The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 175 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Whole Heart Thing…

February 5, 2015   It's that time of year - we're inundated with heart-shaped goodies of all kinds. Now, a frilly box of GOOD chocolates never goes amiss, but many of the things being presented to us right now would be much better suited to a teenager, and NOT to a woman of defined, exquisite taste and preferences. So my answer to all of this is to buy my own heart-shaped goody or two, and wear them when I'm in the mood, time of year notwithstanding!   You can always start with the traditional red heart:   I'm not telling you that the leather heart is STILL available, and comes in a stack of colors!  

Or you can opt for the equally expected, but somewhat less intense pink heart. Sometimes the heart is ... View the Post

Handling Temptation

February 4, 201   Saturday, one of my friends too me to the most AMAZING store... It's completely unassuming name is Juju's Vintage Resale Shop, and it's in a strip mall in Chicago, but very near Niles, Illinois. You could drive past it every day for a decade and never imagine the amazing wonders to be found inside...   This is just one of dozens of displays. It's almost all vintage costume jewelry, it's gorgeous, and the abundance makes your head spin!  

 

 

  Maybe an entire ETAGERE of black and white holds some appeal?  

  It was pretty clear that we were going to be in this store for at LEAST an hour, just admiring all of the amazing items, and the creative and appealing ways ... View the Post

Start With Art: Winter at the Convent by Margaret Loxton

February 3, 2015

I love this painting... if this doesn't make you smile, I can't help you.

While I strongly suspect that these nuns are wearing black habits, the habits look very navy on my computer, and so my imagination was strongly drawn to working with navy, white and cool pastels.

 

  I've talked before about the usefulness of having six garments that are the same color, that give you a basis for getting dressed on Monday morning without opening your eyes. That idea has really stuck in my head, so I've decided that I want to build on it a few times. Let's start here:  

Even if you get dressed out of here every Monday, you still have LOTS of clothes unworn, so let's toss in a few extra goodies ... View the Post

A Mid-Winter Refresh: Cashmere Sweaters for All (Color) Seasons

January 31, 2015  

Fear not, I'm FAR from finished with Start With Art. (frankly, it's a theme that I will never stop doing - it's just too beautiful, and too much fun)

But there are so many really lovely cashmere sweaters on sale right now - for those of us who are growing MADLY tired of winter, and our winter clothes, this is a great time to grab a well-considered and carefully integrated new sweater into our wardrobes. (mine is a red cotton cabled crewneck, which will have legs far into the spring...)

If you're in the market for some winter clothes to brighten up the end of the season, it's well worth browsing sites like The Outnet, Saks Off 5th, or Neiman Marcus Last Call. Major retailers are dying to ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Winter Photograph by Kris DaPra

January 30, 2015   I love winter, and sometimes a perfect photograph will convey what my feeble words never can about the beauty to be found in this austere, crisp and bracing time of year.  

  I strongly suspect that either of these button-front shirt would look quite nice under the grey dress. It's a look that a little bit gamine for some women, but for others it can be charming.  

  love, Janice ... View the Post

Start With Art: Wildlife near the Gosse Range – Albert Namatjira

January 29, 2015   There's really no question that I'm going to be looking at warm weather clothing!  

  Although the overall look of this painting is very light and bright, I always feel more comfortable anchoring a wardrobe with a few pieces of dark neutral, so I took advantage of the birds to work a dark brown into the scheme. The rosy beige of the sky is my 2nd neutral, and after that, the sky's the limit - pastels taken from the grass, the trees, and the distant mountains are all possibilities.  What lovely colors...  

 

I would start collecting pastel, bone, earthy accessories...

 

  love, Janice ... View the Post

Start With Art: The Apparition by Gustave Moreau

July 27, 2015  

 

The reader who requested this was particularly interested in the black, olive and camel parts of the painting, so I've taken the liberty of cropping the top third in order to focus on the colors in question. I'm sure Moreau will forgive me, since I'm such a big fan!

 

  Any Moreau painting cries out for an exotic and Byzantine wardrobe, but I wanted to keep things in the realms of the wearable, so I've opted for velvet, silk and cashmere in order to express the more exotic and sensuous aspects of the painting.  

Accessories are where you can really express the ornate impulses that seem to spring from this painting (and what that character in the painting is wearing!) - ... View the Post

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Just one quote, which I thought was worth the price of the book (emphasis mine):

"When you come across something that's hard to discard, consider carefully why you have that specific item in the first place. When did you get it and what meaning did it have for you then? Reassess the role it plays in your life. If, for example, you have some clothes that you bought but never wear, examine them one at a time. Where dd you buy that particular outfit and why? If you bought it because you thought it looked cool in the shop, it has fulfilled the function of giving you a thrill when you bought it. Then why did you never wear it? Was it because you realized that it didn't suit you when you tried it on at home? If so, and if you no longer buy ... View the Post

White Capsule Wardrobe with Grey, Turquoise, or Celadon Green Accessories

January 24, 2015   For now, I'm finishing up this idea of monochromatic outfits and "accessory families" with some summery white linen items. (yes, they look sort of beige or ivory on the page, because white on white would be an incomprehensible blizzard...)   Since the available linen white shoes are limited in January, I decided to grab some shoes that match or tone with the accessories - always a fun option! And for the elusive celadon, I chose some gold sandals; metallic are always worth remembering when you're struggling with a shoe color choices.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm starting to work on some more "Start With Art" wardrobes - anybody have some ... View the Post

Brown Capsule Wardrobe with Accessories in Light Blue, Brights, and Brown

January 23, 2015  

Brown can be so beautiful, and surprisingly versatile...And speaking of versatile, I find that I keep using and using the bright accessories. When I assembled that family of items, I didn't honestly expect that I would get so very much mileage from them!

 

 

 

 

  love, Janice ... View the Post