The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Olive Green Archives - Page 9 of 19

Carnations! The “Birth Flower” for January…

Did you know that each month of the year has a flower associated with it, which is supposed to then be "the flower" for people born in that month?

I didn't know until just a few weeks ago...

So let's look at this! It's not going to be as easy as finding birthstones, but what the heck - let's see what's out there...

If you're patient, there are, in fact, quite a few different items that have a carnation "motif," or that are carnation pink in color... If you look really closely at many brocade fabrics (especially those of antique design) you'll see "gilly flowers" which are either going to be carnations, flat out, or close enough to work... This isn't an exact science!

Were I born in January, I'd be madly tempted to make the ... View the Post

Does Your Wardrobe Work for You? Some Ideas for Figuring Out What You Need…

December 18, 2017

 

Friday we looked at the first three of the "12 Months, 12 Outfits" final wardrobes, and found some interesting "holes" in the wardrobes... I'm interested to see how the second 3 wardrobes look, when evaluated through a series of arbitrary, but not worthless, criteria.

This was the 4th wardrobe - a pretty challenging one to assemble, because olive green isn't the most common color in the world, and orange is every bit as difficult to find!

 

As has been true for all of the wardrobes, this wardrobe has a LOT of bottoms - an issue inherent in building a wardrobe through outfits. The learning here might be that a few more tops, and maybe another 2nd layer, would be useful additions...

This ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – December 2017

December 1, 2017

The last month of these wardrobes! Although these outfits might not be exactly what our assorted heroines most need, we're going dressy - just because we can...

There's a world of lovely velvet around this year - take advantage of this chance to stock up! I'm particularly taken with the idea of a black velvet skirt - Lands' End has one that's lovely...

This wardrobe has a unique character - just those few pieces of that rusty color make so much difference!

As always, the new pieces we've added work well with what was already in the closet:

Oh, these pants are SO lovely.... sigh....

This woman has such a distinctive style; is she blonde, you imagine?

The sleeves on this sweater ... View the Post

December’s Birthstone is either Turquoise or Tanzanite – They Go with EVERYTHING…

November 30, 2017

 

This is the last month of birthstones... I'm already thinking that next year I'm going to look at the flower associated with each month, just for fun!

Turquoise is pretty easy to wear, since it comes in such a range of colors. Tanzanite only seems to be available in shades of that vivid violet/purple - not that there's anything wrong with this color!

First up, greenish-blue looks absolutely perfect with warm orangish brown.. And that touch of hot pink in the scarf is really unexpected, but lovely...

 

Some tanzanite jewelry is madly expensive, but oh so lovely...

Maybe wearing all of these accessories at the same time would be overdoing it, and maybe it wouldn't! Would you ... View the Post

Navy, Camel and Olive truly can be timeless…

 

 

November 16, 2017

I really wanted to look back at another of these wardrobes; they truly were the moment when I began to hit my stride as a blogger and see the goal of "timeless" come into focus.

Of course these clothes would eventually date - in a decade of two! As I said before - they're sufficiently timeless! These images are from a post on December 30th, 2011, and if you saw a woman wearing these clothes today, you'd admire them just as much. Eschew trends and invest in the classics is my motto...

Five pieces of clothing (a cardigan and top, with jeans, pants and a skirt), as well as a piece of outerwear - these are the neutrals around which an amazing number of possibilities revolve... It ... View the Post

What if I Like Unusual Color Combinations? Start with a Scarf: Calm Scarf by KathKath

November 9, 2017  

She's sort of the human embodiment of Peace and Reconciliation...

When there are quarrels, disagreements, or flat out fights, corporate headquarters send her in...

 

She delights in studying both sides of a conflict and finding the common ground that makes the beginning of compromise possible. She believes that there is more to unite than to divide...

 

(yes, if you find a bag in the right color, it's okay to have 2 bags from the same brand...)She knows that she needs a good dinner before she throws herself into the fray - self-care is a very important part of taking care of others!

