The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Denim/Chambray Archives - Page 9 of 19

Are You in the Mood for a New Sweater?

August 18, 2017

As soon as I saw these sweaters on the Uniqlo website, I knew that I wanted to share them with you. My only purchase for autumn is going to be a black cashmere crewneck - I feel like it occupies a really different place in a wardrobe than a v-neck sweater, because to me it's like the world's most luxurious tee shirt. It's dressy enough to stand up to the most lavish skirt or pants, but it's still simple and acts as a great background for a scarf or necklace. Plus, some of these colors are lovely...

These aren't the kind of cashmere sweaters that will make you gasp with astonishment - nobody will mistake this for Loro Piana! But they're very good value for money, and you don't have to become hysterical if something ... View the Post

What are Good Accent Colors for Denim and Khaki? How about Teal and Camel?

June 26, 2017

 

Denim and khaki go with everything - I'm convinced! - but some of you wanted to see a capsule wardrobe with a very different feel than the relatively soft and cool pastel version that used mauve pink and dark pastel blue...

How about this for colors?

I don't have any really exotic travel vision for this heroine - she's more someone who wears a uniform most of the time, and only needs a relatively small wardrobe to accommodate her "not work" activities outside of her home.

So I'm starting with the six neutral pieces that were in last Monday's wardrobe, and I finally grabbed a pair of dark navy loafers for her. (although with brown in a wardrobe, don't discount the gorgeousness of beautiful brown ... View the Post

Can I Pack Denim and Khaki and still look Pretty? What about including Mauve Pink and Dark Pastel Blue Accents?

June 19, 2017

 

A few people have asked me recently about packing for early autumn - needing a jacket, and probably a sweater or two, but still wanting a few lightweight tops. And others have been eager to see denim switched out for the navy that we've looked at for weeks! And then there are questions about how denim and khaki might be too... boyish?

So I'm starting with this color scheme:

The first thing to be addressed is the need for something warm to wear on damp, cool days, or in the evenings:

Realistically, I should have included a pair of dark blue walking shoes... But these four pieces have lots of possibilities - one could include shirts and tee shirts in literally any possible color and you'd be able to ... View the Post

Four Ways to Wear Denim and Khaki in a Capsule Wardrobe – Start with Art!

April 4, 2017  

So our four friends from last week are meeting up at their hometown, for a high school function that none of them really wants to attend, but which none of them can gracefully avoid! (You can meet these four - the landscape architect, the psychiatrist, the cake decorator, and the day care manager - on the earlier posts from last week...)

To keep themselves amused, they agreed that they were all going to pack the same core wardrobe, and coordinate what they wore to various functions, just for the heck of it! They were pretty certain that nobody would notice, and that was going to be part of the fun...

The first evening, when everyone arrived, there was a sort of informal get-together at the local pub, bar, ... View the Post

How to Wear Denim and Khaki with a Variety of Accent Colors: Start with Art – Saint Bride by John Duncan

March 31, 2017

I love this painting... What a wealth of details, and vivid colors - plus being carried across the sea by angels sounds like a most privileged (and hard-earned) way to travel!

The range of accent color possibilities here is pretty vast, but I narrowed us down to just four:

She Really IS In Charge... Although you might find her sitting on the floor, happily coloring with a group of 4-year-olds...

Yep, she runs that HUGE day care facility. Inspections, regulations, paper work and MORE paper work...

If she's going to have time for the fun stuff, she's got to be meticulously organized:

Because she's ALL about the fun, especially when there are little children involved!

Happily, it's ... View the Post

How to Accent Khaki and Denim with Softer Colors – Start with Art: Hafen mit Segelschniffen by Paul Klee

Just plain pretty:

A wardrobe full of denim and khaki would still have a lovely feminine feeling with these accent colors!

She Builds Flowers All Day... ... using cake frosting! Some may think that this is just a routine grocery-store kind of job, but she loves it...

Just because her work is very temporary in lifespan doesn't mean that she can't be meticulous, and filled with pleasure at the sight of her finished products!

She's given quite a lot of freedom to choose her own color schemes and other design elements...

