The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Capsule Wardrobe Plans Archives - Page 9 of 62

Want a Simple Blue & White Summer Wardrobe? Start with Art – Mirage by Max Ernst

June 14, 2024

She loves the painting. She REALLY loves the colors - she believes that the top section is brown, and who are we to disagree?

This is an important thing for us all to remember - just because our painting of inspiration and motivation includes (in this case) four colors doesn't mean that every wardrobe we assemble MUST include all four colors...

So while our heroine has a "shades of pink" and brown wardrobe in her dreams for the upcoming cool weather, right now, she's liking blue and white...

She's found a dress she loves, as well as a handbag that's gorgeous...

She already had lots of white clothes, so this year, she found new sneakers with blue trim, as well as a bracelet, and a new band for her ... View the Post

Want to Embrace the Pantone Color of the Year? Start with Art – Untitled Watercolor 1946 by Mark Rothko

June 12, 2024

For those who don't pay attention to such things, the Pantone 2024 "Color of the Year" is Peach Fuzz. Very pretty, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we can find clothing in this color!

Our heroine is smitten with this painting, and she just knew that someone, somewhere, would eventually introduce clothing that would be perfect...

She knows full well that taupe is a miserably difficult color to find in clothing, so she's prepared to wear white with her new accent color, if necessary. And she's also willing to be persistent, and patient, in the hunt for taupe!

These are the colors she wants for her new wardrobe accent:

She's not entirely sure how much of this new color she will purchase - she's going ... View the Post

Want to Add Denim to Black & White? Start with a Scarf – the Willow Allen Scarf by Echo

June 10, 2024

Maybe you really loved the black and white wardrobe on Friday, but you know that you don't want to travel without some denim or chambray!

This scarf should set you up pretty well:

the text means "take care of the land and animals and they will give you life"

I've isolated the three shades of blue in the scarf, but I think you can be pretty flexible with this:

These four outfits are going to look familiar, but different. This is what The Vivienne Files is all about - the possibilities you have available with small changes. Nobody needs an entirely new wardrobe (well, almost nobody); most of us just need a few well-chosen updates!

Yes, her handbags are similar, but it's not that easy to find a nice ... View the Post

Looking for an Interesting Two-Toned Wardrobe? Start With a Scarf – The Ralph Lauren Scarf by Echo

June 7, 2024

Say you've got a scarf you really need to wear, for whatever reason. And it's not colorful...

This isn't all bad - this is actually a fun challenge to see how much visual interest you can bring to a simple color palette:

An obvious place to start is with black and white stripes....

The knitted texture of a solid sweater can make a lot of difference, as can a woven bag, or "perfed" shoes...

If you're wearing black and white, you don't want to miss the chance to find all of the black and white shoes you can!

Checks are always fun too!

Ah, if you've got a chance to take a quick trip somewhere, there are worse ways to pack than this!

This isn't exactly the way this is ... View the Post

Want to Try Warm Accents with Black? Start with a Scarf – The Juan Delcan Scarf by Echo

May 27, 2024

While some of us are loyal to the color palettes given to us - sometimes years ago - by color consultants, some of us are out there experimenting...

This scarf inspires experimentation:

At first, I thought I would tackle something with the light blue background - faded denim and chambray would both be ideal.

But then I really focused on the juxtaposition of black with the warm gold, green and orange creatures on this most whimsical of scarves:

Our heroine, who has a fondness for lacy and textured cardigans, is off and running!

Her wardrobe has many of the same classic black garments as that of her friend from Friday's post, but things look very different with these colors!

Even though ... View the Post

Are You Just Now Adding Accent Colors? Start With a Scarf – The Helena Christensen Silk Scarf by Echo

May 22, 2024

She's never worn accent colors - there are a ton of neutrals, and she's always been just fine with them!

But she saw this scarf...

Immediately, she saw colors that she loves. It's not that she's never liked accent colors, but until now, none of them really felt like her. Who are we to question?

Her Common Wardrobe is migrating slowly toward spring - a black top with ruffled sleeves is about as racy as she's ever really gone! But she does have summer tops and a pair of shorts, so she's off to a good start:

Then one day, she decided to just jump in and shop! She's still not made the move to wearing earrings - THAT feels like too much a change... (yes, I have two friends who NEVER wear earrings ... View the Post

Is Your Wardrobe Very Basic? Start with a Scarf – Krista Kim Silk Scarf by Echo

May 20, 2024

What do you do about accents and accessories when your wardrobe is very neutral and practical? I've been asked this quite a bit, recently...