If, for some reason, she has to stay over for a 2nd day, she can always wear her ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – November 2017

November 1, 2017

Maybe it's because the temperature plummeted this last week in Chicago... I decided that I'd find some winter coats for all of our heroines! Nary a black coat in the bunch...

Black would have been obvious here, so I went with grey instead! Yes, this might need to be cleaned more often - that's the biggest drawback to a light winter coat. If you get splashed with slush/muck/salty water, your coat could be ruined if it isn't cleaned promptly!

Everything new fits in very well...

Adding a new coat doesn't really add new outfits to your wardrobe, but the scarf does give you some options:

This is a coat that you would NEVER wear walking on city streets, but if your don't have that problem you could wear ... View the Post

November’s Birthstone is Topaz, or Citrine… Some Ideas!

October 30, 2017

I always love these months when we have a choice of stones - although November is a little bit strange because the average observer won't know the different between topaz and citrine... Which is a good thing; gold topaz aren't all that common, while citrine is pretty easy to find!

As usual, I'm starting with 6 really basic outfits in 6 neutral colors - 3 cool and 3 warm. Sweaters and corduroy pants are a good uniform this time of year in Chicago!

This first bracelet makes me swoon, just a little bit...

If you want to wear a "warm" stone with "cool" clothes, don't forget to look for stones set in silver, rather than gold - that balances the impression of the stones quite a bit.

And while we're remembering ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – October 2017

October 2, 2017

For new readers, on the first of the month (or for the first blog post of the month!) I have been working on this series - I start with six Hermes scarves, and then choose the same general outfit six times, based on the colors of the scarves. I keep accumulating the clothing chosen, and gradually build really amazingly interesting capsule wardrobes in six different color schemes.

Even though the weather is still relatively mild in Chicago, I'm ready for some sweaters! And some corduroy pants... Yes. I know that they make that schwooping noise when you walk. And yes, they tend to wear out between the thighs before any place else start to look worn. But nothing takes color (except maybe silk velvet...) with the same ... View the Post

October’s Birthstone is Opal! A Few Ideas…

September 22, 2017

 

Opals are difficult - I think before you spend a lot of money on one, you're going to want to do your homework! That said, I'm the last person to throw rocks at you if you choose to wear a fake... life's too short for me to judge anybody on the basis of their stones...

 

It's worth remembering that opals come in all sorts of colors...

You don't need to wear a million pieces of jewelry, if the ones that you DO wear are lovely. (and if you handbag is completely amazing...)

These earrings would be really flattering - that luminous blush color near your face would look good on anyone.

There are opals that come in this color, but these are frankly fake. But if you like them (and ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – September 2017

September 1, 2017

These files are massive, and these posts take forever, but I LOVE them...

For my new readers, the thesis is this: I start with six Hermes scarves, and over the course of a year (on the first day of each month) I choose an outfit based on the colors of the scarf. I accumulate all of these outfits through the course of the year, and thus assemble a pretty excellent (if I do say so myself!) wardrobe...

Please note that I was able to find current links (current as of end of day Wednesday August 30th) for ALL of the scarves - outside of the US, but still available! If you've got serious whappage for one of these scarves, please don't hesitate to call an Hermes store - anywhere - and ask if they can help you get one. ... View the Post

How to Wear the September Birthstone: Sapphires… ooh…

August 30, 2017

Sapphires are so beautiful, but they are really expensive... Feel free to find fakes, or stones in a similar dark blue, and wear without apology; you owe no explanation to anybody for what you can and can't afford to buy! Or where in your budget you choose to be extravagant or frugal...

With budgets in mind, I've chosen to show a lot of second-hand jewelry in this post (as well as a couple of handbags that are still absurdly expensive...). I think that we all are going to need to become much more open-minded about purchasing things that aren't brand spanking new, if only for the benefit of the environment... (and isn't "brand spanking" just about the weirdest phrase ever?)

For this first dress, that collar needs a ... View the Post