L.L.Bean; denim skirt – Marks & Spencer; oatmeal linen pants – L.L.Bean; no-wrinkle cotton skirt – Banana Republic; blue dress – Banana Republic
She knows that she’s going to want to wear very simple monochromatic outfits sometimes, and that on other occasions she’s going to break out her accent colors. Her plan, then, is to pull together some representative outfits, and accessorize each of them…
Earrings – Kendra Scott; oatmeal open cardigan – L.L.Bean; cream tank top – L.L.Bean; stone cropped pants – L.L.Bean; watch – Movado; espadrilles – Rampage
All accessories do NOT have to be neutral – blue suede shoes tell you what you’re going to be humming all day!
Earrings – Silver Mama; blue cotton cardigan – L.L.Bean; beige striped tee – Liverpool; oatmeal linen pants – L.L.Bean; scarf – Gap; suede sneakers – Børn
She wants to be able to look pretty in a dress without going overboard; no stiletto heels here!
Of course you can wear a pink scarf with ivory and denim – what could be more feminine?
Hoop earrings – Talbots; cotton neckerchief (note that this is a SMALL scarf) – Talbots; ivory cabled sweater – Lands’ End; denim skirt – Marks & Spencer; gold loafers – Driver Club USA
It’s really important to remember the sun-protection that we all need (or WILL need, if we ever get to go outdoors again!).
Hat – Eric Javits; plaid top – L.L.Bean; dusty apricot tank top – Lands’ End; no-wrinkle cotton skirt – Banana Republic; sunglasses – Tom Ford; canvas shoes – Keds
Sometimes, a big smile and some great lipstick is your best accessory! Add a nice crossbody bag and a simple bracelet and you’re ready to go…
Bag – Katie Loxton; bracelet – Talbots; camp shirt – Banana Republic; flax linen shorts – Lands’ End; espadrilles – Rampage
Dresses don’t really need too much extra, but a great necklace is never a bad idea…
Did I say something about GREAT necklaces?
Now, when our heroine starts tidying up her closet and sorting out her wardrobe for Spring, she has some beautiful accents to bring a smile and a bit of variety…
I’ve been pretty good about keeping my Spring wardrobe tidied up, but I haven’t yet really sorted through accessories.
What’s your favorite accessory? Right now, I’m sporting a pair of pink earrings EVERY DAY:
love,
Janice
p.s. Four years ago, the lovely Betsy Talbot from “An Uncluttered Life” interviewed me – and the recording is still available! Oh my….
Like this article? Save it to Pinterest!
Wow!! This is an amazing assortment of accessories, there isn’t one single item I wouldn’t love in my drawer of accessories. I’m almost feeling any wardrobe would look amazing with these accessories. Thank you for all the effort you put in to making The Vivienne Files my favourite. 😍
Stay safe, stay positive, Kim
big digital hugs to you!
J
This is so pretty and feminine! Thank you for showing such pretty accessories.
Thanks – I’m glad you like them, and I’m SO sorry that this was so late. The digital world is still a wee bit of a mystery to me…
xoxo,
J
Thank you for the assortment of closed-toe summer shoes! I have not-so-gorgeous feet, and looking at just-sandals gets mildly depressing, in a first-world-problems kind of way.
Thanks for these beautiful ideas….love the blue suede shoes…had me chuckling and humming all afternoon.
Lovely wardrobe. A great shade of pink.
Janice,
So glad that you’re fine, I was concerned this morning ! Oh that Kara necklace, and not a crazy price either, though I have a moratorium on any purchases right now, which is just as well, as I am paying far more attention to utilizing what I do have in fresh ways and getting a big kick out of that !
I really enjoyed this wardrobe — so pretty and feminine as Isha said !
I wish I had all these clothes and accessories in my closet right now! Hmmm….maybe i will choose a few to order as something special to wear once the lockdown rules are eased. Thank you for putting together so many beautiful wardrobes for us to dream about. Hope you are safe at home with a full fridge.
Oooh, I didn’t know about the interview! You have a lovely voice and a wonderful brain (but that I knew already)
I’m still listening to the interview and I love what you say about not making clothes the sole focus of your life, but still identifying the elements that define your style.
