The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Packing: The “Triple Top” Secret

October 28, 2013   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 ... View the Post

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

June 20, 2013

  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 ... View the Post

Does every woman need a denim jacket? Customizing the Classics

April 26, 2013   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 ... View the Post

How to wear Paisley Jeans: Version Neutral

Paisley jeans - Etro,  sweater – Jardin des Orangers, necklace – BaubleBar, loafers – Naturalizer,  sweater – Max Mara, watch – Debenhams, loafers - Lanvin  

Paisley jeans – Etro, silk blouse – Stella McCartney, earrings – Dorothy Perkins, pumps – Brooks Brothers, tee – Brunello Cuccinelli, bracelet – Brooks Brothers, loafers – La Botte Gardiane      

Paisley jeans - Etro, sweater – Patagonia, earrings – BaubleBar, flats – Stuart Weitzman, blouse – Armani Collezioni, earrings – Georg Jensen, flats – Vera Wang    

Paisley jeans – Etro, striped sweater - Vince, earrings – Folli Follie, oxfords - Hdson, leather cardigan – Avi?, bracelets – Accessorize, boots – ... 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

Denim shirt – Found!!!

I'm over at Tish's today, extolling the wisdom of buying one perfect dress, and wearing it constantly...

And as for what I've been up to:

This is the winner - from J.Jill - NO breast pockets, princess seams, 100% cotton - but not bulky or heavy.  AND it's available in Misses, Petites, (yaaaay, no sleeve shortening for me!), Womens and Talls.

Why can't more companies provide a wider range of sizes?

Honestly, if I needed new clothing in a hurry, J. Jill might be the first place I would go, if only because I know that I could buy things that would not need to be altered.  Petite clothes are THAT rare, and save me a lot of time and alteration money... ... View the Post

Simply Seasonless: Denim Shirt

Denim shirt – Marc by Marc Jacobs    

Denim shirt – Marc by Marc Jacobs, grey pants – Stella McCartney, scarf – Hermès, blazer – Allsaints, grey loafers – Dune, zigzag scarf – Missoni, grey sweater – VPL, jeans – Mango, sneakers - Converse        

Denim shirt – Marc by Marc Jacobs, black skirt – DKNY, black cardigan – L.L.Bean, scarf – Etro, opaque tights – Armani Exchange, pumps – Stuart Weitzman, grey pearl earrings – Lord & Taylor, tweed dress – Dolce & Gabbana, grey tights – Topshop, loafers – Tod’s  

Denim shirt – Marc by Marc Jacobs, moonstone earrings – Andrea Fohrman, white cardigan – Rag & Bone, black cropped pants – Emilio Pucci, ballet flats – See by ... View the Post

A Common Capsule Wardrobe, with brown

She has an unnatural fondness for trees... Rumor has it that she once sat in one for a VERY long time, to keep it from being cut.

 

Knitted scarf – Missoni, rings & stud earrings – Jenny Bird, square scarf – Bottega Veneta, drop earrings – Leva, 

watch – WE WOOD, necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane, bag – Embawo, studded bracelet – Karen London,

 tube bracelet – Marc Jacobs, wool cashmere scarf – Epice, flats – Born, belt – Isabel Marant, boots- Mulberry  

 

 

  ... View the Post

A Common Capsule Wardrobe, with chalcedony

Her grandmother told her that wearing chalcedony was a sure-fire way to improve your insight into people's thoughts and feelings.  So she became a market research executive. .

Jewelry – Alexis Bittar, square scarf – Liberty London, belt – Menichetti, linen scarf – EPICE S.A.R.L., ballet flats – 

Debenhams, satchel – Hayden Harnett,suede oxfords – Labor of Love  

 

  ... View the Post

Imaginary Shopping for a Capsule Wardrobe “must-have” color: Winter White

Sweater – Isabel Marant, scarf – Levi’s Made & Crafted, loafers – Cole Haan, ring – Jamie Joseph  

 

 

 

 

 

There will be blog posts six days a week while I'm in Paris - everything's all scheduled and ready to go!  (no, I am NOT going to be writing while I'm on vacation...)  You will know everything about my packing approach by the time I'm back in Chicago - at which time I will tell you every detail of our trip... ... View the Post