The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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What if I Like Unusual Color Combinations? Start with a Scarf: Calm Scarf by KathKath

November 9, 2017  

She's sort of the human embodiment of Peace and Reconciliation...

When there are quarrels, disagreements, or flat out fights, corporate headquarters send her in...

 

She delights in studying both sides of a conflict and finding the common ground that makes the beginning of compromise possible. She believes that there is more to unite than to divide...

 

(yes, if you find a bag in the right color, it's okay to have 2 bags from the same brand...)She knows that she needs a good dinner before she throws herself into the fray - self-care is a very important part of taking care of others!

If, for some reason, she has to stay over for a 2nd day, she can always wear her ... View the Post

Is It Possible to Pack an Interesting Overnight Bag? Start with a Scarf: The Joy Rose Scarf by KathKath

November 7, 2017

She's not a boring person...

And so she's embraced these colors!

And now she has SATURDAY NIGHT season tickets to the opera! Just 1 ticket - nobody else she knows loves the opera enough to deserve to go with her...

Saturday morning she heads into the city:

Her bag is tiny, and quite light - how much will she need for 30 hours?

When everything is gathered together, it looks so pretty and cheerful - sort of like how she feels when she gets to go to the opera!

She knows that nobody else there will be wearing a yellow dress...

She can wear her coat as a bathrobe when her brunch is delivered... and if it's cold the next morning, she can always wear her flowered shirt under her pink ... View the Post

Start with a GORGEOUS Scarf – The Hope Scarf by KathKath

November 2, 2017

 

Remember an absolutely amazingly beautiful rose scarf that I used here back in November of 2015 from a company called Kathkath? Well... I'm delighted to be able to tell you that the scarf is now available in a modal and cashmere blend, as well as in a rectangular shape!

And they have new scarves available - oh, do they have some gorgeous things!

The first scarf that caught my eye (but not the only one!) was this - the Hope Scarf. One of my dearest friends loves pansies, and this reminds me of her... and these colors are so ideal as a change of accent color for black; many of us would like a change from using red as our accent color.

Looking for these colors in clothing can drive you mad (there's a ... View the Post

EXPANDED Start with Art: Bouquet des Fleurs in the style of Jan van Huysum

October 23, 2017  

Quite a few people wanted to see what I would do to expand last Thursday's travel wardrobe, based on a beautiful floral painting...

 

I enlarged the color palette to include the softer shades of pink, all of the possibilities in green, and the various shades of blue...

This was the wardrobe that we had for the original travel wardrobe:

First wave - I thought that I would look for a couple of different shades of rose pink, in 2 different silhouettes. The scarf isn't an identical match for either of the tops, but it works well with both - always remember that scarves don't have to be dye-lot matched to work! The green sweater is classic, and when paired with the green loafers, can be worn ... View the Post

How do you Choose a “French 5-Piece Wardrobe?” Start with Art: Portrait de Greta Prozor by Henri Matisse

October 20, 2017

A short and sweet post today, because I've lost ALL track of time...

Let's say that you've got a well-established core wardrobe of the essentials, in mostly black. So you decide, this fall, you're going to use this amazing painting as the inspiration for your purchases - your "French 5-Piece Wardrobe" for this season:

You think for a few days, and decide that this is going to be your guideline:

This is your starting point - more than enough essentials to keep you reasonably well-dressed for most casual to medium-dressy events through the season:

And after some careful, deliberate shopping, this is what you add to your wardrobe for the upcoming cooler weather:

In addition to the myriad ... View the Post

Can a Corporate Wardrobe have Personality? Start With Nature! An Ocean Photograph by LBToma

October 16, 2017

I've received some requests for wardrobes that address the desire to return to the workforce without completely sacrificing personal expression. Of course, this is going to depend entirely on the nature of the office in which you find yourself - some are still pretty strict, while other will let you wear pretty much anything that gets you into the office without getting arrested!

But let's assume that you need to start out pretty cautiously; all of the internet "chat" about the office talks about their very old-school image, in the eyes of the public. Once you're in, and find your niche, you can branch out a bit.

This photograph was on that amazingly fun site Design Seeds - I thought that these colors would be a ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Both Coolness and Modesty: Baie de Cannes by Picasso

July 26, 2017

You have asked me this question a lot - how can you handle traveling to a hot destination, where you need to be appropriately dressed when occasions or locations require modest attire?

Modesty almost always means 1 or more of 3 "things" need to be covered: 1. your shoulders 2. your knees, or 3. your head

So we've got to make certain that we have available to us at all times (in the backpack!) a shirt with sleeves, a skirt (or the zippy-on pieces of zip-off pants...) and a scarf... If you're one of those clever people who can wrap and tie a scarf in such a way that it works as a skirt, you're in luck...

Let's start with a lovely abstraction of a wonderful beach destination:

These are lovely ... View the Post

August Birthstone: Peridot!

July 24, 2017

THIS is a tough color - it's really difficult to find any sort of accessories in this lime-y shade of green. But I think that it's a unique accent color that's well worth considering. If you're not comfortable wearing it close to your face, don't discount the beauty and the impact of a ring and/or bracelet...

As the weather remains really warm here in Chicago, I continued to build these little vignettes around dresses, although a couple of the dresses are decidedly more autumnal in feel - some for now, some for later!

I mentioned on Friday that I feel like the best balance for a wardrobe to lean much toward accessories, in a ratio to garments. On Friday when I got dressed to go out, I put on ONE dress (more than one ... View the Post

Can Wallpaper be Your Wardrobe Inspiration? Heck Yes!

July 14, 2017

One of you sent me some images of William Morris wallpaper and fabric ... oh, what lovely fun!

If you have a few minutes to spare, I can't encourage you enough to take a look at their wallpaper and fabrics. They might not be your style, but they are so lovely, creative and distinctive. The William Morris company is particularly adept at using themes and ideas from nature, and many of their products would make excellent inspirations for a wardrobe.

When I saw this, I thought of a lovely heroine who drives, uphill (!) to get to her family's lake house...

The Lake House "Make sure my cardigan is on TOP of the grocery boxes - I'm going to need it when we get up into the mountains!"

"If they have ... View the Post

Pantone Fall 2017 “New” Colors, and Ways to Try Them

July 10, 2017

It's time again for that most amusing of events - the announcement of "new" colors for the upcoming season!

Of course we know better than to envision that there could be a "new" color (can you imagine how thrilling that would be?), but I do think that the release of these colors is a good time to look at our wardrobes with a clear eye and an open mind. Would a new accent color - maybe just for a season or two, maybe for longer - be of benefit to us? This time of year, as our warm-weather clothes begin to feel... old? and tired, a couple of new accessories might be just the ticket to get us through until the return of cold weather! See if any of these appeal... Grenadine A bit more "orange-ish" than a true red, this is ... View the Post

A Travel Wardrobe Based on an Amazing Coat!

July 4, 2017

One of the best parts of writing The Vivienne Files is the ability to create imaginary wardrobes just to see how they work, without spending a ton of money...

A favorite from years ago was all built around an amazingly beautiful floral coat - I sort of imagined that someone was traveling for a wedding or other somewhat dressy party. The color scheme was mostly bright mossy green and white - NOT your everyday color scheme!

Revisit, and see if you can imagine wearing these colors...

Please note that I'm jetting around for the holiday, so The Vivienne Files will be on hiatus for a couple of days. Back soon!

love, Janice ... View the Post