The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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A Navy & Grey Lover? Start Packing with The Common Wardrobe

November 22, 2024

It's snowing like the end of the world here in Chicago - I'm very happy! Of course, it will last an hour, and then melt... sigh...

More heroines than you might expect are committed to wearing navy, grey, and accent colors that vary with the seasons. I hear from you often, and I can entirely agree that your choice is an elegant and pretty foolproof way to dress...

For you, I've chosen to include denim blue in your palette, just to give you options! My idea of what The Common Wardrobe would look like for you is delightfully uncomplicated and versatile:

One could certainly pack this, some jewelry, a handful of scarves, and a couple of pairs of shoes, and be fine...

But our heroine's going to be seasonal for ... View the Post

November 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Third Painting by Elizabeth Magill

November 5, 2024

If you're in the US, I'm assuming that you have already voted, or have a plan to vote today... A Big Small Change Our heroine's been living in a blue and white wardrobe, inspired by her love of this painting:

She has a wardrobe full of lovely tops - solids, prints, almost all of the basics, and a nice bunch of accent and statement things:

Maybe she could use another dress? Or not - she has skirts, and the world just isn't as dressed up as it used to be...

She loves her scarves and jewelry, and who wouldn't?

She also feels pretty good about her shoes and bags:

But she's been thinking for quite a long time about denim. Not a TON of denim, but maybe a pair of jeans? And a chambray ... View the Post

Want to Fit In? Start With Art – Pines and Sky by Walter J. Phillips

October 18, 2024

She's going to the whole Homecoming thing - the game, the pre-party, the actual dance, (which is allegedly SUPER casual...), the brunch. Her friends persuaded her, and so she's happy to be going. But she doesn't want to paint her face, wear some outlandish hat, or just in general do anything that might look foolish!

Her school colors are navy and forest green. She loves them. And she's been using this painting to inspire her wardrobe for a while, so she's in good shape for having things to pack.

These are the colors that she uses for her wardrobe... After a few minutes, she makes the decision to NOT pack anything in periwinkle blue. She's always tempted, but too many colors in a travel capsule wardrobe might be ... View the Post

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

October 4, 2024

Have you started autumn shopping? I'm NOT buying anything this fall - I don't have enough space in my closet for what I already own! These closets are not working out as I had dreamed...

But let's see how our heroines are doing - they always inspire me!

We are inspired by the above painting, although it isn't working out as I had envisioned - it turns out that shades of blue don't work as nicely together as I had originally thought! Nevertheless, this wardrobe is pretty cool...

As of the end of September, she had these tops:

and these bottoms:

She has some great jewelry, and scarves:

And all of the essential bags & shoes:

She can always find something useful, though!

This ... View the Post

Should I Buy the Blazer AND the Pants? Boden Red Plaid Suit

September 11, 2024

She's working for a political campaign! And thus far, she's been wearing summer clothes, of course. But heading into the home stretch of this ENDLESS election (seriously, must this take 2 years?), she needs to pack and all-purpose suitcase for cooler/cold weather...

The temptation is this plaid suit. She loves the plaid, and she's not at all nervous about wearing something this bold. But she's still pondering if it makes sense to buy both pieces:

My approach to helping her with this decision is to show her outfit options using either the blazer or the pants... Her possible colors include the touch of yellow and bright blue found in the plaid, but I think frankly she's going to be a lot happier keeping ... View the Post

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

September 6, 2024

Sorry about that unexpected day off on Wednesday; I've discovered that grief and fibromyalgia is a potent, and quite miserable, combination!

Let's get to more fun things - planning wardrobes, especially with fall coming! Here in Chicago, we're supposed to have at least a few cool days this week, which is quite early for us; I generally don't expect to wear fall clothes until October, these days...

How seasonal is this next painting?

When I sorted this wardrobe by color, I separated the charcoal grey from the lighter greys - that gives us the numeric illusion that this wardrobe is dominated by red! In fact, it's still pretty close - there's a LOT of red in this wardrobe. But that's what the heroine intended, ... View the Post

Can’t Wear Wool? Start With a Fleece Shirt Jacket from Lands’ End

August 26, 2024

It might be any kind of caregiving opportunity... but you've got to go somewhere legitimately cold (and with short days!), and you can't wear any kind of wool. Dear oh dear...

