The Vivienne Files - Page 209 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: Shoes

October 7, 2013

Lots of people have been interested in where I purchased my various Project 333 items, and what designers or brands were represented. So I'm going to break down the whole show, by category, and review what I have. Better yet, since so much of my stuff is no longer available, I'm going to source out reasonable facsimiles or replacements.Starting with shoes: I have 2 pair of loafers included in this assortment, and 2 pair of oxfords. If I were starting from scratch, I'd probably only get one pair of each. But here are the autumn shoes, shown in order of absolute criticalness in my life.

My loafers are from Stuart Weitzman, the tall boots are from Eddie Bauer, the athletic ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: The Full Lagerfeld

Yes, Karl Lagerfeld wears the same outfit every day. And I'm going to be getting close to that point...I can see how people who are continually immersed in fashion all day, every day, can get completely burned out on making clothing choices. For every garment or accessory that I show here on my blog, I estimate that I look at over 100 items that get rejected. Sometimes, I can say with confidence that I looked at over 500 pair of pants, or 700 bracelets, before I found what I really wanted to include here for you.

After I've written a blog post, I want to wear absolutely simple, plain, easy and uncomplicated clothes. I don't need to have more than a dozen discrete, discreet outfits, so this upcoming Project 333 ... View the Post

Autumn Zest: Brooches

I feel like these posts on brooches are almost vanity posts, because I have so much fun doing them. They take HOURS - don't get me wrong - but I always have such a good time searching out the pins and cleaning up the images to share them with you.If the weather every gets cool enough that we can break out outerwear, a beautiful or whimsical brooch is a wonderful addition to the everyday coat. In a city with a sea of black, navy and grey coats, the chance to see the occasional brooch, or grouping of brooches, is a chic sighting indeed.

So what could you break out, for the approach of autumn?

(I used a variety of background colors, to give you a sense of how different pins will work with your clothing or coat ... View the Post

Signature: A Grey and Ruby Autumn Scarf

October 3, 2013 So, I decided against an eternity scarf, and decided to purchase this beauty instead.

And as I admired how really pretty it is, and how nice the accents in ruby are, in the middle part of the scarf, I got to thinking about how this could be a really great focal point around which one could build their autumn wardrobe. What a beautiful color scheme it suggests:

I already have my autumn wardrobe well and completely purchased, but if I were to go on a big shopping spree, this might be a fun splurge.

Wool coat- Vanessa Bruno, earrings – Novica, sweater- Cuple, flannel trousers – Carven, silk blouse – Emporio Armani, bracelet – CoriNa Mardari, tee ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: A Simple Black Dress, a Cardigan, and SNAZZY shoes

October 2, 2013

Cardigan – Chinti and Parker, Grey pumps – Everybody, teal cardigan – House of Fraser, teal-trimmed pumps – Carolinna Espinosa

Black & brown pumps – Softspots, brown cardigan – Paul & Joe Sister, camel cardigan – Burberry, Camel and black pumps – Enzo Angiolini

Grey cardigan – Massimo Alba, Floral slingback – J. Renee, maroon cardigan – Sonia Rykiel, pumps – Marvin K.

Dress – Stefanel ... View the Post

Blouses for all Budgets

OCtober 1, 2013

Ahh, some of us fell in love with this blouse, from Prabal Gurung, back in April when I used it in a packing plan. I had the real pleasure of actually seeing and touching this gorgeous thing... you couldn't see a stitch anywhere, the fabric was exquisitely heavy and intricate - we're talking about a work of garment art. If I owned such a thing, I'd have Botox on every cell of my body above my hips, so that I would never dare to perspire on such a beauty...

