Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
As autumn truly sets in, it's a good time flash back to some of my favorite posts that started with flowers!
Start with Flowers: Delphiniums
Start with Flowers: Daffodils
This is actually fabric, and not real flowers, but I think it fits here!
Start with Art: Flowers from Rosablue - a Four Pack for Business
Start with Flowers: Cherry Blossoms
love from vacation,
Janice ... View the Post
October 10, 2015 I'm not sure exactly why I love these so much, because I never wear camel! But I really love the way the richness of the color works so beautifully with deep jewel tones, or soft pastels. If I had the coloring to look gorgeous in camel, I'd be ALL over it...
Four Pack: Camel and Burgundy
How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Teal and Camel
How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Navy and Camel
How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Camel and Wine love, Janice ... View the Post
Who am I kidding? I've loved all of these posts, and they are going to continue to be the core of what I do on The Vivienne Files. Getting dressed might be as close to art in our lives as some of us get, and I'm going to make sure that we enjoy it!
This might be my single favorite wardrobe EVER (the tassel on the tote bag was a stroke of GENIUS):
Start with Art: Version 2 The Apparition by Gustave Moreau
Start with Art: Winter at the Convent by Margaret Loxton
Start with Art: Rose by Ansel Adams
Start with Art: The Shoe Shop by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones
love,
Janice ... View the Post
October 8, 2015 Not many people wear dresses as often as I do, and I think that's a shame; dresses are amazingly versatile, and super-easy to wear. I've written about how to accessorize dresses a lot in the past, and I hope to do so more in the future.
"Dressing Up" A Simple Dress
More "Dressing Up" A Simple Dress
One dress, six ways: A Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress
Another DVF dress; 1 dress, 6 ways love, Janice ... View the Post
October 7, 2015 If you're going to spend money on a scarf, you want to make sure that it's right! I've addressed this question a lot, and fully hope to work on it a lot more in the future.
Choosing a Scarf to Wear with Navy
How to Choose an Hermes Scarf: Post-Valentine's Day Gift Edition
How to Choose an Etro Paisley Scarf
How to Choose an Hermes Scarf: Sous l'Egide de Mars
How to Choose an Hermes Scarf: La Songe a la Licorne love, Janice ... View the Post
October 6, 2015 I've done a lot of these, but choosing my favorites wasn't difficult. There's nothing I can put my finger on - sometimes the colors, or a specific garment. Individual preference is what makes us all so wonderfully different, of course! Start with Art: Joan of Arc by Jules Bastien-Lepage
"Whatever's Clean 13" in LEOPARD, Navy and Beige
How to Pack Light: Yellow and Black "Whatever's Clean 13" for warm weather
How to Pack Light: Uncertain Weather, and the "Whatever's Clean 13" love, Janice ... View the Post
September 28, 2015 So when we last visited our heroine, former family caregiver become corporate Public Relations executive, she was thriving in her new position. And it didn't go unnoticed by her employer's competition!
Headhunters began to emerge from the shrubbery...
And one day, she was called into the Director's office.
10 minutes later, she's holding a VERY large retention bonus in her hand, in exchange for her signature on a two-year contract.
VERY LARGE retention bonus.
She went back to her office. She closed the door, burst out laughing. With a bit of silly, breathless squeaking mixed in.
And she cried, just for a second.
Then she called her husband. And then the travel agent...
She ... View the Post
I have too many scarves. It's just that simple - when I'm looking for a specific one, I struggle to find it, and I wander past a LOT of beautiful scarves that aren't getting the love and attention they deserve.
So I decided to clean up!
For no really good reason I can think of, I decided to choose 10 scarves to send out into the world. And from there, my methodology was bizarre, but effective...
First off, I got to thinking about how there are really only two kinds of clothes - good ones and bad ones. You can define these two terms however you like, but for me, good means good fabric, well constructed, by people who are paid a decent wage and work in decent surroundings, and which are sold by people who are also treated with ... View the Post
September 24, 2015
And, as promised, another look at this scarf, with a completely different color scheme!
Doesn't this look completely different when folded and worn this way?
I'm eschewing all accents this time, and going strictly for some interesting neutrals:
She Doesn't Mean to be Difficult... But the prototypes were entirely wrong. Wrong color. Wrong sizes. Wrong details. You have to wonder if the had the specifications upside down...
So she's off to Milan, to have a serious chat with the knitting mill management!
It's not that she doesn't like Milan - she loves it - but this isn't a good time to have to make this trip. She won't have time for more than one really amazing ... View the Post
September 23, 2015
One last visit with our friend who spent so many years taking care of her family...
A Well-Deserved Move Up... She put her head down, learned everything she could, pitched in wherever she was needed, and became more productive and more indispensable every day. She didn't complain about menial tasks, nor repetitious projects. She was pleasant but not ingratiating, helpful but not servile, and intelligent without making anyone want to whap her in the head. She was, in short, a dream employee.
Of course she was - she was mature enough to know what really matters!
So one day, when the manager wanted to talk to her, she had no concerns that she was in trouble for something.
And in fact, it was ... View the Post
September 22, 2015
Let's come back to this great painting and color scheme, and see what our wonderful care-giver is up to...
A Shift of Focus As time passed, our care giver discovered that her responsibilities gradually diminished. Her parents were in a facility that gave them the kind of attention they deserved, after their life of work and service. Her children were grown and starting their own lives as adults. And her husband - like all of the best life partners - only wanted for her to be happy and fulfilled.
So she decided to get a job...
First thing was to make sure she had something interview-worthy, so she found a navy skirt that she could wear with her navy blazer. While the fabrics are very ... View the Post
September 21, 2015 I love this painting; it lives just down the street from me at the Art Institute of Chicago. Severini isn't well-known, and I think that's a shame - his Cubist works are lovely...
This painting lends itself to a color scheme firmly grounded in versatile neutrals, but sparked with some extraordinary accent colors. In addition to the pink and blue that I've chosen, you've got some beautiful yellow, a hint of true red, and some aqua too!
Care-giving as Art She took care of them all - children, spouse, parents, neighbors, and never missed a beat...
And she always looked lovely while doing so! Never over-done or fussy, and ALWAYS appropriate to the occasion and the activities. But ... View the Post
