The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Clothing Archives - Page 14 of 23

Maximize Your ROI: Black and White Houndstooth Check Flats

February 11, 2015

As I mentioned before, I've received a couple of questions about what to wear with a special pair of shoes. When I saw these, I KNEW I was going to have fun, given my abiding love of all things black and white:

A little fearless mixing of stripes is the perfect foil for these simple flats. And a classic black dress with just a hint of white would be madly useful through the summer.

Putting dots with the houndstooth of the shoes seemed like a fun idea, and the pleated shorts are a lot more forgiving than the super-short shorts that seem to be everywhere! The red dress is easy with the black and white shoes - and a bag in a MUCH larger houndstooth pattern keeps things amusing.

Any bright color works ... View the Post

Maximize Your ROI: Orange Boots

February 7, 2015

It might be the request I receive most frequently: "I just bought ______ and I don't know how to wear it!"

As much as I'm a big fan of planning purchases and having a deliberate wardrobe scheme, I'm not immune to the reality of the "coup de coeur" - that French kick in the heart that screams to you and will not be denied. And I think that these impulses that overwhelm can be a good way to indulge in an accent color, or a change of wardrobe direction.

Take, for example, these stunning boots:

These are oh so NOT my style, but I can see the appeal. And one of you, dear friend, fell for their charms.

Now what to do? I have a plan. Of COURSE I have a plan!

Consider, while you're still carrying these ... View the Post

A Mid-Winter Refresh: Cashmere Sweaters for All (Color) Seasons

January 31, 2015  

Fear not, I'm FAR from finished with Start With Art. (frankly, it's a theme that I will never stop doing - it's just too beautiful, and too much fun)

But there are so many really lovely cashmere sweaters on sale right now - for those of us who are growing MADLY tired of winter, and our winter clothes, this is a great time to grab a well-considered and carefully integrated new sweater into our wardrobes. (mine is a red cotton cabled crewneck, which will have legs far into the spring...)

If you're in the market for some winter clothes to brighten up the end of the season, it's well worth browsing sites like The Outnet, Saks Off 5th, or Neiman Marcus Last Call. Major retailers are dying to ... View the Post

Can Anyone Wear Floral Prints?

June 12, 2014

You really can't swing a dead handbag these days without finding racks and racks and RACKS of floral garments, bags and jewelry.  Normally, there are always at least some floral items available at any time of the year, but this summer it seems that it's easily the dominant theme. And many of us are wondering if this is something we should consider; is this a trend that's worth pursuing?  Good question...

It's important to remember that there are a wide variety of floral prints, and you might want to evaluate the options before you discard the whole idea of flowers.  Consider these various views of the "floral" theme:

For many of us, this is what we consider when we think of floral - big, glorious, ... View the Post

A Floral Blouse in A Common Capsule Wardrobe

June 11, 2014   Floral garments are everywhere this summer - any sort of skirt, blouse, tee shirt or dress your heart may desire is out there somewhere...   But I receive emails every day asking how a floral garment can be incorporated into The Common Capsule Wardrobe.  Let's look at this problem in some detail.   First off - the gorgeous blouse with which you fall in love - is it in colors that bear at least a passing resemblance to the rest of your wardrobe? Or does it include a substantial portion of a neutral (or two)? This blouse might be the first glimpse of rose/dark pink that your wardrobe has seen in decades, but at least it has a lot of neutral khaki in it, and enough black details that it can be worn ... View the Post

Navy and Beige with Coral and Sun

April 24, 2014   Warm accent colors with navy and beige?  Absolutely!  

I've changed up the cardigan again - this one is a splurge and a half, but the navy and coral are beautifully presented here:

And just to show some other possible choices, I've picked out a new skirt and a pair of outrageous summer pants.  I personally would wear these pants in a heartbeat, but your mileage may vary!

This gives you this 24-piece wardrobe; isn't it fascinating how changing just a few of the garments makes so much difference in the overall feel of the ensemble?

As always, lots of possible ways to wear these - from the most casual, to reasonably dressy activities.

  love, Janice ... View the Post

Navy and Beige Wardrobe gets the (Turquoise and Periwinkle) Blues

April 23, 2014  

Many of you mentioned mixing shades of blue with your navy and beige, citing the always beautiful suggestion that this reminds you of the sand and the sea. How can anybody make this happen?  

  Say this is your summer shopping - these are the accent colors that you use, rather than the red and green that I used earlier.  So your color scheme is this:  

  In addition to changing out the accent colors, I'm going to make two simple changes to the original core wardrobe.  First, I want to include a floral sweater that does justice to our chosen accent colors:    

  and I'm swapping out the patterned skirt from earlier for a solid navy skirt with a ... View the Post

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

More “Dressing Up” A Simple Dress

January 2, 2014   I had a few more variations of this floating around my computer, so for those of us who continue to party through the 12 days of Christmas, here are a few more suggestions!

  This first look is low-key dressy, with a hint of sparkly cardigan, some serious silver earrings, a wee silver bag and a hint of silver trimming the shoes.  All the accessories come from the same general family without being too matchy matchy.   The 2nd ensemble features a wonderful ornamented cardigan, so I kept the earrings small, the cross-body bag a bit lacy, and the slingbacks (low-heeled, thank you!) have that touch of white that echoes the pearls.  

Silver earrings – Oscar Figueroa, dress – Acne, ... View the Post

“Dressing Up” A Simple Dress

December 31, 2013   Sometimes we're confronted with an invitation that strongly suggests that we get super dressed up.  EEEEEK....   If you're sure that it's absolutely obligatory that you dress to the teeth, just brace yourself and go shopping.  But if you are pretty certain that you just need to be dressy, maybe a simple dress with some well-chosen accessories might be just the ticket!  

  love, Janice ... View the Post