The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a scarf: Hermès Peinture Fraiche

A scarf without a lot of color in it can be a challenge, but I think of scarves as silk jewelry.  As such, this scarf, for me, became something made of silken pearls, and a of a burnished, brushed pewter that just happened to be fiber rather than metal.  When taken in that sense, this scarf goes anywhere that "cool" toned jewelry would go.  It was lovely to study...

Taupe pearl earrings – Adrienne Vittadini,  Navy dress – Alberta Ferretti, navy pumps – Debenhams, bracelet – Chan Luu, taupe sweater – Vince, moccasins – Minnetonka, ivory jeans – Windsmoor Classic  

Studded pearl earrings – Renee Lewis, sweater – Cruciani, Boucle skirt – Marc Jacobs, boots – Nine West, bracelet – Antik Batik, tee shirt – ... View the Post

12 ways to wear a blouse: Hot Tips by Frances Patiky Stein

May 3, 2012

Actually, she included 24 ways to wear a blouse, but some of them were a bit... unusual...

Blouse and matching skirt:

Blouse and pencil skirt:

Blouse over tee shirt with matching skirt or shorts:

Blouse with trousers, or AGAIN with a matching skirt:

Blouse as a jacket over a tank top and trousers, or with white trousers:

Blouse with matching trousers, worn as a jacket over a striped or a solid tee shirt:

I'll be away for a few days at a family celebration, so I won't be posting, or responding to comments and emails. Rest assured, I'll be back here Tuesday late morning, after my ridiculously early work shift!

love, Janice

PS - If you are looking for more color ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for summer on the coast of Maine

A dear reader asked me for some suggestions about what to take for a summer on the coast of Maine.   She has these garments (well, garments very similar to this) that she currently really likes:

white linen shirt – Ralph Lauren, orange striped tee – Debenhams, navy striped tee – Sandro, purple striped tee – Splendid, white shirt – Marc Jacobs, white & dark wash jeans, denim jacket – Adriano Goldschmeid, black shirt – La Garconne  

And she told me that she really likes blue, so I suggested the following additions (some of which she may already have), as well as some essential accessories.   A few possible combinations follow.  Enjoy! and dream of the beach...

Blue cardigan – Paul Smith, white tee – La ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a scarf: Hermès Belles du Mexique in blue, grey & rose

It would be so easy to build an entire wardrobe around these shades of rose, grey, taupe, coral, peach and slate blue...

 

Taupe dress – D&G, taupe open-toe pumps – Rupert Sanderson,   

taupe sweater – J. Brand, satin pants – Acne, taupe oxfords - Camper  

   

 

Angora cardigan – Stine Goya, grey suede flats – Corso Como, grey dress – Love Moschino,   

cream sweater – La Garconne, faded pink jeans – Isabel Marant, Taupe short boots – Tilly Rose  

     

 

 

Coral knot-front top – Dorothy Perkins, denim skirt – MAJE, sandals – Musa,   

biker jacket – All Saints, white espadrilles – Andre ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a scarf: Hermès Passementerie in camel & grey

We've been chatting a lot about camel and grey together, and this scarf was the perfect opportunity to introduce a couple of outfits with those colors.  Toss in a bit of soft blue, a little bit of yellow, and a dash of coral...  What a great scarf upon which to build some looks!  

Stud earrings – Monet, Camel wool pants – Michael Kors, Sweater – Costume National, loafers – Tod’s, pearl stud earrings – Lord & Taylor, grey dress – Love Moschino, pumps – Salvatore Ferragamo      

Silver earrings – Touch of Silver, Sweater – Lela Rose, jeans – Allsaints, boots – Acne, silver bracelet – Touch of Silver, Cap-sleeved top – Liv, denim skirt – Wrangler, sandals – Dorothy ... View the Post

A chic sighting, and some thinking

Sweater – Le Mont St. Michel, Flats – Libby Edelman, jeans – J Brand  

This very lovely young lady works in the building where I live.  While the jeans and sweater were very simple, the shoes demonstrated that she had put some thought into what she was wearing, and didn't just throw something together.  At her age, and with her level of natural beauty, she could have been wearing a sack and looked striking.  But with this level of style self-awareness, she's going to be just as elegant in 40 years as she is right now...

As the seasons finally seem to be moving toward warmer weather, I'm starting to go through that semi-annual wardrobe "switch out" that I find so distressing.  Vivienne repeatedly points out ... View the Post

Imaginary shopping: basics, in blue

  Today, I've scaled back my purchases a little bit, and chosen to "buy" a more trendy color - cobalt blue.  I loved cobalt when we all wore it back in the 80's, and am happy to see it back again.  But I'm not willing to make quite such a major investment in blue as I was willing to consider yesterday in my imaginary red extravaganza...   So I would look to purchase the following:

Cardigan – J. Crew, tee shirt – DKNY, pants – Piazza Sempione, skirt – Diane von Furstenberg, scarf – Givenchy for Liberty of London, lapis earrings – Astley Clarke, lapis & onyx bracelet - Nordstrom     Based on the idea that I want to leverage these core wardrobe items:

 And this is how I would wear my new ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in brown and turquoise

This is the last iteration of the original "honeymoon" packing theme that I started over a week ago. But in the next few days, I'm going to do some imaginary shopping, I've got a chic sighting to share, and then I'm going to tackle a "second honeymoon in Paris" theme, which will have a slightly greater focus on neutral colors and modest silhouettes!

love, Janice ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in camel & blue

April 11, 2012

Today, I've swapped out the black for a much softer camel, and you can see that with just a few adjustments to the accessories, the same 5 (core neutral garments) + 2 (white or light neutral tops) + 7 (accent pieces, including a jacket or coat) approach continues to work.

This could be particularly useful if you have a well-established base wardrobe in your best neutral(s), and were considering making a big investment in a new accent color.The seven garments, a scarf, a couple of pieces of jewelry, and you've added LOTS of new options to your core wardrobe.

Stay tuned; I'm still playing with this idea!

love, Janice

p.s. If you're currently estranged from someone you once loved, get back in ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in black, white & blue

The general theory behind my packing plan can be translated into nearly infinite color combinations.  If pink is not your cup of tea, try blue!  In the next few days I'm going to swap out for at least one different neutral, and a few different accent colors.  The theory is always the same: 5 core neutral garments, an accent jacket, a couple of white or light neutral tops, and then the 6 dash accent garments in your color(s) of choice.  Easy peasy, once you get the hang of it...  

 black cardigan – Ganni, sapphire earrings – Lord & Taylor, white tee – Michael Stars, Scarf – H&M, Denim coat – Derek Lam, black pants – Donna Karan, patent loafers – Tod’s, black tote – Big ... View the Post