The Vivienne Files - Page 100 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Paysage de Neige by Renoir, Revisited for Summer 2018

August 6, 2018

She first got in the habit of going up to the resort in the winter... She went by herself, but ended up making... a friend... In April she went back - partly to see spring flowers, and partly to spend more time with her new friend...

Our heroine is a very informal, relaxed woman. She loves nature, and quiet, and peace... She draws her style inspirations and color palette from a favorite Renoir painting:

I'm Off After 5 Every Day This Weekend... And so she's headed back to the lake resort... beautiful days by the lake, and evenings with her new friend!

She wants to be careful not to be too dressy, but this is a special weekend, in her mind - worth packing a couple of dresses, and her prettiest tops and ... View the Post

L’Oiseau Forestier by Ernst, Revisited for Summer 2018

August 3, 2018

She's the toughest negotiator in the office, and nobody can quite believe it! She managed to settle one of the toughest ongoing negotiations her company had on their docket back in January, and was made chief negotiator in recognition. Her co-workers really didn't "get it" when she was sent to represent their firm at a weekend retreat to discuss negotiating techniques...

She takes her style inspirations from this painting - it doesn't seem particularly intimidating or overbearing, does it?

We're Not Quite Sure... "What the client wants or expects. It could just be a get-together with the union officials... you know - a picnic, a few rounds of golf, some pressing the flesh..."

"OR. They might be planning for ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – August 2018

August 1, 2018

Oh, THIS caught me off-guard! Somehow, I managed to forget that a new month was coming... But I did manage to get this done in time - taking care of my readers are a really important part of my life! Still, if these links are a complete hash, or if this just doesn't make any sense at all, let me know and I'll work on it some more...

This is the time of year to look for the perfect outfit for the upcoming cooler weather. Maybe it's that "back to school" feeling that I get this time of year, but I like looking for a nice skirt outfit for each of our 6 wardrobes...

While this outfit might feel a little bit "Pittsburgh Pirates" to some, putting the scarf on with these pieces breaks up the black and gold, and brings ... View the Post

Trojan Gates by Frankenthaler, Revisited for Summer 2018

July 30, 2018 48 Hours in Paris... Remember our heroine the translator? She won a translation award back in January, and then in the Spring was interviewing with HIM to translate his autobiography...

She's very quiet, and tries to keep her appearance somewhat muted so it doesn't distract from what she's translating. This painting, and these colors, are her wardrobe inspiration:

To nobody's surprise, she got the job translating the AMAZING French guy's autobiography. And for reasons nobody can quite explain, she has to go to Paris to meet the publishers and sign some release documents... Oh dear...

So she hops on the train!

The only 2 things she has on her agenda are dinner with the author, and then meetings the next ... View the Post

Shallow Deep by Kandinsky, Revisited for Summer 2018

July 27, 2018 Who Knew? She's the school teacher who loves to take her students on field trips - even really complicated-to-organize, spending-the-night-in-hotels field trips... She took 20 6th-graders to New York after Christmas, and she's also done quite a bit of traveling on her own...

So when she found the job posting for a field-trip coordinator at the STATE Board of Education, she applied so quickly that she's still amazed that she didn't mess up something in the application process...

Now she's going to the Capital to be interviewed! Happily, as a woman ideally qualified for this kind of position, she has no trouble getting packed. She bases her wardrobe choices on her favorite painting and color palette:

The weather ... View the Post

Chic Sighting: Stripes and Prints!?!

July 25, 2018

I was in Pittsburgh for the weekend... it was lovely! Of course I was thinking about you, and The Vivienne Files, while I was there... As I was waiting for my cab to the airport, a woman walked past me wearing a royal blue and white striped tee shirt, with a royal and white paisley print skirt - it was amazing! And it got me to thinking about how this might work for all of us...

If you have a color palette chosen for your wardrobe, it's entirely possible that you already have these kinds of pieces in your closet! Pick a neutral from your wardrobe - or even an accent color - and look for pieces that have prints in "scales" that are compatible. By that, I mean that a teeny floral print skirt might need a smaller, narrower ... 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

A Colorful Moon by Alain Paillou Revisited for Summer 2018

July 20, 2018

Oh, the lucky lady with the inheritance from her great-aunt! She first found out about this back in January, and by April she was traveling to Mexico to look into maybe buying a home there...

Even though she has more than enough money now, she still sticks closely to her favorite photograph of the moon as her style guideline:

It turns out that, in addition to leaving our heroine a tidy nest egg, her great-aunt also left her quite a few letters! Many of the letters are full of advice, and suggestions about how to spend her windfall. So how she's off to look at the possibility of living in Paris for a year or two!

She's going to stay in a couple of different short-term rental apartments, so she can get a feel ... 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

Fonds Marins by Lee Ungno Revisited for Summer 2018

July 16, 2018

Ah, our friend the iconoclast! She's got the wardrobe with the willfully unusual color palette, based on this painting:

She's retired, so she gets to travel as much as she can manage! She took a trip back in January, and then again in April, and now she's getting ready to go to a family wedding...

It's not a long trip, but she always tries to look nice when she travels. Everything just seems to go better when she's well-dressed...

She knows that there's a really nice rehearsal dinner to which she's invited, and also that the wedding is in the evening and thus will be sort of dressy. So she packs her 2 favorite dresses, a top to wear on the trip back to her home, and some comfy pajamas for the few moments ... View the Post

Passion Flower with Hummingbirds by Heade, Revisited for Summer 2018

July 13, 2018

Remember our quiet heroine, with the very distinctive olive, grey, gold and coral wardrobe? We first met her in January, and then again in April...

She's going into the city for a couple of days! Nobody seems to understand, but she wants to go to a couple of baseball games...

This is her inspiration, and her signature color palette:

She's going to take the train into the city on Friday evening, and probably eat some room service... It's a very short vacation, but a vacation nonetheless!

She doesn't need to pack much; she will need clothes for the ballgames, and something nice to wear to dinner on Saturday night:

When she gets to her hotel, she unpacks and hangs things up, and takes just ... View the Post

How to Shop a Sale (Some Modest Suggestions!)

July 11, 2018

In case you've been asleep for the last month, or somewhere without Internet access, we're barrelling headlong into the big "pre-season" sale time of year.

Now, I've got nothing against saving money, nor against buying myself something new and pretty... But these sales? They can overwhelm you, and before you know what you've done, you've spent a ton of money on things you didn't really need, just because they looked lovely and appealing...

So? How to avoid being a victim? Have a plan! That's my answer to almost everything...

First, think seriously and honestly - are you shopping for need or want? And might you spend the money somewhere more gratifying? For example, I'm not buying anything this fall, because I've ... View the Post