The Vivienne Files - Page 66 of 286 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Start with a Scarf: Sunflowers by PJ Studio Accessories

March 4, 2022

Those of you looking for a bright yellow and blue sunflower scarf to wear as a visible sign of your support of Ukraine - get thee to Etsy.com and search - they have TONS of them. But make sure that you're looking at vendors based in your home country - specify in the filters where you want your items to be located!

Love, Janice A Small Gesture...

She would be a lot more comfortable staying home to watch the news, but she really needs to go on this little trip...

So she grabs her Sunflower scarf to get her started with her packing. It doesn't really look like what one expects from a sunflower - nothing big and bright gold.

But it's the thought that counts...

She's been pretty ... View the Post

March 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

March 2, 2022

It's pretending to be spring here in Chicago! Not quite tee shirt weather, but close...

I looked at the 10-piece wardrobes that we had on hand at the end of February, and concluded that what was most needed right now are tops - specifically, a cardigan and 2 tee shirts...

I think I will be adding neutral tee shirts to all of these wardrobes... and maybe a fun accent tee shirt. And I know that we've seen this cardigan before, but it's a tough one to resist!

This wardrobe now has a lot more options...

If you're a fan of the Queen of England, take a close look at this scarf; it's a tribute to her 70th anniversary. (no political observations, please!)

Some of this heroine's new ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #50: An Accent 2nd Layer

February 28, 2022

Either you deserve a new sweater because you've made it this far into the winter without going crazy, or because your autumn is just beginning and you are ready to get in the mood!

But an accent 2nd layer - with or without a coordinating tee shirt or blouse - can bring a lot of new life to your cool weather wardrobe...

note: all of these pants are the same as I shared last week; you should be able to wear a good pair of pants a dozen different ways!

This might be a smart time to grab a cotton cardigan and lightweight tee shirt - these pieces would be useful WELL into the early summer:

A pretty spring color can give you a little bit more mileage for your corduroy pants:

You don't HAVE to ... View the Post

I Love Them, But Will I Wear Them? John Fluevog boots

February 25, 2022

Sometimes, you just give in:

So when our heroine was very politely requested to accompany her partner to a weekend conference in a big city, she thought that these would be her perfect slightly rebellious keynote for her travel capsule wardrobe...

She's not going to go completely nuts; she's just going to assemble a wardrobe that will show off her fabulous new boots to their best advantage!

On her own time, when she's sight-seeing, she WILL wear her new boots. At the various dinners, she may wear them, but she chooses to pack a pair of more conservative pumps too!

Since soft rose and dark green are already her favorite colors, it wasn't terribly hard to assemble a travel wardrobe to wear ... View the Post

February 2022 Start with a Bracelet: The Tranquil Lynx Bracelets

February 23, 2022

She's been frazzled for a long time...

So when she saw a special offer to stay at her VERY favorite ocean-front hotel for a long weekend, she was tempted... Oh so tempted...

Grey and white sands, water in every shade imaginable, and hints of blush and orange in the sunrise...

yes, there are some pink quartz beads here!

She has, frankly, no idea what the weather will be, and furthermore, she doesn't much care! She doesn't really want to walk in the sand, or (heaven forbid) frolic in the surf. It IS still only February...

But her best understanding of the forecast is that the weather will be quite warm enough to sit out on the deck with a book, sunglasses on, knees exposed to the light! Not that ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #49: A Textured Top

February 21, 2022

Sweaters! By the time late February rolls around, many of us are SICK of our sweaters...

A new sweater, with some texture or pattern, might be all it takes to get us through 'til Spring without deciding to wear bathrobes 24/7...

And if you find something in a lovely color, that you could wear well into the Spring, all the better!

I would wear this entire outfit in a (ahem...) heartbeat:

Maybe the end of winter is easier to tolerate if you have a brightly warm-hued sweater, and a cheery wee neckerchief!

note the angle at the neckline of the scarf, with the rooflines on the scarf...

Mixed textures is an easy and low-key way to bring some interest into your wardrobe; don't forget the ... View the Post

Two important notes…

(1) I've lost quite a few emails; I don't know how it happened, but I know that they're gone. If you've written to me recently and didn't receive a response, write to me again! (don't worry, it won't bother me!)

(2) I think I have flu; I can't swear that there will be a blog post tomorrow. I will do my best, but right now it feels like I've swallowed broken glass, and that for some reason limits my creativity!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #48: A Print or Patterned Shirt

February 14, 2022

Remember, we are evolved enough as humans that we can buy our own Valentine's Day gifts... Do something beautiful for yourself today (and every day, frankly!).

Today, I'm pondering the role of a plaid, striped or printed shirt in one's wardrobe...

This little teal and navy cluster is a perfect example of the Triple Top Secret! You can - obviously - wear this outfit just as it's show above; in bitter cold weather, 2 shirts and a sweater isn't excessive. Add a pair of long underwear pants, boots in place of loafers, and some hard-core outerwear, and you'd be fine in Chicago in single-digit temperatures!

But if you own these 4 garments, you have SEVEN outfit possibilities!

depending on the style ... View the Post

One Way to Choose and Assemble Your Uniform

February 11, 2022

I've probably mentioned this before (20 times!), but since we've all moved into 1 apartment together, my ONLY real issue is that my closet isn't conveniently placed, nor organized.

And I, of course, really don't have buckets of time to work on it!

My plan is to get rid of things that are no longer appropriate for what I do every day, and to have a good plan for what I purchase.

I'm also moving more and more toward Urban Organic as a style mantra, so I'm trying to buy clothes with better fabric, with less synthetic content, and that are made somewhere humane...

Big goals!

Initially, what would be the most help to me is to have a solid Cluster of 9 garments (either 3 outfits, or 27, depending on how ... View the Post

(Almost) Everyone Can Wear Green!

February 9, 2022

After working on this post, I saw green every time I closed my eyes for HOURS... seriously!

Lots of questions have been posed lately about wearing green. At least in theory, every person should be able to find a shade of green that is flattering to them. Green is poised between blue (which defines "cool" colors) and yellow (which defines "warm" colors) on the color wheel. If you don't want to wear "right down the middle" true green, you can just slide off toward blue, or toward yellow...

These are some of the shades of green that I found readily available right now:

If you want to dabble in the possibility of green, but don't want to go completely nuts, you really only need to get 2 or 3 things in order to ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #47: A Flannel Shirt

February 7, 2022

Ah, this garment is right on schedule, since I'm sitting here in a black tee shirt, black velvet jeans, and a black and white plaid flannel shirt. I only own 2, and they're both black and white plaid - sort of perfect for my wardrobe. But there are all KINDS of possibilities...

Like COLOR-BLOCKED? Who would have thought of this? (apparently, it was Lands' End...)

Another thing that I wanted to show today is the merits of owning a solid-colored scarf or 2. It might seem that they would be sort of blah, but they can be just the right touch sometimes!

If you're going to wear you flannel shirt over another shirt, and leave it untucked, why not just cut to the chase and get a flannel tunic?

If your ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Louis C. Tiffany Peonies Neckerchief

February 4, 2022

After I showed you this neckerchief last Monday, the 31st, more than a few of you asked me to expand upon it's lovely colors...

I have just the heroine for this color palette! Mature Plant Salvage Nobody really understands what her landscaping company does, until they really need her help!

Like the University that added a number of classroom/research buildings to their campus ALL AT ONCE, and now have a bare eyesore of land, interspersed with lovely structures...

"It will be beautiful in 100 years, when everything grows up around it and softens the edges..."

Well, that's NOT what she sees! She sees places to put trees that she saved from a condo development site on the north side. Corners of ... View the Post