Start a Capsule Wardrobe With Archives - Page 67 of 133

Fonds Marins by Lee Ungno Revisited for Autumn 2018

October 10, 2018

Our retired heroine likes wearing black with pastels - she knows that it makes her iconoclastic, and she loves that! Back in January she took a long weekend trip for which she packed linen shirts, lots of scarves and lots of bracelets. In the spring she took a road trip - she packed a variety of tee shirts that she loved... And during the summer she was invited to a family wedding - her favorite colors worked out just fine (with a little attentive shopping!).

What up with her this fall? You Got WHAT? Yes, her dear friend got season opera tickets - including tickets to the opening night gala!

Before she does a bit of shopping for her weekend, she takes a long, hard look at her inspiration work of art, just to make ... View the Post

L’Oiseau Forestier by Max Ernst Revisited for Autumn 2018

October 8, 2018

Our negotiator heroine was made head of her project back in January, which drove her co-workers absolutely crazy! It didn't get any better when she was chosen to present at the corporate overnight retreat - not that she cared. One of the reasons that she gets these kinds of accolades is because she's good at what she does, and that she's very flexible - she recently attended a function with a client and their union, at which absolutely NOBODY knew what to expect. She didn't flinch...

She's inspired by this lovely painting, and this timeless color palette:

"She's wearing a blazer!"

"Yeah, but it's velvet, so it's not really a serious business outfit..."

"And did you see that her office is all cleaned out? I ... View the Post

Trojan Gates by Helen Frankenthaler – Revisiting for Autumn 2018

October 5, 2018

Our heroine is a translator! She won an award back in the early part of the year, after which she was chosen to translate the autobiography of a very important and elegant Frenchman... Her new gig required her to travel to Paris to meet with the author and to finalize some legal paperwork. She's been hard at work ever since, and she finds this the easier assignment she's ever had; she understand the author's writing on so many levels - not just language, but also the thought and emotion that he conveys...

They've spent HOURS on the phone together, so she wasn't entirely surprised when he suggested that she come back to Paris for another long weekend...

Her autumn wardrobe budget gets tapped-out, but ... View the Post

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

October 1, 2018

It's the most fun day of the month, here at The Vivienne Files! Because I'm working on a smaller-than-normal computer monitor, I decided that I was going to make some deliberate wardrobe choices for our heroines, this month. I took a critical look at the various wardrobes, to date, and made some selections for October that fill in some (to me) pretty critical gaps! Let's see how it worked out:

This heroine didn't have a white shirt! To me, that's an easy choice to fill. A simple black cashmere sweater, and tan pants that pick up the color of the border of her scarf make a classic outfit that's perfect as a background for her scarf.

So her overall wardrobe, and accessories, look like this:

One of the ... View the Post

Marigolds! The Birth Flower for October

September 26, 2018

author's note - I'm working from Florida, on my laptop. Any drop in the quality/resolution of images is a result of that - I apologize profusely! It's quite the change from working on the monster monitor that I have in Chicago... If you see anything egregiously in need of repair, please don't hesitate to let me know. Love, Janice

Marigolds! So bright. So cheery. Such a nice step into fall... I'm a little bit stunned that someone would use them in a fragrance, but I'm not a "nose," so I might easily be missing something, eh?

Many of us might find this a tough color to wear, but remember that you don't necessarily have to have a ton of bright orange/gold in your outfit to pay homage to the flower, or ... View the Post

A Color Palette for All Seasons? Start with an Earthenware Plaque by John Bennett

September 21, 2018

I saw this at the Art Institute of Chicago last weekend, and was instantly smitten...

Our heroine saw it too, and noted immediately that, even though the colors here are all beautiful together, they also offer a range of possibilities for choosing garments for every season! First, she identified her "overall" color palette:

She then started thinking about what she would choose for autumn, from these colors. All of these colors, in their darker and richer incarnations, are perfect for the approaching cool weather...

She pulled together a perfect outfit without a lot of work... An entire wardrobe capsule in colors from this art wouldn't be tough at all!

