12 Months - 12 Outfits Archives - Page 5 of 5

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Hermes Panthera Pardus

The minute I saw this scarf in the store, I knew I wanted to use it here on The Vivienne Files, so you all could see it too:

He's got green eyes! The colors, and the details here, are just gloriously beautiful. I always particularly admire the contrast edge on a scarf, because it's pretty, and because I can't even imagine how difficult it is to silkscreen that part, and then roll it and hand stitch it so perfectly. Artisan genius... and it comes in other colors!

The range of possible colors that can be used here was pretty impressive, and a bit unusual. Hermes can always be counted on to come up with color schemes not seen elsewhere.

When I do capsule wardrobes like this, please bear in mind two things:

I don't expect that the ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: February

Although the marketing types will urge us all to dress up in lace and frills and all sorts of dainties for Valentine's Day, I think it more likely that many of us will consider it a big night out if it requires a dress of any sort! So for February, I looked for dresses - simple, classic, versatile, timeless dresses that will be as useful for you in July as they are in February...

As before, I tried to keep the "parts" as consistent as possible across the six color palettes, so that the impact of the changing colors will be shown to better effect.

Remember, these are the six scarves around which I'm building these "month by month" capsule wardrobes. Any beautiful item can serve this function - painting, ceramic, photograph, bag, fabric ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: January

You all have the BEST ideas! And I'm stealing this and running with it...

Starting today, and then on the 1st of each month (yes, the next installment, for February, will be Monday), I'm going to share the "monthly" new outfit for each of 6 different capsule wardrobe color schemes. By the 1st of December, we're going to have a nice tidy capsule wardrobe, built around a unifying color theme and overall "feel."

I chose 6 Hermes scarves to define our color palettes:

These six scarves indicated, to me, six different core neutral colors, and an interesting range of accents. I've included a small image of each scarf on the page with each outfit, to remind us of the colors with which we're working. Of course, you can wear the scarf with ... View the Post

Simply Seasonless in the Capsule Wardrobe: Black Pants

Last week's episode of Simply Seasonless (the denim shirt) included quite a few essential capsule wardrobe items that are ALSO pretty versatile. Today, I'm thinking of a pair of black "ankle pants", i.e. those pants that stop about 2 inches above the ankle bone. They're obvious with sandals or espadrilles, easy as pie with boots, but surprisingly fun with opaque tights and pumps or ballet flats... The key to wearing these pants successfully? Make sure they're narrow at the bottom, simply styled, and not TOO short.

And yes, you're seeing some of these garments again - this is key to an efficient capsule wardrobe!

love, Janice ... View the Post