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Home » Start with Art: Portrait de Greta Prozor by Henri Matisse

Start with Art: Portrait de Greta Prozor by Henri Matisse

April 23, 2020

She’s been sitting for a REALLY long time…

She’s taking her favorite painting, distilling it down to the essential colors, and then PACKING!

Black, denim, olive, and BRIGHT golden yellow! She doesn’t want to work very hard getting dressed, but she’s okay with people noticing her…

Earrings – 1928 Jewelry; blazer – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Versace; gold tee – Everlane; watch – Timex; onyx initial bracelet – Jane Basch; jeans – Lands’ End; socks – LOFT Outlet; oxfords – Trotters; tote – Nordstrom

It’s just for a long weekend… She’s going to plan outfits for each day, although she won’t necessarily wear every outfit. She just doesn’t want to have to work; she’s done quite enough work, spending so much time indoors…

Scarf – Claire Gaudion; green horn fan earrings – Annaflor; bracelet – Kendra Scott; evening bag – Ted Baker; square scarf – Pig, Chicken & Cow; yellow sweater – Lands’ End; denim popover shirt – Gap; olive linen shirt – L.L.Bean; olive pants – L.L.Bean; black dress – Eileen Fisher; hiking socks – Merrell; boots – Frye & Co.; pumps – Pelle Moda; dark wash jeans – Lands’ End

Her travel wardrobe is dark, and a bit intense. That’s just exactly what she wants – no worry about spilling things, no worry about putting together outfits “on the fly,” and no having to shop while she’s away:

She actually jotted down her outfit plan in her little notebook that she carries with her – she wants to be free to just wander and wander and wander, and then EAT!

And then sit and look at other people. It’s been too long since she could just quietly people-watch…

Now that she thinks about things for a bit, she realizes that she could stay at a less expensive apartment (yes, the 6th floor without an elevator is a LOT cheaper…), and stay a few extra days…

I’d make that compromise in a heartbeat!

love,

Janice

p.s. Five years ago, our heroine was catching the bus to the shore to spend the weekend at her friend’s beach house…

START WITH ART: BUILDING A TRAVEL CAPSULE WARDROBE BASED ON PORTRAIT DE GRETA PROZOR BY HENRI MATISSE

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04.23.20 13 Comments

Tags: black, denim, gold, olive, Six Pack, Start with Art, travel capsule wardrobe
<<Adding Pastel Wardrobe Accents! Expanding a Beige & Olive Weekly Timeless WardrobeExpanding a Start with Art: Light of Iris by Georgia O’Keeffe>>

Comments

  1. Jazz says

    April 23, 2020 at 3:51 am

    The yellow adds real drama to this travel capsule. It makes me wonder what colour I would wear to add zing- a striking raspberry pink perhaps??

    Reply
    • Alice says

      April 23, 2020 at 4:22 am

      I think raspberry pink would look delightful! It’s the kind of color that instantly lifts my mood.

      Reply
  2. Alice says

    April 23, 2020 at 4:14 am

    The travel outfit is something I would wear almost exactly! In the past few years I have been collecting dotted socks without even realizing it, they’re such a cute and inexpensive way to add finish to outfits make them just a little more cheerful!

    Reply
  3. Linda Lewis says

    April 23, 2020 at 7:20 am

    Loved your post today … and the one from five years ago. Travel opportunities are just around the corner! (At least that’s what I’m telling myself.)

    Thank you for your daily inspiration!!!

    Reply
  4. Kirsti says

    April 23, 2020 at 8:48 am

    Lovely travel wardrobe! I wonder if after studying the inspiration artwork our heroine would also want to include a hat?

    Reply
  5. Shrebee says

    April 23, 2020 at 8:50 am

    Janice,
    What a totally different sense than yesterdays’s light and airy feeling! I like that this choice of colors, mostly dark and introspective, but with that happy pop of yellow, is a wonderful way to dress by “ mood”. Some days you just don’t want to “ shine”, and other days you do ! I have found that I tend to use cheery top colors as yellow or coral on rainy days to brighten things up a bit ! But on other days, all monochromatic olive green or denim is just fine as long as there is also some pattern , garment detail, or texture involved .
    I loved your retrospective on “ sand and sea colors” !

