The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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How to Use Both Warm & Cool Accents in a Capsule Wardrobe – Start with Art: Carnival Evening by Henri Rousseau

March 17, 2017

 

This sets a mood, doesn't it?

I love how much the sky is emphasized... and that glimpse of stars... sigh...

If you've seen the earlier installations of this series (yesterday, and the day before) you can cruise through this quickly. We have our starter Neutral Building Blocks:

   

The dozen (at least!) possible outfits from these pieces:

 

And the way those 9 pieces fit in a 4 by 4 Wardrobe template:

What a fun exercise this is! It can be very difficult for me to find seven perfect pieces within an 8-hour work day, so if you're going to try to put together a wardrobe like this at home, please be patient with yourself as you shop. The pieces are out there, but might ... View the Post

More Personalized Neutrals – Start with Art: Untitled by Julian Lethbridge

March 16, 2017

After yesterday's subtle colors, this feels almost like a breath of spring!

I don't know that I've ever seen accents so resolutely feminine juxtaposed against black and ivory! This would be such a nice palette to adopt for warmer weather...

Just as we did yesterday, I'm starting with the exact same nine Neutral Building Blocks:

v-neck sweater – L.L.Bean; cardigan - L.L.Bean; sleeveless top – L.L.Bean;   short-sleeve tee - L.L.Bean; long-sleeve tee – L.L.Bean; sweater - L.L.Bean;   jeans – Brock Collection; shorts - L.L.Bean; pants - L.L.Bean  

And as before, this gets you started with a solid dozen neutral outfits. This heroine would want a couple of really pretty floral scarves that ... View the Post

How to Personalize Neutrals in a Capsule Wardrobe – Start With Art: L’Encens by Ferrand Khnopff

March 15, 2017

I've made the bold pronouncement recently that it's the accents that make a capsule wardrobe personal - it's possible for any number of women to share a core of identical "base" clothes in neutral colors, and the overall impression that they make will vary, based on how they accessorize and accent those neutrals.

Well, I've been asked to flesh out that idea in some detail, so here goes! For the next 4 days, I'm going to feature 4 works of art that share a base of black and ivory, but which include a variety of accent colors. Each heroine will begin with the same 9 wardrobe Neutral Building Blocks in black and ivory, to which I will then add seven accent pieces. Then, after everybody's got their wardrobe set up, I'm ... View the Post

How to Choose a “Project 333” Wardrobe Based on a Scarf – Ted Baker London’s Gem Garden

March 2, 2017

 

Monday I put together a wee wardrobe based on a most beautiful scarf, and today I'm going to add some accessories. Given my incredible fondness for numbers, I early on realized that the overall number of items here was going to be very close to 33, so I specifically aimed at that number...

First, let's refresh our collective memory of the scarf, and the colors we were using:

In case you didn't see this on Monday - the scarf is also available with a cream background in place of the black. Did you need more temptation? And this design/pattern is also available in other sized scarves, as well as some lovely bags!

And these were the pieces of clothing that I chose; there are 18 pieces here, so I'm going ... View the Post

Should I Buy This Scarf? How to decide if you really ought to buy an accessory…

February 27, 2017

I saw this, and was immediately captivated. I am, of course, two months into a year without shopping, so the question of buying the scarf isn't really relevant to me personally, but it is something that we all confront: "Should I Buy This?"

It's an intriguing scarf - it's not really a traditional floral design, and the color scheme is subtle and quite pretty. I imagine that this would be very flattering on a lot of women! (and it comes with an ivory background - rather than the black - if that appeals....)

My thinking? Imagine a spectrum of outfits - from very casual to somewhat dressy - that would be perfect with this scarf. And then think seriously - are these outfits that I already own, or that I would ... View the Post

How Can I Accessorize a Column of Black? Chic Sightings to the Rescue!

February 9, 2017

In the last few days, I noticed a number of women wearing simple black "columns," - a sweater and pants, or a tee shirt with pants, and at least in one instance, I think she was wearing a black dress with black tights.

