The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 48 of 285 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet: Transformational Lynx Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

February 15, 2023

She's ready for a big change, and she's going to use this bracelet as her inspiration:

For decades, she's worn navy with pink, or light blue, or pale yellow... It fit in with her office and her job. But now...

She started with the bracelets, and THEN she saw the coat! She was wearing sneakers with green stripes, so it seemed fated... A divine brooch, the perfect scarf, and some wee earrings were all she needed:

Gradually, she added a few things to her wardrobe, while she held onto her favorite work skirt and pants:

Suddenly, she finds that she's prepared to present her new color palette at almost any activity in her social life:

She's excited about the options of soft lavender or deep, ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Signature Peacock Print Scarf by Luna & Avery

February 13, 2023

Our heroine didn't even TRY to resist this scarf!

She knew, with a long weekend trip ahead, this would be a great inspiration:

For travel, she mostly wants to be comfortable! She chooses to wear her short boots, rather than try to pack them. And her scarf is the perfect accent for her navy "suit" and lavender tee shirt...

She knows that she wants to bring jeans, and her favorite navy cashmere crewneck sweater. Then she hesitates... her lavender cardigan and shirt? They will be perfect with either jeans or navy pants, and the cardigan can also be worn over the tee shirt in which she is traveling.

Hmmm, what else? She knows that she is going to a dinner that's going to be crowded and noisy - she ... View the Post

WOW Wardrobe Of the Week – February 5 – 11, 2023

February 13, 2023

This week, I wore the same grey yak wool sweater every day - even on the day when I didn't put on "real" clothes! I pulled my sweater on over my pajamas and wore it rather than my robe, which felt too cumbersome...

I have to share with you the fabric shaver that I've found that doesn't get all tangled and stalled every 5 minutes - it's rechargeable with a UBS cord, and it's VERY reliable...

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: In Vaudeville (Dancer with Chorus) by Charles Demuth

February 10, 2023

Everybody dance!

Options! She Wants Options...

She's not sure that she'll stay in the city for more than a day or two. She may stay longer...

Or she might get on a train out to some smaller town by her 2nd or 3rd day. She doesn't want to decide until she actually arrives in the city and get a feel for things...

Just to complicate things further (or simplify things?), she isn't sure how long she's going to travel. If she is good to keep going, she will keep going! But if home begins to beckon, she will return...

So she wants to have very little luggage. But she wants to be able to dress both up and down. AND she wants a range of colors - not all black...

She feels like she's ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Risshun – Beginning of Spring

February 8, 2023

Okay, there's nothing resembling Spring in Chicago right now - although I did walk home from Physical Therapy in my shorts! People thought I was nuts...

I have two things in mind today - first is that eventually we should all take a close look at our clothes and accessories for the upcoming season to make sure that everything is in good condition. No yellowed whites? No run-down heels on our espadrilles?

And secondly, I want to have an outfit ready to roll if/when we get one of those freakishly warm days!

If you want to pull together an outfit in unusual (or unusual for you!) colors, it might be wise to get an early start, before all of the really nice things sell out!

No flowers poking up through ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Story! Travel Capsule Wardrobe inspired by The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

February 6, 2023

Hercule Poirot receives a letter from France, begging for his assistance. He tells his friend Captain Hastings that they can pack "a small suitcase each" and be on the way to France within an hour!

This is my dream life...

The oddest things will cause me to ponder what I might pack...

Of course, Captain Hastings is a man, but I've made the mental adjustment that I would want to appear conservative, somewhat unobtrusive, and appropriate for a range of activities - including lengthy conferences with incompetent police, attending inquests, and swimming in the Channel off the north shore of France...

I am in no way being guided by the cover of the book! But I'm making sure that our heroine has a suit - ... View the Post

WOW Wardrobe Of the Week – January 29 – February 4, 2023

February 5, 2023

Yes, I'm wearing a lot of the same clothes over and over - and part of the reason is the way our apartment is furnished!

In our main room, we have THREE dining tables! Our table is behind the sofa, with the leaves dropped, and with candles and a lamp on it - it serves well as a "sofa table."

The second, which belonged to my mother-in-law, has the leaves dropped, it's pushed up against a wall, and our (ridiculously huge) collection of alcohol is on it. The pandemic lead to a cocktail challenge with one of our friends...

The third table is my mother's - it's the one at which we eat our meals!

All of this is to indicate just how FULL our apartment is. Which, for me, translates into a closet that is only maybe ... View the Post

Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – February 2023

February 3, 2023

I must mention this: to me, this first heroine MUST be living somewhere warm, or at least warm-ish. It's hard to picture someone wearing this much ivory in a place where slushy streets are an issue!

Adding both the pink tee shirt AND the pants to her wardrobe this month gives this heroine a VERY pink wardrobe, but it's wise to grab things that match (or in this case - tone). Skipping 1 of these 2 pink garments because it feels like "too much pink" makes sense in the short term, but in the long term, having both pieces makes life easier...

Yep, this heroine likes pink. And she looks amazing in it!

Her 3 new garments give her lots of new options, although her wardrobe doesn't have a wide variety of ... View the Post

First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – February 2023

February 1, 2023

I'm already at the point where it's better to break this post into 2 posts; it's a lot to digest (or to produce!) at 1 time!

The order of the paintings is different this month; I'm hopeful that I can remember to re-order them each month to keep things fresh...

First up - the train station!

Maybe it's the single-digit temperatures today, but I realized that all of our heroines could probably use a jacket (although these are NOT the jacket one needs for the dead of winter)... Another tee shirt is pretty important at this point, and jeans or other pants. 

This heroine is due for something in beautiful soft green (called "eucaluptus steam" - it feels like a humidifier when you have a cold!), and a pair ... View the Post

Accessories! Project 333 based on Morris Graves/Rain by Kay Russell

January 30, 2023

Just to refresh our memories after the weekend, our current heroine is working on a Project 333 wardrobe based upon this painting and color palette:

Her plan is to include 16 garments and 17 accessories in her 3 month plan; the clothing that she's chosen is here:

She's going to be logical about this, and work her way through an assortment of outfits, making certain that she includes the appropriate accessories for each...

Finding both earrings AND a scarf in her favorite dusty green is a small victory, I'd say!

She's going to slightly dress up with her vest - a stunning pearl brooch, and some pretty loafers will do the trick:

Something warm and casual is always useful!

Her favorite ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Morris Graves/Rain by Kay Russell

January 27, 2023

This is her favorite painting:

She wants to tackle Project 333 for February, March and April! So she's starting with her favorite outfit, and with colors that she's drawn from her favorite painting.

Of course she can't include ALL of the colors in the painting; that would be overwhelming!

These were her choice:

And this is her favorite outfit, right now:

She tries to think of things that she ABSOLUTELY must wear through the rest of the winter - dark pants, and a denim shirt come to mind immediately:

Jeans? Heavens yes! And she really loves sweater vests, so she wants to include the vest that matches her blue cardigan:

There's no way she can omit her favorite outfit for outdoor ... View the Post