The Vivienne Files - Page 87 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Start with Art: Ida Rubenstein by Romaine Brooks, or the Power of 5-Garment Clusters

July 31, 2019

She loves to travel alone....

She carries her own luggage, thank you! And she can lift her bag into the overhead bin, too. It's a point of personal satisfaction that she's strong enough to be self-sufficient... (it's an accomplishment to hold onto as long as possible, isn't it?)

In the course of planning what to pack, she grew to see that working in clusters of 5 garments would be easy to sort out in her head, and also gives her plenty of outfit possibilities! The right 5 garments can translate into 8 outfits...

It's not that she plans to travel forever, and must never EVER repeat an outfit; that's kind of silly...

But what if something is stranded at the laundry? What if the weather gets ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 5: Jeans or a Denim Bottom

July 29, 2019

I think it's about time we found something to wear below the waist, don't you think? For most of us, jeans or something similar seems the most logical place to start. When I was young, jeans were mostly for the young, and even up until about 5 years ago, when I traveled to Paris I seldom saw anybody over the age of 30 wearing jeans. But now? Jeans, in good condition - no holes, clean but not crispy pressed (no creases!) are seen on almost anybody...

As always, I have some thoughts about what to look for.... And as always, these are GUIDELINES, not hard-and fast rules. Nobody is entitled to tell you what to wear unless you're somewhere that requires a uniform. Otherwise, we're all on our own! (which makes building a ... View the Post

Do You Have a Shopping List for Clothing?

July 26, 2019

If not, why not?

To me, clothing is an essential item in life, and as such, should be purchased with care, and with a plan. In order to have a plan, I think that a shopping list is important, if not essential.

For example, you wouldn't buy any sort of furnishing for your home without thinking about it and having a plan. The clothes that you wear can be thought of as furnishings for your body. You can live in a completely empty home, and you can live without clothing, but neither of these options is great!

So I'm pondering the most obvious things that I might purchase for the upcoming cool weather....

I'm heartened to see a number of lovely garments in warm, "autumn or spring" colors, and I've chosen to share ... View the Post

Do the Colors in Your Outfit Have to Match EXACTLY? Consider Camaïeu…

July 24, 2019 Camaïeu is a kind of color palette that uses 2 or 3 tints of single color to create a look with subtle contrasts. In other words, your colors don't have to be perfect "dye-lot" matches for each other! The woman I saw, on a sweltering day in Chicago, was wearing shades of ivory and white. She looked (relatively) cool, and really stood out in the sea of black that is the city:

This makes a lot of sense - colors are not going to look the same if they're in different fabrics, even if they are dyed at the same time from the same kinds of dye. The texture of a sweater is very different from that of a silk blouse - one will reflect much more light, and the color will "feel" somewhat different.

The first thing that I ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 4: Another Accent Top

July 22, 2019

Maybe bright, maybe a soft pastel. Heck, maybe the SAME color as last week, in a different neckline or fabric! Wardrobe accents are where you get to show your preferences, so listen to your heart!

As always, owning this garment is NOT a life requirement - think of this rather as a suggestion for building a wardrobe that makes life easier, and makes you look better...

And yes, we're going to get some patterned, printed or textured garments before the Autumn segment is finished! These early pieces are to help ensure that you've got the basics covered - both literally and figuratively!

For many of the following outfits, you might notice that I've used much of the same pieces as our heroines were ... View the Post

Revisiting Edith and the Kingpin by Jack Vettriano

July 19, 2019

Remember Edith? She originally went to the resort after she had been ill, and then was invited back to interview for a hostess position...

Burning with Curiosity... He's there every day, at lunch. At the same table. He recognized her immediately, and gave her that cryptic half-smile that curls her toes...

She's frankly thrilled that she's wearing such an elegant uniform. They actually did alterations on her dress before she started working! Imagine...

After her interview, they decided to hire her immediately. They took her to the room that would be hers, on 2nd floor of the back wing of the hotel, where the staff lived. Women are on the 2nd floor, and men on the 3rd...

