The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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How Do I Know I Have Enough Accessories? Revisiting Double Vision 1974 by Edwina Sandys

September 20, 2019

It's one thing to get a good work wardrobe sorted out (as we did for our heroine on Wednesday), but how do you know that you've got the accessories that you need, and moreover want?

Let's remember our source of inspiration...

Our heroine's going to have to go back to work in her office, after years of being able to work from her home 95% of the time. She's got her clothes sorted, but she's not sure about her accessories...

So she pulls together 5 outfits - 1 for each bottom in her work capsule wardrobe - and then determines what accessories she would wear with each outfit.

First up, she knows that she will be wearing her black pants a lot...

And she knows that her tan pants will be important, so ... View the Post

Adding Accessories to a Travel Wardrobe; Start with Art – Ida Rubenstein by Romaine Brooks

August 7, 2019

When we last visited this intrepid heroine, a week ago, she had her clothing well sorted for her trip, but still needed accessories!

Her first wardrobe cluster is black - of course! But it's not completely somber; printed tops make a difference, as does a striped skirt...

Accessories... I personally feel that you need a few more accessories than you need items of clothing! Of course, you may not agree, but this template will give us some guidance as we get this solo traveler packed and ready to go...

Six accessories for each cluster... hmm....

Yes, these shoes can be worn with everything! If she remembers to pack black opaque tights, she will be all set... Of course, you could bring 2 pairs of ... View the Post

12 Accessory Families! The Pantone “New York” Colors for Autumn 2019

I have no idea why they have multiple color groupings for autumn... Pantone does things their own way, no doubt!

I love these posts, but they take ages to do; just because Pantone thinks that these colors are going to be popular does NOT mean that they're easy to find. But in all fairness, these colors aren't just intended for clothing and accessories - they could be for automobiles, decor, restaurants - whatever...

Still, these are lots of fun, and would be a great way to bring some personality to a Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, wouldn't it?

This first color is closest to what I would indulge in:

This darker red might be lovely with brown, wouldn't it?

If you like beige or grey, this peach would be ... View the Post

10 Ways to Wear a Denim (or Chambray) Shirt

May 27, 2019

I prefer chambray - it's more "shirt weight" fabric, but if you can find a lovely denim shirt, grab it! It should last forever... Might take a while to break in, but worth the effort, I'd say.

This shirt seems pretty versatile. If I could find one without chest pockets, I'd be happier, but sometimes, one must compromise just a bit, right?

I have a few thoughts about what to keep in mind when you get one of these shirts. These are, of course, just guidelines! But as I often suggest, simpler is better...

One of the easiest ways to wear this shirt is to pull it on like a jacket on cool evenings...

Maybe you feel TOO dressy? Or a cool breeze kicks up? Picture this shirt tied at the waist over this lovely ... View the Post

White Jeans? They’re Quite Versatile…

May 25, 2019

As I continue to minimize my wardrobe (it's going to take forever!), I try to make a point of keeping individual garments that are most versatile. That's not to say that every piece of clothing you own should be wearable 10 ways, but for core pieces it's worth considering.

I bought these a few weeks ago, to replace my old white jeans, which looked as if I'd worn them to clean... something disgusting...

(I don't consider replacing worn-out garments to be shopping, so by my rules, I haven't violated my "no shopping in 2019" plan! If you make your own rules, you NEVER break them, right?)

I have some thoughts about the "best" jeans to get - uncomplicated and easy to wear often without them being too memorable, or ... View the Post

Do You Have a Really GOOD Inventory?

May 17, 2019

About 20 years ago, someone broke into my apartment. Literally. Bashed out the doorknob, and opened the lock...

That was all fine - I'm not attached to my possessions (I tell myself.) But when I went to collect on my renter's insurance, I found that I was NOT appropriately prepared. If I didn't have a receipt, or at least a photograph of the item in question (mostly jewelry), the insurance company wasn't at all convinced that my lovely things ever existed. THAT was a rude shock...

alert - seemingly random change of subject coming up...

And why do we keep buying things that we don't need? Is it simply because they look so doggone good that we are tempted, and that's all it takes?