With this success fresh in mind, she ... View the Post

Choosing Accessories for a Project 333 Wardrobe? How about a template…

September 14, 2018

Monday I built a 4 by 4 Wardrobe based on this lovely scarf from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store (they have a LOT of lovely scarves...)

Before we dive into accessories, let's remember what our final color scheme was (remember, I had to change the colors halfway through building the wardrobe!):

And the wardrobe was this; yes, I could easily have re-arranged these items to put the camel-colored items into the 2nd row to be the 2nd neutral. Proof that these templates are guidelines and NOT rules!

I've been thinking about accessories a lot... Maybe we can organize them the same kind of way we organize clothes? Let's start with the stuff that most of us MUST have (although bear in mind ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: William Morris Patchwork Scarf

September 12, 2018 Class Action Settlement She had completely forgotten that she was part of this class for the lawsuit - all she had done was fill out a few documents and mail them to the attorneys. So when she received a letter telling her that she was receiving a cash award as part of the settlement, she was delighted!

And then she saw what she was receiving, and she was overwhelmed...

"Take that trip to Paris that you've wanted..." She didn't have to be told twice!

So she started to plan, starting with her favorite scarf:

She's only going to go for a few days, and her primary goal is to do some dining... maybe a few nice lunches in the better restaurants. She's learned that this is a good way to get an excellent meal ... View the Post

When Your Wardrobe Plan Hits a Snag – Start with a Scarf: Japanese Irises

September 10, 2018

Our mythical heroine has her scarf chosen for her Capsule Wardrobe, and she's full of optimism!

And while she wants to keep her wardrobe casual, she's still going to indulge in a few pieces of clothing in more feminine, dressy fabrics...

She goes to her closet and picks the 4 garments that she absolutely, positively wants to include in her wardrobe for the autumn:

In some ways, this is a great start, because these pieces all work seamlessly together - 4 garments = 4 outfits!

So with her colors and her style inspiration in front of her, she begins to shop. Since it's going to be cooler weather (she hopes!) in the next few months, her first thought is for another shirt - a nice plaid should do ... View the Post

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

September 3, 2018

No holidays at The Vivienne Files! I would never miss the chance to share one of these "6 outfit" posts...

Even though very few of us are seeing cool/cold weather, I firmly believe that it's smart to get your cold-weather clothes ready in advance. Nobody's going to give us 3 days warning that autumn is about to smack us down!

I loved the gold scarf with this otherwise monochromatic outfit...

We are far enough into the year that I now need to have a separate page for clothing and for accessories! Admittedly, a heroine who owned this wardrobe might not have NINE pairs of shoes for 9 months...

While the accent colors here are very unexpected for a "black-focused" wardrobe, I think that this wardrobe is ... View the Post

How to Decide – Should You Buy This Cardigan? (or anything else that tempts you…)

August 31, 2018

The entire purpose of the garment industry is to tempt you to buy things that you don't need. I think we can agree that we are far past the point of saying that they exist to make sure that we're all appropriate attired for the weather and our social environment. Most people have far more clothes that they'll ever need!

But sometimes, you do want to buy something new. Maybe just a refresh to your existing wardrobe, or a treat because you deserve one. There's nothing wrong with this thinking, in moderation - so long as it IS thinking, and not just an emotional response.

So how to know?

Let's say that you've seen a cardigan that you really love. REALLY love...

First thing is to determine if the colors of the ... View the Post

Asters! The Birth Flower for September

August 29, 2018

Asters... It means stars, which, when you look at the flowers, makes sense!

However, from my perspective, this was really tricky. (Yes, I considered using all "star" accessories - of course I did!);

First up, there are no items with asters on them, except for a very expensive dress, and the really nice cuff bracelets that are available for each month.

To pile on, asters come in about a million shades, from darkest red to a lot of various purples...

What to do? I found six excellent neutral dresses to serve as our background, and then I experimented with a range of colors as accents. (it would be fascinating to mix each of the dresses with each of the various accessory families!)

How do things look? Black is ... View the Post