    Reply
  6. JoAnna says

    April 23, 2020 at 8:56 am

    The Pig Chicken Cow scarf is just divine!! I wish it was about half the price :-( I will have to admire it from afar. Lovely wardrobe.

    JoAnna

    Reply
  7. Sally in St Paul says

    April 23, 2020 at 1:32 pm

    Long-time reader, first time commenter…

    I look forward to your blog every day as a nice treat when I take a break from work-at-home. Even though I am kind of the opposite of the capsule wardrobes shared here (I am a plus size magpie who loves all the colors, all the patterns, shops at thrift stores a lot, and kind of hates travel–especially packing–hah!), I find your posts lovely and valuable.

    Thanks for upping your posting game during this time! I have more time than ever to spend wrangling my closet so I’m starting to weed out some of my least-flattering-colored items (which is hard! I want to play with everything, even that bright poppy red sweater that looks pretty dire on me!). Even a post like today, with a wardrobe I could never wear myself (that yellow is NOT my friend), gives me a lot to think about.

    Today I have started playing “paper dolls” with your capsules–after seeing the Everything picture, I put together 2 outfits with each bottom/dress, trying to use each item in the capsule at least once. (I don’t worry about whether these would be personally flattering but am guided by my own style preferences, not attempting to anticipate what you would combine.) It’s fun to compare to what you put together. Today I matched 1 outfit entirely and 2 more except with different shoes, but the others were different…which reinforces how versatile even a small capsule can be if the items are selected with intention.

    It’s also interesting to note different item choices I might have made compared to your selections. For example, I found myself in today’s capsule wanting the yellow sweater to be a cardigan that could be worn with the dress, and the denim popover to be a button up that could layer more easily under or over other things (though the popover is very cute). I also expect those black oxfords are quite comfortable, but I would have switched them out for a more stand-out style like a cheetah or leopard print. (I own these, which fit great and are comfortable, though I haven’t given them the “full day walking through museums on vacation” treatment, and are really on sale in lucky sizes: https://tinyurl.com/ydfkj7tm. For flexibility to wear with dresses or pants, I would probably pick the low vamp flats version: https://tinyurl.com/y8ob3vzu.)

    No criticism here, just further demonstration that there is SO MUCH that we readers can get out of one of your posts.

    A physically distant virtual hug to all who like hugs, and your choice of a goofy double finger gun or silly jazz hands wave to those who do not!

    Reply
    • BethT says

      April 23, 2020 at 3:02 pm

      This wardrobe is not me either but I appreciate the inclusion of various things. I love the pony scarf and could imagine this wardrobe appealing to an equestrian lady.

      The popover style shirt is one of my favourite styles. I buy them in a lighter fabric with 3/4 length sleeves from H&M. They come in all sorts of colours and patterns. I can wear them loose with linen trousers or tucked in to smarter trousers with a cardigan for work. The opening is just the right length for a pendant or necklace. This denim is too dark for me but I like the zig-zag embroidery detail. I still trying to find a light chambray shirt with NO pockets after my disastrous attempt to order one from Dorothy Perkins and was sent one with TWO breast pockets and press stud fastenings instead. It was their fault. Sadly DP have now closed all their British shops and concessions moving to online only. I’ll be amazed if any clothes shoos reopen after the lockdown.

      The third item I like in this wardrobe is the cable knit jumper from Lands End. It comes in an array of gorgeous colours on the US site so I could have found one to suit the colours I wear BUT NOT on the UK site. It is SOOO frustrating and all too common. ?

      Reply
      • Sally in St Paul says

        April 24, 2020 at 8:52 am

        Beth, even though I’m in the US, I understand the sweater sadness. Though Lands End is very good about their sizes, I often check an LL Bean sweater that Janice shares to find out it’s not available in plus sizes. I love the look of their cable knit curved hem sweaters but strike out every time.

  8. Linda P says

    April 23, 2020 at 1:34 pm

    Hi Janice: this is a good color combination for ” no worry about spilling things. ” That would be me.

    Reply
  9. Nina T says

    April 24, 2020 at 2:12 am

    This is cool. Just when I think I’ve seen all the combos…

    Reply
  10. Corie says

    April 24, 2020 at 8:26 am

    Wow! I have almost this exact wardrobe! Not the same items, but very similar! I will start planning a trip for whenever! Thanks for the inspiration.

    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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