The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 248 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in camel & blue

April 11, 2012

Today, I've swapped out the black for a much softer camel, and you can see that with just a few adjustments to the accessories, the same 5 (core neutral garments) + 2 (white or light neutral tops) + 7 (accent pieces, including a jacket or coat) approach continues to work.

This could be particularly useful if you have a well-established base wardrobe in your best neutral(s), and were considering making a big investment in a new accent color.The seven garments, a scarf, a couple of pieces of jewelry, and you've added LOTS of new options to your core wardrobe.

Stay tuned; I'm still playing with this idea!

love, Janice

p.s. If you're currently estranged from someone you once loved, get back in ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in black, white & blue

The general theory behind my packing plan can be translated into nearly infinite color combinations.  If pink is not your cup of tea, try blue!  In the next few days I'm going to swap out for at least one different neutral, and a few different accent colors.  The theory is always the same: 5 core neutral garments, an accent jacket, a couple of white or light neutral tops, and then the 6 dash accent garments in your color(s) of choice.  Easy peasy, once you get the hang of it...  

 black cardigan – Ganni, sapphire earrings – Lord & Taylor, white tee – Michael Stars, Scarf – H&M, Denim coat – Derek Lam, black pants – Donna Karan, patent loafers – Tod’s, black tote – Big ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for My honeymoon, in pink and black

Way back when, when I married belovedest, we went to Florence and Venice for our honeymoon.  It was late March and early April, cool evenings and beautiful sunny days.  And I absolutely SPLURGED on more pink clothing that I've ever worn before or since.  A blissful time...

 

 black cardigan – Ganni, earrings – Kimberly McDonald, white tee – Michael Stars,   

Scarf – Roberto Cavalli, Pink coat – Jil Sander, black pants – Donna Karan, patent loafers – Tod’s,   

black tote – Big Buddha  

 

 

sunglasses – Dorothy Perkins, pearl earrings – Kate Spade, pink lace top – J. Crew,  

 white short-sleeved button-front top – Kookai, pink ... View the Post

Just because I really like you…

I'm going back through ALL of my old posts, and "re-tagging" them to have the colors of the wardrobes included in the tags.

What does this mean to you?  You can find every navy wardrobe.  Or green.  Or grey.  At the bottom of each post, there's a list of "tags" for that particular post.  If you click, for example, on the words business travel, you will be shown all of my posts that I have tagged as being of a style that suits business travel.

This is a long process, and not a precise one.  If you have suggestions about how I might label any particular post, PLEASE, let me know.

The whole purpose of this blog is to give you ideas and suggestions.  If I can do anything that makes that process easier, I ... View the Post

The shopping fast: Month 7

It's amazing how much wearing a uniform for work can change the way you look at getting dressed in the morning!  Most days, by biggest concern is getting my tie tied correctly, or seeing if I can finagle being allowed to wear a hairnet rather than a visor or ball cap.  Oddly enough, the hairnet is cooler, and doesn't interfere with my peripheral vision as much.  Plus, I sell more because I get that little old lady sympathy purchase...  

But I did dress up a few times - working the pink and grey combo a lot this month...

 

On St. Patrick's Day, in honor of the last day of the 6 Nations Rugby tournament, I wore my completely out of character "This is NOT Soccer" tee shirt...

 

  And late in ... View the Post

Customizing the Classics: The Navy Blazer

Navy blazer – Armani Jeans    

Biker – Dorothy Perkins, silk twill – Jil Sander, wool – Balenciaga, silk tussah – Stella McCartney, waterfall – John Lewis    

Double-breasted cardigan – Marc by Marc Jacobs, self-belted cardigan – Steffen Schraut, leather belted cardigan – Michael Michael Kors, silk cardigan with pockets – Marc Jacobs    

Grey, black and taupe blazers – Topshop, brown blazer – Jil Sander    

Navy merino cardigan – J. Crew, black cardigan – Zadig et Voltaire, beige belted cardigan- Schumacher, white drawstring cardigan – Hugo Boss     ... View the Post

A Chic Sighting, and a cautionary note on “payday shopping”

So I finally get a day off, and wandered about down in the "Loop" meeting a friend for lunch, stopping by to see belovedest, and just hiking about taking in the sights...  The young lady represented in the above assembled outfit was a shining light of cheer on a gloomy day; I first noticed her radiant smile, but her well-curated outfit caught my eye too!

And another thing I saw: payday shopping.  Back when I was in soft-goods retail, we always knew that the 15th of each month, and the last day of each month, would be very busy at lunch time, and after the end of the office work day.  Why?  Insert graphic of money burning a hole in someone's pocket.

There's nothing theoretically wrong with shopping the same day you ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in grey, teal & claret

Claudia asked about a travel wardrobe in grey, with accents of teal and merlot.  What lovely colors to work with...  If this isn't exactly appropriate for the weather anticipated, shorter sleeves, and maybe capris could be substituted for some of the items here.  As always, I'm long on accessories, and layering possibilities...Enjoy!

 

The Travel Outfit

Tee shirt – J. Brand, blue diamond studs – ice.com, cardigan – Patagonia, Grey pants – Stella McCartney, scarf – Missoni, teal washed leather oxfords – Maison Martin Margiela, tote bag – Big Buddha  

The Travel Capsule Wardrobe

Wool/silk abstract scarf – Oolmoo, grey wrap top – Yves Saint Laurent, grey scarf – White & Warren, wavy scarf – ... View the Post