Start a Capsule Wardrobe With Archives - Page 65 of 133

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “A Colorful Moon” by Alain Paillou

december 19, 2018

Ahhh, our heroine, the heiress... Her favorite image is a really amazing photograph of the surface of the moon:

She has used these colors for years as the inspiration for the colors in her wardrobe - not always easy to find, but she doesn't need to own THAT much...

When we first met her back in January, she had just fielded a call from Probate Court, who needed her to come sign some papers... She was a bit stunned to receive a quite large expense check to cover the cost of her 2 hour train trip!

In April she went to Mexico for a few days, thinking that she would visit at least a couple of towns to consider for her newly possible retirement!

The great-aunt who left her all this money ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Dame au Chapeau” by Natalia Gontcharova

December 17, 2018

Ah, this heroine... The unintentionally conspicuous college professor who never seems to fade into the background! That's just the way some people are..

Her favorite painting? This unique beauty:

From this, she was able to derive the most uncommon of color palettes for her wardrobe, as well a few phrases to help her keep focused:

Back in January, she traveled (for reasons we still don't know!) with this very unconventional travel capsule wardrobe:

When she was away for a long weekend at a symposium, she packed the following travel wardrobe. She didn't plan to speak or be on any panels, but I suspect she was called upon to contribute...

She's also been invited to other schools to speak to ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Flowers in a Crystal Vase” by Edouard Manet

December 14, 2018

Remember our friend the soil conservation engineer? The woman who is constantly reminding people that the brown stuff in which plants grow is SOIL and not just DIRT...

She's inspired by the potential inherent in healthy soil, the potential for things like flowers! So when she was choosing a theme and focus for her wardrobe, she chose this painting:

She thought about her priorities - softness with brown, feminine and timeless - and she isolated her favorite colors:

In January she got to go to a conference of soil engineers, which was a delightful chance for her to talk to people who deeply and truly understand and share her professional passion.

Her contacts at the conference worked out well - in ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Blue” by Kinuko Imai Hoffman

December 12, 2018

This wardrobe might be closer to my own than any blog post I've ever done! My clothes are almost all black and white, which I find very simple and calming. After scrolling through (literally) thousands of scarves, earrings, shoes, and handbags every day when I'm working on The Vivienne Files, some simplicity and clarity is welcome!

Remember our school consultant? She believes that creativity can be subtle - no shouting, no loud colors or garish details for her! Her favorite painting is simple but has a lot of subtle interest:

She maybe didn't even need to condense her ideas into words, nor her color palette into a wheel, but she did so in order to ensure that she is really focused and committed to this idea! ... View the Post

Narcissus! The Birth Flower for December

December 10, 2018

These feel SO out of season right now - I wonder why they are the flower for December? I'm really happy that it isn't poinsettias (!) but I was expecting to find that December's flower was something... wintery?

What this flower does give us is 3 possible accent colors (orange, yellow and white) to brighten up neutrals during these shortest days of the year. (Northern Hemisphere, of course; for those of you south of the Equator, just hold these ideas for a few months!)

There are some lovely pieces of jewelry available with narcissus - or narcissus-ish flowers:

If you would really like to splurge on a brooch in your birth flower, check out the Joseph Giovanni site. They have three different levels of ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – December 2018

December 3, 2018

Our heroines are getting holiday outfits! It might not be what they most need, but it's almost December, and in many of our lives, that means parties are coming thick and fast...

When I looked at this first wardrobe, I realized that our heroine didn't have a black cashmere cardigan! (I know, billions of people make it through life without one, but a wardrobe heroine certainly can make a case for one...)

And yes, I'm going to show you velvet jeans a lot - I am currently wearing a pair, and I'm smitten. They come in eight colors, including emerald green, a stunning bright pink, amethyst, sapphire, and lovely gold. I sized generously but not insanely large, and they fit wonderfully...

This outfit is dressy by ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Study in Verticals” by Frantisek Kupka

November 30, 2018

Remember our heroine the negotiator? She's got a knack for fitting herself into situations where there's conflict, and helping 2 sides reach a compromise. (How useful is THAT talent?) When she packs, she tries to give herself a range of options so that she can appear strong, friendly, forceful, or maybe even fade into the background a little bit... What a skill to develop!

She loves this painting...

In fact, she loved it so much that she decided to use it as the core aesthetic guide for her wardrobe!

Back in January she traveled for work, and had to go directly into meetings. A beautiful red dress made her visible without being strident...

When she travels for leisure (as she did back in April), ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of Shallow Deep by Wassily Kandinsky

November 26, 2018

Oh how this heroine's life has changed in a year! Back in January she took a pack of 6th graders to New York City - what a brave woman! On a more leisurely note, she went back to New York 3 months later, by herself, to scout out more destinations for students...

Her confidence in planning these trips, and the expertise that she developed, lead to her applying for a job with the State Board of Education specifically dealing with student activities outside of the classroom! When she got the position, she began the frequent trips to the state capital that she will have to make every month or so...

When you look back at these 4 wardrobes, you can see that her style becomes a bit more dressy over time - she has to be ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of Fonds Marins by Lee Ungno

November 21, 2018

You know when you read that this is our heroine's favorite painting that her wardrobe will be interesting:

This heroine definitely has her own preferences, but she's smart enough to have a plan that keeps her wardrobe purposeful and organized:

Back in January this very interesting woman took a trip - packing lots of linen shirts, and plenty of scarves!

And then in April she was on the road again - maybe driving to see a quilt exhibit, or a dog show, or a new arboretum... She has a wide range of interests!

In July she traveled for a family wedding; why do I suspect that she's a lot of fun at any gathering?

It's clear that someone really likes her - she was invited along for the ... View the Post

Let’s Talk About Books!

Woman does NOT live by a nifty wardrobe alone! And you've got to step away from the screen sometimes and read... (well yes, reading on an e-reader is still a screen, but I don't count those...)

This is the time of year when a lot of us need gift ideas, or just a good read to curl up with in the cold weather. (you in the Southern Hemisphere need a book for a warm-weather vacation, no?)

And I've got LOTS of books stacked up around Chez Janice & Belovedest. Oh my...

First - the book your best girlfriend that you've never met wrote to keep you focused on being happy, and on being your very best. Fiona gives us all permission to talk to (and listen to!) the woman inside of us who has style and whimsy and exceptionally good ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of L’Oiseau Forestier by Max Ernst

November 12, 2018

This is the very controversial tough businesswoman who has a very... strong... business personality. We really don't have a clue what she's like in her personal time, and I suspect that this suits her just fine!

Her style inspiration is this great painting:

She's been planning her work and business travel wardrobe using these guidelines:

This is what she packed when she was going to negotiate a tough deal back in January:

She had to attend a client "retreat" in April, for which she wasn't quite sure how to pack. This is what she finally chose:

During the summer she had another one of those trips that was without a clear agenda. Happily, she has such a clear personal style that her clothing ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe – A Year with Trojan Gates by Helen Frankenthaler

November 9, 2018

Over the course of the year, I've assembled 4 travel capsule wardrobes based on this most wonderful painting:

To guide my choices, I isolated four colors upon which I focused, and I chose a couple of adjectives to help keep the styles that I chose consistent:

In January, when our translator first won an award, she packed this:

Then in April, she was offered a really exciting work possibility:

You can't feel terribly sorry for this heroine - she had to go to Paris in July to meet with the author of the book she was translating:

The translations are going very well... in October, the author invited her back to Paris for a long weekend which didn't seem to be focused entirely on the ... View the Post