The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 153 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Back from Paris

and my circadian rhythms have NO rhythm. You'd think I would figure out jet lag....More very soon, when I've had some sleep. It was a WONDERFUL trip. If you're thinking about going to Paris, do it!

love, Janice ... View the Post

How Do I Define and Refine My Personal Style?

Oooh, I am often asked this, and it's a great question. It's important to have a personal style "mantra" or touchstone of adjectives that help you determine when a purchase might be outside of your realm. And a wee collage of things that inspire you wouldn't be the worst idea either.I also like the concept of trying to imagine a potential purchase as being part of a larger "family" of items that might make it into your wardrobe. Yes, you really like the earrings, but do you want the ENTIRE grouping to be in your closet? Maybe best not let the rogue into the house, lest he bring the entire tribe along...

  This is an exercise in Choosing a Scarf: A Black and White Hermes    

  This was a post about Choosing a ... View the Post

Can I Wear Warm and Cool Colors Together?

  Whether you're transitioning from one "season" to another (wardrobe color season, not time of year season), or you just don't want to be limited by guidelines about color combining, a lot of you ask about wearing warm and cool colors together. I particularly enjoy these posts; I'm just enough of an iconoclast to get a kick out of breaking that particular rule!

love, Janice

Start with Art: Joan of Arc by Jules Bastien-Lepage - a really striking painting, and a cool-weather "Whatever's Clean 13" that uses both camel and grey, with pink and deep green accents. Unusual, and very lovely!

 

Start with a Scarf: Capri Scarf from Radical Chic -  a summer "Four by Four" wardrobe that uses beige and white as a base, ... View the Post

How to Pack Light for the Beach

Another question that seems to come up frequently is about how to pack for a beach vacation. I love thinking about this "problem", and I've got a few older posts that you can review that might help you with your very "sad" dilemma.love, Janice

Start with Art: The Boating Party, by Mary Cassatt - a traditional navy and white summer wardrobe, with accents of turquoise and yellow. No swimsuits - I've been told that many of you have no need of swimwear.

Warm Weather Travel in Brown and Pink - Step by Step - how to decide how much to pack, including options for both a long weekend and a week-long vacation.  

Dressing modestly in a hot climate: travel in blue and tan - some ideas about what to pack when you're going to a ... View the Post

How to Plan a Warm-Weather Capsule Wardrobe

It's the most popular question I am asked right now - what to plan for warm weather? It seems that a fair number of people are moving south, either for the winter, or for good!

I've thought about this a lot, and have written about it in the past. Maybe these posts will be helpful?

love, Janice

A Summer Common Wardrobe - a fairly casual warm-weather wardrobe in black and white

 

Start with a Bird: Northern Flicker - a Four by Four Wardrobe in black, beige, orange and green, including shorts and sleeveless tops.

Start with Art: "A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path" by Jan Toorop - a collection of warm-weather outfits in soft, powdery colors, that make a great-looking wardrobe when assembled together. 

Four ... View the Post

Packing for Paris! What I’m Doing Differently, This Time…

December 10, 2015  

I'm leaving today! Early this evening, in fact, which is a little bit irritating, because I don't get to Paris until 10 a.m. Sometimes this flight leaves much earlier, getting one to Paris in time for an early breakfast. Some day, I will understand why the airlines change things so often...But no matter! I'm going, and I'm going to have a wonderful time. If you want to keep up with my running around, please follow me on Instagram. (it's that little camera-ish thingy in the right margin area)  I plan to post something there at least hourly when I'm awake, so everybody will know that I'm okay...

Differently? My primary plan originally was that I was going to be pretty informal - jeans and nice athletic ... View the Post

Choosing an Accent Color for Charcoal

December 9, 2015   One of my favorite colors - easier to wear than black, and easier to pull together outfits! So long as your grays are in the same general tone, things don't have to match exactly - always a help.  

I used all kinds of schemes for finding pieces this time - I started by looking at men's scarves (always a mystery to me...). The crinkled scarf here is worth taking a look - it's actually a large image of Napoleon. Wearing sunglasses. Designers are an interesting lot, aren't they?  (and PLEASE admire that I found square earrings to echo the gridlike nature of the quilted jackets... these are the things that entertain me no end! and the earrings on the left combine the warmth of gold and the coolness ... View the Post

Choosing an Accent Color for Teal or Petrol Blue

December 8, 2015  

First up, I have to confess that the whole question about what, exactly, this color is called is a mystery to me. I found all sort of shades and tones of these color under both Teal and Petrol blue. It seemed, in a general sense, that it was more likely to be called Teal in North America, and Petrol blue in Europe. Further, the things that claimed to be Petrol were generally more expensive than those that were called Teal. You may find different examples...But whatever it's called, it's very pretty!

In the time that I've been looking into the idea of accent colors, I've approached finding ideas a few different ways. Some color I just knew would work well, and some were combinations that I have wanted to ... View the Post

How to Tie An Hermes Scarf (or any other square scarf!)

December 7, 2015  

This is the time of year when I'm supposed to be BURYING you in links to expensive gifts, so I get lots of commissions. But NOOOOOO, I'm a knucklehead, and I'm going to talk about scarf tying today. Sometimes, I do the most un-businesslike things....First off, let's be clear - you don't EVER, in your life, need to own an Hermes scarf. You will be just fine, trust me. But they are beautiful works of art, so if the opportunity presents itself, and you find that you do indeed love wearing scarves, it's something to consider.

But you should make sure that you wear scarves a lot, and in order to do that, you want to start with much more reasonably priced scarves from places like Talbots, Nordstrom, Brooks ... View the Post

Pantone 2016 – Useful Colors, If We See Them!

December 5, 2015

Yes, "new" colors.

Normally, Pantone gives us just one color for a year, but this year we've been given two... (can you imagine the changes in the world if there really WERE two new colors? I dream of these things...)

I like to imagine that there was a huge fight going on at the Pantone offices, and that announcing 2 colors for next year was the only way to settle it. Talk about your 1st world problems. (no, I don't really like that term, but it's a good way to describe any color dispute...)

I debated not even blogging about this, but I think I have to turn in my official blogger eyelash curlers or something if I completely ignore this announcement. I was really undecided.

And then I saw this:

First off, ... View the Post

Choosing an Accent Color for Taupe

December 3, 2015  

Taupe is SO elusive, and can be interpreted in so many ways! But to me, taupe means a greyish beige, that's sophisticated and subtle.I found all four garments today at L.L.Bean. It's great to be able to find multiple pieces in a difficult color in 1 place - it improves the chances that the garments will match or at least blend nicely.

Some of you have made it very clear that you think Bean is terribly unsophisticated and boring, but I find some of the nicest, best-made, most classically styled clothes there, at prices that don't require missing a mortgage payment! We can't all wear runway designer clothes... You are free to replicate these looks at much higher prices if that's what you prefer.

trail ... View the Post