But trust me, there are solutions!

Fleece is wonderful. Warm, soft, washable...

but don't wash too often - this stuff sheds the microplastics that are found in every organ of your body now! Maybe try to find a good filter for your washer output hose...

These colors are particularly pretty, and would be cheery in a place with long cold nights:

I don't know if "shirt jacket" is one word, two words, or hyphenated. I'm going with two separate words for now...

One of the many joys of a shirt jacket is that you can wear it both ... View the Post

A Dignified Travel Wardrobe? Start With a Scarf – the Chun Wai Chan silk scarf by Echo

August 7, 2024

The first thing I saw in this scarf was a upside-down Ukraine flag...

"Your Costumes Will Of Course Be Transported For You... but you will have to carry your warm-up gear, as well as your personal attire."

Ballet dancers might travel with a lot of personal gear - she's seen it before. But NOT her... First, she chooses a classic palette that she found in her favorite new scarf:

"And I'm going to remind you again - we expect you to dress like ballet stars - NOT shabby teenagers. No jeans, nothing torn, cropped, or otherwise sloppy. People should know immediately that you are an artist..."

Well... OKAY.

She starts with her favorite dress:

They are allowed to wear pants; she picks out her ... View the Post

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

August 5, 2024

Thanks for all of the kind and loving comments on Friday; these kinds of things keep me going...

I'm coming to realize, as I look at the 32-piece wardrobes with which we start this month, that 32 pieces of clothing is really quite a lot! I don't believe that I've worn 32 things so far this summer! These wardrobe will very neatly finish up with 52 pieces of clothing; does that seem like plenty, just right, or far too few?

Let's get to it!

Here's the 32 piece wardrobe with which our heroine starts August. Next month, I'm going to break these images out into at least two different ones, so that we can see things more clearly! This is akin to having a messy closet, or having clothes stored in a couple of different ... View the Post

Want a Timeless Summer Capsule Wardrobe? Start with a Shirt – the Mountainside Shirt by L.L.Bean

July 12, 2024

While much of the world is getting ready for cold weather (I'm looking at you, Nordstrom!), some retailers are still introducing clothes for NOW. TODAY. Summer... (in the Northern Hemisphere)

One of you spotted this and wondered if it was a good base for a small summer wardrobe:

The three colors in the shirt are obvious for a wardrobe, and I decided to add white to the mix because... SUMMER! If you just don't do white, you can always substitute more navy, or denim, or chambray...

I started with simple navy classics, as well as a bandana, a sling bag, leather tennis shoes and a pair of earrings...

Then I looked at all of the "lake blue" things at L.L.Bean and chose a range of tops. Shorts and sandals ... View the Post

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

July 1, 2024

And just like that, the year is half over! We're past the longest day of the year, if not the hottest... Change is the only thing upon which we can rely, but it still never ceases to surprise!

Our first heroine is being very intelligent, careful and disciplined this month...

Her painting inspiration is this:

And the very complete and coherent wardrobe with which she starts the month is this:

With these accessories:

Even though I haven't worn navy since (literally) the 80s, I could cheerfully toss all of this into a bag and travel for a long, long time...

Our heroine looks at what she has - very carefully - and realizes that she owns neither a simple navy & white tee shirt, nor a pair of ... View the Post

June 2024 Start with a Bracelet – Cabernet Dreams Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

June 19, 2024

So if you're going away for the weekend to visit a few vineyards, shouldn't your wardrobe be based on a "wine-themed" bracelet? (or scarf, or brooch...)

Especially when your favorite neutral is navy!

 

The weather where they're going will be warm, unless it's cool. The days will be hot, or chilly. Nobody seems to be sure what to expect, so she packs accordingly!

She knows that they will be going to a nice dinner, and she's hopeful that there will be a day warm enough to wear shorts. But she's determined not to pack too much - if she has to wear burgundy pants all three days, so be it!

Our heroine is channeling her favorite author - Laurie Colwin - by packing three striped tops. Laurie was ... View the Post