The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Clothing Archives - Page 9 of 22

Start with a Sweater: Sailcloth Fair Isle sweater from L.L.Bean

September 22, 2021

It wasn't a complicated request, but it has someone stumped: "Can I build a small wardrobe for going back to my office, using this sweater as the inspiration?"

My answer to most questions: Heck yes!

First things first - what colors are in this sweater, anyway?

A pretty straightforward color palette!

Let's start with a couple of outfits that our friend had in mind, and then a couple more that I imagined. You know that I'm always going to find a pair of ivory corduroy pants if at all possible:

Our friend very much wanted a light blue shirt - and I was able to find one that seems to be very close to the same shade as found in her sweater!

I love a grey shirt - I can't explain it at all! ... View the Post

Start with a Cardigan: Birdcage Print Cardigan from Talbots

Ma7 21, 2021

Just in the last few days, 3 people have contacted me about cardigans from Talbots! These kinds of "confluences of interest" happen often - I find them fascinating...

But the cardigans are pretty amazing too! Some lovely prints...

excuse the image quality - I had to do some scary digital magic to get this together!

I love this sweater - some of us were debating the merits of using bright colors for accents, and this cardigan sets us up for a summer of black, white and brights:

Let's assume for working purposes that our heroine already has her black and white Common Wardrobe all sorted out...

Now, she decides that she's going to base her accent colors for this year on her new cardigan!

First up, ... View the Post

Start with a Shirt – Fresh Mint Seersucker Popover

May 12, 2021

I'm sure you don't think about these things, but my schedule is always a mixture of looking back (at blog posts upon which you are currently commenting, but which I prepared 2 or 3 days ago) and forwards - what I'm going to post Friday, Monday, next month...

I share this, because BEFORE I EVER PUBLISHED MONDAY'S POST, I had an impassioned request for a wardrobe based on this shirt!

Our friend has her color palette selected; she's not worried about getting dirty because she doesn't live that kind of life! She's focusing on 3 pastels, with chambray/denim blue and white as her neutrals:

She's even got ONE outfit chosen - this is where she began to experience "wardrobe planning block"...

I'm VERY sympathetic ... View the Post

Start with Swimwear: Paradise Aqua Space Dye Tankini from Lands’ End

April 7, 2021 This Year, She's Going to Swim...

She read last year on her favorite blog that these swimsuits were so flattering that any self-consciousness about being seen in public in swimwear will change forever! So true, and after a missed year at the beach house with her extended family, she's not going to skip anything...

This is her planned palette:

Most relatives will drive to their MASSIVE shared beach house, but she's going to take the train... Experience has taught her that she really needs a cardigan; those trains can be FREEZING in warmer weather!

She's thrilled to see a long-sleeved swim tee! And a swim skirt - now she has 4 swimwear pieces, which gives her 4 combinations... She could even be tempted by ... View the Post

Start with a Ruana: Echo Smoked Lilac Tweed Ruana

December 23, 2020

She loved the whole idea of a ruana, and when she saw this one, she was smitten:

She magnified the image as much as she could, and finally decided that these might be the colors that she would wear with it... if she decides to buy it!

But before she buys anything, she's going to sit down for a few minutes (maybe with a piece of paper and her favorite pen) and think about how she might wear this beauty...

Obvious 1st choice might be black pants and a pink sweater, but her pants will be her favorite velvet jeans, and the sweater will have some lovely textures. And fun socks - of course!

Now she stands for a good, long minute in front of her closet, thinking about the beige possibilities...

A ... View the Post

Start with a Ruana! Navy Lofty Plaid Ruana by Echo

December 18, 2020 She Knew Ahead of Time...

It's her favorite accessory - it includes all of her favorite colors!

So when she dressed up, rather more than usual, for the staff meeting, she knew that she wanted to wear it. As well as some rather... bold accessories!

Because when they announced that she had won the employee of the year award, which comes with an extra week of vacation, she was READY!!!

She had her suitcase stashed in her office; her boss already knew that she was taking the next week off. She's good at planning...

It's not mad cold where she's going - just cool enough to layer up sweaters and scarves! And walk, walk, walk, all around town...

