The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Start a Capsule Wardrobe With Archives - Page 9 of 153

Committing to an Accent Color? Alex Mill’s “Kelly Green” Cashmere Sweater

October 15, 2025

A completely different approach to adding a cashmere sweater to your wardrobe - this time, an accent color!

And yes, they call this kelly green, but when I was searching for things to wear with it, I had MUCH better luck looking for emerald things...

In case nobody tells you all of the fun fashion gossip, Alex Mill was founded by the founder of old Navy and Madewell, as well as the former CEO of The Gap and J.Crew, his son, and a clothing designer... Their things aren't cheap, but the quality is very nice.

The heroine who requested this post has - for a long time! - committed that her wardrobe core is navy and white. She really couldn't choose a better accent color than emerald green:

First, for these ... View the Post

Will She Wear a Camel Sweater? Let’s Give Her Some Ideas…

Please note, I've updated the "Support The Vivienne Files" page that you can find at the top of the page. It's underneath the clothes hanger suspended from the name Vivienne! (yes, the Quince link is there now.)

Any time you click on any of these links, I get some sort of credit. Not money, but some kind of "ooooh, people are clicking on Janice's links!" and I might eventually qualify for some spiffy offer or gift.

If you purchase anything, I receive a tiny commission. It doesn't matter what you buy - click on someone and buy (hmm, what's the LEAST Vivienne Files kind of product possible?) a lawnmower - I get a wee percentage!

If there are any other retailers from whom you wish to order, and you'd like to see if I can receive a ... View the Post

October 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #6: Street Lights by Stefan Johansson

October 8, 2025

This painting feels like an October evening to me...

For no good reason she can pinpoint, this heroine plunged headfirst into a feast of green! She was particularly thrilled to find her lime green cotton crewneck sweater, since she's loved her cardigan in this color... And her cardigan jacket matches her new pants - a suit is never a bad idea!

Here's another Weekly Timeless Wardrobe that's gone somewhat off the rails - not that it matters! No rules, and the most important thing in any wardrobe is that we have what we need, and what makes us happy to wear.

This month, I moved the five truly orange garments onto the same page with the gold and white pieces. It looks good!

I've always pictured ... View the Post

October 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #5: Pines by the Sea by Bertha Lum

October 7, 2025

Three REALLY easy neutrals (brown, denim and white) paired with teal, which is an accent that lots of us seem to love!

Could you keep the three neutrals and replace the teal with... pink? or peach? I'm sure there are other accents that would be perfect with the three neutrals. Hmm...

If's finally getting cool where THIS heroine lives, so she was happy to grab a couple of turtlenecks and a warm dress!

This heroine is keeping up - somewhat - with her Weekly Timeless Wardrobe. As with so many other among our friends and their wardrobes, this one is going to fall short when we get to the winter holidays. But there are no rules...

This wardrobe is relatively well balanced; when it comes to putting ... View the Post

October 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #4: Sun, Water Maine by Georgia O’Keeffe

October 6, 2025

Georgia O'Keeffe. So much talent in one small woman...

Today's heroine has a wardrobe that's quite out of balance, with many more navy and green garments than beige. But there's no requirement that these things be exactly equal, or even close!

Her wardrobe additions fit neatly into her Weekly Timeless Wardrobe; I wonder if any of our heroines will finish the year with a perfect wardrobe that fits the template. I suspect not...

I don't see this list being perfectly filled by January...

Our heroine has a relatively small assortment of beige clothes - if she has everything that she needs, artificial rules and policies like having equal numbers of beige and blue can be ignored!

Technically, this ... View the Post

October 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #3: Of by Elizabeth Magill

October 3, 2025

This painting has all kinds of potential. Is that background color maybe navy-ish? Is there gold around the edges? (yes) As with pretty much any painting worth it's salt, this one is worth studying at some length...

As with our other heroines - so far - this most disciplined of women is trying to purchase items from her Weekly Timeless Wardrobe list. Happily, she found dresses that are VERY similar, except for very different fabrics! The ponte knit feels dressy to me, while the corduroy is going to be rather relaxed. If you love the cut of a garment, don't hesitate to make it a signature.