So what if we found a way to make ... View the Post

Spring Updates? Or Maybe Mother’s Day?

April 29, 2019

I'm not good with dates - I forget birthdays (except my own, and Belovedest's), if we hadn't got married on the 1st day of Spring I would struggle with our anniversary, and let's not even get started on the holidays that changes dates every year!

But Mother's Day in the US is coming up soon... If you're still lucky enough to buy gifts for this occasion, it's time to give it some thought!

And yes, your mother would want you to have something pretty too...

If your wardrobe could use a bit of freshening up, a new accent color for warm weather is a fun option to consider; for this post, I just found cardigans that I liked, and then built around them. A pretty cardigan over a neutral outfit ALWAYS makes things feel new ... View the Post

10 Ways to Wear a Blue Dress

March 18, 2019

So the yellow dress was, in many of our opinions, hard to wear... I suspect that's why our heroine wrote to me in the first place! But the overall idea of figuring out at least a few ways to wear a dress is still a pretty smart way to get your money's worth from a purchase... Someone asked that I address the same dress, but in blue; that seems like a good idea.

But - the dress color is hard to assess - the dress on the model looks VERY different from the full-length photograph of the dress on its own. AND... the dress is supposed to be dry cleaned; if there was ever something that was going to keep it hanging in your closet (and not on your back!) is that knowledge in the back of your mind that you have to have it ... View the Post

An Accessory Packing Miscalculation…

March 6, 2019

Remember this mostly neutral wardrobe? I'm going to revisit this with different accent colors on Friday, but today this wardrobe still needs to be accessorized! This is the scarf upon which I based this wardrobe:

And these were the garments:

So, to experiment a little bit, and to change up our normal system, let's just choose a bunch of great accessories, and see how it all works out...

(I'm going to fill in a 6 by 4 Accessory Grid, just for the heck of it...)

First up, earrings! Some neutrals, and a couple of pair that pick up 2 of our accent colors:

A watch and some bracelets, with the same balance of neutral and accent colors:

Necklaces, and (why the heck not?) a brooch! Brooches on ... View the Post

Choosing Accessories to go with a Blue and Grey Travel Wardrobe (for Ireland!)

March 4, 2019

It's all well and good to have your clothes sorted for a trip, but you really MUST pack accessories. Not necessarily all that much stuff, but some shoes are critical, as well as a few more odds and ends...

As a reminder, this is the photograph that was inspiring us, and the color scheme that we were using:

You've got to have shoes - there aren't terribly many places you can go and NOT need shoes... Even though the dress shoes aren't as important as hiking shoes, let's start here anyway!

If you're not going to do hard-core hiking, you might adjust your choice of hiking shoes to be something a little bit less rugged, but it always makes sense to have something very comfortable for lots of ... View the Post

Are You Interested in a New Accent Color? Pantone Autumn 2018 and some French 5-Piece Wardrobes

August 13, 2018

I think most of us wear the same accent colors for years at a stretch - I know that I've been wearing red and French blue since the 1980's...

But it's not that difficult to "test-drive" a new color for a season or 2 - you don't need to buy dozens of pieces to effectively incorporate a new color into your wardrobe; literally 3 to 5 items will do the trick!

So lets look at the "new" colors that Pantone has chosen for Autumn 2018, and see what we could do with them...

(yes, the idea of new colors is absurd - but I always like to take a look at what Pantone has chosen because it might give us some new ideas... and please note that a LOT of these pieces are VERY expensive - they're ideas, not necessarily a shopping ... View the Post

Roses! The Birth Flower for June

May 28, 2018

 

Roses! What's not to love? (I'm a little biased, because I'm born in June...)

There are roses everywhere - if you want home fragrances, or perfume, you're in luck.

And if you want to add some accessories to your wardrobe, maybe pick 2 or 3 pieces that look happy to be together? Sort of an instant update to your neutral outfits... I would cheerfully buy all 5 of these items, just to wear with black...

Or if you wanted a more striking color palette:

Maybe pink roses are your favorites? If you wear black, you can certainly live in that first scarf, and the 2nd scarf would be perfect with denim...

Yes, you might not want to wear a floral watch every day, but if you wanted to find one that you ... View the Post