May 14 2014 I am asked this question often - is there anything I can do to be prepared when I have one of those mornings and I just can't get dressed? Today's a particularly appropriate day for me to write this, because I'm wearing my version of this today - head to toe black with accessories... For me, the best way to be prepared for this is to have ten items - six garments and four accessories - specifically assigned (in my mind, at least) for these days when everything feels like it's falling apart. You can work this in any color scheme, and the garments in question are an excellent base for both a travel wardrobe or a new simpler closet. You have to accept that you're going to wear a very simple ... View the Post
Common Wardrobe Archives - Page 7 of 13
Leveraging the Floral Trend: 1= 20
April 22, 2014
Once more, let's visit this beige and navy spring and summer wardrobe. You're happy with this wardrobe - it provides appropriate and attractive options for pretty much every event in your life. But you decide that you WANT something floral, just to participate in a current trend. You love flowers. You want a new tee shirt. You just plain want to shop! Keeping your color scheme in mind - either through carrying around some skeins of embroidery floss, or a photograph of your closet, or whatever mnemonic works best for you:
You stumble across this beauty in your shopping:
All your colors. Floral. It seems perfect... ... View the Post
More Wardrobe Leverage: 3 = 30
April 19, 2014
Let's say that you are the happy owner of the 24 piece wardrobe in navy and beige that we've looked at for the last two days... And you decide that you want a little bit of brightness for spring!The only real thing you want to keep in mind while shopping is the degree to which anything new that you choose can be worn with your core pants and sweaters. A scarf that includes your core colors, along with a couple of pretty accent colors, is a good place to start. Pick up a pair of tee shirts in the accent colors, and you're on your way!
At first, these don't see to be a particularly compatible choice for your original wardrobe:
But in ... View the Post
2 dozen = 12 dozen, at least
April 18, 2014
I'm always intrigued by how many outfits you can pull together from a well-chosen capsule wardrobe, so after I built yesterday's ensemble, I started pulling together outfits, just out of curiosity...Remember, these were the 24 garments with which I started:
There are almost certainly more possibilities here; I threw in the towel after I passed twelve dozen...
love, Janice ... View the Post
A “Two Suit” Wardrobe in Navy and Beige
April 17, 2014 Another visit to this concept, keeping the beige linen (I'm SO lazy...) and using navy as our other neutral. I'm going to try to explain the steps for choosing these items in more detail, so that you can recreate what I do in your own closet.
Also, I want to address the question of having multiple pairs of dark neutral pants. Often, we're told that "you shouldn't own three pair of navy pants", but I heartily disagree, because of the wide variety of navy pants that you might own. In this particular example, I've included very narrow navy capris in a cotton fabric, a wide-legged trouser (full-length), and a silk-like palazzo pant. My feeling is that these three pants give three very different outfits when ... View the Post
Can Chanel Guide Us to a Workable Casual Wardrobe?
April 16, 2014 One of the most popular posts I've ever written was asking if Coco Chanel was right when she told us that a woman only needs two suits to be well dressed. (find it here) I'm often asked how this idea translates for those among us who wear mostly casual clothing, and who don't really have any use for a suit. So these are my thoughts: First off - the equivalent of the black suit - a cardigan, capris, pants, and a dress:
and then a similar approach in beige - another cardigan, linen pants, a pair of shorts and another:
First add-on is a couple of "twin-sets" in accent colors. But only one cardigan, and a linen shirt to take the place of the ... View the Post
The Vivienne Files FAQ: Are Accessories Necessary?
March 4, 2014 Do you have to buy and wear accessories? Absolutely not - except most of us will have to wear shoes... But I very strongly feel that just a few well-chosen accessories can make a world of difference in how the simplest of garments come together into ensembles. If you're not comfortable wearing scarves, find a way to just throw one around your neck one day and then do your utmost to ignore it for as long as possible. Make sure your first scarf isn't anything floaty or filmy that's going to blow up into your face at the first opportunity. Maybe something quite small, tied up and out of the way so that you won't even really see it... Jewelry is also pretty useful - earrings especially ... View the Post
Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent Color: Linden Green
September 21, 2013 I wasn't crazy about this color when I started looking for accent items for our capsule wardrobe, but when I started putting it against the neutral colors it really began to grow on me. And I'm also beginning to see the value in an accent cardigan. I think it's easy to assume that an accent color for a season or two might be best purchased in a blouse, tee shirt or sweater, but upon reflection I can see that a cardigan could be worn more often, and make more of a visible impact... Food for thought.
While I was combing the internet for this color, I noticed that the brand Schumacher had a variety of garments in this color currently available. It's not uncommon for a ... View the Post
Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent Color: Koi (or Goldfish, for the rest of us)
September 20, 2013 Ah, these color names are always good for a laugh. This is sort of orange, to me. Maybe goldfish. But under any name, this is a radiant color that is PERFECT for autumn and winter...
love, Janice ... View the Post
Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent Color: Deep Lichen Green
September 14, 2013 This is another Pantone seasonal color that feels a lot like a neutral to me - and a beautiful neutral! There are lots of items available in this color; if you aren't comfortable wearing this near your face, there are still a lot of options for shoes and pants...
Scarf – YuhOkano, cardigan – Bark, earrings – Nikki Baker, Buddha bracelet – Eastern Mystic, loafers - Munro
love,
Janice ... View the Post
Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent 2013: Vivacious
September 12, 2013 I'm always amazed when a bright shade of fuchsia or hot pink is considered a "special, seasonal" color, because it seems to me that it's always available in some shape or form...
Drop stud earrings – Dorus Mhor, Blouse – Maison Martin Margiela, scarf – Pucci , clutch – Poupee Couture, flats – Adam Tucker
love, Janice ... View the Post
Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent 2013: Carafe
September 10, 2013 I would have called this Coffee, rather than Carafe, which is why I'm a blogger and NOT working for Pantone, I guess!
Earrings- Toosis, Blouse – Emporio Armani, hat – Lisa Battaglia, print infinity scarf – Nordstrom, shoes – Geox
There are at least a dozen MORE outfits that I haven't shown here...
love,
Janice ... View the Post
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