The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Is Your Wardrobe Mostly Neutrals? Start with a Scarf – Echo Scarf by Amy & John Wickersham

January 22, 2024

The first thing I thought when I saw this scarf (after just plain thinking that it was cool and clever and very pretty!) is that it would be perfect for someone who wears a lot of neutrals, but who wants the occasional bright and colorful accent!

So when I was choosing colors, I was all over the place! But I finally settled on the three most prominent neutrals that I saw, and tossed in one accent color. I could have easily included 5 or 6 accents....

My heroine has to take a trip - relatively casual - in cold weather. She might be the poor person who is the only one corporate-wide who knows how to rewire a particular server connection, which means that she will also be WORKING in a cool ... View the Post

Nature Colors! Start with a Bracelet: Sustainable Lynx by Fierce Lynx Designs

November 20, 2023

As soon as she saw these bracelets, she thought of water, and the sky, and grass, and leaves, and soil... all of the things of nature that she loves the most!

She wants a small, versatile wardrobe to pack when she visits branch facilities of her composting company... These are the perfect colors!

Their driver staff - who go around the city and pick up the full buckets of compostable materials from customers - wear green and brown. That's where she started, and she still feels at home wearing those colors...

She usually spends a day riding with one or two of the drivers and a day hanging out at the actual massive composting facility. The staff there wears WHATEVER THEY WANT - knowing they will shower ... View the Post

A Warm-Hued Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Start with Art – Lane Near Wormingford by John Nash

November 13, 2023

This art is on the VERY short list to be included in next year's "Six Paintings, 12 Months..."

No Black Friday for Me, Thank You! She's leaving Thursday, after an early afternoon meal with her large, rowdy, noisy, messy family....

She will help clean up the kitchen and dining room.

She will help do dishes.

She will help pack leftovers for everyone.

And THEN... She's off to her favorite quiet rural area, where her favorite small hotel is holding a room for her....

Yes, she's going to change clothes before she leaves - she wouldn't want to wear her favorite silk shirt to muck about in a holiday kitchen!

She's just taking her small tote; she doesn't need too much for a long weekend ... View the Post

Start with Art: Silence in the Night by Emilio Pettoruti

October 18, 2023

Finally! She found the perfect painting... Maybe nobody else in the world would feel this way about this work of art, but to her it's just right...

The Simplest Suitcase Possible She's got to travel. She wants to have available a range of dressiness - nothing TOO casual, nor nothing TOO dressy. But still, a sense of choice...

She decides to work with black inner cores - black tee shirts and other tops, with black pants and skirts. Her accent colors will be worn as 2nd layers, scarves and jewelry.

Her first outfit, for travel, is the most casual - jeans and a corduroy jacket!

Her second outfit will include her favorite denim skirt, and purple accents!

She also packs a third outfit - ... View the Post

Six Paintings, Twelve Months: October – A Peasant Woman by Edgar Degas

October 16, 2023

Today's heroine is going to try an experiment; I'm not sure that it's entirely successful, but it's interesting!

Her inspiration is the lovely painting, and these wonderful, warm shades of brown:

At the end of September, our heroine was wearing this 29-piece wardrobe; I think it's lovely and versatile:

 

It's never really occurred to her to think about buying something in a print, but she kept seeing pretty sweaters in all sorts of patterns, and she finally succombed!

Her new wardrobe (with the addition of the 3 new garments) doesn't look a lot different than it did, but she's not sure how useful the plaid cardigan will be!

And please note, she doesn't plan to wear her new scarf with ... View the Post

Six Paintings, Twelve Months: Paysage Algérien by Renoir

October 11, 2023

This painting really feels just right for this time of year - we're actually on our 4th consecutive day of true autumn weather!

What do you think? To me, this feels the most like a "normal" wardrobe. Maybe it's the mix of colors, or the number of colors?

This heroine starts out thinking that she's going to get some basic, infinitely useful garments this month; many of us start out thinking this way!

A navy tee shirt? Perfect for a solid column of color with her navy pants. The polo sweater can be worn with something under it, or on its own. And a v-neck sweater is classic, and also can be layered or worn alone...

Maybe gold loafers and a sparkly brooch aren't absolutely basic!

