The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

You are here: Home / Archives for denim

denim Archives - Page 4 of 6

A 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe in Lavender, Jade, Denim and Grey

One more visit to the denim and grey Core of Four - this time, with accent colors of lavender and jade. All of the shades are cool - some are soft and gentle, and others are almost vivid. Lots of options here!

One of the nicest things with the shades of lavender - they can easily be blended so long as you have the same basic tone.

Once you find someone who's selling a color that you love, it makes some sense to stock up!

I looked for moonstone jewelry for this collection. Moonstone has such a lovely iridescent, almost colorless quality that picks up the colors that you wear. I think it's beautiful (and it's one of the three birthstones for those of us born in June!)

love, Janice ... View the Post

A 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe in Pink, Rose, Denim and Grey

This color palette felt to me like it was giving you permission to indulge in a variety of shades of pink, and so that's sort of what I did.  I also took this opportunity to pretend that the person choosing this capsule wardrobe had a deep and abiding passion for stripes.  That sort of fondness/obsession is great in a wardrobe, if it's deeply and truly felt. You should definitely wear your heart on your literal sleeve if you know what you like, and you're happy sharing it with the world.  It certainly makes shopping more focused, and you project a clear point of view to everyone around you!

Why yes, the grey and blue shirts are the same, except for the color.  When you find shirts that fit well, it's not ... View the Post

A 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe in Denim, Wine, Grey and… (AWOL)

 One of the unstated goals of The Vivienne Files is for all of us to benefit from the mistakes that I make or the problems that I encounter.  That was brought painfully home to me today when, after HOURS of looking in all of my secret stashes of garments, I could NOT find anything in leaf green.  Well, I'm pretty sure Target has some things, but they didn't have good photographs, so that puts them out of the literal picture for me... I think it's safe to assume that someone out there right now is thinking about working on a color scheme for which one of the colors is very scarce in the market.  Like completely missing.  So how do you handle that - what do you do? This was the capsule wardrobe that I cobbled ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333 Autumn 2014 – I’m IN!

No, it's nowhere NEAR cool enough to wear autumn clothes in Chicago - I think right now the temperature could be around 90, the humidity nears 3 digits (I swear it goes over 100% - it's like swimming in a bathtub...) and we're going to get thunderstorms any time now.  But I am travelling very soon to cooler climes, and it's only reasonable to be prepared when the weather whiplashes us into cold, as it will...

My clothing requirements become more and more simple; after I spend eight hours a day looking at thousands of garments and accessories for The Vivienne Files, I only want to wear black or grey.  Maybe some pearl jewelry.  Maybe a scarf!  I now understand why some fashion designers wear only jeans and black tee ... View the Post

The Vivienne Files FAQ: Do I HAVE to buy basic garments?

Every day, I get lots of emails with lots of questions.  I like that, and I'm happy that you take the time to write to me. (theviviennefiles@gmail.com) As hard as I try, I don't really have time to answer everybody individually, but your questions make a lot of difference when I choose my content every day.

 The single question I'm asked the most: "Is it absolutely necessary that I own neutral, simple, basic, plain, boring garments?"

Let me say this flat out - if you can find a naturalist community with consistently moderate temperatures and well-groomed walkways, you can go without purchasing ANY CLOTHING AT ALL for the rest of your life.  I know this is reducto ad absurdum, but sometimes we need to remember that ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With… a Plate? A Great Blue, Green and Beige Idea!

 One of the best questions I've ever received...  One of my friends really loves this plate, and wondered if it would be a good basis upon which to choose clothes.  Heck, if you can use a painting, you can surely use a beautiful piece of pottery...  Look for beautiful shades of blue and green, with beautiful soft white (or brown) neutrals... ... View the Post

Packing: The “Triple Top” Secret

I found, after a few days of travelling, that the shirts and sweaters that I had packed gave me a lot more options than I had anticipated!  A reminder: these are what I had in my bag:

Of course, I could wear any of these except the cardigan on their own.  But as the weather, and my location, shifted, I began to experiment with different ways to layer these 5 garments.  I discovered that, ultimately, I had a DOZEN options.  In the coldest weather, I was able to layer three tops together for maximum warmth, and thus the Triple Top Secret was born!

 But I quickly realized that, if I had chosen JUST a little bit more carefully, I could have had even more options!  Buttons on the cardigan would make a ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky by Emily Carr

So very simple.  Tall, austere, lean, yet radiant. Vertical is balanced with the striations of the sky. Soft, cloudy, stormy around the edges, luminous throughout.  A lifetime of personal style inspiration could easily come from this...

A stunning dress, with simple earrings, pumps, and a structured bag.  A casual tee shirt dress, with shoes and a necklace that echo the sky in our inspirational painting.

A cloudy grey coat, with soft suede boots and a stormy sky scarf, or a lacy dress with some dark accents, a soft and flowing wrap, and skylit shoes.  Even the earrings are lacy!

Another sleek dress with simple silvery accessories, or maybe a sweatshirt, soft corduroy jeans, suede booties, and another scarf ... View the Post

Does every woman need a denim jacket? Customizing the Classics

A couple of people have asked me about the widespread advice that every woman show have a denim jacket. Of course I disagree with this idea - I don't think anybody else can tell you what you should have in your wardrobe.

Traditional denim jackets can be really cool, but they're not always flattering:

There's nothing particularly wrong with denim; there are a variety of options in denim that could be a lot more flattering than the traditional cropped, narrow fit.

Maybe the cut is okay, but the color doesn't work very well; there are denim jackets in other neutral colors that might be a lot more useful for you.

Or you could get really radical and choose a jacket in a bright color, or a fun pastel.

And for many of us, a cardigan ... View the Post

A PINK coat…

Today, I'm guest-posting (have I recently mentioned what an HONOR this is?) over at A Femme d'un Certain Age.  My project is to take seven really basic pieces of clothing (from L.L.Bean), and snazz them up with a great coat and some amazing accessories.  It's great fun... ... View the Post