The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 226 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Monaco Blue goes to work

I chose to work with a light version of Monaco blue, because (a) it was what's available, and (b) I think it brings a more sophisticated look to the gray and navy of the Common Work Capsule Wardrobe.  A nice alternative to the usual light blue that's always available in oxford shirts...    

 

Bracelets – Swarovski, blazer - Paul & Joe, silk blouse – 0039 Italy, scarf – Athena Procopiou, watch – Georg Jensen, sweater – Paul Smith, flats – Thierry Rabotin    

 

Turtleneck – L.L.Bean, blue striped shirt – Golden Goose, blue shirt – D&G, white shirt – Theory, navy blazer – A.P.C., 

grey sleeveless sweater – J. Crew, grey cardigan – J. Crew, navy v-neck – J. Crew, navy ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Monaco Blue in the warm palette

I confess, Monaco Blue is NOT an easy color to find.  I ended up going with lighter tones of it, but you might have to use your imagination a little bit for this color, until it becomes more widely available in stores.    

   

Earrings - 1928, cardigan – Marc Jacobs, denim tunic – Mulberry, sunglasses – Ray-Ban, loafers – Bottega Veneta,

 scarf – Vivienne Westwood, sweater – T by Alexander Wang    

 

 

Top row – L.L.Bean, cream shirt – Kitsune, peach blouse – Chloe, cardigan & v-neck sweater – L.L.Bean, 

brown long-sleeved tee – La Garconne, tan pants – Jil Sander, cream jeans – Les Copains, brown pants – Maison Martin ... View the Post

A question…

What would you consider an essential garment for summer?  I'm going to try to build a Common Wardrobe for warm weather, and since this one will NOT be based on my observations of real people, I'm open to suggestions and ideas.  Please leave a comment...

thanks! Janice ... View the Post

Climbing onto the Cobalt Bandwagon

I started blogging because I so admired Tish's work...  And I never take for granted the honor of being the guest "poster" on her blog.  Today, come see what I do with a suitcase full of color...  

Dress – P.A.R.O.S.H., hoop earrings – Brooks Brothers, knot earrings – Blue Nile, pumps – Brooks Brothers, 

cashmere turtleneck – L.L.Bean, black skirt – Donna Karan, cashmere cardigan – Crumpet, gold necklace – Blue Nile, 

tee shirt – L.L.Bean, black silk blouse – Equipment, gold bracelet – Ben Amun, ballet flats – Tory Burch  

Tee – Derek Lam, cardigan – Romwe, earrings – Marco Bicego, pants – L.L.Bean, loafers – Madewell, watch – Movado, briefcase – Dooney & Bourke, carry-on bag – ... View the Post

Colorist by Shigenobu Kobayashi

 Another hard-to-find, but really fascinating book.  The author guides one step by step in a process of identifying favorite color palettes.  The book has a definite Japanese feel, and once in a while you'll run into a word used in a way you wouldn't have expected (I would guess because it's been translated), but overall it's an eye-opening new way to think about colors.  I'll post more from Colorist, because it is out of print and rather expensive to purchase.  But if you really like to be challenged in your ways of looking at the world, I recommend this book highly.

Below is the 2nd exercise in the book.  You could of course get all deconstructionist about this and start debating what he means when he ... View the Post

Getting Dressed with the 33 Piece Capsule Wardrobe: the accessories

I'm not going to share with you what I wore last week, because with the exception of two days in the office, I wore flannel pajamas.  Constantly.  For five days, while I recovered from a stomach virus of Olympic strength.  Instead, I've aggregated all of the accessories that I wore during January, for our consideration.Bear in mind that the REAL Project 333 starts with 33 items of clothing AND ACCESSORIES for three months, and that there are lots of people making that work beautifully.  I'm currently doing the sissies version of 333, which has 33 items of clothing and unlimited accessories.  

First up are my shoes - only seven pair, including two pair (the black & white, and the gold) which many people ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Poppy Red, for everyone

February 2, 2013   To make up for my paltry blogging efforts this week as my household battles the Norovirus, I now present for your study the very lovely Poppy Red, with the Common Capsule Wardrobe, the Common Work Capsule Wardrobe, and the Common Warm Capsule Wardrobe.  This is indeed a color that works with everything!  

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

  ... View the Post

Packing Peaches for a friend

Come visit A Femme d'un Certain Age, where I've packed some peach, pink, and taupe...

And if you have ANY possible exposure to the Norovirus stomach flu that's going around, do everything in your power to avoid it, clean up, hand wash, disinfect  etc. etc.  This stuff could literally kill someone  who is weak or has a preexisting medical condition. After six hours, I had to have intravenous fluids, and I'm as strong as a horse! ... View the Post

Imagine – an update

January 29, 2013

We've heard back from Eileen Fisher....A world where we could all make our shopping choices with these criteria in mind....

After receiving some really intelligent, well thought-out and important comments on this subject, I contacted Eileen Fisher customer service and invited them to visit here and read your feedback to their organization.  We shall see if they respond...

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Later….

I have a post all prepared about African Violet with the Warm Common Wardrobe, BUT...

Belovedest is home sick, and as we live in a studio apartment, that meant that I did NOT turn on my computer this morning.  

Ten hours or so from now, I will post it.  It's surprisingly nice, and well worth the wait.  I struggled to make the cool violet work with the warm tones, but with a few well-chosen (well, I chose them, so I THINK they're well-chosen!) accessories, it came together beautifully!

have a great Monday, share the love, Janice ... View the Post

An apology…

I get emails...  HUNDREDS of emails... and I'm just plain and simply NOT able to answer you all.  I'd love to - if I could quit my regular job tomorrow and blog full-time, I would do so immediately.

Unfortunately, I have to continue working my regular 8 (9, 10, 11, 12) hour a day job, and put it at least a modest amount of effort in my household.  I then spend quite a bit of my leisure creating new content for The Vivienne Files, and I'm rather committed to eight hours of sleep.

This is just a drawn-out way of saying that if you've emailed me looking for advice, consultation, a special wardrobe etc. - I AM NOT IGNORING YOU.  But I am so far behind in answering emails that I literally have a backlog of four months of ... View the Post