The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Art Archives - Page 77 of 87

Start With Art: Wildlife near the Gosse Range – Albert Namatjira

January 29, 2015   There's really no question that I'm going to be looking at warm weather clothing!  

  Although the overall look of this painting is very light and bright, I always feel more comfortable anchoring a wardrobe with a few pieces of dark neutral, so I took advantage of the birds to work a dark brown into the scheme. The rosy beige of the sky is my 2nd neutral, and after that, the sky's the limit - pastels taken from the grass, the trees, and the distant mountains are all possibilities.  What lovely colors...  

 

I would start collecting pastel, bone, earthy accessories...

 

  love, Janice ... View the Post

Start With Art: The Apparition by Gustave Moreau

July 27, 2015  

 

The reader who requested this was particularly interested in the black, olive and camel parts of the painting, so I've taken the liberty of cropping the top third in order to focus on the colors in question. I'm sure Moreau will forgive me, since I'm such a big fan!

 

  Any Moreau painting cries out for an exotic and Byzantine wardrobe, but I wanted to keep things in the realms of the wearable, so I've opted for velvet, silk and cashmere in order to express the more exotic and sensuous aspects of the painting.  

Accessories are where you can really express the ornate impulses that seem to spring from this painting (and what that character in the painting is wearing!) - ... View the Post

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Just one quote, which I thought was worth the price of the book (emphasis mine):

"When you come across something that's hard to discard, consider carefully why you have that specific item in the first place. When did you get it and what meaning did it have for you then? Reassess the role it plays in your life. If, for example, you have some clothes that you bought but never wear, examine them one at a time. Where dd you buy that particular outfit and why? If you bought it because you thought it looked cool in the shop, it has fulfilled the function of giving you a thrill when you bought it. Then why did you never wear it? Was it because you realized that it didn't suit you when you tried it on at home? If so, and if you no longer buy ... View the Post

Another Thing to Remember…

January 4, 2015

It's tempting to try to rationalize purchases, even though you try something on and it's not quite perfect. "This will look better with the right tights..." is something that I said to Belovedest just a couple of days ago. And then I realized that I was just making excuses...

Quote from "I'll Drink to That" by Betty Halbreich.

love,

Janice ... View the Post

A Good Reminder…

January 1, 2015  

 

For those of us doing some major wardrobe overhauls, a reminder that it doesn't have to be finished by Monday...

Happy New Year to you all, my dearest friends, Janice

p.s. the accessories for the "All Black" wardrobe are on their way - soon - I promise! ... View the Post

Looking back…

Looking Back:

2013: From Desk to Dinner Party: Take off a Cardigan, and Add Some Bracelets! 2012: Lavoisier and your luggage, or folded versus rolled 2011: When was the last time...? ... View the Post

Looking back

Looking Back:

2013: From Desk to Dinner Party: Cardigans go Solo 2012: will you be in Chicago January 5, 2013? (an invitation to a group tea; anytime you're going to be in Chicago, get in touch with me and we can have breakfast/coffee/lunch/tea together!)

    ... View the Post

I’m off…

December 22, 2014   I'm away for the week; there are a couple of posts scheduled for the upcoming week, but I won't be able to respond to comments. Have a wonderful week - I'm back soon! Love to you all, JaniceLooking Back:

2012: What to wear with a scarf: Hermes Concours d'Etriers 2011:  Michigan Avenue Style Lab: brown and blue, twice     ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Art, Nature and Color Palettes

Since I started the Start With Art Series, building wardrobes based on works of art (or photographs, or other objects), I've received a lot of suggestions for which art works I might want to consider. I've been keeping a file of all of them, and I've finally decided that I should share my thoughts and ideas with you by making the file available. 

 

  The file has 100 works of art (a few scarves, a couple of photographs, and a plate, but mostly paintings), and then a 2nd page that includes my proposed color scheme, and my thought process around what I would look for in a wardrobe.   The whole file is available for $5. I included a table of contents, with hyperlinks to each painting. I am really eager to know ... View the Post

Who Won What – the Knotting Cards, and the $50 Novica Gift Card!

One of the more interesting things in life is coincidences. You KNOW, in your rational mind, that it's just a random confluence of events, but your heart wants to find a connection, or a reason, for these things to occur at just this time...

So if anybody's got a good explanation, tell me why, for BOTH random numbers I generated, the answer was 37?

I love these kinds of little events... 

AND THE WINNERS!!!

The Novica Gift card - Julie Bower

The Hermes Knotting Cards - Beatriz Fortes

Will you each please contact me at [email protected] and give me your mailing addresses? Julie, I think I can just email the card information to you, so you can start shopping immediately!

We are a lucky bunch, ... View the Post