The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Weekend at the Beach? Start with a Scarf – The Eva Noblezada scarf by Echo

April 1, 2024

I'm going to start on the "Six Paintings - 12 Months" wardrobes on Wednesday; it may take me three posts to get them all done!

Today, our heroine is going to the beach for the weekend. You might be surprised, if you don't live near a big lake or the ocean, how many people head out 3 out of 4 weekends to hang out beside some water...

Our heroine saw this scarf and knew immediately that this was going to be a favorite:

Black and white are always her core neutrals, but this summer she's looking for accents in green and pink!

yes, she could certainly use blue also - I didn't find any of the right shade of blue that really felt worked...

For the trip up there (it's always "up" no matter what direction ... View the Post

Dressy Weekend? Start with a Scarf – The Raven Garden of Happiness by June Hunter

March 22, 2024

It's a dressy weekend - the weather will probably be warm... but there is always a chance of a cool snap!

But how to be dressy without bringing everything you own? Well, a tight color palette and planning ahead is always the way to go.

And how about starting with black and pretty accents?

Before you go down this path, you want to be ABSOLUTELY certain that wearing black isn't a problem. This wardrobe is actually designed for someone who's a prominent figure in a wedding, at which the bridesmaids will be wearing black dresses; I think she's okay with this!

She's wearing a very "normal" travel outfit - closed-toe shoes, and a cardigan for the inevitable freezing air conditioning... but she's rocking ... View the Post

Looking for Unique Accent Colors? Start With a Scarf – Emiliano Ponzi Scarf by Echo

March 15, 2024

Some of us like lots of colors in our wardrobe. And sometimes, we're looking for an inspiration for a new accent color (or two...)

How about this clever and beautiful scarf for some inspiration?

Let's assume that our heroine wears black as one of her neutrals, and is interested in adding at least a couple of new things to her warm-weather wardrobe in black. She then has three really "off the beaten path" accent colors from which to choose!

Most of us can stand to replace summer pants every few years, and a nice cardigan is never a bad choice. But this year, instead of a black & white striped tee, how about butter yellow?

For some of us, this dress might feel short - others might find it just ... View the Post

A Big Multi-Destination Trip? Start with a Scarf – Michela Picchi scarf by Echo

March 13, 2024

One of you has a BIG trip coming up - a week in New York, and then a yacht cruise!

WHERE TO START?

For me, I'm thinking that a color palette is a good place to start...

I'm particularly drawn to this scarf for this particular trip, because it includes the black that seems almost obligatory for New York (although I can assure you that it really isn't...), and then includes white for the cruise. Although, of course, this heroine is going to be able to wear ALL of her colors at both destinations.

The turquoise is perfect for this time of year, as is the yellow. This really could be the ideal color palette!

First up, let me state that for a trip this varied and this long, I assume laundry. At least once. ... View the Post

March 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 2

March 4, 2024

First three paintings can be found here...

Let's visit our other 3 heroines, and their paintings! It's funny how much I love these paintings when I come back to them after almost a month...

 

At the end of February, our heroine had a cheerful and very practical 12-piece travel capsule wardrobe:

I fully expected to be adding white to this wardrobe at this point, but then I stumbled onto some lovely light grey, and decided it was wise to grab it! Gray in the summer can be really difficult to find, so avail yourself of it when it's around.

Her wardrobe now looks more like she wants to include a range of shades of grey - up until now, she's been pretty dedicated to charcoal... And the red is ... View the Post

Want An Easy Travel Capsule Wardrobe? Start With a Scarf – Jacky Marshall Scarf by Echo

February 19, 2024

Love at first sight...

Her favorite neutral colors, and a wonderful pink accent that she KNEW she could wear forever... It's THE Current Accent Color this year, but pink never goes out of style!

She's taking an unconventional - but very practical - approach to her packing. She's going to grab four of her favorite outfits, and then see if the sum of those pieces will work do the trick... If you stick with a disciplined color palette, there's no reason that this shouldn't be brilliant! And if you make certain that each of the outfits can be worn with your new favorite scarf, the color palette will fall into place...