The "normal" people in her office thought it ... View the Post

Start with a Sweater: Boden Fair Isle Crewneck

October 23, 2020 I'm the ONLY Person Available?

She knows the answer... When the tech who works at the clinic finally took a few days off, there would have to be someone on-site in the data center, and there really isn't anyone else who knows how to repair things. ("Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?")

So she's going to suck it up and wear her new sweater! In fact, she's going to build her entire travel wardrobe around the colors of her sweater. Why not? She's going to either be in the data compound or quarantined in her room at the visitor's center...

She starts with 3 outfits that she knows she wants to take with her:

They've already seen snow, so she's wearing her serious boots for the ... View the Post

Rescuing a Forgotten Garment: Print Sleeveless Tunic

June 4, 2020

Today's interesting warning - if you're wearing a mask frequently, be ABSOLUTELY sure that you're washing both the mask(s) and your face every 5 minutes or so. I currently have a really painful broken-out face from mask irritation. It's both ugly and sore...

But let's look at helping one of our friends get some good use from a beautiful garment, eh?

This isn't the exact tunic, of course, but it's sleeveless, and includes the colors royal blue, black and white, just like our friend's tunic. So I'm hopeful that any advice I can think of will be useful!

With a little bit of thought, this top could be worn for most of the year - I know it's odd to think of wearing sleeveless things in cooler weather, but stick with ... View the Post

Rescuing Forgotten Garments: A Leaf-Print Skirt

May 27, 2020

It wasn't a sad email, but it definitely was a cry for help! She loves the skirt, but so far has only worn it with a white tee shirt or white tank top. She owns lots of other clothes, so there MUST be more possibilities...

Note that this skirt does NOT have a bunch of gathers at the waist - thus untucked tops will not look awkward when they extend below the waist. Of such small details is a versatile garment made!

So, as I've done before, I tried to think of how this skirt could be worn each of the next 4 months, in 2 different ways.

First, for June, a pretty blouse is 1 option, or a linen tee shirt. I'm still smitten with these ruffled espadrilles; espadrilles aren't always terribly pretty, but a ruffle seems ... View the Post

What Pants Go With my Warm Neutral Tops?

September 13, 2019

Last Friday, I sang a small serenade in praise of stone-color cotton pants, as a vehicle for getting more mileage out of a LOT of garments... And some of you asked - rightly - if they would work well with warmer colors...

Yes, but not as well as these:

I think that these pants will go with almost any other color, but I particularly wanted to see how they would work with these neutral colors...

Some are more successful than others - of course! - but I think that these pants are a good possibility if your wardrobe has some "orphaned" tops in warm shades...

These colors are perfect together:

If you're moving from cool colors - especially black - to warmer colors, these pants might help you ... View the Post

I Want a Different Pair of Pants…

September 6, 2019

When you focus on a color palette for your clothes and accessories, you spend money smarter, and you have a much more versatile and coherent wardrobe. But sometimes you might want something... different? Some variety? A change of pace?

I'm feeling that way these days... I'm happy wearing blue jeans, black pants, and the occasional pair of white linen shorts... but what could I add to my wardrobe that might be practical and useful?

This color is called "stone," and is a relatively cool color... So I thought about what other neutral colors could be worn easily with a pair of pants in this color...

If you already have your core sweaters, tee shirt and other pieces in your neutral colors, these pants fit in ... View the Post

Start with a Jacket: Travel Six-Pack

June 5, 2019

I saw her in O'Hare last week, wearing a deeply amazing and eye-catching jacket...

I've chosen NOT to use that jacket as the core of this wardrobe, because of both the price and limited availability. But it wasn't difficult to find another beautiful jacket in a bright and joyous mix of prints!

Destination: To Be Determined! She's going to Europe, but beyond that, nothing is definite. Maybe cool, maybe warm...

So she's dressing for the unexpected...

Since she's not sure where she's going to go (probably where the train tickets are least expensive!) she's packing small, and very versatile:

She's erring a bit on the dressy side, because she plans to sleep quite a bit, and do some very lovely ... View the Post