beige Archives - Page 19 of 34

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Male and Female Cardinals, in Warm AND Cool Colors

February 24, 2016

So I'm going to start alternating "1 Piece at a Time" Wardrobes with other fun things, so that we don't collectively burn out on the concept before I've addressed ALL of your color scheme requests. I am absolutely going to look at accessories for these wardrobes - those might be some of the "interspersed" posts. As much as I have an endless attention span for a single subject, I understand that a bit of variety keeps things fresh for us all.Someone suggested that the male cardinal wardrobe (here) and the female cardinal wardrobe (here) might be combined. I'm ALL OVER that idea!

Do these two look like they get along?

I've often thought that it's possible to build a wardrobe with 4 or 5 neutral colors ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe One Piece at a Time in Navy, Beige Turquoise and Yellow

February 23, 2016

I'm going to start tackling the various color schemes you all requested - what a great, long, and wide-ranging list! Today I'm going to do the first of a couple using navy and beige...

First up, the favorite outfit: (for what it's worth, the most frequently mentioned accent color from you all was turquoise).

This request was for accents of both turquoise and yellow, so the color scheme looks like this:

From here, for a while, this will look very familiar. I am a strong believer in the absolute necessity of investing in a core of neutral garments before you start going crazy with a lot of accents!

I could have included the navy and beige tee shirt I used before, but I've got a plan for ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe One Piece at a Time in Navy, Beige and Poppy

February 22, 2016

A requested color scheme - this looks so "Coast of Maine in the summer" to me! Maybe because L.L.Bean is well-represented here. I don't necessarily think that everybody is going to buy things from them, but their photographs of simple, classic clothing are among the very best I can find for our illustrative purposes.

Starting outfit:

Blouse - Uniqlo; cardigan – L.L.Bean; pants – Jil Sander Navy

Although this outfit doesn't include beige, it's been determined by the requester that beige will be the other neutral color, so our color scheme is thus:

Blouse - Uniqlo; cardigan – L.L.Bean; pants – Jil Sander Navy

This time, I decided to get that neutral tee ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe One Piece at a Time in beige, pink and soft green

February 20, 2016

I'd be happy to do more of these - suggest colors, and I'll give it a try!

Today, we're going into warm colors, starting with a favorite outfit of a woman who wears and loves warm, soft colors:

I can see the appeal of a comfy tee, broken-in chinos, and a cuddly cashmere cardigan! Although her "seed" outfit doesn't include green, she makes the deliberate choice to include it in her wardrobe plan:

I may have beaten this poor horse to pieces by now, but a great place to start to expand a wardrobe is to find pieces that are different colored versions of your current favorites. In this shopper's (now nicknamed TS) plan, a green tee shirt, just like her blush one, is a simple and foolproof place to ... View the Post

The Finishing Steps: Shifting Accessories from Cool Colors to Warm Colors

February 15, 2016

When we left this project, it was neither fish, nor fowl, nor good red meat, as they say...But that's okay, because transition REQUIRES a period of "this and that." Unless you're going to throw out absolutely everything and start from scratch (which I don't recommend, and actively discourage!), you're going to find yourself in this kind of spot if you choose to make a major wardrobe shift. Just press on, patiently and intelligently...

Step 6 - Shoes for Skirts, and a Tote Step 6 of the clothing change gets rid of black skirts and move toward warmer pieces, so your black pumps and boots are pretty obsolete! And you might as well address a new tote bag, since you're in the "leather goods" mood.

Since ... View the Post

The Last 4 Steps: Shifting a Wardrobe from Cool Colors to Warm Colors

February 13, 2016

Okay, let's finish shifting this wardrobe!By now, you should be REALLY comfortable with the colors of your new clothes, and you should also be feeling slightly uneasy when you wear your older things. If you aren't finding this shift to be a big improvement in your love for your wardrobe, STOP SHOPPING. Don't make this shift if you're not 100% sure it's the right thing, and don't continue the move if you feel at any time that you might be making a mistake. There's no shame in stopping at any stage for a lengthy reassessment, and there's no shame in deciding part way through that it was a bad move. The only shame would be in persisting in taking advice from someone else about your wardrobe, when your instincts ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Fumee d’Ambre Gris by Sargent

February 6, 2016 I spotted this painting ages ago...

The exotic nature of the painting suggests a travel wardrobe, but I didn't want to go too far overboard into a desert vacation, so I went back to our "range of events" trips that so many of us are taking this spring and summer.

And I decided to break a few rules, too! Iconoclast Generally, she's described as the eccentric aunt, but she prefers to think of herself as an iconoclast. An original. A truly self-defined woman...

And she doesn't wear high heels! Nor stockings...

But she can get dressed up as well as anyone, even if it's going to be one of those long weekends with everything from formal dinners to weddings to a picnic. She can pull ... View the Post

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

February 2, 2016 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 ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: February

February 1, 2016

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 - ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: January

January 30, 2016

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, 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 the outfit!

I hope it ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe Starting with Art – The Third Buddhist Kesa

January 26, 2016

Despite the beautiful delicacy of the fabric, the colors felt like a warm-weather travel adventure to me!

Astonishing Everyone... "Are you sure you want to go there? It's not very dressy..."

Yes, I understand that, she thinks.

"You're going to have to carry your own luggage..."

Yes, I've been working out on the treadmill for months, carrying hand weights.

"I mean, you'll be able to get laundry done, and the water's usually safe to drink, but this just isn't your style. There are no Michelin starred restaurants, or 5 star hotels..."

Does everyone really believe that I'm that high maintenance?

"Your ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe Starting with Art – The Second Buddhist Kesa

Such lovely colors:

Perfect for spring travel!

A "Miles" 2nd Honeymoon They agreed that it was the most cost-effective thing to do, so they immediately started using their airline credit cards for EVERYTHING possible...

After a few months, they totaled up their miles, and called the airline.

Long-sleeved tee – Uniqlo; tank – Uniqlo; jersey jacket – Uniqlo;

henley – Uniqlo; dress – Uniqlo; capris – Uniqlo; jeans – L.L.Bean;

wide-leg pants – Uniqlo

The woman on the other end of the phone was lovely. She didn't mind being on a speaker phone, and she just laughed when they talked over each other. Finally, they decided to see what the longest trip possible was ... View the Post