The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Start a Capsule Wardrobe With Archives - Page 143 of 153

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Hermes Flacons

A perfect example of combining warm and cool colors successfully!

scarf – Hermès, earrings – Banana Republic, tweed jacket – Burberry Prorsum, skirt – Burberry, pumps – L.K.Bennett, black blazer – Alexander Wang, sweater – Vince, bracelet – Armani Exchange, suede skirt – Ralph Lauren, pumps – Diane von Furstenberg    

Scarf – Hermès, sweater – Burberry Brit, skirt – Allsaints, ring – Fabrizio Riva, brown boots – Maison Martin Margiela, black cashmere hoodie – Closed, bracelet – Elyona, brown cords – Dolce & Gabbana, black suede boots – Rag & Bones    

Scarf – Hermès, earrings & ring – Kenneth Jay Lane, sweater – Dsquared2, gold pants – 3.1 Phillip Lim, loafers – Chloe, earrings & ... View the Post

Emerald and A Common Office Wardrobe

December 11, 2012

One thing we know for a fact: there will NOT be fashion police, running around the world with Pantone swatches, enforcing the "fidelity" of every green item that's manufactured during 2013. And for us, that's good news, because this means that there will be a variety of... interpretations... of "emerald" available to purchase. If the authentic emerald isn't your best green, you will still have lots of options available, if you choose to explore the possibilities of green in your wardrobe.

Blouse – Equipment, ring – Toosis, scarf – Hermès, flats – Bottega Veneta  

Turtleneck – L.L.Bean, blue striped shirt – Golden Goose, blue shirt – D&G, white shirt – Theory, navy blazer – A.P.C., grey sleeveless ... View the Post

How much do you need? Really?

December 8, 2012

My commenters are the most insightful people...  Yesterday, someone pointed out that, to her, having 33 pieces of clothing didn't seem like a big sacrifice - it in fact felt like a lot of clothing to her.  And she continues by asking me - is this a cultural thing?Well, I know people who have over 200 tee shirts.  Over 100 pair of jeans.  Over 100 pair of shoes.  More than a dozen handbags.  Who buy 2 or 3 items a week, EVERY week, although when you do the math, you can clearly see that they're not wearing 10% of what they ALREADY have...

The average American DISPOSES of 68 pounds of textiles per year.  Yea, this includes towels and bedding, but it's still a LOT of stuff...  and that doesn't even touch the huge ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a scarf: Alexander McQueen

Yes, I really don't like his skull things... but someone specifically asked me what to wear with the camouflage print in subtle beige, taupe, brown and a touch of peach; I couldn't resist these colors!  This is all about soft, subtle, with unexpected mixes of cool and warm colors.

Scarf – Alexander McQueen, sweater – Isabel Marant, skirt – La Garconne, ring – Anaconda, boots – Café Noir, earrings – Hari Jewels, reefer coat – Margaret Howell, grey turtleneck – Brunello Cucinelli, tweed skirt – Jigsaw, pumps - Gucci  

Scarf – Alexander McQueen, earrings – Catherine Canino, dress – Rick Owens, bag – Aldo, boots – EMU, bracelet – Maison Martin Magiela,  turtleneck – Malo, trousers – Chloe, brogues – ... View the Post

Do you HAVE a clothing budget?

I field a LOT of criticism because I show very expensive clothing in my prototype wardrobes.  Constantly, I am told that "I can't afford ______."

So I ask the writer to tell me what their clothing budget is, and I will try to work within their budget to find some things that they will like.

Nobody - EVER - has come back to me with a number.

We all know, possibly to the penny, what we're going to spend next month on our housing costs.

We know within reasonable limits what our utility costs will be.  Ditto for transportation, food, retirement savings, and personal care expenses.

Is clothing LESS of a necessity?

But for most of us, the clothing budget is like a force of nature.  Or driven completely by whims.  Or ... View the Post

A Dress for All Seasons: Red!!!

Red dress – Valentino, clutch – Anya Hindmarch, blazer – Topshop, pumps – Badgley Mischka, cardigan – Marni, scarf – Monki, flats – Tabitha Simmons     Today I am the "guest blogger" at Tish's,  where I ponder the possibilities of the little red dress.  Woman does not live by black alone! ... View the Post

A Dress for All Seasons: brown

Brown dress – Michael Kors, brooch – Debenhams, blazer – Blonde & Blonde, suede pumps – Donald J. Pliner, denim jacket – Madewell, scarf – Epice, plaid flats – Fix Design  

Please come see me today at Tish's, where I explore the almost limitless possibilities of a simple brown dress...

Tomorrow, navy and camel 333! ... View the Post

Simply Seasonless in the Capsule Wardrobe: Black Pants

Last week's episode of Simply Seasonless (the denim shirt) included quite a few essential capsule wardrobe items that are ALSO pretty versatile.  Today, I'm thinking of a pair of black "ankle pants", i.e. those pants that stop about 2 inches above the ankle bone. They're obvious with sandals or espadrilles, easy as pie with boots, but surprisingly fun with opaque tights and pumps or ballet flats...  The key to wearing these pants successfully?  Make sure they're narrow at the bottom, simply styled, and not TOO short.And yes, you're seeing some of these garments again - this is key to an efficient capsule wardrobe!

Black capri pants – Emilio Pucci, Denim shirt – Marc by Marc Jacobs, scarf – Hermès, 

blazer – ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Garden in the Rue Cortot

If you were ever afraid of mixing shades of blue, this might give you courage!

Garden in the Rue Cortot – Renoir, flower earrings & necklace – Julia Failey, dress – Madewell, navy sandals – K Jacques, linen cardigan – J. Crew, tee shirt – Debenhams, loafers – Avec Moderation, silk pants – Stella McCartney      

Garden in the Rue Cortot – Renoir, tee shirt – Chinto & Parker, shorts – Oasis, sandals – Bruuns Bazaar, blue sweater – Yves Saint Laurent, bracelets – Asos, moccasins – Minnetonka Moccasin, cotton pants – Paul & Joe      

Garden in the Rue Cortot – Renoir, earrings – Amanda Sterett, silk halter top – Michael Kors, silk pants – Bottega Veneta, teal pumps – Miu ... View the Post

A dress for all seasons: Grey

Grey cotton dress – Thakoon, necklace – Swarovski, blazer – Rag & Bone, pumps – Jimmy Choo, sweatshirt/denim jacket – Jet by John Eshaya, brooch – Georg Jensen, silver flats – Gianvito Rossi     Today, I'm over at A Femme d'un Certain Age, where I explore the possibilities of this grey cotton dress (which has an interior drawstring - how cool is that?).  

                        ... View the Post