The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Packing for a Special Event, Urban Setting, Autumn

I get tons of questions about how to pack for various special occasions - weddings, graduations, etc. To me, this sounds like the perfect time to break out a really wonderful dress.  Nothing flouncy or bright or conspicuous - that wouldn't be comfortable, at least for me.  But something with an amazing cut, in luxurious fabric... Coupled with a drop-dead spectacular coat...   In fact, the whole trip could be an excuse to pick up a handful of the most beautiful garments: a wonderful sweater, along with the perfect jeans, another more casual but still exquisite dress, and a show-stopping skirt, along with a couple of blouses.   While grey might not be your cup of tea, many of us could travel a long, long time with just ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky by Emily Carr

June 20, 2013

  So very simple.  Tall, austere, lean, yet radiant. Vertical is balanced with the striations of the sky. Soft, cloudy, stormy around the edges, luminous throughout.  A lifetime of personal style inspiration could easily come from this...   A stunning dress, with simple earrings, pumps, and a structured bag.  A casual tee shirt dress, with shoes and a necklace that echo the sky in our inspirational painting.  

A cloudy grey coat, with soft suede boots and a stormy sky scarf, or a lacy dress with some dark accents, a soft and flowing wrap, and skylit shoes.  Even the earrings are lacy!

 

Another sleek dress with simple silvery accessories, or maybe a ... View the Post

How to wear a lavender (lilac? light purple?) v-neck sweater

April 4, 2013   Why yes, we have seen this silver skirt before - a few times!  I'm delighted to see how it adapts to the various sweaters... Sweater – Bellerose, earrings – Allegro, skirt – Bottega Veneta, sandals – Alexandre Birman, earrings – Swarovski, skirt – Marc Jacobs, flats – Butterfly Dream    A gold necklace and sandals are pretty versatile too, as are simple white sandals, and a classic mother of pearl earring.

Sweater – Bellerose, necklace – Amrita Singh, pants – MONO, sandals – K Jacques, earrings – White House Black Market, pants – Rag & Bone, sandals – K Jacques  

Sweater – Bellerose, scarves - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, loafers – Cole Haan,  khakis – MaxMara, flats – ... View the Post

How to wear a purple v-neck sweater

  March 26, 2013 Purple with Jeans or Khaki

Sweater – Iris & Ink, scarf - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, suede flats - Acne,  scarf - Ursidae, khakis – Vince, flats – DV by Dolce Vita    Purple with simple white shirts

Sweater – Iris & Ink, scarves - Hermes, white cotton shirt – Equipment, pants – Armani, flats – White House Black Market, white silk blouse – Chloe, skirt – Eastex, pumps – Asos   Purple with your summer tee shirts, and white jeans 

Sweater – Iris & Ink, floral tank - Marni, white jeans – J. Crew, sneakers – Keds, tee shirt – Veronica Beard, sandals – Sigerson Morrison   Purple with a blouse, for work 

Sweater – Iris & Ink, earrings – Liberty ... View the Post

How to wear a navy v-neck sweater

March 21, 2013   As before, you will see some familiar garments and accessories.  To me, it is a delightful surprise to start preparing a post with a new color of sweater, readjust my aesthetic brain to that color, and then find that there a lot of flattering "common ground" with previous posts that I've done...  Today I was particularly delighted to see how well yesterday's coral tee shirt and flats flattered the navy sweater and white jeans.  Although I think green and navy might be a new favorite for me!    

Sweater – Burberry Brit, tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins, white jeans – J. Crew, shoes - SWIMS, peach tee shirt – Weekend by MaxMara, peach flats – Nude    

Sweater – Burberry Brit, ... View the Post

How to wear a black v-neck sweater

March 18, 2013  

When I was ironing yesterday, I realized, again, that my black v-neck sweater is perhaps the most frequently worn item in my closet in the cold weather.  While mine is cashmere, if I had to replace it, I'd probably opt for a very "flat" merino wool, or maybe Eileen Fisher's cotton/silk blend...Mine is big enough to layer, but not so huge that it looks sloppy on it's own.  The v is low enough that a tee shirt peeks out when it's underneath, but if I wear the sweater alone I'm not risking a career-limiting move.

At it's most simple, the sweater, alone with a pair of simple jeans or khakis, is perfect:

Sweater – J. Crew, scarf – Tory Burch, jeans – Ralph Lauren, loafers – Stuart Weitzman, scarf – ... View the Post

How to wear Paisley Jeans: Version Neutral

Paisley jeans - Etro,  sweater – Jardin des Orangers, necklace – BaubleBar, loafers – Naturalizer,  sweater – Max Mara, watch – Debenhams, loafers - Lanvin  

Paisley jeans – Etro, silk blouse – Stella McCartney, earrings – Dorothy Perkins, pumps – Brooks Brothers, tee – Brunello Cuccinelli, bracelet – Brooks Brothers, loafers – La Botte Gardiane      

Paisley jeans - Etro, sweater – Patagonia, earrings – BaubleBar, flats – Stuart Weitzman, blouse – Armani Collezioni, earrings – Georg Jensen, flats – Vera Wang    

Paisley jeans – Etro, striped sweater - Vince, earrings – Folli Follie, oxfords - Hdson, leather cardigan – Avi?, bracelets – Accessorize, boots – ... View the Post

How to wear Floral Jeans – Version Pastel

March 14, 2013  

I'm going to look at two or three different floral jeans in the next few days - these are pastel, but I'm going to try to find some brighter ones, and some in warmer tones too...My first thought was to choose a soft, flattering color from within the print, and pick a top in that color:

Floral jeans – J. Crew, silk blouse – Balmain, earrings – Rena Luxx, pumps – Brooks Brothers, tee – Brunello Cuccinelli, bracelet – Brooks Brothers, loafers – La Botte Gardiane     Neutrals are an obvious possibilities. Accessories can echo the whole flower theme:  

Floral jeans – J. Crew, sweater – Dorothy Perkins, earrings – BaubleBar, flats – Stuart Weitzman, blouse – L’Agence, bracelet – Dorothy ... View the Post

Packing: Camel, grey, & scarves

I get a LOT of questions about what to wear with specific scarves.  It's really easy to walk into a store (not necessarily Hermes!), fall into temporary insanity over a scarf, and take it home...  where it languishes unworn and unloved.  These kinds of questions are among my favorites; I'm a long-time believer that nothing can elevate the look of simple clothes like some "silk jewelry."   And I'm growing very infatuated with camel & grey...        

Silk scarf - Hermes, pashmina – Barneys  

 

Necklace – BCBG Max Azria, dress – Yves Saint Laurent, drop earrings – Banana Republic, clip earrings - Vaubel, pumps - Coach, camel hair sweater – Jil Sander, skirt – ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Monaco Blue goes to work

I chose to work with a light version of Monaco blue, because (a) it was what's available, and (b) I think it brings a more sophisticated look to the gray and navy of the Common Work Capsule Wardrobe.  A nice alternative to the usual light blue that's always available in oxford shirts...    

 

Bracelets – Swarovski, blazer - Paul & Joe, silk blouse – 0039 Italy, scarf – Athena Procopiou, watch – Georg Jensen, sweater – Paul Smith, flats – Thierry Rabotin    

 

Turtleneck – L.L.Bean, blue striped shirt – Golden Goose, blue shirt – D&G, white shirt – Theory, navy blazer – A.P.C., 

grey sleeveless sweater – J. Crew, grey cardigan – J. Crew, navy v-neck – J. Crew, navy ... View the Post