But one of my friends asked me if there couldn't possibly be something a little bit... less... like a mortgage payment, that might function similarly in the wardrobe in question. Bien sur, baby - all you need to do is figure out what the essential qualities ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Double Lucky – Charley Harper

September 30, 2013 This is such a great painting - simple, but beautifully balanced and whimsical, with a wonderful usage of multiple shades of green. Many people find green hard to wear, but if it looks good on you, I say wear it often, and with a smile. From this painting, I drew primarily the idea of looking for a lot of different shades of green, and of balancing the outfits through the strategic use of green accessories... Does anybody else remember reading a book - maybe as a child in the '60's - that included a character named Mrs. Moss? She was a schoolteacher, and she ALWAYS wore green? It's tickling around in the back of my head, and I can't figure out if I really read this, or if it ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Beige Cardigan, 6 different outfits

September 27, 2013 Now that we can occasionally pull out our sweaters in Chicago, I've noticed that a LOT of women are wearing a simple beige wrap cardigan in all sorts of lovely ways:

Cardigan – Alpha Massimo Rebecchi, Tweed skirt – Stella Jean, ivory sweater – Stefanel, taupe suede pumps – Naturalizer, black sweater – Stefanel, printed skirt – Weekend by Max Mara, black pumps - Sofft

Cardigan – Alpha Massimo Rebecchi, Grey trousers – Giorgio Armani, grey blouse – See by Chloe, grey flats – Munro, navy top - Shirt C-Zero, navy trousers – Paul Smith, navy fabric loafers – Munro

Cardigan – Alpha Massimo ... View the Post

Infinity scarves – will we love them forever?

September 26, 2013 I know you're shocked to hear that I don't jump on every trend bandwagon that races through the streets of Chicago... But lately I've been intrigued by the "infinity" scarf - aka an endless loop of fabric that you just toss over your head like a big poofy fabric necklace. It would certainly obviate any worries about how to tie your scarf, and thus might be a good option for scarf rookies... I've seen quite a few women wearing these around town, and they tend to look rather nice. Maybe it's just the novelty that appeals to me, but I am seriously pondering the possibility of one of these in my winter wardrobe.The pattern in this scarf appeals, and the range of colors available means that it ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Purple and Navy

September 25, 2013 A variety of shades of purple, but all of them using navy as their neutral, from the most simple choices of navy pumps with a purple dress, to a very dressy silk blouse and velvet skirt ensemble.

Earrings – Nikki Baker, dress – Malo, pumps – Trotters, scarf – Esther Bonte, blazer – Aspesi, pants – Cedric Charlier, loafers - Geox

Scarf – Joanna Allsop, sweater- Armani Collezioni, skirt – Pauw, boots – Nine West, amethyst bracelets – Lagos, amethyst earrings – Lagos, cardigan – Malo, skirt – Sofie D’Hoore, navy suede pumps - Clarks

Blouse – Aspesi, clutch bag – Georgina Skalidi, velvet skirt – Vanessa ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Cliffs of the Upper Colorado River, by Thomas Moran

September 24, 2013 This painting made me think of subdued yet strong colors - both warm and cool. Intensely pigmented, but muted in brightness... It was a beautiful challenge.

Cardigan – A. F. Vandevorst, jeans – Brunello Cucinelli, bag –nada, loafer – Trotters, gold silk blouse – Lanvin, pearl necklace – Majorica, skirt – Deborah Drucker, high-vamp pumps - Trotters

Stud earrings- Linda Friedrich Jewelry, Blouse –Marc by Marc Jacobs, jeans – Uniqlo, ballet flats – Sofft, taupe tunic – Maison Martin Margiela 4, pleated skirt – Uniqlo, triangle earrings- Robert Rose, belt – Halogen, pumps - ... View the Post

Elegance is Refusal? What DOES this mean?

This is a quote that gets bandied about quite a bit, but I don’t know how many of us have thought about how this idea translates into everyday actions and choices.

But I think it might be:

Refuse to buy what we’re told are “must-have” items. Elegance is not conforming to the dictates of others – especially when their primary goal is to sell you something, and not to help you be more elegant, more attractive, or more financially secure. Refuse to accept the conventional wisdom that you need new clothes constantly, no matter that you already have enough clothes, or that you don’t need to spend more money, or that the environment can’t sustain each of us buying clothes without restraint and planning. Refuse to fall prey to the “color of ... View the Post