The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Home » brown » Page 5

brown Archives - Page 5 of 26

Part 3 September 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

September 9, 2022

Let's get back to these last 2 scarves - I'm quite chuffed about the pretty things that I've found...

This heroine has a LOT of navy in her wardrobe; maybe we should look for something lighter to serve as a neutral for her...

yes, one of these scarves is so expensive it might give you chest pains... but it's lovely, and even a cat may look at a king!

These new clothes blend into her wardrobe perfectly, but the overall feeling of things is (of course) a bit lighter and softer:

Her accessories are lovely; her scarf drawer is enviable!

All of her new purchases bring options to her each morning - she has a wonderful new way to get dressed up with her ivory skirt and pumps!

Last, this ... View the Post

Part 2 September 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

September 5, 2022

Has anyone else read Ruskin's "Stones of Venice?" I own a gorgeous antique set of the FULL THREE VOLUME painfully thorough books... They're beautifully bound in green leather, with gold tooling, and they're sized to be packed when going on the Grand Tour of Europe.

I confess that I took 1 volume with me a couple of times I traveled to Venice; it was amazing how little has changed there since Ruskin's time...

So, odd as he was, I'm a fan!

This heroine saw her friend's new blue garments, and was inspired to go back to her "source scarf" and take another look. Sure enough, she could easily incorporate more blue into her wardrobe, too!

And she found earrings that included "her" blue and olive green - those ... View the Post

Start with Art: A Mother’s Love: The Polar Bear Family by Jason Carter

August 22, 2022

She loved his art the first minute she saw it! The clarity, simplicity, beautiful colors - all of it!

And she knew that this painting would be useful in helping her focus her ever-shrinking wardrobe:

She knows that the core of her wardrobe will be black, white and denim - this painting seems just right!

She start her autumn wardrobe planning with A Common Wardrobe. It's not called "common" because the clothes are cheap or run of the mill - it's called common because these are clothes that a LOT of people have in common!

That's a good thing - you can easily find them, they fit in easily when you're not sure what to wear, but best of all, the serve as a neutral background for whatever accents you wish to ... View the Post

July 2022 Start with a Bracelet: The Heritage Lynx Bracelets

July 29, 2022 Her Great-Grandmother... gardened, and harvested edible wild plants and flowers. Our heroine has all of the notebooks that she kept from her garden and from the forests on her property...

Now, she travels to teach any group of people who want to learn what she learned from her great-grandmother! This long weekend, she's headed up into the far north to a small school that specializes in traditional crafts and folklore...

The weather will probably be cool...

Generally speaking, these events are VERY casual, but she's learned that it is wise to have a skirt with her, just in case!

And she likes to pack shorts, no matter how cool the weather will be. There's just nothing like hiking in the forest, wearing ... View the Post

May 2022 Start with a Bracelet: The Liberated Lynx Bracelets

May 27, 2022 Every Other Friday...

She packs up her travel wardrobe - the SAME wardrobe - and heads to the train station...

She always has a different destination - she's becoming QUITE the expert on all of the interesting attractions of her area!

When she arrives, she always gets herself a lovely lunch, somewhere that lets her people-watch and get a feel for the town or city. After that - there are all KINDS of possibilities!

Sometimes she goes to a sporting event; you can't get to know a small town better than to sit in the stands with people and help them cheer for the home team...

Or she goes to a museum or other similar place; if the weather is bad, that's the place to be!

Saturday might be the day that ... View the Post

Start with Art: The Slav Epic by Alfons Mucha

May 4, 2022

Wear Your Colors She always took it to heart - auburn hair, ivory skin, lots of golden freckles...

So when she was invited to her friend's country home for the weekend, packing was easy! These weekends are basically a lot of eating, a lot of laughing, and a LOT of napping...

After dropping by her office for a few hours, she catches the bus; she will have to walk a bit when she arrives, but she will be nice and hungry when she gets there... Dinner is always late on Friday nights!

Many of the friends assembled there will sleep late - although there are always a couple of ambitious people who get up before dawn to go hiking!

