The Vivienne Files - Page 173 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

A Clothing Diary Week 3

February 25, 2015 Another week with incredibly cold weather. For those of you who live in warmer climates, you just have to take my word for it that this weather is exceptional, even for Chicago. Consistent lows below zero or in the single digits, days upon days of highs MAYBE in the teens. Dry dry dry air, wind to knock you over... just lovely! I actually love winter, but this is even more extreme that I would prefer. But we carry on, in style! As before, if I can link to my item, or something substantially similar, I will provide a link. The absence of any link means I couldn't find anything close enough...

I know I've mentioned it before, but these Bogs boots are the WARMEST I've ever owned. They're ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Hermes Maroon Shawl

February 24, 2015 Someone sent me a photograph of this delectable item - a shawl, no longer available, from Hermes - and asked if it would be possible to build a little something beautiful around it. Ooooh, yes, this is DEFINITELY possible...

First up, a color scheme, as always. Using camel as the neutral, there's a whole range of maroon, dark red, bright red, and hints of yellow here - lots of possibilities!

My imagination called this transition season dressing - either spring or fall. Maybe for business, or for pleasure. One dress, for a splashy night out, and otherwise dressy but not fussy separates for business or elegant sightseeing. (Note that the accessories are either angular, or have a ... View the Post

Start With Art: Peripheral Vision 2 by Elis Cooke, or How to Pack for a Casual Vacation in France

February 23, 2015

A recent request prompted this capsule: lightning up burgundy/grey/forest green into brighter cranberry, light mossy green and grey - specifically for a 3-week trip to France this spring. A lovely trip, and beautiful colors with which to work! Just for fun, I searched (and searched) until I found a painting to complement this idea:

For our purposes, I isolated these colors, but there's also clearly an opportunity for white, cream, and a gentle blue, as well as a touch a deeper charcoal. This painting could generate a palette with which one could live forever.

As always, our travel outfit includes closed-toe shoes, a cardigan, and a scarf. But this ... View the Post

Self-Discipline

February 21, 2015

I defy you to find someone who looks at more pieces of clothing, pairs of shoes, or accessories than I do. Any day I'm working on The Vivienne Files, (and that's 6 days a week!) I look at hundreds, if not thousands of things. While I reject the vast majority of them as being unworthy of your attention, I still see lots and LOTS of things that are beautiful. Really, astonishingly, beautiful. (remember that green velvet dress?)

So I constantly have to remind myself that, just because something is beautiful, doesn't mean that I really want to own it. The absolutely amazing Samuel Beckett Bridge, in Dublin, is beyond lovely, but I don't really need to take it home with ... View the Post

Start With a Scarf: Le Voyage de Pytheas by Hermes

February 20, 2015 A couple of days ago in this post, I included this page:

And someone asked if I could build a wardrobe around this scarf. Since I already had a clear vision about the details of the scarf, and the color scheme was familiar, it was pretty straightforward!

Maybe because I'm freezing my toenails off, or maybe because I've received lots of questions about seeing some warm-weather travel capsules, but I pictured this as a long weekend to a warm destination. (PLEASE notice that I included starfish earrings to go with the fish mosaic border of this scarf; it's details like this that keep me amused!)

This would keep you covered for a few days, ... View the Post

Start with Art: The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Brueghel the Elder

February 19, 2015 I love this painting! And I still marvel at how many decidedly winter-themed paintings have been suggested to me in the last few weeks! Any other paintings you want to see? Leave a comment, and I'll do my very best.

You could certainly include a warm, dark golden brown here, and rust as an accent...

For these colors, I was thinking of someone who had to travel overnight for a special dinner. Not necessarily a work event - possibly a family fete? But this is definitely ideal for some cold travel in order to get to a lovely festive occasion. (note that in defiance of the cold, I included a floral-trimmed scarf, and floral ... View the Post

How to Choose an Hermes Scarf: Post-Valentine’s Day Gift Edition

February 18, 2015

One lucky reader was given an Hermes scarf for Valentine's Day! But the scarf is just a place-holder; she gets to choose the REAL scarf herself. I think we can all agree that the giver of this scarf is a beloved well worth holding onto, eh?

I was delighted that she contacted me for help with her enviable dilemma; my first advice was that she immerse herself in the Hermes site and narrow her choices down to six scarves. I then promised that I would give some thought to helping her with making the final choice.

This time, my approach is to treat the scarf very much like the "silk jewelry" that I've always believed them to be. For each of the six scarves in the "finalists" group, I've assembled a handful of other ... View the Post

A Clothing Diary Week 2

February 17, 2015 Week #2 is an ongoing effort to dress when the weather is brutally cold. I find that I'm liking wearing dresses more and more, for the speed and the uncomplicated sleekness they bring. Someone asked me about tights... Tights should be as easy and as comfortable as leggings or yoga pants. (Yoga pants especially are considered the most comfortable garments ever made!) Keep trying different brands and sizes of tights until you find some that don't dig into any part of your body, but rather hug you warmly and softly. You will then be able to pop on a dress in a heart-beat and be read to roll! Some of you were interested in where my goodies were purchased, so I'm including a caption that shows brands. ... View the Post

Maximize Your ROI: St. John Collection scarf

February 16, 2015

Sometimes retailers can be so maddening! This is NOT an inexpensive scarf, but there's really no way to get a truly excellent photograph of it. For this much money, I would think that they could scare up two more photographs to show the entire scarf, as well as a 2nd close-up of the print. But nobody asked me...

That said, this is a beautiful scarf, and one of you has chosen to indulge in it, and wondered how I would put it together with clothes and other accessories...

Red - so easy, and so striking! In addition to working with the colors of the scarf, I enjoyed finding "flower-ish" accessories to tie it all together. Nobody may notice but you...

Something became clearer to me as I worked on ... View the Post

Maximize Your ROI: Estellon Striped Handbag

February 14, 2015

It's so easy to do - you see a bag you adore, and the next thing you know, you're struggling to use it...

Bag - Estellon

love, Janice

PS - For more in the Maximize Your ROI series, check out the following articles:

Maximize Your ROI: Orange Boots Maximize Your ROI: Black and White Houndstooth Check Flats Maximize Your ROI: Leopard Flats Maximize Your ROI: Estellon Striped Handbag Maximize Your ROI: St. John Collection scarf ... View the Post

Maximize Your ROI: Leopard Flats

February 13, 2015

You clamored for leopard shoes - I hasten to respond! If these shoes were mine, I'd be seriously looking at one of these bags - there are LOTS of options...

As I so often find, these items look particularly nice when aggregated. Toss in a white shirt and maybe a black dress (as well as another pair of shoes!) and you'd be well outfitted for travel!

love, Janice

PS - For more in the Maximize Your ROI series, check out the following articles:

Start With Art: Version 2 The Apparition by Gustave Moreau

February 12, 2015 From the very first moment I launched the original post about this painting, I KNEW that I was going to have to look at this again, and pay full attention to the beautiful blue and green at the top of the canvas.

I decided to make this really simple, and concentrate on the opulent feel of the painting as much as the luscious colors.

I pictured this as someone who has to travel overnight for a quite formal event, and then make their way home the morning after. This whole capsule is all about velvet, brocade, cabled cashmere, and ornate jewelry. Sigh...

It wasn't at all easy to find these colors and textures, but I'm ... View the Post