The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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What Can You Do With a Plaid Suit?

September 17, 2025

We did this last year, and by popular demand, I'm taking a look at this year's Boden plaid suit. Our heroine still works in politics, and her red plaid suit from last year became sort of a signature! She's seriously thinking about getting this suit too, and really leaning into the signature of plaid!

This is a great suit, and from the photographs, it seems to be relatively well constructed. At least the plaids seem to be matched:

There are not a ton of colors in this plaid, but red and white are easy to spot, even at a distance. The more outgoing or creative among us can certain include the brighter blue, or something yellow! A yellow sweater... hmmm...

The first thing this heroine mentioned to me was ... View the Post

A Complete Cool-Weather Wardrobe? Start With Art – The Dark Lady by A.K.Zinkeisen

September 15, 2025

Let's take one last, lingering and appreciative look at our painting inspiration:

This is the color palette with which we've been working, taken from this painting. You can always add faded denim - there's a glimpse of the sky in the top left corner...

Let's remember too, that we have four possible color palettes using only three colors...

For our first Six-Pack travel capsule wardrobe, our heroine decided to forego wearing black for a few days!

For her second travel capsule wardrobe, our heroine chose to not pack anything ivory - we can all picture this kind of trip!

At the approach of the winter holidays, our heroine focused more on burgundy, and omitted camel for this capsule ... View the Post

Want to Stick to Neutrals? Start With Art – The Dark Lady by Anna Katrina Zinkeisen

September 12, 2025

The last of the four "three-color" wardrobes based on this gorgeous painting:

Our heroine is on her last of four palettes - a perfect calm, neutral color scheme for after the holidays, when one needs to be disciplined and focused for the adventures ahead! Our heroine isn't even quite sure where she will be traveling, but she's pretty confident she will be able to pack without stress...

Warmly bundled up - she could easily wear a camelhair coat, or a black parka, over this outfit...

Of course, if she's packing her long plaid coat/cardigan, then her long coat would make more sense. Unless she won't NEED a coat over her "coatigan". It depends on where she's going, what time of year it is, what she's ... View the Post

Avoid A Warm Neutral? Start With Art – The Dark Lady by Anna Katrina Zinkeisen

September 10, 2025

Back to exploring the possibilities offered to us in this most beautiful painting:

If you have four neutrals colors in your plan, you (by definition!) should have four three-color color schemes that you can use for smaller wardrobes, like a single season, or for travel:

Our heroine is planning ahead to pack for the winter holidays. She wants to stick with lots of red, and some black and white because that feels festive to her! That's really all that matters  - pack what you want to pack! (I'm planning my packing for London right now, and I have to keep reminding myself of this...)

As far as she can tell, she's going to have a church service to attend the evening she arrives at her sister's ... View the Post

September 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #6: Pines by the Sea by Bertha Lum

September 8, 2025

The last of the six paintings for September, and it's always lovely:

Our heroine was very practical this month, adding items from her Weekly Timeless Wardrobe list, and then treating herself to beautiful earrings and the matching pendant! A scarf at the very darkest end of her spectrum finishes her shopping...

Her shopping sticks with her plan!

Her wardrobe is pretty evenly balanced, with 21 garments in the blue/white/light green family:

And 19 garments that are teal or shades of camel and brown. I suspect that another month of shopping for autumn and winter clothing will bring this more closely into balance, but you never know...

This heroine has the best scarves and ... View the Post

September 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #5: Sun, Water Maine by Georgia O’Keeffe

September 5, 2025

I think if I had to use just one artist on The Vivienne Files, it might be Georgia O'Keeffe...

Our heroine made very disciplined clothing choices this month, and then treated herself to a necklace and earrings! That's a reasonable balance of shopping - a mix of basics and pretty adornments:

Her plan for her Weekly Timeless Wardrobe is going well. It might be difficult to find sleeveless tops between now and the end of the year, but these plans just don't usually go perfectly.