Here's another heroine who is making quite neat progress on her Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, but who is moving into the end ... View the Post

October 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #2: The Swan No. 24 by Hilma Af Klint

October 2, 2025

Here's a work of art that's more than worth of a few moments of contemplation. It's a bit weird, yes, and enigmatic, and just not quite like anything else you'll ever see! Except, of course, for other of her works. She's worth our attention...

Our heroine is preparing for cold weather! She went into this month's purchases with the goal of sticking to her Weekly Timeless Wardrobe list, but then realized that she didn't have a simple black cashmere sweater...

This is a garment that's right up there with the solid neutral long-sleeved tee shirt, in that it's amazingly versatile and probably belongs in most wardrobes. So the plan will be set aside for this one garment, and a useful choice will be ... View the Post

October 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #1: Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay

October 1, 2025

I can't believe it's October - we're still wearing summer clothes in Chicago! But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't prepare for the weather changes...

Let's pause for just a moment and admire this painting. I'm concerned that in our pursuit of lovely wardrobes, we might lose sight of the beauty of art.

This month, our heroine had two goals. Well, her primary and probably ONLY goal here is to purchase things that are both lovely and useful for her wardrobe! But she also wanted to pay attention to her Weekly Timeless Wardrobe table to try to purchase things that were "expected" to be in her wardrobe. Secondly, she wanted to try to even up the color balance in her wardrobe between the browns and the blues! Sounds ... View the Post

Like Unusual Accent Colors with Classic Neutrals? Start With Art – In Vaudeville by Charles Demuth

September 26, 2025

If things go REALLY well, I'm flying back from London to Chicago today. I'm writing this on the 17th, so if things are sold out or if something is haywire here, I apologize! I will fix it next week... xoxo, J

We looked at this painting a long time ago, and I still think of it often. The colors are like nothing else!

This could be quite a complete wardrobe in ivory, taupe and black, of course. But adding yellow and rosy coral is a real departure from what one might expect...

Our heroine's going to a dance competition - having talented children occasionally requires hitting the road for a few days! They're going by train; the dancer in question has a LOT of gear to bring, so packing small is in our ... View the Post

Love Olive for Autumn? Start With a Scarf – Velour Garden Scarf by Artifact.

September 24, 2025

One last look at the fun of packing 10 simple garments, based on something really beautiful like this scarf: 

There is enough blue in this scarf that you could include denim in this wardrobe; I haven't done that here, but it's worth remembering!

Maybe she's driving, and doesn't have to worry about getting her cool beige cords dirty...

The red tops don't have to match, unless you'd like to layer them together. Even then, a good strong dose of "similar tones" should work; I think that the two tops here could go together if that appeals.

This feels perfect for autumn, for those among us who don't wear orange or brown!

As with any wardrobe that includes a carefully chosen and edited ... View the Post

Prefer Navy for Your Travel Capsule Wardrobe Neutral? Start With a Scarf – Eon Silk Scarf by Artifact.

September 22, 2025

The world does not live in black alone - although if you saw my closet some days you might wonder!

Maybe this is a scarf that you want to pack...

There's a lovely shade of medium blue in there... but it's that lime green that our heroine finds most fascinating! Of course she could pack both of those colors as accents, but I didn't find anything that I loved in the light blue. 

Comfortable, but still nicely presentable! Just because you're going to sleep on the plane doesn't mean that you MUST wear your pajamas...

This travel capsule wardrobe is exactly what I packed to take to London, except that it's all different colors! This is both classic and very current - that lime green isn't always ... View the Post

What Can You Do With a Plaid Suit?

September 17, 2025

We did this last year, and by popular demand, I'm taking a look at this year's Boden plaid suit. Our heroine still works in politics, and her red plaid suit from last year became sort of a signature! She's seriously thinking about getting this suit too, and really leaning into the signature of plaid!

This is a great suit, and from the photographs, it seems to be relatively well constructed. At least the plaids seem to be matched:

There are not a ton of colors in this plaid, but red and white are easy to spot, even at a distance. The more outgoing or creative among us can certain include the brighter blue, or something yellow! A yellow sweater... hmmm...

The first thing this heroine mentioned to me was ... View the Post