Claude Monet - Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare Archives

Three Capsule Wardrobes: Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – September 2023

September 4, 2023

I'm so happy with these; sometimes I struggle to find things to add to these wardrobes, but this month I feel like it all just fell out of the skies and into my computer!

This very casual heroine came into September with a wardrobe that's got a lot of soft, gentle colors...

She knows that she wants a pair of casual pants for cooler weather that AREN'T grey, as well as a couple of darker tops, to reflect the changing season; this is what she found:

Her wardrobe retains its distinctive look and feel, but offers her more options if she wants to wear darker colors!

And her accessories are wonderful...

She has plenty of outfits - including warm, darker-hued choices for cold, ... View the Post

Three Capsule Wardrobes: First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – August 2023

August 2, 2023

My favorite work every month! This, to me, is the closest The Vivienne Files can get to showing how a real wardrobe might grow, month by month. If we all (I mean ALL) carefully planned our purchases to be versatile AND to endure, we could eliminate a lot of waste in the world. At least we should try, eh?

Last month, we left our heroine with a wardrobe of 23 garments; it's pretty well balanced, except she might be challenged to wear her dress in cooler weather.

Tights and a sweater will get her through, of course, but maybe a skirt would be useful...

This heroine added another grey tee shirt to her wardrobe; the shirt she has is pretty sporty, and she thought a more classic one would be useful. ... View the Post

Three Capsule Wardrobes: Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – July 2023

July 7, 2023

Three more heroines with unique wardrobes, and unique shopping goals!

When we last visited her wardrobe, our heroine had lovely colors, and some great clothes, BUT...

She has no shorts! (yes, for some of us that isn't a problem!) She only has 5 black garments, and black is supposed to be her core neutral, and she bought a lovely pink cardigan, and did NOT buy the matching vest... (please note, Alex Mill is having a sale! That's not something they often do.)

So she shops! Black sandals and a black tote are logical items for her to have FOREVER, and a black bracelet with a heart that matches her heart earrings and necklace just plain makes sense.

Her updated wardrobe doesn't really look different - ... View the Post

3 Capsule Wardrobes: Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – June 2023

June 5, 2023

I can't quite get used to the idea that it's already June! Time will pass, regardless of our ability to keep up...

As I've quickly learned, this wardrobe, as with all of them, is pretty well-balanced in terms of functionality:

And arranging this particular wardrobe by color is sort of fun, but again doesn't show any big gaps or problems!

So our heroine just went shopping for some useful summer garments!

Our heroine truly feels that she is comfortably prepared for most things she needs to do - what a nice way to feel about one's wardrobe!

I love the richness of these accessories!

When our heroine gets home, she gets onto Skype with a couple of friends to show them her new ... View the Post

First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – May 2023

May 5, 2023

Our heroines are branching out - their lives are different from each other, and their wardrobes will also be different... Seems obvious, except for those times when we're all told to get a beige trench coat, or a little black dress...

Our first heroine is experiencing some REALLY warm weather, interspersed with days when it pours rain and is chilly!

She decided to just forget about the cool interludes, and jumped onto a beautiful warm-weather outfit in soft shades of green and blue:

She doesn't have a third of her wardrobe in each of the 3 colors, but this still feels balanced:

And her accessories are spot-on! How fun to find the perfect light blue sandals...

As always, her new clothes bring her ... View the Post

First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – February 2023

February 1, 2023

I'm already at the point where it's better to break this post into 2 posts; it's a lot to digest (or to produce!) at 1 time!

The order of the paintings is different this month; I'm hopeful that I can remember to re-order them each month to keep things fresh...

First up - the train station!

Maybe it's the single-digit temperatures today, but I realized that all of our heroines could probably use a jacket (although these are NOT the jacket one needs for the dead of winter)... Another tee shirt is pretty important at this point, and jeans or other pants.

This heroine is due for something in beautiful soft green (called "eucaluptus steam" - it feels like a humidifier when you have a cold!), and a pair ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Arrival of the Normandy Train by Claude Monet Version 2

November 10, 2015

We're back to visit our friend who made the long train trip!

This was her inspiration - the soft colors, and the strong sense of the grid patterns in the ceiling of the train station. Very beautiful!

She DID have to do some shopping when she was on the road! It was bound to rain, but it wasn't bound to stop her...

And these were the clothes that she took with her on her trip. It was a wonderful trip - well planned, and thoroughly enjoyed. If only her return to "real life" had been so pleasant...

Utter Chaos Reigns... She returned to a madhouse. Drinking at lunch, crying in the bathrooms, shouting in the halls - it had all of the elements of a bad soap opera, without the ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Arrival of the Normandy Train, by Claude Monet

November 6, 2015

She loves Paris, and she loves Monet, and she loves these colors...

Just three colors here, but WHAT colors...

Softly shaded colors, blended shades, and a few touches of a grid pattern to do homage to the glass roof of the train station. These subtle shades aren't easy to find. Happily, they can be blended, rather than having to be perfectly matched! The Trains are Essential She has a list of destinations. She's planned VERY carefully, studying train maps at length. While she understand that schedules might change, she's confident that she will make it from city to city with no problems. Taking trains is truly the only way she can make it work!

A little bit dressy, a little bit ... View the Post