Start a Capsule Wardrobe With Archives - Page 72 of 157

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Sea Change by Helen Frankenthaler

May 20, 2020

Such calming colors....

It's not a complicated color palette, but it's certainly beautiful!

She's Ready to Dress Up... Now that she's free to travel again, she does NOT want to pack jeans, nor sweatpants, nor a sweatshirt. Frankly, if she doesn't see her casual clothes for a LONG time, she won't mind!

They're going to take the train into the city, and stay in a hotel near the harbor. She wants to be able to see the sea from their room; it's been too long.

They've had months to plan this trip, and dream about it. Leisurely walks, holding hands. Lovely, lingering dinners. Sitting in a café by the sea, watching the waves and sipping a cocktail.

Nothing strenuous - they don't have a ... View the Post

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Mountains and Sea by Helen Frankenthaler

March 24, 2020

I think we're going to have an art week; art transcends all things...

It's Truly Summer... Now that she's free to travel again, she's going to get on the train and go someplace she's never been. She randomly chose a train stop, and now she's spending a long weekend in a small city she's never visited!

She's decided that she wants to feel summery, and light, and free...

Everything won't go together perfectly. Things will get dirty. She doesn't really mind; laundry can be done, outfits can be repeated, and she's okay with this. She knows what's important...

She packs her favorite things, and she's going to be perfectly delighted with her travel wardrobe:

Once she checks her plans for the ... View the Post

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Icebound by John Henry Twachtman

March 20, 2020

The first day of Spring! And our anniversary...

Quite Enough Solitude, Thank You... Now that they're free to travel again, they're making plans...

Their favorite apartment in their favorite city is available for a few days, and they are OFF!

No more wearing sensible sweatpants and warm shirts while working from home. No more being sensible PERIOD, for a while....

They've walked miles every evening in their neighborhood; they've exhausted pretty much any avenue of exploration left to them! Now, in their favorite city, they're going to go down every alley, every turn that seems uninteresting, any corner that appears to lead to a dead end...

This will eat out - of COURSE they will! But they will ... View the Post

How to Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet – March 2020

March 18, 2020

Calm, subtle, with just a touch of vivid red!

She's Been Brave for Months... And now that she's free to travel again, she's just going to sit... She's going to go to her favorite city, go to an outdoor table at a café, order coffee, and watch the world go back to work...

I'm not usually a fan of logo scarves, but this one is so subtle that I'm including it...

She's going to travel during the week so that she can see the city come back to life; she's going to dine out, and pour her modest travel budget back into the economy!

She doesn't want to be terribly conspicuous, and she's not concerned about getting wildly dressed up...

Oh bother, I forgot to include 1 of the scarves!

She's been a ... View the Post

Start with Art: Mountain Forms by Lawren Harris

March 14, 2020

Let's do our utmost to keep The Vivienne Files an oasis of cheerful optimism and plans for the future, okay?

The Balance has Shifted... Now that she's free to travel again, she realizes that a certain... caution? has vanished from her personality...

Where she once would have shied away from a blue pedicure, and opted for the much more safe soft pink or nude, she now chooses the blue without hesitation!

She realized that her old suitcase was about to fall to pieces - one good THUMP of those hinges against the Baggage Claim carrousel and her dainty underthings are all over the airport! So she buys the best suitcase she can find... She's not spending down her retirement account, but she's treating ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting Tribute to Franz Marc – Foxes by Becky Kelley

March 12, 2020

I thought we could all use something bright and cheerful today...

I love this color palette - using navy rather than black as the neutral here makes it feel very... different?

We've met this heroine before, last summer...

Another Art Fair... Oh, this is not her usual style AT ALL! She represents emerging artists, and is normally dressed... eccentrically, I think might be the best way to describe it. But she has to travel, from time to time, in order to meet new artists and see what's going on the art world. And she feels that she can be more effective if she's not quite as conspicuous as usual...