First outfit is a black "suit-like" ensemble with a tan vest:

Next, she feels ... View the Post

February 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 1

February 2, 2024

I'm always so excited to look at these wardrobes again!

This month, I'm going to clearly establish what has been my method so far - four garments and three accessories. With adding 4 garments each month, coupled with the 4 garments that each heroine started with, we're going to finish the year with 52 garments - sort of like the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe!

It's interesting how these numbers recur...

I understand that a lot of us aren't going to want a 52-piece wardrobe; for many of us, that seems too few, and for some it's going to be too many! But it's nice to have a target in mind, if situations change and we have to reconfigure everything.

Let's go!

In January, our heroine found herself with eight ... View the Post

Love to Wear Black & White? Start with a Scarf – Helen Nonini Scarf by Echo

January 31, 2024

We're almost through January! Did you notice that there were THIRTY-ONE Mondays in January? Sheesh....

But we have loveliness to brighten this last day:

The colors here are glorious - bright, strong, and just slightly off of the usual or expected red and blue...

I realized within seconds that there was virtually NO way I was going to be able to match those colors to any dress, sweater, or much of anything. Furthermore, I decided that I wasn't going to try!

Many of you know that I wear a lot of black and white; the best way to show this scarf in its full beauty would be to pair it with subtle, classic clothes, and some special accessories.

This first ensemble is a simple but perfect way to dress ... View the Post

Do You Love a Colorful Wardrobe? Start with a Scarf – Echo 100 Scarf by Nuno Da Costa

January 26, 2024

If you love love, and bright colors, here you go!

So many possibilities, but I'm going to start with simple black and white pieces, and then add a wee rainbow of accents!

Nope, you do NOT look like a bumblebee...

Maybe you're not up to wearing ALL the green accessories, but maybe you are!

What could be cheerier on a cool day than some beautiful blue, and some bright hearts?

Ah, purple...

Red is classic for Valentine's Day, but it's also flatters many of us every day...

Romantic and pretty in pink, but with a relaxed and cool silhouette:

It would be hard to go wrong giving this scarf as a gift, or treating yourself! It's classic, but with a bright charge of colors ... View the Post

Want to Focus on Accessories? Start with a Scarf – Betty Soldi scarf by Echo

January 19, 2024

Wow. Just plain wow...

Not many colors, but who NEEDS colors when you have this?

I'm sure your not amazed to learn that matching the sepia tone of the image is impossible to find in clothing! But let's think for a moment... if this was a photograph, you wouldn't try to match the color of the frame to the photo, right? So you don't need to match the main color of a scarf - think of it as your outfit serving as the background or frame for the scarf!

This heroine is a BIG fan of accessories that channel her inner Elizabeth I.... so her clothes are simple and classic:

Wearing dress pants, and then packing a skirt and jeans, gives you a wide range of "dressiness" possibilities:

I'm pretty certain that our heroine ... View the Post

A Bold Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Start with Art – The Dream by Luciano Cian

January 12, 2024

The Clients Are Nervous... She sold the initial contracts... And now that it's time to actually execute the project, the staff assigned to the work are worried about how the clients have been acting. Sigh...

So she's going to travel with them, and spend a day - maybe two - with everybody. Just to make sure that the clients are happy, and that they understand that these very technical staff are part of the same organization. Yes, they're a lot more... conventional... than she is!

The clients were maybe expecting everyone to be as colorful and unconventional as their salesperson...

So she packs up a few things and books a ticket with the rest of the crew:

She's actually not ALL that "out ... View the Post

January 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 1

January 1, 2024

Happy New Year!

Let's go! I'm going to try - for the first few months - to be logical and methodical about building these wardrobes, rather the way an adult might go about buying clothes...

Just in case you want to look back to where we started, this will take you there!

Let's start with this most elegant painting:

Last month/week, we started this heroine out with the most basic of garments - but still enough for a couple of outfits!

Since this heroine lives where it's pretty cold, she thought that dark pants might be logical - it could snow! Maybe...

And she wanted an accent cardigan...

At this very early stage, she has an almost foolproof wardrobe; getting dressed in the dark might not ... View the Post