When I divide this wardrobe by colors, it shows a lack of balance that at first seems alarming. But upon reflection, there's no compelling reason that she MUST have an equal number of beige and blue/green clothes. The fashion ... View the Post

September 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #4: Of by Elizabeth Magill

September 4, 2025

Let's continue our adventure with our heroine who is trying to see how far she can take a wardrobe that's essential two colors, with white added in. Her inspiration is this wonderful painting:

It's finally the time of year - and the right year - to find some burgundy clothes! And our heroine very wisely picked up a charcoal cotton turtleneck while it's available. It's amazing how frequently something that you would expect to be available throughout a season just vanishes before the season even properly starts!

Our heroine managed to stay in her "winter" column when shopping this month! She may never be quite as on time as this again... But we did fudge things a bit - this isn't really a "warm" skirt, ... View the Post

September 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #1: Street Lights by Stefan Johansson

September 1, 2025

I don't know why, but I feel better now that it's September. It makes no sense. 

Maybe because more travel is on the near horizon - London later this month! And - of course - I'm going to Paris in December. It's a tradition, isn't it?

Let's start with this most quintessential of autumn-hued paintings:

Our heroine has kept her color palette unchanged, although she hasn't yet been able to find anything in that avocado/peridot/lime green. Until now! This is how it happens sometimes - all of the sudden a color is everywhere.

And - if you've been planning to include this color in your wardrobe, you've got to be ready to strike while the iron is hot. Or, maybe, you'll reconsider, once you see the color in ... View the Post

Avoiding Wearing Light Colors? Start with Art – The Dark Lady by Anna Katrine Zinkeisen

August 30, 2025

Back to visit our heroine from Wednesday, and her most alluring and engaging favorite painting:

When our heroine knew that she was going to help out at her high school's Homecoming weekend, she knew that she was going to need a darker-hued travel capsule wardrobe! Setting things up (and tearing them down) for the entertainment of teenagers is NOT for the faint of heart...

She looked over her options, and chose the palette that omitted ivory. Smart lady!

I have a hunch that almost all of us look at least passably good in burgundy. What say thee, my friends?

And yes, these palazzo pants might look like pants here, but in person, they're more like a longish split skirt. Talk about useful!

She knows ... View the Post

In the Mood for Autumn? Start With Art – The Dark Lady by Anna Katrina Zinkeisen

August 27, 2025

It's getting to be that time of year...

"So, should take a short vacation? Take a long weekend in October and drive north? Look at leaves. Drink cider. What do you think?"

Our heroine loves autumn - her favorite painting just oozes cool weather vibes:

All of her favorite wardrobe colors are here...

And she's already decided that for her next few trips, she's going to experiment with her four neutrals - she will omit one neutral from her travel capsule wardrobe and use three neutrals for her wardrobe. It will be interesting to give herself some slightly different moods...

Viewing autumn leaves is a recreation that actually can be done from one's car, for a lot of the time. So our heroine doesn't ... View the Post

Looking for Accent Colors? Start With a Bracelet – Symbolist Lynx Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

August 25, 2025

Our heroine loves black. She loves the way it looks, and the way she feels when she wears it.

But she knows full well that it worries people when she wears unrelieved black, day after day. She's decided to break out for fall, and add some accents... and she's starting here:

It doesn't hurt that these bracelets were inspired by one of her favorite paintings!

Her plan for accents is the following. She knows that she wants to add denim to her wardrobe - long-term - because of it's utility and endless appropriateness. She wants to experiment with a couple of pastel colors, because why not? And she's circling back to the red that she wore many, many years ago with black. She dreams about the outfits that she ... View the Post

A Warm Color, Classic Palette for Fall? Start With Art – a Forest by Leon Spilliaert

August 13, 2025

Our ongoing inspiration:

Our heroine from Monday has another trip planned; she's going to her college Homecoming!

She's not planning to attend any of the more formal, dressy activities; her agenda is more the football game, and then hanging out at the home of one of her friends who stayed in the city after graduation. Much sitting around, eating, talking, and laughing is what she has in mind...

But she still wants to look nice, and she really wants to have that autumn feel when she gets dressed. Time for some brown!

Her color palette for the upcoming festivities is this:

She starts with a lovely brown tee shirt, her black cardigan, and a different pair of black pants - somewhat warmer than the linen ... View the Post