The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: “A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” by Jan Toorop

January 3, 2014  

This painting is currently at the Art Institute of Chicago, as part of the Celia and David Hilliard Collection exhibit.  I'm not sure if it's oil - I suspect it might be pastel - but it captivates me immediately...My impressions from this were of warmth, and simplicity - clear lines and powdery soft colors, with matte finishes.

“A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” – Jan Toorop, blue topaz ring – Zayd Makarim, blue linen tee shirt – Isabel Marant Etoile, natural linen shorts – Comme des Garcons, denim blue sandals – Popet  seafoam linen dress – Paul Smith, scarf – U-NI-TY, silver sandals – Dr. Scholl’s    

 

“A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” – Jan ... View the Post

From Desk to Dinner Party: Silk Blouses

December 17, 2013   If you know you have to go straight from work to a nice dinner, it's easy to plan ahead so that you can look special without having to do a complete change of clothes.   First off - even if you wear jeans, a nice silk tee shirt can spend the day under a cardigan and a scarf, but then can stand on its own with a gorgeous necklace and festive, but still comfortable, shoes.  

  A beautiful blue blouse (that matches your eyes?) looks perfectly serious and businesslike under a cardigan during your business day.  But lose the cardigan, pop on some dazzling earrings, and a slightly dressier shoe, and you're ready to go.   If you have any reason to believe that you're going to have to ... View the Post

Petrol Black and White for Uncertain Weather: A 12-Pack for Mostly Warm Weather

December 16, 2013  

You probably remember that we started last Friday with a core of six garments that would be suitable for a long weekend, and then on Saturday, I expanded the capsule travel wardrobe to a 12-pack, for cooler weather.  Now I'm going to do basically the same thing, only oriented toward a much warmer visit...Again, six carefully-chosen garments:

Shorts - I like white, but you could easily choose black or petrol. A great printed tee shirt that includes all three of your colors. A beautiful fluid top in your accent color, and A skirt that combines your accent color and either of your neutrals. Another top - dressier than a tee shirt - that can be worn with either of your neutrals, and A ... View the Post

Petrol, Black and White: A Twelve-Pack for Uncertain, Mostly Cool, Weather

December 14, 2013  

 Yesterday we packed six garments, for a short week or long weekend, and for uncertain weather.

 Today, I'm assuming that we know our trip is going to be longer - up to two weeks or more, and that we know that most of our weather exposure is going to be colder. So in addition to the original six garments we packed, I'm adding six more carefully chosen items, and a few accessories.  The clothing items are chosen in pairs - sort of like adding outfits, but with an eye to being sure that we can use each item in a variety of ways.

Another pair of pants is very important in cool weather, so black jeans are my first addition. With the black cardigan, it's a long line of black that can have ... View the Post

Petrol, Black and White: A Six Pack for Uncertain or Changing Weather

December 13, 2013   Maybe the question I am asked most frequently - how do I pack when I'm not sure what the weather will be, or when I know that I'm going from cold to warm (or warm to cold) temperatures?   Things to keep in mind:

Avoid any garment that's overtly "one climate" - like a bulky cable knit sweater, or a filmy linen tunic. Try as much as possible to choose what you pack from that middle-ground of transitional clothes.  Consider:

merino sweaters (or cotton, or silk, or a blend of these), cotton blouses and tee shirts, pants in flat finish fabrics like crepe, twill or gabardine, and dresses that can be layered under a sweater or worn alone.

Plan around a color scheme that will be ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Brown and Blue

November 8, 2013

Jacket – Fairly,  Suede jeans – Mother,  scarf – Hermès, loafers- Adam Tucker, silk blouse – Maliparmi, earrings – Novica,  skirt – Lover, boots – Steve Madden  

Sweater – Stella McCartney,  scarf – Pierre-Louis Mascia,  Skirt – Nomad,  ankle boots – BP,  necklace – Novica,  dress – Stella McCartney,  slingbacks - Perlato  

Blouse – Aglini, bracelet – Julia Failey, white jeans – Proenza Schouler,  flats – Cole Haan, sweater – Marika Charles, earrings – Betsey Johnson,   trousers – Rochas, oxfords - Munro  

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Packing: The “Triple Top” Secret

October 28, 2013   I found, after a few days of travelling, that the shirts and sweaters that I had packed gave me a lot more options than I had anticipated!  A reminder: these are what I had in my bag:  

  Of course, I could wear any of these except the cardigan on their own.  But as the weather, and my location, shifted, I began to experiment with different ways to layer these 5 garments.  I discovered that, ultimately, I had a DOZEN options.  In the coldest weather, I was able to layer three tops together for maximum warmth, and thus the Triple Top Secret was born!    

But I quickly realized that, if I had chosen JUST a little bit more carefully, I could have had even more ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Cliffs of the Upper Colorado River, by Thomas Moran

September 24, 2013   This painting made me think of subdued yet strong colors - both warm and cool.  Intensely pigmented, but muted in brightness...  It was a beautiful challenge.  

  Cardigan – A. F. Vandevorst,  jeans – Brunello Cucinelli, bag –nada,  loafer – Trotters, gold silk blouse – Lanvin, pearl necklace – Majorica,  skirt – Deborah Drucker, high-vamp pumps - Trotters  

 

 

Stud earrings-  Linda Friedrich Jewelry,  Blouse –Marc by Marc Jacobs,  jeans – Uniqlo,  ballet flats – Sofft,  taupe tunic – Maison Martin Margiela 4, pleated skirt – Uniqlo, triangle earrings- Robert Rose,  belt – Halogen,  pumps - ... View the Post

Signature: Hermes Clous de Trompe L’Oeil enamel bracelets

July 3, 2013   If you have the good fortune to own a pair of Hermes enamel bracelets, you may want to use them as the basis of some outfits...  

 

Cardigan –Closed, Earrings- Georg Jensen, V-neck – Closed, Silk blouse – Steffen Schraut, Blue cardigan – Massimo Alba, Wine jeans – Closed, Bag – Dolce & Gabbana, Grey tee shirt – Organic by John Patrick, Wine tee shirt – Organic by John Patrick, Slate blue pants – Massimo Alba, Tweed skirt – Dolce & Gabbana, Suede loafers = Patricia Green, Flats – French Connection    

 

 

 

  love, Janice

  ... View the Post