White Archives - Page 13 of 38

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Blue” by Kinuko Imai Hoffman

December 12, 2018

This wardrobe might be closer to my own than any blog post I've ever done! My clothes are almost all black and white, which I find very simple and calming. After scrolling through (literally) thousands of scarves, earrings, shoes, and handbags every day when I'm working on The Vivienne Files, some simplicity and clarity is welcome!

Remember our school consultant? She believes that creativity can be subtle - no shouting, no loud colors or garish details for her! Her favorite painting is simple but has a lot of subtle interest:

She maybe didn't even need to condense her ideas into words, nor her color palette into a wheel, but she did so in order to ensure that she is really focused and committed to this idea! ... View the Post

Accenting Black with 3 Pantone Spring 2019 Colors

December 5, 2018

Of course I wanted to see how a couple of these colors would look with black! I also really wanted to revisit that cool Turmeric color, so I got a different scarf for that little wardrobe...

First, let's start with the world's simplest 4-piece cluster of clothes - the absolute most neutral, versatile clothes for a holiday season:

With these 4 pieces, our holiday heroine has 4 basic outfits, that she can then use as a base for any kind of scarf, cardigan, jacket...

First up, how will this Jester Red look with black? (seriously, as if we haven't all seen a million red and black outfits...)

The boots really make a difference, if you can manage the "accent shoe" thing...

Any of us who lived ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Study in Verticals” by Frantisek Kupka

November 30, 2018

Remember our heroine the negotiator? She's got a knack for fitting herself into situations where there's conflict, and helping 2 sides reach a compromise. (How useful is THAT talent?) When she packs, she tries to give herself a range of options so that she can appear strong, friendly, forceful, or maybe even fade into the background a little bit... What a skill to develop!

She loves this painting...

In fact, she loved it so much that she decided to use it as the core aesthetic guide for her wardrobe!

Back in January she traveled for work, and had to go directly into meetings. A beautiful red dress made her visible without being strident...

When she travels for leisure (as she did back in April), ... View the Post

Accenting Winter White with 4 Pantone Spring 2019 Colors

November 28, 2018

Of course I'm going to have to see how a couple of the remaining Pantone Spring 2019 colors look with black, but first let's try something completely different - Winter White!

One thing to remember with this color - all of your clothes don't have to be "dye-lot matched" to look good together - especially if the fabrics and textures are different. Shades of the same neutral can look lovely!

Of course, it's perfectly beautiful to wear an outfit in just these colors:

I'm coming back to Turmeric again with black... this color is fine, but level of dressiness here is a little bit "off." The shoes might be okay with jeans - it depends on the woman!

I think these outfits are fun - certainly at this time ... View the Post

Paysage de Neige by Renoir, Revisited for Autumn 2018

October 29, 2018

She enjoys peace and quiet. Solitude. A chance to curl up and read, or go for a long walk...

When she went to the resort in January, everybody thought she was crazy. But she knew that it would be beautifully deserted and melancholy, in the best possible way! She enjoyed that trip so much that she went back in April - partly for the relaxation, and partly because she made a new friend!

Their friendship grew - when she visited in August she spent most of her evenings with her new and dear friend... But She was Surprised... When they were talking about her next visit, and her friend tossed out the idea: "why don't you just bring a bag of clothes up here and leave at my place?"

Well okay!

Before she walks to ... View the Post

Passion Flower with Hummingbirds by Heade, Revisited for Autumn 2018

October 26, 2018

She's a mystery. Not to herself, of course, but most people who don't get to know her really well are fascinated and intrigued by her quiet, circumspect demeanor. Back in January she traveled to somewhere warmer, and packed the most unusual (but efficient!) assortment of clothes... When she had another trip in April, she packed a stunning combination of olive and grey, with ochre and pink accents! She finally had a break in July and went to a couple of baseball games... She certainly has her own preferences and tastes, eh?

Her very distinctive color palette is taken from her favorite painting. It's dark, a bit somber, but quite lovely, all at the same time...

