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Home » Start a Capsule Wardrobe With » Clothing » Page 14

Clothing Archives - Page 14 of 20

Packing for Special Occasions: A Floral Coat, and Flower Colors

July 10, 2013

Sometimes, you have to travel for a special event to a place where the days are warm, but the evenings can be quite cool. This is a perfect opportunity to invest in an astonishingly beautiful coat, which gives you lots of colorful options around which to build a travel capsule wardrobe.

Regarding the question about the handbag color? I personally would always opt for a metallic when I'm not sure of what color. Not a blindingly shiny gaudy metallic - something more subtle and muted, in the same general color range as the clutch shown here. I find that metallic are a lot easier to blend in with a variety of colors than anything else that I see.

love, Janice

PS - For more color inspiration, check out ... View the Post

07.10.13 14 Comments

Tags: green, packing, white

When a White Shirt is PERFECT

Sometimes, a white shirt (tee shirt, tank top) is the ideal choice for an outfit...  First and foremost, if you love the way you're dressed, then you're wearing the perfect clothes, no matter what ANYBODY else says.  In hot weather, when you're wearing other light-colored garments, or when you need the brightening effects of white near your face.And you do understand that "your" white might be ecru, or cream, or ivory, or some other variations of white?  Choose what's best for you.  Always. Every day.  Without exception.  Your happiness is really the only standard by which your garments should be evaluated.

The lighter-background tee shirt is much more in keeping with the feeling of the white jeans. ... View the Post

07.04.13 12 Comments

Tags: vertical lines, white

When White Shirts Fail

June 28, 2013   White shirts are an absolute classic, right?   Everybody should own one.   Everybody should pull it out and wear it whenever they're in doubt about what to wear.   Uhhhh - I don't quite agree. Yes, there are times and places where a white shirt is the most appropriate choice - a conservative job interview, for example. But many of us, on a day to day basis, might be better flattered to wear tops that are closer in color to our pants or skirts -  if not a solid color, then a darker background. See what you think...   Belovedest and I saw this woman a couple of days ago, and he asked me why she seemed  so out of proportion - the woman in question is actually tall and thin. Her white ... View the Post

06.28.13 30 Comments

Tags: vertical lines, white, work wear

Another DVF dress; 1 dress, 6 ways

June 7, 2013  

I thought a lot yesterday about the mystique of the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. I've never even tried one of these on; I'm super-skeptical about how a traditional wrap dress will work with my short-waisted, full-balconied, and generally no-waist torso. But I browsed through a lot of Diane's other dress designs, and found the beauty below.  This really calls out to me in all kinds of ways - it's got my favorite colors, a much less dangerous décolletage, and some side shirring that seems as if it would be very flattering...

Sigh...    

 

 

love, Janice   ... View the Post

06.07.13 25 Comments

Tags: dresses

One dress, six ways: A Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress

June 6, 2013  

One of my friends is very committed to her black and white wardrobe, which she accents with jade and aventurine jewelry. When she saw this Diane von Furstenberg dress, she was very tempted, but just couldn't commit - she wasn't sure that she would find enough ways to wear it.Now,I can't make the decision for her, but if she knows that she will want/need a dress in the next year or so for a number of events, she will have ways to wear it...

    aventurine pendant - Tiffany, green wrap - Faliero Sarti, black and white slingbacks - Semilla Scarpe, pearl and black crystal earrings - Majorica, pearl necklace - Slane, black cardigan - J. Crew, black pumps - ... View the Post

06.06.13 23 Comments

Tags: dresses

One Dress – 6 Ways, in Navy and Pink

May 28, 2013  

let's revisit our friend who had the navy and pink Common Wardrobe.  Her accessories look kind of like this:

Striped scarf - Missoni, navy sandals - John Lewis, square patterned scarf - Dareen Hakim, bracelet - Luv Aj, Pink quartz earrings - Fantasy Jewelry Box, pink necklace - J. Crew,pink watch - Radley, tote bag - Jack Wills, navy linen scarf - Isola Marras, white sandals -Hotter, pink scarf - Faliero Sarti,  silk bracelet - Brooks Brothers, Hermes Passementerie scarf - vintage , navy penny loafers - Bass, pink flats - Sperry Top-Sider, pink socks - Bank, pink argyle socks - Chrissy's     Since this friend is ... View the Post

05.28.13 13 Comments

Tags: A Common Wardrobe, dresses, navy, pink

One dress – Six ways, in Black, White and Pink

May 22, 2013  

Okay, let's do some imagining... Imagine a person who has truly made the choice that their wardrobe core colors are going to be black, white, and pretty pink. Over the years, she accumulates the necessary basics - cardigans in her colors,  a black suit, shoes and sandals in black, with a fun pair of pink dress shoes, just for kicks. She has a beautiful pink scarf that has been around forever, and she has been carefully, gradually accumulating pink and silver jewelry...