So she spends quite a bit of her spare time learning how to construct new flowers - if a customer wants a cake decorated with something specific like hydrangea, or lilacs, she can happily ... View the Post

Accents for a Denim and Khaki Wardrobe – Start with Art: L’Ombre by Pablo Picasso

March 29, 2917

Could be a dream, could be a nightmare, could just be a sweetheart - the enigmatic nature of this image is striking:

When I saw L'Ombre in the Picasso Museum last year, I knew that I would want to share it with you all!

Her Work is Complicated Enough, Thank You... She's a psychiatrist. A shrink. She sits, quietly, and listens to people. Takes notes. Tries to formulate the perfect, pithy question to open up the hidden pain in her patient's mind, and help the healing start...

She's always watching people, listening to people, learning from people. So she doesn't really want to spend a ton of time worrying about what she's going to wear - it just plain and simply isn't all that interesting to ... View the Post

How to Accent a Denim and Khaki Capsule Wardrobe: Start with Art – The Stairs of the Asylum by Van Gogh

March 28, 2017

 

I'm sure there's a story here, and I'm afraid it might be a sad one:

Even in difficult circumstances, van Gogh captures the exuberant energy of nature, in a very limited palette:

Celebrating Nature is Her Profession Landscape architect - it was the title that she always wanted. So she started out working as a landscaper with a successful female manager, and she went to school in her spare time...

For a long time, she wore a uniform of khaki pants, and a bright green polo shirt with a logo, and a matching bright green jacket when the weather demanded. So when she finally wasn't in a "uniform" position anymore, she didn't feel the need for a wildly extensive wardrobe. She found that her simple ... View the Post

Can I Use Denim in Place of… ? Substituting Denim for Olive Grey in a Four by Four Wardrobe

February 22, 2017

 

You asked, and it was a really intelligent question - can I use denim in place of olive green, in a wardrobe from The Vivienne Files?

Heck yes! Neutral colors can be interchanged, especially in casual wardrobes in which rigorous color matching isn't terribly important. Let's recreate a recent wardrobe and make this substitution, to see how it works out.

First up - remember this amazing painting by Salvador Dali? I've changed the associated color palette to include the denim that we want:

I'm starting from the same point as before - a solid core of grey garments:

The first difference is immediate - instead of the olive tee shirt from before, I found a shirt that feels very denim-ish!

Tee – ... View the Post

What I Packed for Ireland, and Why

By the time this is posted, I will in fact be back from Ireland, and in Florida! My head spins at the very thought....

But my packing for Ireland is pretty compact (as usual) and I had a specific approach that might be worth keeping in mind.

First off, my travel outfit, which includes one of my "target garments" to try to wear a lot in January:

Please note that I'm also checking a suitcase, because I am of course bringing undergarments and pajamas with me, as well as fleece leggings and a couple of wool base layer shirts. I've got gloves and a couple of Buff fabric gizmos in my parka pockets, too!

Because the whole purpose of this trip is to reacquaint ourselves with Dublin, we're going to be walking a lot, and thus I'm ... View the Post

How to Expand Your Accessory Wardrobe: Winter Scene in Moonlight by Henry Farrer

January 23, 2017

 

On Friday, I expanded the original travel capsule wardrobe into a more complete "Four x Four" capsule wardrobe, but the real fun comes with adding more accessories!

When our heroine originally packed for her winter weekend on the farm, these were her accessories - lots of scarves!

Just for reference purposes, and to enjoy this painting one last time, this is her style inspiration:

For normal life, constantly wearing boots won't work, so we probably should start by getting her a comfy pair of loafers...

  And just because I'm bracelet mad these days, another star bracelet could be a fun addition. It's a good thing that I'm in a shopping moratorium this year, because these ALL are very ... View the Post

Expanding a Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Winter Scene in Moonlight by Henry Farrer

January 20, 2017

 

This is such a lovely painting, and such a truly simple and straightforward color-scheme:

When we first visited this painting, it was to help inspire a cold-weather long weekend in the country. This was the wardrobe (minus the nightgown!) that our heroine packed. Many of you asked me if it would be possible to expand this wardrobe a little bit, into a more complete winter wardrobe; I'm ALWAYS happy to try to oblige!

 

That translates into half of a Four by Four Wardrobe, arrayed this way:

As much as that star cardigan could be worn every (cold) day for a decade and not grow old; it only makes sense to have at least a couple of cardigans for the colder weather. A zipped black cashmere ... View the Post