The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 5 of 224 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

February 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

February 2, 2022

Back to our favorite scarves!

I'm changing up the order of these scarves each month, just to get a fresh look at things...

When we left this heroine back at the first of the year, she had a tidy 7-piece capsule wardrobe that would be great for a short trip, or for having to go into the office once a week:

So what does a heroine need in February? For me, a bit of an accent color would be handy, and something to wear during that 2-day "faux spring" that we always see, when the weather is up above 15, and the sidewalks are dry!

While I might still want a sweater, my ankles want me to wear cropped pants!

And I am always a firm believer that most of us can get a lot of wear from a good, comfortable pair ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #46: A Neutral Cardigan or Blazer

January 31, 2022

A blazer or a cardigan? Or a "sweater-blazer," which seems to be the best of both worlds? You get to choose, but I think many of us agree that a classic second layer is pretty important this time of year!

Why yes, these ARE the same pants and shoes as last Monday's post; this is about building a wardrobe, not starting from scratch every week!

If you were only going to have just ONE second layer garment, you could do worse than this:

If you've wanted to introduce some camel into your wardrobe, this is a great way to do it! You don't have to wear it right next to your face, you can brighten up the look with a scarf and earrings...

If you wear lots of shades of grey and struggle to find something to ... View the Post

21 Garments for 21 Days – Starting with 2 Scarves!

January 28, 2022

I don't know where the specific number - 21 - came from; if someone can point me in the right direction, I will be thrilled to credit the inventer!

But I also want to pause for a moment to consider the real intent behind all of the various "# Garments for # Days" wardrobes that are in circulation.

To me, the whole point of these is to provide a clear structure in which - for a specific period of time - you can test-drive what it feels like to have a clearly delimited, reasonably small wardrobe. 

It started - in a big way - with Project 333. 33 items total (with a handful of caveats) for 3 months. Lots of people who have tried this have come to realize that they don't need to have a huge wardrobe, and that a ... View the Post

How do you choose accessories for a LONG trip?

January 26, 2022

Okay, our heroine has a great color palette chosen for her quite long trip to Europe:

And all of her clothing is chosen too:

Because our wise heroine has already figured out what she wants to wear for travel, and what she's taking with her in her tote bag for that quick change in the airport, she has some of her accessories already chosen:

But she will need more accessories, almost certainly! (well, technically, she could get by with just these things...)

And there's so much to consider:

My favorite approach to choosing accessories when I travel is to pick out a LOT of outfits - making sure that I've included all of my garments at least once. Then I accessorize each of the ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #45: Warm Pants

January 24, 2022

I know I'm getting old when I start reminiscing about things you used to be able to BUY... but who else among us can remember going into a department store (pretty much any of them!) and buying a pair of wool pants, fully lined? Possibly with the blazer and skirt to match?

Those were the days....

I thought that today I would share with you lovely wool pants that I found, but nearly everything that I saw broke 1 of my 2 general rules for garments on The Vivienne Files; lots of them were over $1,000 US, or they only came in single-digit sizes.

I wish I had kept some of my pants from 40 years ago...

Still, we have to get dressed even now, and unless we make our own pants, we're going to have to work with ... View the Post

January 2022 Start with a Bracelet: The Awakened Lynx Bracelets

January 21, 2022

Heirloom Fruits She's been trying for years to bring older species of citrus fruit trees back into production. They're beautiful, taste wonderful, and she loves them... Her work as a horticulturist gives her the perfect opportunity to introduce growers to them...

She worked at this for years as a sort of side theme to her normal work. Just when she thought it wasn't worth the effort, it became apparent that these trees are MUCH better suited to droughts and super-hot weather spells.

And now, she's being recognized, at the annual National Horticulturists Convention! 

Now that she's FINALLY getting to pack and make a trip, she realizes that she has been dressing with accents of lime and orange (as ... View the Post

A Long Trip to Europe – in Navy, Beige and shades of blue

January 19, 2022

Some of you are planning travel, even though you might still be keeping a low profile to avoid viruses... Lucky people!

