The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for 2020

2020 - Page 5 of 18

Start with Art: Revisiting The Visit by Marie Laurencin

September 11, 2020 The Documents MUST Be Signed in Person...

Oh RATS. It's only a couple of hours to drive to their offices, but she's NOT going to make the trip there and back in 1 day!

 

So she makes her plan - she'll go for a couple of days, and take care of a few other small shopping errands that have been delayed for the last six months!

She finds a LOVELY hotel room, at a screaming discount. The night before her meeting, she drives down...

A quiet dinner near the hotel, unpacking, and reading for a bit fills her evening...

With all of the disruption to her life right now, having a travel capsule wardrobe that's so harmonious gives her a little bit of comfort:

 

She's on the fence ... View the Post

Start with Art: Ophelia Among the Flowers by Odilon Redon

September 9, 2020

  FULL Academic Professional Mode

Dear Heroine,

This might seems like a very forward email, but since you are such an expert on Hamlet, I thought that I would ask for your assistance in preparing our community theater for OUR upcoming production of Shakespeare's greatest play...

oh great heavens...

If you could come up to Cambridge for the weekend, we would be delighted to offer you the finest accommodations, and excellent dining. In return, we would like for you to sit through a read-through of the play with us and give us your advice and insights.

oh great grief, this could be SO MUCH FUN...

Please note that all of our meetings are being held outdoors, as will our performance. COVID ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Butterfly Wings from Echo

September 7 2020 Pollinators! Yes, people who study pollinators have conferences - EVERYBODY who studies almost anything has a conference most years! And she's going to this one...

Her travel capsule wardrobe is going to be based on this beauty:

Most of her colleagues study bees - and rightly so - but her specialty is butterflies! And so she's going to wear her scarf often, building a wardrobe around these colors:

For no good reason she can think of, she's going to wear her white jeans to get there. She's not worried... She's more thrilled with her new blazer, and matching earrings:

Weather reports for her destination are all OVER the place, so she's going to take her black shirt with her, so she can wear it under ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Black Tops!

September 4, 2020

Just in the last few days, I've been out a bit, and it seemed that ALL of the beautifully-dressed women I saw were wearing black shirts or tops of some sort!

I'm going to notice these things, of course. And this is such a great way to get dressed - especially for those of us who are top-heavy, or who prefer to downplay the top half of our bodies. Everybody can picture wearing a ton of different things with a simple pair of black pants, or black skirt. I need to remember that the opposite is equally possible!

Of course, my favorite winter outfit in a black cashmere turtleneck and faded jeans...

Let's look!

A black top doesn't have to be a simple tee shirt - this top has a subtle Swiss dot pattern woven ... View the Post

Start with Art: The Plum Garden at the Kameido Shrine by Utagawa Hiroshige

September 2, 2020

I've received some requests to add accent colors to grey - I'm always happy to try to oblige!

ROAD TRIP!!! Yes, they're going to visit a BUNCH of gardens... For about 2 weeks or so! They're going to rent a camper (oh my...) and go to all of the places they've talked about visiting for years.

It's quite casual - touring these gardens doesn't require getting dressy! But she loves her color palette so...

She's going to stick with her core of grey garments, and then add 2 clusters of color...

She packs some warm teal tops, and then decides to include her tee shirt with floral prints... Why not?

Her coral garments vary from very soft and pastel to deep, almost rust. And she decides to pack a ... View the Post

September 2020 Six Scarves, Twelve Months, Twelve Outfits

August 31, 2020

Yes, these are indeed a day early - I'm going to try this Monday, Wednesday and Friday posting schedule for a while to see if I can regain my strength and energy. If anything is going to be energizing AND exhausting at the same time, it's these posts!

Yes, more sweatshirts. I'm determined that I'm going to write about how many of us are dressing. Everybody that I talk to regularly agrees that they're NOT going back to their office this fall - almost certainly not until Spring of 2021. So we're working from home, and we're staying warm in the cooler weather, and trying to keep our utility bills down...

And a nice sweatshirt is a wonderful thing!

Also, I'm smitten with corduroy pants - so everybody's getting cords ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – Voyage to Amsterdam by Fierce Lynx Designs

August 28, 2020

I think that I might be posting on my old "Monday, Wednesday, Friday" schedule for a bit; it's all going to depend on my energy levels!

But let's talk about pretty things, eh? One of you requested a wardrobe based on this most wonderful bracelet...

I would LOVE to be able to capture that soft, misty blue in garments, but it's not exactly common! So we're going to enjoy the cheer and beauty of what we CAN find, right?

Yes, We Will Take the Ferry... And drive the rest of the way to Amsterdam. He has so much stuff to move out of his dorm room that we will want our car as well as his...

It feels like they JUST moved him INTO the dorm... but things change, especially this year!

It's not going to take ... View the Post

A Brief Hiatus….

August 26, 2020

I'm taking a break for a day or two; I don't want the quality of my work to slip because I'm pushing myself too much!

So I share this beauty with you...

Back very soon...

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Is It Time for a Cold Weather Wardrobe Treat? A Whole Rainbow of Cashmere Sweaters…

August 25, 2020

A few people are still longing for summer clothes - I'm sorry, but they're getting to be SO hard to find in stores. As I may have mentioned in the past, I don't like to show you anything that isn't available in the full range of colors and sizes - why taunt you with things you can't have if you really want them? Thus, summer clothes are becoming difficult to share...

And a LOT of retailers are only bringing into stock the bare minimum of styles and colors for cooler weather - WHAT FUN IS THAT? We're stuck inside for most of our time, and we need cheer. Color! Brightness! Variety!

With that in mind, I'm sharing some lovely cashmere sweaters with you, along with a few other accessories to give you little accessory ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Revisiting the Beach Roadtrip Scarf by Kate Spade New York

August 24, 2020

You wanted more of this scarf, and who could blame us? It's just THAT pretty...

And it appears to be back in stock at a few places that were sold out last week, when we first looked at this lovely thing...

Specifically, you wanted some brighter colors! So I kept a couple of the white garments that I used before, but I bumped up the accent colors quite a few notches:

As always, when I'm at a loss as to what the best shoe color might be, I choose a metallic accent! Of course, it would be possible to have blue shoes, and rose shoes etc. etc.... I'm not telling you that this is a bad idea!

Coral and white feels perfect for late summer, doesn't it?

And I personally love both of these shades of blue; ... View the Post

How to Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet – August 2020

August 21, 2020 Ultimate Job Security...

She's a little bit steamed right now; she doesn't want to travel, but that ONE office that always has issues with their computer network... is having... you guessed it.... ISSUES WITH THEIR COMPUTER NETWORK.

She tried to talk them through the fix. She drew pictures. She wrote checklists. She photographed the computers in THEIR office and put little notes on the photograph to show them what to do.

Not happening.

So she's headed there... against her best judgment and preferences. And she's seeing red...

(okay, maybe it's orange!)

She loves her new bracelet - the knot charm reminds her of the linking and integration that she loves so much in computer networking. So she's using ... View the Post

Start with Art: My Autumn by Georgia O’Keeffe

August 20, 2020 We're ALL Going to be Home... For most of the winter. The kids are being amazingly disciplined about schooling remotely; they're old enough that they understand that education matters...

Her sweetheart has taken over the desk in the dining area, and so she's working in the basement. The kids are all in their own rooms, except when they need legitimate help with something...

She thought she was getting prepared; she started sorting out warm clothes. They've all agreed (all FIVE of them!) that they're going to try to keep the house as cool as they can tolerate, in order to save energy and money. With 5 computers running, at least there will be some warmth...

Still, this is what fall means to her. Back to school is ... View the Post