burgundy Archives - Page 5 of 6

A Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe in Navy, Grey, Teal and Burgundy

August 13, 2014

The Four by Four capsule wardrobe - in which you focus on four garments at a time - is a great way to move toward a complete wardrobe when you can't face a ton of shopping at one time. The fours can easily be pulled from your Step by Step Capsule Wardrobe; this is sort of Step by Step with lots of resting in between steps!

One of the great beauties of Four by Four is that sixteen garments, plus accessories, is a great quantity of clothes for travel...

While these sixteen items could be purchased in any order or combination, I've got to admit that I would be VERY tempted to get all of the solid navy pieces at the same time, and maybe even from the same place. Navy is not a color that can just be ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch – The Wardrobes, Finished (for now…)

July 17, 2014

Remind me, when trench coats are back in stores, that we want to revisit these capsule wardrobes and make some additions. If you think of anything else we should address (December holiday attire?), send me a note at theviviennefiles at gmail dot com.

I broke everything out into two pages; I might have been able to fit everything on one page, but we wouldn't have been able to see anything - the earrings would have been teeny little dots on the page!

And I think the links are working - let me know if you find some that are broken and I'll look into it...

thanks, as always!

love, Janice

PS - For more color inspiration, you can find the latest Pantone Color Planner ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch Step 17: A Few Finishing Touches, for now…

July 15, 2014

Many of you have written to me to ask how this capsule wardrobe compares with my earlier 24-piece wardrobe - excellent question!Just as in the 24-piece wardrobe, this Starting From Scratch includes to two core "Four by Four" assortments in your neutrals, it works with two accent colors and a light neutral, and it includes the concept of the "bridge" garment, which is something that incorporates both of your neutral colors and allows you to wear piece from both neutrals seamlessly.

So I decided to look at each wardrobe one last time (for now - I'm sure we'll be back to revisit this concept when trench coats hits the stores, and when there are other requests/needs), and see how things stacked up in terms of a 24-piece ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch Step 12: A Winter Coat, Boots and Scarf

July 8, 2015 For many of us, a really SERIOUS winter coat is a necessity in the capsule wardrobe. Realistically, I couldn't get through the winter without my parka that sort of resembles a cross between a sleeping bag and a wee portable padded room... But let's focus on getting a more attractive, more widely useful winter coat. I've chosen a mixture of accent colors and neutrals, and tossed in yet another scarf because it's difficult to have too many scarves! My friend in black and brights wants a statement coat to stand out in the crowd of black - and this blue should do the trick, eh?

My lady in navy is looking for a dark neutral coat, but some pretty flowers for an ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch Step 11: A Complete Outfit, for Balance and Accent

July 4 2014 This is the step in which each capsule wardrobe is going to start taking on a distinct personality, based on personal needs, preferences, and desires. I'm adding a complete outfit to each of the various wardrobes, based on a variety of scenarios that might be possible. Starting with Madame Grey and Navy - she's starting to feel that navy is under-represented in her wardrobe, and moreover, she'd like to get a gorgeous, versatile cardigan and a luxury skirt into the mix. Nothing overly dressy; simple and beautiful are what she wants...

And now her wardrobe is this:

Conversely, our Lady Caramel and Black is longing for something edgier - a leather jacket? A simple ... View the Post

Neutral Accessories: Shoes Part 1

May 15, 2014

One of the keys to putting together a truly effortless wardrobe is to assemble the minimum necessary clothes and accessories, so that getting dressed is a nearly foolproof exercise.Once you've made it through the most difficult step - deciding what your basic neutral is going to be - you just gradually stock up on basics and move forward...

The most important accessory?

Neutral Shoes

You've got to have shoes. Not a ton of them, and not with insane stupid heels, but a few good timeless styles that can take you almost anywhere.

For my world, I narrowed down all of the world's available footwear to six pairs: a pair of flats, a pair of pumps, some loafers, a pair of sandals, some ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With a Scarf: Navy and Burgundy

January 29, 2014 What if you bought a new scarf, and you liked it so much that you decided to make EVERY clothing purchase, for a year, based on the colors of the scarf?

I get lots of questions about red, white and blue wardrobes, so when I was asked to address this scarf specifically, I thought it could be great fun. This looks like a tremendous amount of shopping, but do bear in mind that the average American purchases 68 garments and 7 pair of shoes per year, and that it's entirely possible that you already own a few of these items... This budget is pretty extreme, but I'm pretty confident that you can find beautiful items for just a bit less ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With a “Difficult” Scarf: Sepia and Light Grey

January 24, 2014 One of my friends asked me specifically to suggest some ways to wear this scarf - Musique des Spheres, from Hermes. The scarf came out... at least 10 years ago? And thus is only available on the secondary market, but as you can clearly see, it's a stunner. There is NOT a pink patch in the upper left corner... I struggled to find the best image of this scarf I could, and this was what I found. Identifying the adjectives that convey the aesthetic of this scarf is difficult - I had to think and study for quite a while. But I found that I kept coming back to the ideas of contrast (the clarity of the lines against the background), balanced with an overall sense of muted coloring (the scarf is not pure white, ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Packing Outfit by Outfit: Pink, Maroon and Black, for Business Travel

January 21, 2014

The weather's cold, and you've got to go on a business trip. A SERIOUS trip...Start with a comfort garment - the favorite cardigan will make you happy, and will suggest your color scheme too! Choose a couple of outfits that ensure that you bring all of the pieces of your black suit, add a couple of jazzy red garments, and you're all set for business events. One simple dress, and everything will fit in a carry-on bag.

A black winter coat, and some gloves, will be needed here, of course:

First day in the home office - better look serious!

And you know they're going to take you out to dinner...

Second day in the office is a lot more mellow, ... View the Post

How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Cranberry and Grey

November 20, 2013 It's that time of year, when many of us have to put in a beautiful appearance with family and friends. Packing light, and smart, is a good way to begin. And cranberry is such an appropriate color for autumn holidays...

And if your weekend is longer than most, or if you absolutely can't bear the thought of traveling with only 4 pieces of clothing, consider adding these:

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Six-pack: Cranberry & Silver

Cardigan – Odd Molly, long-sleeved tee shirt – Chinti & Parker, chinos – Debenhams, ivory scarf – Barneys New York, velvet gloves – Forzieri, quilted coat – Mango, loafers – Bottega Veneta, tote bag - Target

Cranberry sweater – Ella by Viyella, grey jeans – Patagonia, earrings – Swarovski, watch – Tag Heuer, plaid shirt – Woolrich, silk blouse – J. Crew, grey sweater – Miu Miu, lampwork bead necklace – Sari Glassman, bracelet – Baccarat, scarf – Arlette Ess, silk skirt – Caron Callahan, ankle boots – Marc by Marc Jacobs

... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a necklace: peacock

I love this necklace, with the range of colors that it presents, but the thing that I kept returning to was the possibility of using a warm, caramel-y, golden color to pick up the burnished metallic setting.

Tee shirt – Joseph, silk skirt – Silvian Heach, sandals – Ralph Lauren, dress – Alberta Ferretti,

leather jacket – H&M, sandals – J. Crew

Dress – Diane von Furstenberg, cardigan – Issa, ballet flats – Lanvin,

navy boots – Vanessa Bruno, sweater – Something Else, velvet jeans – J Brand

Sweater – The Row, Skirt – Valentino, boots – Banana Republic,

tee shirt – Vanessa Bruno, cropped pants – Paul & Joe, sandals – J. Crew

Dress – Balenciaga, flats ... View the Post