What advice would you give someone who is still trying to figure out what they want other people to see/how they want to represent themselves? I feel like even though I have mostly figured out what looks good on me and what really doesn’t fit my lifestyle, I still have contradictory impulses regarding the “message” I want to send to the world.
I want to seem tough, but I also want other people to feel safe around me, to be taken seriously but also to express my love for the whimsical.
I love the feeling of wearing dark and rich colors, but I also love sunny and feel-good shades.
I love feminine dresses and gentlemen’s jackets.
It’s hard to work out a coherent style when your sense of identity is all over the place.
Also, did you ever publish the book? Are you still working on it? It sounds like something I would love to pieces.
No. I haven’t written my book. I’m SO STUCK. But I haven’t given up the idea…
hugs,
Janice
I also have very varying moods (and wear a lot of ‘hats’, each needing a different dress code). I have been focusing on building up my neutrals and basics, and then letting my imagination run wild on accessories. This also allows me to change styles quickly (mild mannered schoolteacher in sneakers, jeans and a tunic sweater, to glamorous diner by swapping jeans for velvet lounge pants, adding a scarf, heeled boots, and dangly earrings). Also having a limited colour pallette and lots of textures helps with this.
You’re a lovable authority figure – think of a leader right now who is in charge, and trustworthy, but also empathetic and understanding. They’re more 2 sides of a coin, or facets of a gemstone.
Anchored in dark, rich colors, accented with brightness and optimism.
A balance of feminine and masculine…
Embrace your contrasts!
love,
Janice
LOVE the double-row blue beaded necklace.
Ordered it strait away, since I wear a lot of medium-blue clothing in summer!
Thank you, Janice!
Hi Alice
Your style sounds great. Go with your own flow. I wish I was as brave as you.
It’s taken me over 40 years to have the courage to wear a suede biker jacket which I wore with a floral dress! For years I was constrained by the favourite phrase of my mother “What will people think?”. Now I just think “So?”
Perhaps try doing a Kibbe body type test – lots of different ones online. He was proposing body styling in the 1980’s. It’s based on yin and yang. It’s certainly helped me work out which clothes suit me best. I’m a Romantic though I wouldn’t say my personality is soft and fluffy…
Best wishes
Beth
My mother reminds me that “if they’re talking about you, they’re giving someone else a rest!”
So I’m nutty just to give others a break…
hugs,
Janice
Thanks for the link to your interview. It was good to hear your lovely voice.
I listened with my daughter. We enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the blog. Certain phrases will stick:
‘There is a world full of beautiful things that you cannot own.’
‘Embrace your style idiosyncrasies.’
‘Don’t be attached to a previous version of yourself.’
Your aim is to ‘free up women to be their better selves.’
The story of how the Vivienne Files came into being is amazing – an army of previous followers had saved your work! Incredible! This proves that good style never goes out of fashion.
I love the accessories you have given to this wardrobe. Sadly the pink dress was sold and has now been taken off the website. I must find my pink bags. Blue suede shoes – I have several pairs of suede shoes in blue, grey, purple, black and beige! I am tempted by the metallic loafers. The pink square would make an excellent face mask when we are allowed out again!
I love my blue suede booties! And one of my favorite images from this season was a lighter denim skirt with darker blue suede wedge sandals. It just looks like a great use of denim to me.
Unfortunately my most-used accessory this season is an ankle wrap, since I sprained my ankle over spring break. But I’m really enjoying my canvas sneakers, too. I like that they can be worn with everything right now.
Thank you Janice and everyone who gave me advice! I gave it all some serious thought for the past few days, and I think I will let color and accessories be the main mode of expression for my various “moods”. I keep becoming more and more finicky in terms of which silhouettes and fabrics I like anyway, so it’s just easier to limit that and let myself keep a wider (but still curated) color palette! I’ve made a list of every type of garment I like wearing and every detail I could think (patterns, sleeve length, collars, …), and I think I might actually have a nice guide for my future shopping.
I wear a lot of blue, and I love a good accent shoe. BUT I have found that I never seem to be able to wear my blue shoes! I find red shoes so easy though. Weird. – nancyo