A few quite long trips are being organized, and at least 1 trip that I know of is from the Southern Hemisphere (in 4 or 5 months, which will be autumn?) to Europe. How exciting, after being kept close to home for so long...

A color scheme that has been requested TWICE is this general idea - navy and beige as neutrals, and any shade of blue to accent. I picture it like this:

My dying breath might be spent telling everyone how important their travel outfit is! But it's true; you're going to spend hours and hours and HOURS wearing it, and it will be the first impression that you make when you ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #44: Corduroy Pants

January 17, 2022

Corduroy is one of my favorite fabrics - and I have no reason why! I know that some people don't like the "schwoop, schwoop" sound that your thighs make when you walk in them, but I'm pretty sure nobody else can hear that!

I like the softness of the fabric, and the richness of the colors; corduroy seems to take dye beautifully. But if you just can't bear the idea, you can always just get a nice pair of winter pants in place of these. Maybe wool - remember wool pants? With LININGS? The '80s weren't all bad...

I'm assuming that we're all in the mood for a simple outfit - pants and a sweater. Toss on a scarf, and some fun shoes, as well as some jewelry, and you're out the door. Well, not these days; at least ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in 3 Moods; Start with Art: Composition by Mainie Jellett

January 14, 2022

Curtain Call Her latest major work - a 3-movement symphony - is debuting this weekend, at the gala opening of THAT orchestra...

For years, these have been her colors, and her inspiration for clothing:

Mood #1 - Nervous, to the point of feeling "green around the gills" She's taking the train, and then will have a handful of interviews; it's not every day that a work by a woman composer is the finale of the Grand Gala!

note: this green turtleneck comes in 9 other colors...

Mood #3: Peachy-keen, after the concert! Once it's all over, she will be just fine! Since she gone to the trouble of making the trip, she's going to stay at least the entire next day, and possible into a 2nd day...

Her regular ... View the Post

Accessories “Families” based on Pantone’s Spring 2022 colors

January 12, 2022

It's time to look at some "new" colors. (Yes, I never cease to be amazed by the hubris of calling a color "new"...)

But the announcement of these colors does give us a chance to think about what accent colors we prefer, and what we might want to consider. During these VERY short days (in the Northern Hemisphere!), which are very VERY cold, something to brighten up your wardrobe routine isn't crazy...

Please note, when you're shopping for socks, make absolutely sure that you're ordering what you have in mind - some socks are NOT meant to be worn with shoes! They're for lounging, or sleeping, or maybe worn under heavy boots. Trying to get a pair of those into a trim little loafer is going to be disappointing... ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #43: A Print, or Another Accent Color Cotton Turtleneck

January 10, 2022

I have finally realized (for the millionth time, actually) that winter is NOT a good time to buy winter clothes. My goal for this week was to show you nice lightweight cotton turtlenecks in stripes, or paisleys, or some whimsical prints, that brighten up your winter outfits.

I could show you swimwear more easily...

So? I'm not a martyr to my lists, nor am I completely nuts; we're going to look at more options for turtlenecks in pretty accent colors. For those among us who crave colors, there's really no limit to how many different color bottom layers you can have in the dead of deep, dark winter!

For example - if you have a beautiful scarf that you adore, you should definitely be looking for a tee shirt or ... View the Post

I Love It, But Will I Wear It? Cream Space-Dyed Crewneck Sweater

January 7, 2022

I recently received a plea for some ideas about how to wear a really nice sweater...

They're currently calling this type of pattern "space-dyed;" I would have described it as variegated. Back in my youth, you could buy yarn or embroidery thread that was like this, in all sorts of color combinations...

But the young people must have their own terms, right?

Right off the bat, I was sure that this would be lovely with rust, blue or green because those colors are very easily seen in this sweater, even from a distance.

But just for fun, let's look closely!

I have to warn you - just because a color is present within a garment doesn't automatically mean that wearing that color WITH said garment will be ... View the Post