The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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How to Pack a Foolproof Business Travel Capsule Wardrobe? Start with a Ted Baker Mirrored Minerals Scarf!

September 25, 2017

There are so many beautiful new scarves this fall; I'm enjoying sharing them with you and using them to start travel wardrobes...

If you love this fabric and print, but aren't crazy about a square scarf, this is also available in a cape scarf, a dress with a grey bodice and print skirt, a small skinny scarf, a larger rectangular scarf, AND a full-length skirt. Which could be absolutely amazing for formal-wear... Never let it be said that you don't have a few options!

Yes, I know that the background on this scarf isn't really a single true shade of grey, but there's realistically no way that you're going to be able to match the subtle variations of color here. Best choose something that blends perfectly ... View the Post

What I Packed for Florida, August/September 2017

September 4, 2017  

When you read this, Belovedest and I will be hanging out with my mother in Florida! It's super-easy to pack for these trips, because I can wear her clothes if I HAVE to (her coloring suggests a soft, cool, powdery-pastel wardrobe - not perfect for me!) and I can of course do laundry. That said, one always should have a plan!If this first outfit looks familiar, it should; it's what I wore to fly to Ireland earlier this month. It was really ideal, but I'm making just a few small changes to tweak it to suit Florida better. First up, instead of my favorite Bremerton pants from Eddie Bauer, I'll be wearing J.Jill stretch linen pants. (my Bremerton pants just got back from the cleaners - I splurged - and I'm sort of ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Les Glaciers by Alexandre Sergejewitsch Borisoff

August 25, 2017

I don't remember where I found this painting, but the colors are absolutely stunning:

I hope for the artist's sake that he was painting from memory, or a photograph!

Let's dream an extravagant, completely unrealistic dream today... Remember that big conference of CEO's? "The one in Breckenridge? The board decided that you should fly out with the Chairman, because you're the best person to help explain the financial projections..."

the suitcase came in a perfect shade of aqua blue, which I didn't find until the very last minute...

"It's been described as "posh casual," so we assume you're going to need to buy a few things for the trip. Submit your receipts with your expense report and we'll take ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Both Coolness and Modesty: Baie de Cannes by Picasso

July 26, 2017

You have asked me this question a lot - how can you handle traveling to a hot destination, where you need to be appropriately dressed when occasions or locations require modest attire?

Modesty almost always means 1 or more of 3 "things" need to be covered: 1. your shoulders 2. your knees, or 3. your head

So we've got to make certain that we have available to us at all times (in the backpack!) a shirt with sleeves, a skirt (or the zippy-on pieces of zip-off pants...) and a scarf... If you're one of those clever people who can wrap and tie a scarf in such a way that it works as a skirt, you're in luck...

Let's start with a lovely abstraction of a wonderful beach destination:

These are lovely ... View the Post

Can Wallpaper be Your Wardrobe Inspiration? Heck Yes!

July 14, 2017

One of you sent me some images of William Morris wallpaper and fabric ... oh, what lovely fun!

If you have a few minutes to spare, I can't encourage you enough to take a look at their wallpaper and fabrics. They might not be your style, but they are so lovely, creative and distinctive. The William Morris company is particularly adept at using themes and ideas from nature, and many of their products would make excellent inspirations for a wardrobe.

When I saw this, I thought of a lovely heroine who drives, uphill (!) to get to her family's lake house...

The Lake House "Make sure my cardigan is on TOP of the grocery boxes - I'm going to need it when we get up into the mountains!"

"If they have ... View the Post

Pantone Fall 2017 “New” Colors, and Ways to Try Them

July 10, 2017

It's time again for that most amusing of events - the announcement of "new" colors for the upcoming season!

Of course we know better than to envision that there could be a "new" color (can you imagine how thrilling that would be?), but I do think that the release of these colors is a good time to look at our wardrobes with a clear eye and an open mind. Would a new accent color - maybe just for a season or two, maybe for longer - be of benefit to us? This time of year, as our warm-weather clothes begin to feel... old? and tired, a couple of new accessories might be just the ticket to get us through until the return of cold weather! See if any of these appeal... Grenadine A bit more "orange-ish" than a true red, this is ... View the Post

Do I Have to Use ALL of My Accent Colors in my Capsule Travel Wardrobe?

July 6 2017

Of course not! But let's look at an example: Just a Quick Weekend at the beach... She'll catch the bus Friday afternoon, and arrive in time for a late dinner. This part is easy - she can wear what she wore to work, with a light jacket to compensate for the Arctic air-conditioning on the bus.

She bought a new swimsuit, and she loves it - so much that she's building her entire (tiny, six-piece) travel wardrobe around the colors in it!

Yes, she's a serious swimmer!

This is what she sees as her color scheme, but she's really... hesitant... about the lime green!

Her travel outfit is navy and other shades of blue, which really echo the ocean and water colors of the swimsuit...

As she assembled her ... View the Post

Can You Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe Around a Bracelet?

June 30, 2017

 

Of course you can! And our heroine here on "Financially Reckless Friday" is going to do just that. (really, I am going to settle on these posts on Wednesdays, I promise...) It WAS Illegal... And they owe her a LOT of money. Now she has to fly back to the Federal Court Offices to sign the paperwork and pick up the check!

She decided to spend the weekend there, in order to take in a concert of a favorite violinist, so she felt that a bit of shopping might be in order; she certainly wants to be appropriately dressed for her legal encounter, and her other activities...

So she starts at Alexis Bittar, where she falls under the spell of a bracelet:

She can immediately see the possibilities - serious black ... View the Post

What are Good Accent Colors for Denim and Khaki? How about Teal and Camel?

June 26, 2017

 

Denim and khaki go with everything - I'm convinced! - but some of you wanted to see a capsule wardrobe with a very different feel than the relatively soft and cool pastel version that used mauve pink and dark pastel blue...

How about this for colors?

I don't have any really exotic travel vision for this heroine - she's more someone who wears a uniform most of the time, and only needs a relatively small wardrobe to accommodate her "not work" activities outside of her home.

So I'm starting with the six neutral pieces that were in last Monday's wardrobe, and I finally grabbed a pair of dark navy loafers for her. (although with brown in a wardrobe, don't discount the gorgeousness of beautiful brown ... View the Post

Can you Pack with Camel as your Neutral?

June 22, 2017

 

This is a really old post - from back in 2012! The nice thing is that none of the garments have dated, and you could easily pull this outfit on and head off for a 2nd honeymoon looking beautiful...

In the early days of The Vivienne Files I spent a lot of time looking at camel as a neutral, because a lot of people asked me questions about where to find things, what colors to use as accents, etc. It was good fun, and I'm so happy to see that the posts haven't dated at all!

You can find this lovely flashback here; I hope that you enjoy it.

love, Janice ... View the Post

Can You Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe Around a Piece of Jewelry?

June 21, 2017

 

I'm thinking that these kinds of posts could be known as "Wildly-Extravagant Wednesday..." A Ridiculous Business Trip She loved the ring from the moment she saw it, and now she wears it every day...

So when they told her that she had to fly to headquarters on Friday JUST TO DELIVER A FOLDER... she decided that she was going to stay through the weekend and go all-out. See an opera, do some serious dining, and people-watch...

She's got to go straight to the office when she lands, so she's going to fly in "grown-up" clothes. The flight's not all that long, so this will be fine - not a lot different from sitting at her desk for the morning. (except she doesn't have to do anything any more taxing than ... View the Post