So for travel she's wearing a pretty traditional outfit, with some pretty UN-traditional ... View the Post

I’m SO SORRY, but a Change of Schedule…

Yesterday, I had a colonoscopy. Everything was fine, EXCEPT I had an atrociously bad reaction to the sedative. I won't share the gruesome details....

But normal service on The Vivienne Files will be restored tomorrow, and the Friday post will very possibly not be finished until Saturday.

I didn't expect this; I should have planned for a worst-case scenario! I always assume that I'm bulletproof...

love,

Janice

p.s. The painting of lilacs? My favorite flowers! I'm just trying really HARD to be cheerful... ... View the Post

March 2020 Six Scarves, Twelve Months, Twelve Outfits

March 4, 2020

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to wear a skirt! As the weather begins to flirt with spring, I become more and more eager to take my knees out for an airing...

So for March, I thought I would add skirts to these gradually growing wardrobes. Of course, if you don't wear skirts, you could easily substitute pants, shorts, capris, clam-diggers, etc etc...

Let's get started!

Most of the wardrobes this month are going to see a new neutral skirt and an accent sweater!

Adding an accent sweater to a growing wardrobe gives a fresh new look:

The 2 new garments this month blend in seamlessly, to give our heroine some fresh options:

Ah, THIS scarf screams spring to me...

And I'm finally ... View the Post

Revisiting A Start with Art: Winter Scene in Moonlight by Henry Farrer

February 14, 2020

A couple of my friends have asked me to revisit this color palette for spring and early summer - that transition time of year! It's not quite right for this snowy day in Chicago, but it's a beautiful daydream...

We first saw this heroine when she went on vacation at the farmhouse, in the dead of winter! Her wardrobe was then expanded into a true 16-piece "Four by Four" wardrobe. And THEN, our heroine added on some essential accessories to make this a more complete winter wardrobe...

Now, the weather is warming up at the farm - the tenant farming the land told her that she was seeing crocus and some daffodil sprouts! She's got to go up and investigate.

This is the painting that inspires her color ... View the Post

How to Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet – February

February 7, 2020

THIS is just perfect; what a great way to bring some cheer into your day, and some Mardi Gras spirit to your outfit throughout the year:

I was sorely tempted to dress our heroine in creamy silk with bright accents, but alas, creamy silk is not yet available from anybody I could see...

But there are ALWAYS options, if we think long and hard enough!

She Thought She Was Going to Mardi Gras for her vacation. But just a few days before she was to leave, the head of the Engineering Department told the Sales Manager that SHE should go to their biggest client for the launch of a number of system modifications. After all, she designed all of the carbon-neutral adaptations for the client operations - who better to ... View the Post

February 2020 Six Scarves, Twelve Months, Twelve Outfits

February 5, 2020

A new month!

I'm still quite smitten with this color palette; it's pretty classic, with the navy and camel, but the accent colors keep it from being too predictable:

I'm making a big change this year from the outfits that I included in previous years in February. I used to feel that this was a good time to include a dress - mostly because I'm a total Valentine's Day sap. But I'm going to try to be a LOT more strategic in my choices this year, and to me that means another sweater, another pair of pants, and another shirt. It makes a lot of sense when you see the January and February outfits on the same page.

I could NOT resist this shirt. I feel like it was made for this color palette...

Here's ... View the Post

Paris Part 2: Lots of Art, Lots of Street Art, and More Good Food…

January 30, 2020

I remember where we ate dinner Tuesday night!!!!

(it's the small victories, right?)

We stopped at Breizh (pronounced brezzz) Cafe for crepes in the late afternoon, because... well... we were hungry! And these crepes - if you eat both a savory and a sweet one - will hold you over for at least 1 meal. This café is very trendy - lots of tourists - and you often have to stand on line to get in. We got lucky and wandered in because we were eating between traditional meal times. It's worth considering, since this is a really tasty place. That said, you can find good crepes in about a million places around the city, including the people standing behind a crepe griddle, handing crepes over to eat while ... View the Post