The Vivienne Files - Page 199 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

This is Why I Blog

February 24, 2024

Thanks so much to the reader who steered me to the New York Times Magazine article: Sign of the Times/Slaves No More by Cathy Horyn. It ends thus:

...a woman of indeterminate age who knows what she likes and has shrugged off what she no longer has any use for, and maybe never did. If that sound rather limited, that's the point. I'll stick with the same paint colors and my lovely old kilt, because, it turns out, there's a surprising amount of harmony in unremarkable choices."

(emphasis is mine)

Timeless. Elegant. Classic. Simple. Unique. Beautiful. Maybe not the words by which I live, but definitely words that inform and illuminate my style choices.

love,

Janice ... View the Post

When Starting With Art goes Haywire: Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles

February 20, 2014 One of my readers has been shopping with this great Van Gogh painting in hand... She's got a solid core of gorgeous gold items:

And she's picked up some light blue clothes too, which she doesn't like to wear with the gold:

And she's also picked up a few tee shirts in the accent colors of the painting:

So now, she's got this assortment of clothes. Everything, on it's own, is beautiful, but she's not finding that this is as versatile as she would like.

One of the charms of Van Gogh is that he combines difficult colors in innovating ways, and isn't terribly dependent on neutral colors. It's a glorious way to ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With Art: Shopping with a Van Gogh Seascape

February 19, 2014

What a gorgeous painting! And the colors are so perfect for warm weather... (of which I dream right now, as I watch the white-out snow storm outside my window...)

A few of you have expressed a concern about wearing light colors below the waist, and so for this wardrobe I'm going to avoid that. Also, I've been asked to include a maxi skirt in capsule wardrobes, so today I've found one!

A dark core of four - useful for most of the year, and an essential base upon which we're going to build this plan. Navy is so perfect for warm weather; if you're concerned about the colors matching, plan to buy all four items at once, and maybe from the same place.

Yes, this is the second grouping of four green garments ... View the Post

Start With Art: Jackpine by Tom Thomson

February 18, 2014 This painting has such gorgeous colors, and for a summer travel wardrobe the options are wonderful... I'm starting with a core of four - I'm a really strong believer in the usefulness of having a core of neutral garments around which everything else can revolve. The colors don't have to be dye-lot matched, but they should be chosen with an eye to being wearable together. And getting your shoes taken care of frees you up to go just a bit wild later on in your second and third waves of shopping!

For summer, shorts and capris. Then when you branch out into tee shirts, this painting gives you a wide variety of colors from which to ... View the Post

Start with Art: Abstract by Nicolas de Stael

February 15, 2014 This beautiful work is Abstract, by Nicolas de Stael, and these cool, subtle colors are amazing for the upcoming summer. First, I'm looking for a neutral from within this painting. If you're comfortable wearing white, or if you have a good relationship with your dry cleaner, I would start with the crisp clarity of white for the initial four summer garments. Sandals that pair white with silver, and some silver loafers, might be all the change you need to update your existing wardrobe in this direction. If you're nervous about wearing this much white, substitute the deepest petrol blue...

If you've got budget and ambition to add to this summer wardrobe, look to the cool ... View the Post

How to Pack for Slushy Streets

February 14, 2014 Lucky me - I'm going to New York for a few days next week! Belovedest has to go to a series of meetings there, and we had a free plane ticket, and so... But this is a particularly dicey time of year to travel - there's no telling what I'm going to find for weather. So the first thing we have to always plan is what the "drop dead" plan is for cancellations, i.e., at what point do we go back home after a number of delays. But once that's settled, I also have to face that fact that I'm not going to be happy slopping around Manhattan unless I have serious footwear - specifically, my Bogs. And they're... bulky... really, really bulky... I could wear them on the plane, but I'm going ... View the Post

A Variety of Colors: A Simple Summer Wardrobe

February 13, 2014 I've been thinking a lot about how to plan a wardrobe that gives you options for a wide variety of accent colors. There are other way to go about this, and I'm going to figure them out, but my very first thought was the following. Here's what your summer wardrobe will look like, after we've worked out way through the steps.

Assuming that you're going to be carrying over a few garments from your cold weather wardrobe, I've pulled together this core of four in grey. I'm also including neutral footwear - canvas sneakers, and a simple pair of suede loafers.

As much as I know that the point of this is to introduce lots of accents, I think it's pretty important that we ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Are you More Calder or Mondrian?

February 12, 2014

Many readers send me art to consider for the inspiration for a wardrobe - thanks a lot! Send me any inspirations you have...

MANY people choose Calder or Mondrian as their favorites, and I initially thought that I could put together one wardrobe that would accommodate both art preferences. For example, here are two works of art which are typical of the suggestions that I receive.

Obviously, both of these works of art suggested this color scheme - clearly you can see the appeal of these clean, clear, and vivid hues.

I first hit a hitch when I was thinking about the initial garment in the wardrobe. A white shirt seemed obvious - but soft and graceful silk, or a crispy cotton? The silk is very fitting for ... View the Post

Warm Weather Travel in Brown and Pink – Step by Step

February 11, 2014 What are you going to pack?? You need to know the answers to three questions: (1) How long am I going to be away? (2) What am I going to be doing? and (3) What kind of weather can I expect? Then you have to choose your colors. The easiest way to do this is determine what trousers you want to wear for travel, and build around that. Having the right travel outfit is the most important choice! In this case, it's monochromatic khaki/tan, with accents of deep rose... Having a cardigan for travel helps you adjust to changing temperatures, gives you something to wrap around little peeps who need a cuddle, and helps cover up any unexpected ... View the Post

How I Slow Myself Down…

I try to remember my primary goals in life - mostly travel - but sometimes I lose sight of that and am inclined to buy something that won't get me closer to my goals. So I built myself this little collage, printed it out in a small size, and wrapped it around the credit cards in my wallet. So it's not that I can't shop, but if I DO shop, I have to look at these images before I can use my credit or debit card...

Your choice of photographs will unquestionably be different, but having to look an eclair in the eyes is a useful focusing technique for me! ... View the Post

Warm Weather in Navy and Pink: A Long Weekend, or a Week?

February 8, 2014 Ooh, it's nice to dream of summer clothes and warmer destinations! Some of you are headed out with family for vacations that suggest shorts, capris, and flowing summer skirts and dresses, and the colors navy and pink are ALWAYS requested! So here's a plan that starts with a long weekend, and then adds key garments if your trip is longer than that. Always, for travel, I will recommend long pants, real shoes with toes and heels, and a cardigan - I always find airplanes are cold... This outfit has the added benefit of giving you two core garments in navy around which you can work throughout your vacation.

A couple of pretty skirts, a pair of shorts, a dress (that will ... View the Post

Six Days of a Navy Suit

February 7, 2014 Many people ask me about what to do with their interview suit after they've interviewed... so I'm going to show a week of work attire that uses your suit as separates. Just as the daily crossword puzzles become more difficult during the week, these outfits become progressive more casual... Two notes: (1) I'm working with a palette of navy, grey, beige, pink and white. (2) I'm going to show the same shoes repeatedly, just to emphasize the utility of a few pair of good shoes, rather than my usual unique shoes for each outfit. Monday is our dressiest option - use your suit jacket over a contrasting dress, or use your skirt as a base for a tweed jacket and silk ... View the Post