But what caught my eye was the way that each woman had put her own very personal spin on the basic black core of their outfit. My eye was caught immediately when I saw this great floral tote:

  This is really clever - the grey and white in the cardigan keep the outfit from looking anything at all like Halloween.

  And I spotted this tote WAY across the room - I've always kind of wanted one of these... and I could love this cardigan to pieces...

  Even when you're ... View the Post

How to Assemble a Warm-Weather Capsule Wardrobe – Bavarian Cream Tossed Floral Cardigan

February 3, 2017

I have no idea why it's called "Bavarian Cream." I had no idea that the cream there was in some way special...

Today is the last version of the "start with a patterned cardigan" idea, with more complete explanations of what I'm doing with these cardigans. (brace yourself - I get pretty carried away explaining my methodology here!) This cardigan was chosen because one of you who is contemplating the purchase on this one felt that the colors might prove to be too autumn-like...

For what it's worth, upon close study, I think that these colors are pretty safely seasonless; one might be reluctant to wear a pair of cream wool crepe trousers in February (nasty salt splashes = ruined garment!), but for the most part, ... View the Post

How to Assemble a Warm-Weather Capsule Wardrobe – The Dandelion Cardigan

January 31, 2017  

One of you has fallen in love....With a cardigan! And you're somewhat concerned that you won't wear it enough to make it worth the purchase...

This is the winsome object of her affections:

She assures me that she really loves the yellow, but has never worn it. And she's very devoted to her black and white neutrals:

I don't think she's going to have any problems at all - realistically, I think she need to maybe buy 1 thing for each of these outfits to pull everything together.In these first 2 outfits, she'll want to grab those delicious sandals, and the bracelets will be essential...

 

Another pair of yellow sandals might be overdoing it. Maybe. And the yellow tee shirt - assuming ... View the Post

Expanding a Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Winter Scene in Moonlight by Henry Farrer

January 20, 2017

 

This is such a lovely painting, and such a truly simple and straightforward color-scheme:

When we first visited this painting, it was to help inspire a cold-weather long weekend in the country. This was the wardrobe (minus the nightgown!) that our heroine packed. Many of you asked me if it would be possible to expand this wardrobe a little bit, into a more complete winter wardrobe; I'm ALWAYS happy to try to oblige!

 

That translates into half of a Four by Four Wardrobe, arrayed this way:

As much as that star cardigan could be worn every (cold) day for a decade and not grow old; it only makes sense to have at least a couple of cardigans for the colder weather. A zipped black cashmere ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Winter Scene in Moonlight by Henry Farrer

January 4, 2017

This looks pretty familiar, weather-wise...

"You're Going WHERE for the Weekend?"  

"The farm... you know that I've kept the house cleaned up so it's habitable..."

 

"Yes, but it will be FREEZING cold, and there's absolutely nothing out there to do..."

She hesitates.... these don't sound like big problems! 

  "I'll dress warmly. I know that the tenant has at least a couple of cords of firewood there for me; I talked to him over Christmas..."

 

"Well, if you're sure...."

She's very sure. She wants a fire, and some books, and some peace and quiet, and a chance to see the night sky without a million street lights....

When she returns to work, she's just ... View the Post

My Year Without Shopping – January 2017. The Reasons, The Method, and The Rules

January 3, 2017

 

Yes, it's true, and it's long overdue; I'm taking a year off from shopping! I've begun to feel just a bit too much like this:

Untitled (I Shop Therefore I Am)    by Barbara Kruger  

(By shopping, I'm including clothes, jewelry, and all accessories.) It's become apparent that I have a lot more clothes than I need, especially when considering my current life. It's not uncommon for me to spend at least 2 days a week in gym clothes - I'll wake up and put them on immediately, but then won't actually GET to the gym until mid- to late-afternoon. By the time I've finished working out and cooling down, (at least in the winter) it's time for me to shower and put on my pajamas! I could get ... View the Post