This wardrobe ... View the Post

Experimenting with Proportions by Starting with Art: Partial Eclipse of the Moon by Étienne Léopold Trouvelot

September 11, 2023

She likes things to be simple, but interesting... Anything for a good experiment!

So when she was told that she would have 2 weeks access to the data regarding the varying distances to the moon, she knew that she packing would be a chance to try out some interesting things!

There will be at least a dozen other scientists at the University, working toward an accurate measurement of the vacillations of the earth's axis. It's fascinating, really!

While she's concentrating on numbers, and distances, and appearances, she decides that she will pack a 3-color wardrobe, and experiment with how she gets dressed each day. She's hopeful that she will arrive at a firm conclusion about what "outfit proportions" ... View the Post

Three Capsule Wardrobes: Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – September 2023

September 4, 2023

I'm so happy with these; sometimes I struggle to find things to add to these wardrobes, but this month I feel like it all just fell out of the skies and into my computer!

This very casual heroine came into September with a wardrobe that's got a lot of soft, gentle colors... 

She knows that she wants a pair of casual pants for cooler weather that AREN'T grey, as well as a couple of darker tops, to reflect the changing season; this is what she found:

Her wardrobe retains its distinctive look and feel, but offers her more options if she wants to wear darker colors!

 

And her accessories are wonderful...

She has plenty of outfits - including warm, darker-hued choices for cold, ... View the Post

Start with Art: Lattice and Awning by Arthur Garfield Dove, as an inspiration for a Travel Capsule Wardrobe

August 21, 2023

An Unconventional Woman That's how she thinks of herself. She knows that she has been described as such, more than a few times! And that's when people are being nice...

Now that she's retired, she is embracing her uniqueness, starting with her wardrobe, but branching out in all kinds of ways...

She's the person who goes into the city for a long weekend when the Natural History Museum gets a new exhibit of fossils...

She attends all of the opera world premiers, no matter HOW weird the music is reputed to be. If it's unusual, she figures she has a good chance of having fun!

She is beloved as a supporter of new artists and musicians. She will try any dish in any new restaurant. It's just the ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Black, Brown, Green and Ivory: Start with Art – The Flower Arranger by Mary Brandish Titcomb

July 12, 2023

She loves this painting - it's what she does, in a way...

So when she travels - which is often - she uses these colors as her palette for assembling her travel capsule wardrobe:

Another Gala Opening Night She designs the flowers that lurk around on all of the occasional tables, grace all of the dining tables, and fill in the odd spaces around the museum...

She doesn't actually arrange the flowers - the local florists take care of that...

But she has spent the last 2 or 3 months designing the arrangements - making sure to use flowers and plants that are in some way symbolically associated with the theme of the current fete...

For example - her current work is at an exhibit of Grecian art, ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Black, Brown and Ivory: Start with Art – The Guitar by Juan Gris

July 10, 2023

Her favorite painting...

And her easy, classic color palette:

A Weekend Trip, For Falling in Love "If you don't get a much better guitar, you're not really going to progress a lot more. You're doing so well; I'd like to see you get a really good instrument..."

"If you go into the city, I can arrange for you to go the really GOOD guitar makers, and play as many instruments as you want."

The print tee has matching pants, a scarf, and a camp shirt...

"You'll know when you find the right one..."

So she's going away for the weekend, to do all of the usual visitor things - dine, sightsee, maybe a museum or two...

But mostly to play guitars, and to find one with which she falls in ... View the Post

Three Capsule Wardrobes: First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – July 2023

July 5, 2023

Our heroines are filling in gaps and rescuing wardrobe orphans this month!

Let's start with our fair and blond heroine... (at least that's how I imagine her - your may see her differently!)

When we left our heroine last month, this was her 20-piece capsule wardrobe:

Our heroine has been thinking for a while that she is overdue to add some yellow to her wardrobe! It's worth mentioning that you can change your color palette if you find that you've included an accent color that doesn't feel right to you... but our heroine is going to give yellow a try!

And she doesn't have a pair of shorts! She's not one to wear shorts frequently, but a whimsical pair might be useful for her. So she shops, and this is what ... View the Post