The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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2 More Capsule Wardrobes: December Six Paintings – Twelve Months

December 6, 2023

Is anybody else surprised by the appeal of this next "all brown" wardrobe? I wasn't at all sure what I was getting into when I chose this painting, but I must admit that if I were to start my wardrobe from scratch (as in "I have nothing left in the world except my long-underwear pajamas and grey sweatshirt robe!"), I might do this...

Except I don't look great in brown. I don't know if that would stop me!

Let's pay this heroine one last visit...

Her wardrobe at the end of November was lovely and versatile - one could manage with just these pieces for quite a while:

But our heroine has decided to emphasize the darker shades of brown, this time of year. And she found a blazer she particularly loves!

A ... View the Post

Need an Accent Inspiration? Start With a Scarf – Shepard Fairey by Echo

December 1, 2023

OH dear! I'm supposed to be working on the "Six Paintings, Six Wardrobes" posts today! But once I saw that Shepard Fairey had done a scarf for Echo, I was thoroughly distracted... You know his art; remember the Obama posters from way back when...

This nice thing about scarves (well, one of the many nice things about scarves!) is that even if you don't much love the image when the scarf is flat, nobody but you will probably EVER see the scarf spread out and fully visible...

Our heroine today is one of us who mostly loves to wear neutrals - especially black and beige! But she's going to be attending a couple of "medium dressy" events this winter (some including children), and she needs to maybe brighten up ... View the Post

Ready for the Week? Start with a Scarf – 3 “Echo 100” Scarves

November 27, 2023

This is supposed to be the time of year when our schedules are busiest, and when we have the most challenges taking care of everything that we want to do...

I'm not sure; I suspect that some of us run into these kinds of pressure at any time of year!

My suggestion? Every Thursday evening, and Sunday evening (your choices may vary), assemble a Wardrobe Cluster of 4, 5 or 6 garments that all go nicely together. Make sure you've chosen accessories, and that the appropriate shoes are clean and in good repair, too!

This might make weekends, and early days of the work week, a bit easier...

I see this color palette as being perfect if you're not expecting bitter cold weather, or if you just look lovely in ... View the Post

Festive Attire in Untraditional Colors? Start with a Scarf – 3 Limited Edition Echo Scarves

November 24, 2023

Today's heroines are all going to be doing something for the upcoming winter holidays - nothing overwhelmingly dressy, just events for which they wish to look nice...

And they don't want to wear the traditional colors that everyone else will be wearing! Blending in with the crowd just doesn't suit these heroines that well!

So let's start with more lovely scarves:

Our first heroine is particularly smitten with this scarf for lots of reasons, but especially because it includes brown, which is her #1 favorite neutral!

So these are the colors that she isolates from this scarf - she could have chosen at least 3 more that I can see...

This little cluster delights her - she's got Christmas red and ... View the Post

Wardrobe Clusters? Start with a Scarf! Three “Echo 100” Scarves

November 22, 2023

For many of us, this is the time of year when we are often called upon to be away from home for just one night - family meals, downtown activities that include a night in a nice hotel, quick work jaunts...

These kinds of trips only require the smallest little cluster of clothes - I firmly believe that we can wear the same pants two days in a row!

Let's use 3 of the lovely new Echo scarves as our inspiration, eh?

This scarf could SO EASILY be the inspiration for an entire life-long wardrobe; heaven knows that there are plenty of men who live in navy and grey!

While I didn't include any light blue in this wee cluster, I envision that color showing up as nicely faded denim, or a beautiful sweater, and ... 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

Long Weekend of Travel? Start with a Scarf – Sonny Ross Scarf by Echo

November 17, 2023

Suddenly, there are a whole bunch of new Echo 100 scarves!

For no good reason I can offer, this one really sparked my imagination - SO pretty, but also a wide range of color possibilities...

This scarf seemed like an obvious candidate for a core of denim, or ivory, or olive... But what if I just worked with the five visible colors in (more or less) equal quantities?

The Library Will be Open For the Holiday Weekend! The library at the gardens are seldom open, and when they are, you have to have reservations, and an assigned desk, and you need to tell the Preservation Society what you're going to be studying. It's a serious thing!

She's going! She loves working with heritage flowering plants in her ... 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

A Travel Capsule in Navy and Blues: Start with Art – The Blue Garden by Lilian Muheim

November 8, 2023

This is her favorite colors, all in one painting!

If you like floral paintings, I strongly encourage you to visit Lilan Muheim's website and enjoy the range of offerings - she's got a LOVELY talent...

One of the things she loves about her favorite paintings is that it includes both navy and olive green; having two neutrals available for one's wardrobe is always useful. She's Named For a Flower... One of the less common ones for names! But she's embraced the whole idea for decades - much easier than feeling ill-used by her parents!

And her favorite colors include the colors of her name-sake flower, so that works out well. 

Her color palette offers plenty of possibilities:

For her upcoming ... View the Post

An “Unfavorite” Color: Start with Art – Euphorbia by Pae White

October 25, 2023

She loves this - it's actually a HUGE tapestry! but MUSTARD?

The colors are the colors of the sports teams on which her children play! Maybe that's why she loves it...

Except. She hates mustard! She doesn't even like the food - no deviled eggs in her life...

But sometimes, she needs to wear a mustard sweatshirt... sigh...

Happily, she adores grey and burgundy - especially together!

Maybe it's a football weekend. Maybe it's a soccer tournament weekend... 

Or just a visit to see her kids! Whatever, she's got a plan...

This is what she takes with her - sometimes she switches her outfits around, but this is always her travel capsule wardrobe:

What can you do with 8 garments? ... View the Post

Ideas for Layering Tops: Japanese Season Sōkō – Frost Descent

October 20, 2023

I'm still not used to the fact that autumn is here, and October is mostly over! But I love autumn clothes, so that helps me adjust...

Today I'm thinking about how we have to layer up a LOT of clothes first thing in the morning (I wear gloves any time the temp is below 55 Fahrenheit!), but by afternoon we can peel off at least 1 layer...

In the past, I've called this the "Triple Top Secret" because having three tops that work together give you at least a half-dozen different combinations... Pack 3 tops and an extra pair of pants, and you're good for a long weekend!

Your "pivot" top - the one around which you build - can be your 2nd layer, as I've shown here:

A lovely blazer is always a good place to ... 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