I don't know where she's going for this trip - I ... View the Post

What Are You Buying for Autumn? I’m All Finished…

September 24, 2018

(yes, I know it's soon to be Spring in the Southern Hemisphere - I'm interested in that too!)

This is difficult for me - I'm not all that comfortable talking about myself! But I think we should all have a deliberate plan for the changing seasons, as far as being prepared in our wardrobes. So I'm sharing my purchases...

I've been gradually picking up things for... six weeks? Maybe longer! As soon as I saw a black and white flannel shirt, I KNEW it was coming home to me. And a new black velvet skirt was imperative - my old one is too big! My rain coat was chosen to see me through those wet but not terribly cold days - I don't have anything truly waterproof that covers the seat of my pants... Other things caught my ... View the Post

Project 333 for Business Travel? Start with Art – Calm Wind by Yoshida Hiroshi

August 24, 2018

Yes, I'm fascinated with this artist... The Autumn Quarter Will Require Numerous Client Visits... That's the title of the memo...

She took a deep breath, and looked at her computer, where the background was this calm, simple, but gracefully beautiful image:

She knew it was coming. Their acquisition by a much larger firm has left many clients feeling uncertain, and visiting them to reassure them of the firm's commitment was an obvious answer. So she has a great idea... First, she decides on a color scheme and overall "feel" for all of her travel:

She's going to choose a Project 333 Wardrobe STRICTLY for her trips. Everything is going to be segregated in a separate part of her closet, and when she knows ... View the Post

Blue by Kinuko Imai Hoffman, Revisited for Summer 2018

August 8, 2018

Remember our friend the educational consultant, who visited schoolrooms to help find ways to make things work better? She traveled for work back in January, and then again in April, wearing her signature navy blue and white wardrobe...

Her wardrobe inspiration, and all-time favorite painting, is this:

Yes, THAT Music Festival... The really big one. She's going.

She spends her work life in classrooms, and she always hears students talking about their favorite bands. She's open-minded, and can tolerate a lot, so she's decided that she's going to drive into the city for a couple of days and go to hear just a few of the bands that she has heard about the most.

It's a relaxed trip into town:

Of course ... View the Post

Flowers in a Crystal Vase by Manet, Revisited for Summer 2018

July 23, 2018

Our friend the soil conservation engineer! She went to a conference of engineers back in January, and then she got to be a guest speaker at a University, in April... Although she works with dirt (soil, PLEASE!!!), she's inspired by this painting and colors for her personal style:

The Phone Woke Her Up... So she knew it had to be important!

"Can you be here by lunchtime? The hillside's eroding away because of the rain, and we've found strata that we've never been able to reach before!!!"

Only another soil engineer would be this excited...

"You can stay with me - we're going to work until dark, and then have dinner... Today is probably the only day we'll be able to get to this level. It could be ... View the Post

Study in Verticals by Frantisek Kupka revisited for summer 2018

July 18, 2018

Our friend the meeting moderator has been traveling for work a LOT - back in January she was thrown into a really difficult negotiating session, but she was able to take a break to go to the beach in the spring...

Now she's been told that they FINALLY got those dinner reservations that they've been queued up for since about a gazillion years ago! They're only going away for the night, but it's a really special occasion - a once in a lifetime meal at a landmark restaurant...

Happily, it's really easy for her to pack, because she has clear wardrobe guidelines:

They're going to drive - it only takes about 2 hours. She wants to be relaxed and pretty, as well as warm enough! (some people absolutely adore ... View the Post

Instruments de Musique by Picasso, Revisiting for Summer 2018

July 6, 2018

Remember this beauty, from January and April?

WHEN is the Signing?

She's leaving on vacation - literally leaving tomorrow - when the call comes...

"Can you go to the signing, and then to the banquet?"

Sure, heck, why not...

"It's the day you get back from vacation... We will pay for you to take an extra suitcase, and for your flight change to fly directly there..."

Well, THAT'S sweet of them...

So she plans to fly back in an outfit that will be acceptable no matter WHO she runs into in the airport, or the hotel:

No exposed knees, nor toes...

Her suitcase contains serious clothes for the contract signings, a frivolous top to wear with a skirt to the dinner later that day, and an ... View the Post