Say you're smitten with this scarf:

You can easily see that there are tons of colors possible to emphasize in this scarf, but you isolate this color palette:

Yes, it's entirely possible that the border of this scarf is navy, rather than black. I'm not quite certain...

Here's where your questions seem to arise - this is what your day-to-day wardrobe looks like:

Yes, these 12 garments are what I refer to as A Common Wardrobe, or "clothes that most of us own in one variation or another." Years ago, I spent an evening observing a large gathering of advertising ... View the Post

Looking for a Fresh, Bright Summer Accent? Start with Art – Morning Glories by Suzuki Kiitsu

May 17, 2024

If only one could find clothing as vivid and compelling as this image:

Please note that this is just a detail from the much larger room screen that is the original artwork...

Our heroine loves her navy wardrobe, but she feels the urge to really get bright this summer! So she decides to work with her favorite image, and to add this palette to her classic wardrobe core:

Her core wardrobe already includes one green top... she's ready to pile on with the green!

This heroine knows that Boden is the place to look for a vivid accent, and a pretty dress! She takes her time, and assembles the following French 5-Piece Wardrobe for hot weather:

If you're looking for an accent color dress, but this one ... View the Post

Want to Expand a Core Summer Wardrobe? Start with Art! Untitled (Red) 1956 by Mark Rothko

May 15, 2024

Sometimes, you don't have any explanation for what you love... Our heroine felt completely smitten when she saw this:

She already has her core summer wardrobe in hand, with navy and white, and coral accents.... but these colors. OH THESE COLORS!

I feel this way about shades of purple, so I'm sympathetic...

She takes a good look at her current summer wardrobe, because you don't want to just fly off in all directions without any thought at all...

And then, she shops! This might look like a ton of stuff to add to your summer wardrobe, but I have a hunch that if many of us collected everything together that we buy between early May and the end of August, it's as much as this or more!

I know that I can ... View the Post

Want to Break the Mold With Your Accessories? Start with a Scarf – Mary-Louise Parker Silk Scarf from Echo

May 6, 2024

Our heroine has the world's tiniest travel capsule wardrobe planned, but she wants something really unexpected for her accessories. This scarf caught her eye, and gave her an idea...

She's been planning to pack denim, black and white - well, just a white tee shirt (and maybe a button-front shirt...) but she felt that black accessories were too predictable. But BURGUNDY accessories? Hmm...

She expects to be leaving from a cool-ish day - so a cashmere sweater, corduroy pants and her cool denim coat are her planned travel outfit. 

But if she starts with the Mary-Louise Parker scarf, adds a fun lapel pin, and burgundy boots, then she can pack her clothes in her Hurley backpack... Talk about ... View the Post

Eight Outfit Ideas, based on the Christiane Lemieux Echo 100 Limited Edition scarf

April 22, 2024

She loves neutrals - ALL the neutrals. When she saw this scarf, she distinctly heard it calling her name. (don't tell anyone - they'll think she's daft!)

But yes, this sometimes happens...

She admired the scarf extensively, and studied the colors for quite a while, too...

Her first thought was how lovely this scarf would look with her favorite summer dress - perfect for those days when she can't get out of going to her office:

Weekends? This scarf is just the right touch with a classic black and gray outfit:

Another outfit that could go to work or out for any sort of activity with friends - the scarf breaks up the severe monochromatic outfit perfectly:

But should she bust out? She's ... View the Post

Four Neutrals x Three Accent Colors – Which Ones “Work”?

April 15, 2024

So once you've studied the Pantone Colors from London Fashion Week, (found here and here), you have to decide if you like the colors, if you would be flattered by wearing any of them, and how they might look with the neutral clothes you normally wear.

I can't answer the first two questions for you - obviously - but I can give you some visuals to help you picture how the accent colors might work with your existing wardrobe...

I've assembled four "core wardrobes" in white, black, beige and navy, in varying degrees of dressiness. The level of dressiness is going to be more important than I had realized - you'll see what I mean.

Here are the four Wardrobe Cores:

The black core is pretty casual:

The beige ... View the Post