The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Start With Art: The Breakfast Room by Childe Hassam

January 30, 2014   My life - wardrobe-wise - is now an interesting contrast between being in gym clothes, or leisure clothes, for much of my time, and then every now and then I have to look like I belong in a business meeting or a dinner party...   Apparently I'm not at all alone, because many people have asked me about how to have a coherent wardrobe strategy when you dress for such a wide variety of activities.   So I chose one of the very beautiful paintings suggested to me, and went to work.  This painting is an innovative combination of accent colors, some interesting asymmetry, and a wide range of grey through beige and taupe neutrals.   First up - the gym!  Being able to use grey as a neutral is ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With a Scarf: Navy and Burgundy

January 29, 2014     What if you bought a new scarf, and you liked it so much that you decided to make EVERY clothing purchase, for a year, based on the colors of the scarf?    

I get lots of questions about red, white and blue wardrobes, so when I was asked to address this scarf specifically, I thought it could be great fun.     This looks like a tremendous amount of shopping, but do bear in mind that the average American purchases 68 garments and 7 pair of shoes per year, and that it's entirely possible that you already own a few of these items...  This budget is pretty extreme, but I'm pretty confident that you can find beautiful items for just a bit less ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With a “Difficult” Scarf: Liberty London Ianthe Scarf

January 27, 2014   Yes, I was going to take the day off,  but I had this post finished...   Liberty London makes this scarf is a variety of colors, some assorted sizes, and at least two different fabrics that I know of, but no matter how it's done, the Ianthe scarf is a popular classic. But this scarf is subtle, understated, and challenging...   I really honed in on the subtlety of the coloring, and determined that very muted, dusty or milky colors would blend best. The overall curved patterns combine to form a starburst feeling, which I wanted to hold in the back of my mind, and the very fine detailing meant that I was going to be watching for small stones in jewelry, fine but visible textures in fabric, and ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With a “Difficult” Scarf: Sepia and Light Grey

January 24, 2014   One of my friends asked me specifically to suggest some ways to wear this scarf - Musique des Spheres, from Hermes. The scarf came out... at least 10 years ago? And thus is only available on the secondary market, but as you can clearly see, it's a stunner. There is NOT a pink patch in the upper left corner... I struggled to find the best image of this scarf I could, and this was what I found.   Identifying the adjectives that convey the aesthetic of this scarf is difficult - I had to think and study for quite a while. But I found that I kept coming back to the ideas of contrast (the clarity of the lines against the background), balanced with an overall sense of muted coloring (the scarf is not pure white, ... View the Post

Start With a “Difficult” Scarf: Black and White

January 22, 2014   This scarf, currently available from Hermes, is incredibly beautiful - much more interesting in person than any photograph can do justice...  

  But it's easy to see how you could fall into the routine of wearing this scarf pretty much exclusively with black and white garments - it just seems reasonable.  So I'm proposing a mental "reframing" of the scarf that might expand your comfort zone with it...   First off, think of the adjectives that characterize the unique beauty and appeal of this scarf.  To me, this scarf is clear, graphic, and linear.  This gives you a basis upon which to think about the sort of outfits that might benefit from the addition of this ... View the Post

Shopping with a Painting, or What I Bought, January 2014

January 20, 2014   For quite a while, I've described my personal style as LaValise de la Garçonne, aka The Tomboy's Suitcase.  I try to remind myself that I really don't need clothing much beyond what I would pack for my next trip, and that as much as I'd like to be a classy, elegant, lady-like creature, I'm much more likely to be the person who climbs up the ladder and fixes the broken gizmo than I am to be the prim princess with the clipboard supervising the process...I've just recent stumbled upon the perfect painting to express my colors and overall feeling that I want to accomplish in my wardrobe: Two Sisters with a Cello, by Marie Laurencin.  I can't actually SHOW you the painting, because I can't afford to buy rights ... View the Post

Wearing a Classic Burberry Scarf All Year: July through December

January 17, 2014   Let me explain a bit of the "step by step" of how I would envision the use of a scarf as a unifying theme within a wardrobe.  Starting with July - let's say you've decided that you want to get an entire new outfit in July, and you want to exercise the discipline implied by using a single scarf as your inspiration. You're working with four colors, and an overall sensibility and aesthetic of right angles, with woven textures.   July = hot, in the Northern Hemisphere.  But it also means work for many of us, so a dress is the plan.  You spot something solid red, in the world's most forgiving silhouette, so that choice is pretty straightforward.  But you don't want to add on red accessories; ... View the Post

Wearing a Classic Burberry Scarf All Year: January through June

January 16, 2014   These scarves are wildly popular, and I've been asked a couple of times if someone who loved them could use these colors as the basis of an entire wardrobe.  Camel, black, white, with accents of red?  What a wonderful idea...   Are we tired of seeing scarves, or art? I get lots of specific requests, but I've had one rather strongly-worded objection to these posts.  Since I write for you all, let me know what you think.  

  I thought that by the time warm weather rolls around, you're not going to wear the scarf all that often, but there's no reason to forego a touch of the traditional plaid on your tee shirt...  

    love, Janice

  ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: MacCallum Lake by Lawren Harris

January 15, 2014   I'd never heard of this artist until just a few days ago, but I'm so delighted to have been introduced to his work. This painting made me look for warm textury shades of russet and rust, as well as wavy misty greeny/bluey tan clouds in the sky. Basically I made up some words, but the potential within this painting is amazing.  

  I love the range of possibilities offered when you look at these outfits as separates, combined into a wardrobe...  

  love, Janice ... View the Post

Wearing Hermes Grands Fonds Silk Scarf All Year – July through December

January 14, 2014   Okay, under no circumstances would you wear this scarf with the frankly gym-like outfit for August (okay, maybe tied to your bag?), but I show this as an example of how your color preferences can permeate and inform ALL of your wardrobe choices.  And yes, I would wear flat loafers with a dress, depending on how much standing/walking is going to be involved in an event.  Plus I just couldn't leave out these great shoes...  

  After establish a core of blues and some khaki, don't forget that this scarf easily supports some accent touches of shades of red!  

  The best aspect of this sweater is the way it enables you to mix shades of blue with happy abandon, and ... View the Post

Wearing Hermes Grands Fonds Silk Scarf All Year – January through June

January 13, 2014  

Hermes Grands Fonds (great depths) isn't available except in the vintage market, but it's worth hunting for one!  These shades of blue give you all kinds of possibilities for combining colors that you might have never before considered.Two quick notes:

I love doing these, and doing Start with Art.  Please keep sending me suggestions for both, as long as you're not utterly weary of seeing art bought to fashion life. Please do NOT think that I will only work with Hermes scarves - far from it!  I'm "in process" on some other scarves, and would welcome any scarf suggestion accompanied with a good photograph, or a link to a clear image!

Love, Janice  

The last six ... View the Post