She was able to leave the ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The July Pink and Grey bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs

July 17, 2019

It's that happy day of the month when we get to see a new and absolutely lovely bracelet set from Alison at Fierce Lynx Designs!

If you would like a bracelet in pink and grey that has a bit more muted pink, and a darker grey, check out her bracelet designed expressly for The Vivienne Files! I wear mine all the time... Her Uniform is Navy Blue... With accents of burgundy and khaki. And she's absolutely SICK of it...

Which is not to say that she doesn't love her job, or that she won't be happy to go back to it in a week... But for the cold evenings and warm days at the lake house, she's NOT wearing anything that reminds her of work!

Yes, taking white clothes on vacation might seem a little bit risky, ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 3: An Accent Top

July 15, 2019

Time for some fun!

This wardrobe addition could be in ANY color of the rainbow, and a whole bunch of colors that aren't in any rainbow...

I'm going to show you a handful of ways to incorporate an accent color into an outfit, and then next Monday I will show you essentially the same outfits, with different accents! For most people, 2 accent colors is a good number. Some of us manage just fine with 1, and others among us will want 3 or even 4. Don't beat yourself up if you find that limiting the colors in your wardrobe is difficult; everybody is different, and has different comfort levels! What matters is that you're moving toward having a wardrobe plan, and toward getting better use from the clothes that you ... View the Post

Start with Art: Red Pears by Helen Lundberg

July 12, 2019 It Finally Dawned on Her...

If she just carried her tote bag onto the plane, she could take the really cheap airline to visit her family. And since she visits them every few weeks, her savings could start to add up quickly! So she asked her mother if she could leave some clothes in the guest bedroom...

(no prizes for guessing the answer...)

So now, she can wear whatever appeals to her during her flight, and keep a stash of hot-weather clothes down there!

Her color palette is very muted, so she can wear the same things frequently and not be madly conspicuous. Not as if anybody in her family would ever notice, or comment!

For her current trip, this is what she will have at her disposal. ... View the Post

Start with Art: Vocal Fabric of the Singer Rosa Silber by Paul Klee

July 10, 2019

If you have information about Rosa Silber, please share; I couldn't find anything in English about her! We can certainly conclude that she inspired Paul Klee...

An Unusual Prescription But the conductor, the director, and her personal physician all agreed - go to the resort and sit on the veranda for 12 hours a day for the rest of the week! She needs warm, humid air in her throat and lungs...

She's singing the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, starting next weekend! This is NOT the time to have her voice get weak and faint... but it's just that it needs rest. Rest? She can DO that...

It's only a 3 hour drive...

Maybe she will be able to eat her meals on the terrace? She can't go into the sun - even ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 2: A Dark Neutral Top

July 9, 2019

Ready for another week? This week, we're going to the darkest logical version of last week's top...

As always, (I don't think I can emphasize this enough!) this is a guideline, not a carved in stone life rule. If you don't wear dark colors, or you don't wear tee shirts, or you don't wear long sleeves, this will NOT apply to you exactly like this. You can choose a substitute, or skip this week entirely.

And this does NOT mean that you have to go buy something! This could be as easy as checking your closet for the appropriate garment and making sure that it's clean and in good repair before the cooler weather arrives. (right now, it seems as if it will never come again...)

If both of your neutrals are ... View the Post

Start with Art: Wall of Light White by Sean Scully

July 5, 2019

I love this artist... And this painting is a perfect ensemble of neutral colors!

We're Going WHERE? To her sweetheart's college Chess Club reunion, that's where!

She decides to pack on an outfit-by-outfit basis; she knows that the weather is going to be hot, so she's focusing on linen, and shorts, and a couple of tops that will cover her up if she wants to walk along the shore...

Since this reunion is going to be near the beach, she's bringing "water shoes"...

Even though she's not going to lie out on the beach, she knows that a couple of pairs of shorts will be handy!

Once she got everything arranged and ready to pack, she gave it a last look:

She plans out enough outfits, in her ... View the Post