The Vivienne Files - Page 104 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Instruments de Musique by Picasso, Revisiting for Spring 2018

She still doesn't really fit in... Back in January, when she went to visit a client with a number of co-workers, her uniqueness worked to her benefit... Maybe because she's inspired by this Picasso painting, it's not surprising that she's a bit of a square peg!

This is what she packed for that very successful adventure:

Now, she's been chosen to go meet the client with whom they have the most problems. Recurring, SERIOUS problems... She's ready! For the first meeting, with management, she's making things clear, in black and white!

After the first day, she's going to tone it down a notch or two, and use a softer approach when she's meeting with the staff.

She knows that it's breaking the ... View the Post

Dame au Chapeau by Natalia S. Gontcharova Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 17, 2018

She's not a quiet, retiring type. She doesn't meant to be conspicuous, but it just seems to be her way! Maybe because she takes her style cues from this painting?

The last time the traveled - just after the winter holidays - she packed a simple, but eye-catching, travel capsule wardrobe:

She's off for a weekend symposium.... She's not presenting, so she plans to just sit back and listen...

She's packing what she considers to be the bare minimum for the weekend:

She loves the way that her wardrobe reflects her personal tastes; it's not something everyone would enjoy, but it gives her endless pleasure, and occasional real delight!

She loves the options of wearing a suit, or ... View the Post

Passion Flower with Hummingbirds by Martin Johnson Heade, Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 16, 2018 Our heroine is quiet. Subtle, but not without interest, and great depths...She draws her personal style inspiration from this moody, but beautiful, painting:

She traveled back in January with a warm, simple, but at the same complex wardrobe. That sounds silly, and like an oxymoron, but there's more going on here than will meet the casual, careless eye...

She's traveling again, with a wardrobe that looks uncomplicated, but which includes 2 neutrals and 3 accent colors...

The key here is that all of her accent colors will work equally well with olive green or deepest charcoal grey...

It's such an eclectic, but harmonious, little capsule ... View the Post

Fonds Marins by Lee Ungno, Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 13, 2018 She's an iconoclast - it's safe to assume that you don't know anybody with a wardrobe with color combinations like this! But she's happy, and we need to remember that happiness is a BIG factor when we choose what we wear...This is her dream painting:

She took a quick trip just after the winter holidays, for which she packed this most unlikely but lovely Tote Bag Travel capsule wardrobe:

She's on the road again, for another quick jaunt... Sometimes she's driving to see the World's Largest Ball of Twine, or maybe there's something very important and moving at the Art Institute of Chicago that she wants to see, so she jumps on the train...

Now that she punches nobody's time clock, she ... View the Post

Study in Verticals by Frantisek Kupka – Revisiting for Spring 2018

She likes facets... and doing difficult, serious work that requires her to be multi-faceted. So it's no surprise that her personal style guideline is this:

She's still wrapping up all of the documentation from a taxing negotiation from back in January... It was fully of drama - slammed doors, pounded fists, raised voices, and all sorts of threats to quit, or to fire people.... At least her travel wardrobe was under control - nothing else was!

She's now taking off just a few days, to sit under the trees, near the beach, and listen to the ocean...

She's sticking with dresses. It's how she feels most comfortable! And she's keeping things simple - she's had quite enough complexity in her life ... View the Post

A Colorful Moon by Alain Paillou – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 11, 2018 She's always loved the moon... And found this unexpectedly colorful photograph to be the perfect inspiration for her wardrobe:

She was bowled over when she was told she needed to travel to the capital because of an issue with Probate Court! But when she received the expense check to cover her travel (and a bit of shopping), she was prepared to make some smart choices. This is what she packed for that most life-changing adventure:

She's still getting used to the idea of being able to retire... She just worked the last day of her 4 week notice to her employers, and she's heading away for a couple of days, to a city in Mexico of which she has heard a great deal...

She's not meeting a ... View the Post

Flowers in a Crystal Vase by Edouard Manet – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 10, 2018 She's a soil conservation engineer... a job nobody understands...This is what inspires her - the richness of brown, and the beauty of what the soil can produce:

Just after the 1st of the year, she attended a conference of soil professionals. She packed carefully, and within her plan; she was delighted with the results:

One of the people that she met at her conference has invited her to speak to some of the classes at the University where they teach. THE University, as far as environmental issues are concerned.... She's thrilled, but doesn't want to go too "over the top." They will be walking through a bunch of plowed fields, after all. (yes, they have boots for her to borrow!)

The professor ... View the Post

Shallow Deep by Wassily Kandinsky – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 9, 2018 She loves simplicity, clarity, things that are explained and can be learned...

So she became a teacher! Her last trip to New York was with a group of her students, and her travel wardrobe reflected her need to be bright, cheerful, mobile and ready for anything!

This time, shes going ALL BY HERSELF! Just for a couple of days, but a couple of days among adults...

She's not taking very much AT ALL with her. She's going to concentrate on spending as much time with a work of art as she wants, without worrying about keeping her class on schedule. She's going to eat, slowly, savoring every bite and not caring one whit about the table manners of anyone around her. She's going to sleep late...

Yes, her ... View the Post

Trojan Gates by Helen Frankenthaler – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 6, 2018 The quiet translator... Meticulous, and attuned to subtleties that are almost wordless... She won an award for a very difficult project, back in January... This is her unifying wardrobe inspiration:

With these words and colors as her... disciplining structures?

Back in January when she went to the awards ceremony, she was delighted with what she packed... (well, getting the award was pretty nice, too!)

and now has been chosen to translate HIS biography from French to English. He's coming to New York for a couple of days, and she has 2 meetings scheduled with him! They'll probably have dinner, his publicist assures her. Not a fancy restaurant, but a nice place, where they talk ... View the Post

L’Oiseau Forestier by Max Ernst – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 5, 2018 Back in January, her jealous co-workers were fuming because she never wears blazers, not pantsuits...They have no clue. This is her style inspiration:

From this, she developed her style guidelines and color palette:

Back then, when she was going out of town to lead some negotiations, this was her wardrobe - not what one might expect from someone who is supposed to be hard-bitten with brass... knuckles...

"She's heading the overnight retreat? She's such a prissy little mouse... would it kill her to wear some high heels?"

"Have you ever seen her wear makeup? And she doesn't even polish her nails... I don't know HOW she can be so successful..."

of course the men in their office ... View the Post

Paysage de Niege by Renoir – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 4, 2018

She went away for a weekend, to a snowy, very quiet resort. Her friends and family thought that she was crazy...This peace and quiet is what inspired her:

She found the tranquility of the soft colors relaxing, yet somehow elegant, even though her plans were very casual!

When she traveled back in January, she has the smallest of travel wardrobes:

Now, she's going back! She found... much... there to enjoy. It was warm when she left, but she knew that temperatures could be all over the map - warm days and cool nights... She loves that!

She was pretty excited about this trip, so she had a little bit of trouble focusing on her packing... Especially with the uncertain weather! So she went very ... View the Post

Blue by Kinuko Imai Hoffman – Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 3, 2018

You might remember that back in January I assembled a very simple, but (to my mind) fascinating little Tote Bag Travel capsule based on this work.

The palette suggested by this is very limited, but I think that's part of the challenge/fun - especially for someone who thrives by being creative with constraints:

When we left our heroine visiting classrooms, just after the winter holidays, this was her travel wardrobe:

Her visits continue through the school year, even as the weather warms... And she adheres to her very disciplined wardrobe. Her goal is to be a calming, familiar presence in the classes she visits...

The weather's getting warmer, but it's still cool enough for a long-sleeved ... View the Post