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Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Winter Travel: Briqueterie a Tortosa by Pablo Picasso

January 9, 2019

 

Solar panels. She designs installations for solar panels - big installations, small ones - whatever is ordered, she will optimize both the appearance and the productivity. She's very proud of what she does...

So when she saw this painting, it spoke to her - the angles, the bright sunny feel, the combination of grey (like metal frames) with orange and green - the colors of things that grow and bloom:

She decided to choose a color palette that she could use for all of her travel wardrobes (and maybe all of her clothing, eventually):

 

One challenge she always faces is that she travels to place where it is inevitably warmer than where she lives! So she dresses warmly for her departure, and ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Instruments de Musique: by Pablo Picasso

January 4, 2019

Our final heroine from 2018! The square peg in the round hole, who nevertheless manages to be very effective at her job...

When she saw this painting, she knew that it would be a favorite for a long time:

So when she entered the workforce, she designed her own color palette and style guidelines... She knows that it's important for her to fit in with her co-workers, but she also wants to show her own personal... point of view!

When she traveled in January, she was absolutely delighted with what she packed - unexpected in some ways, but perfectly appropriate, just the same!

That trip went so well that she was... honored... (?) to be asked to visit their most difficult client just a few months later! ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Paysage de Neige” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

December 28, 2018

Ah, our friend who loves peace and quiet... She was smitten with this painting from the first time she saw it:

She found this painting to be so moving that she decided to base her wardrobe around it. In order to focus her shopping, she isolated a couple of key phrases and a small color palette that she drew from the painting:

She's been very pleased with the results!

In January she decided to get away for a peaceful long weekend at a resort that would be relatively deserted in the winter... Her plan was to go for walks, sit by the fireplace and read, and just generally relax and absorb the tranquility!

 

She found much to enjoy... So much so that she went back in April! Packing for that ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Passion Flower with Hummingbirds” by Martin Johnson Heade

December 26, 2018

Ah, this most enigmatic of heroines! Her favorite painting is this darkly beautiful wonder:

After studying it's depths and details for a while, she found her signature style and color palette:

Back in January, she took a trip (we don't know where!) for which she planned her travel wardrobe around these colors:

Our mystery heroine traveled again in April, and she again used her signature painting and color palette to inspire her travel wardrobe:

In July, she went into the city for a couple of days, so that she could go to a couple of baseball games! I said that she was enigmatic...

In October she traveled for what we suspected might be romantic motivations...

After all this ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “A Colorful Moon” by Alain Paillou

 

december 19, 2018

Ahhh, our heroine, the heiress... Her favorite image is a really amazing photograph of the surface of the moon:

She has used these colors for years as the inspiration for the colors in her wardrobe - not always easy to find, but she doesn't need to own THAT much...

When we first met her back in January, she had just fielded a call from Probate Court, who needed her to come sign some papers... She was a bit stunned to receive a quite large expense check to cover the cost of her 2 hour train trip!

In April she went to Mexico for a few days, thinking that she would visit at least a couple of towns to consider for her newly possible retirement!

The great-aunt who left her all this money ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Dame au Chapeau” by Natalia Gontcharova

December 17, 2018

Ah, this heroine... The unintentionally conspicuous college professor who never seems to fade into the background! That's just the way some people are..

Her favorite painting? This unique beauty:

From this, she was able to derive the most uncommon of color palettes for her wardrobe, as well a few phrases to help her keep focused:

Back in January, she traveled (for reasons we still don't know!) with this very unconventional travel capsule wardrobe:

When she was away for a long weekend at a symposium, she packed the following travel wardrobe. She didn't plan to speak or be on any panels, but I suspect she was called upon to contribute...

She's also been invited to other schools to speak to ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Flowers in a Crystal Vase” by Edouard Manet

December 14, 2018

Remember our friend the soil conservation engineer? The woman who is constantly reminding people that the brown stuff in which plants grow is SOIL and not just DIRT...

She's inspired by the potential inherent in healthy soil, the potential for things like flowers! So when she was choosing a theme and focus for her wardrobe, she chose this painting:

She thought about her priorities - softness with brown, feminine and timeless - and she isolated her favorite colors:

In January she got to go to a conference of soil engineers, which was a delightful chance for her to talk to people who deeply and truly understand and share her professional passion.

Her contacts at the conference worked out well - in ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Blue” by Kinuko Imai Hoffman

December 12, 2018

This wardrobe might be closer to my own than any blog post I've ever done! My clothes are almost all black and white, which I find very simple and calming. After scrolling through (literally) thousands of scarves, earrings, shoes, and handbags every day when I'm working on The Vivienne Files, some simplicity and clarity is welcome!

Remember our school consultant? She believes that creativity can be subtle - no shouting, no loud colors or garish details for her! Her favorite painting is simple but has a lot of subtle interest:

She maybe didn't even need to condense her ideas into words, nor her color palette into a wheel, but she did so in order to ensure that she is really focused and committed to this idea! ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Study in Verticals” by Frantisek Kupka

November 30, 2018

Remember our heroine the negotiator? She's got a knack for fitting herself into situations where there's conflict, and helping 2 sides reach a compromise. (How useful is THAT talent?) When she packs, she tries to give herself a range of options so that she can appear strong, friendly, forceful, or maybe even fade into the background a little bit... What a skill to develop!

She loves this painting...

In fact, she loved it so much that she decided to use it as the core aesthetic guide for her wardrobe!

Back in January she traveled for work, and had to go directly into meetings. A beautiful red dress made her visible without being strident...

When she travels for leisure (as she did back in April), ... View the Post

I have never done this before….

November 29, 2018

Just when you think you know for an iron-clad fact when there will be a new post on The Vivienne Files, sometimes comes up that I have to share immediately!

I bought myself this black and white striped cashmere sweater from Nordstrom when they got marked down to UNDER $60. My expectations were... modest, to say the least - we all know that the quality of cashmere isn't what it used to be.

It's lovely. I'm wearing it right now, with velvet jeans and a windowpane plaid shirt. (we're going to a friend's tonight for dinner...)

Okay, it's not Loro Piana, or Brunello Cuccinello, but it also didn't cost an entire month's rent!

11 colors and 3 different stripes are available. Petites are available too! (that warms ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of Shallow Deep by Wassily Kandinsky

November 26, 2018

Oh how this heroine's life has changed in a year! Back in January she took a pack of 6th graders to New York City - what a brave woman! On a more leisurely note, she went back to New York 3 months later, by herself, to scout out more destinations for students...

Her confidence in planning these trips, and the expertise that she developed, lead to her applying for a job with the State Board of Education specifically dealing with student activities outside of the classroom! When she got the position, she began the frequent trips to the state capital that she will have to make every month or so...

When you look back at these 4 wardrobes, you can see that her style becomes a bit more dressy over time - she has to be ... View the Post