 

Now, one day this person is shopping, and they see a dress. A classically cut, simple, (no beads, nor sequins) dress.  In black, white and pink!

It's easy to immediately fear that a dress in a print or ... View the Post

05.22.13 12 Comments

Tags: accessories, black, dresses, pink, white

How to wear a White v-neck sweater – the final sweater installment

May 3, 2013   This is the final v-neck sweater request - this time: white.  White sweaters are tricky because they don't tend to be opaque, and so layering under them can be difficult.  So for the most part, I've opted to treat this sweater as a really really nice tee shirt, and take advantage of its simplicity to enable to wearing of some great scarves and amazing jewelry. And of course, fun shoes!  

Sweater – Closed, scarves - Hermes, pants – Reiss, loafers – Tory Burch, skirt – John Lewis, pumps – Kate Spade    

Sweater – Closed, necklace- Aris Geldis, watch – Movado,  pants – Burberry Prorsum, flats – Repetto, earrings and necklace – Banana Republic, skirt – Calvin Klein, pumps – ... View the Post

05.03.13 7 Comments

Tags: sweaters, white

Does every woman need a denim jacket? Customizing the Classics

April 26, 2013   A couple of people have asked me about the widespread advice that every woman show have a denim jacket. Of course I disagree with this idea - I don't think anybody else can tell you what you should have in your wardrobe.

 

Traditional denim jackets can be really cool, but they're not always flattering:

There's nothing particularly wrong with denim; there are a variety of options in denim that could be a lot more flattering than the traditional cropped, narrow fit.

 

Maybe the cut is okay, but the color doesn't work very well; there are denim jackets in other neutral colors that might be a lot more useful for you.  

  Or you could get really radical and choose a ... View the Post

04.26.13 11 Comments

Tags: Customizing the Classics, denim

Now to wear a Neon Yellow v-neck sweater

April 23, 2013  

This was a special request from someone who LOVES, and looks good in, neon yellow.  To her I say carpe the sweater; few of us can wear this color well.  It's a great way to stand out in a crowd, and make a very cheery statement on even the gloomiest days.

Outfits including a yellow sweater and a dressy printed skirt

Sweater – Erica Cavallini, earrings – Tita, skirt – Sportmax, sandals – Marc by Marc Jacobs, earrings – Tita, skirt – Prabal Gurung, sandals – Frye  

Outfits with a yellow sweater, solid jeans or trousers, and a patterned scarf

Sweater – Erika Cavallini, scarves - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, sneakers - Keds,  black linen pants – Vince, boots – Christopher ... View the Post

04.23.13 13 Comments

Tags: sweaters, yellow

Must every woman own a pair of Khakis? Customizing the Classics…

Pants – Brunello Cuccinelli, sleeveless top – Dorothy Perkins, cord bracelet – Dorothy Perkins, blush sandals – Marais USA, chalcedony earrings –NuNu, tunic – Mary Portas, lace ballet flats – J.C. Penney, tank top – Uniqlo, tote bag – Ted Baker, sandals - Balenciag  

When you read those "10 wardrobe classics every woman MUST have", you'll often see a pair of khaki pants included as one of the ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED pieces of clothing...What utter tripe - there is NO REQUIRED GARMENT for any woman's wardrobe.  (Yes, I firmly believe some women can live without a bra, and if you wear tights every day, then other undergarments might be optional too...)

That said, there is some logic to the idea of a pair of khakis are a core ... View the Post

04.20.13 17 Comments

Tags: capsule wardrobe, Customizing the Classics, khaki, travel wardrobe

How to wear an Bright Green v-neck sweater

April 19, 2013

 

Wear a bright green sweater with solid jeans or pants and a printed scarf

 Sweater – J. Crew, scarves - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, loafers – Marc Jacobs, khakis – Vince, flats – Repetto  

Wear a bright green sweater with printed trousers and sandals

 

 Sweater – J. Crew, necklace – Dries Van Noten, wide-leg pants - Kenzo, sandals – Madison Harding, earrings –  Lori’s Shoes, pants – J. Crew, sandals – Sergio Rossi  

Two outfits with a bright green sweater, white jeans, and a printed tee shirt

 

Sweater – J. Crew, tee shirt – Splendid, white jeans – J. Crew, espadrilles – Castaner, tee shirt – Top Shop, flats - Lanvin  

Wear a bright ... View the Post

04.19.13 10 Comments

Tags: green, sweaters
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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...
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