Brunch will last for HOURS... followed by naps for most of them. If you're not ... View the Post

March 2022 Start with a Bracelet: The Empowered Lynx Bracelets

March 21, 2022

Spring!!!

She finally realized that nobody pays much attention to what she wears... So long as she is appropriately covered, doesn't smell terrible, and isn't decked out in something garish or deliberately conspicuous, it really doesn't seem to matter!

So how does this empower her? Now she is wearing her favorite clothes more often. She's packing less and is comfortable repeating garments or entire outfits during a trip. She cares more about HER feelings in her clothes than about the reactions of the rest of the world...

So taking a long weekend away in March isn't nearly as intimidating as it once was.

The weather? Could be toasty, could be cool. 

Once upon an insecure time, she could have used ... View the Post

Start with Art: Southern Window by Louis le Brocquy

December 17, 2021 Not Feeling Festive...

It hasn't been a festive year for her, and she is really struggling to get in the mood for her holiday trip...

But, assuming that she will be able to travel during the health crisis, she knows that she's going to have to pack! Her family doesn't do anything amazing for the holidays - she will spend a lot of days in the house with the older family members, and some time walking outdoors with younger people. Cooking, helping clean up, reminiscing...

She decides to pack mostly neutrals - grey, navy, brown, and ivory - with a couple of pieces in dark green. It will be an interesting challenge to mix things together, and will be somber enough to reflect her state of mind. This is NOT ... View the Post

Accessorizing a Camel, Ivory and Brown Capsule Wardrobe

November 5, 2021

Remember this lovely wardrobe from last week? I could be so tempted to just chuck everything I own and wear these colors, if I was feeling crazy and reckless...

I thought that I would try to start with 4 pairs of shoes - as I have done before. Simple flats can be worn with your skirt, or in somewhat warmer weather with pants. Loafers go with everything; leather athletic shoes are GORGEOUS and look lovely with pants, and of course short boots can be worn with everything...

Does anybody else remember back in the day when we would NEVER have worn boots that didn't come up to meet the hem of our skirt? That gap was SO off limits... Things have changed!

For my view of life, a small clutch, a cross-body bag, ... View the Post

Start with Art: Construction by Max Weber

October 13, 2021 Difficult...

Very early in her career, she became instantly famous (at least in architecture circles!) for her innovations in combining unexpected construction materials. She discovered new synergies of strength and flexibility that changed the industry...

Since then, she has deliberately cultivated a reputation for being a difficult partner in projects. She's actually a lovely, kind woman, but she finds that she is treated with more respect if everyone approaches her with a certain... trepidation?

Her wardrobe reflects her interest in combining things in unexpected ways; she might show up for a project summit dressed in a soft, approachable way:

But she knows that she's going to want to surprise ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Secret Garden in Autumn by Fetolia

September 17, 2021 Subtle....

She doesn't need to be recognized. She never cares if she turns heads, or if she stands out in a crowd. When she travels, she blends into nature, and takes pictures that are hard for others to take, because they disrupt the peace and quiet...

She's taking a long weekend to a small town a couple of hours away from where she lives. All kinds of raptors have been seen in the fields and wooded areas near there.

She loves to photograph raptors; their speed and precision thrills her...

She wants to look reasonably nice - she does have to go out for dinner every night! And she needs to be warm-ish, but nothing outrageous. She will unfold her little chair, prop up her camera, and sit. Quietly. ... View the Post

Start With Art: Dance Dance by Jacqueline Osborn

April 14, 2021

She's Been Cold... for over a year. Not really physically cold, so much as missing the "chaleur humaine" - the human warmth of society...

So when she knew that she was going to finally go on vacation, this was her heart's desire:

okay, just feel free to pause right here and go admire this artist's work - I will forever be grateful to readers who send me links to new artists!

After a year of stress and tension, she's determined to be in complete control of her travel wardrobe! She decides that a "one piece at a time" approach to packing will suit her just fine...

After she gets that essential 2nd top in her bag, she starts with the easiest of packing - a dress!

She knows that she will be ... View the Post