The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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The French 5-Piece Wardrobe + A Common Capsule Wardrobe: Avoiding Boredom

October 16, 2014   Let's say you have A Common Capsule Wardrobe in black and grey, and you're happy with it.  But you're concerned that you're going to get bored by wearing so many neutrals all of the time...  So one day you're browsing through the internet, and you find a whole LOT of lovely, bright, good-quality blouses, shirts and sweaters at a good price. You might have always wanted to try these brands, but always been reluctant to purchase their items at the full retail price.  (the site is The Outnet - lots of pretties at prices that still aren't small, but which are a ton better than the original retail!).   After a bit of thought, you choose to, for one season, indulge your affection for every bright ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe + A Common Capsule Wardrobe: Shades of blue, with Black and Grey

October 15, 2014   We looked at using a variety of shades of pink as an accent in a capsule wardrobe (post here), and it was something that everybody either seemed to love or hate.  So I'm going to see what response is to shades of blue - that very particular muted blue that you see in blue onyx.   A note about this scarf - it's from Hermes, and it's in their usual amazingly lustrous silk twill, but it isn't a square - it's a very long rectangle with mitered ends.  Per square inch of silk, these scarves are MUCH less expensive than the squares, and for many people, they're a lot more versatile style.  If you've never been interested in a square scarf, then these (called Maxi Twilly), are at least worth ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe + A Common Capsule Wardrobe: blue, green, and grey

October 14, 2014   The French 5-Piece Wardrobe is a great way to experiment with new color palettes, but it can also be used as a way to build upon The Common Capsule Wardrobe in your chosen neutrals. Adding in a neutral item or two can really expand the versatility of your core garments, while a new color or two keeps the boredom at bay.   Let's see what these five items do for A Common Capsule Wardrobe:  

  Remember, this is A Common Wardrobe, in navy and grey, with which we're working:  

 

First off, the beautiful green sweater actually would give you eight new possibilities (I only show four) - it can be worn with any of your pants, jeans, or skirt, and it can be worn with ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe + A Common Capsule Wardrobe: Shades of Pink, Navy and Grey

October 10, 2014   While the French 5-Piece Capsule Wardrobe is great for experimenting with new colors or  trendy items, it can also be an opportunity to build your wardrobe around your favorite colors. If you like pink - all shades of pink - then indulge in a combination of beautiful items for the long-term and a few more spontaneously fun things for a season or two.

 

  There are lots of possibilities here, from bright and cheery ensembles to more subtle and low-key ones.

 

  Just a reminder that this is A Common Capsule Wardrobe upon which we are building.  

  love,

Janice ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe + A Common Capsule Wardrobe: Burgundy, Teal, Navy and Grey

October 9, 2014     Very popular colors - I often get requests for capsule wardrobes in these!  And this year, this wine color is quite popular and readily available - if it's a color that you love, this is a good season to pick up a piece or two.   This is an long-term sweater, a blouse that should last you a couple of seasons at least, and a cardigan that you can count on for a few years.  Most scarves hold up well and can be counted on for the long term.  But I think the stand-out item here is the great wool shopping bag - how clever is it to make a wool bag?  I can just imagine how nice this feels...  

In order to give you a fuller view of just how useful these few items can be, ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe Meets A Common Capsule Wardrobe: navy, grey, electric blue, bright purple

October 8, 2014

There's a lot of talk in books and on the internet about the "French 5-Piece Wardrobe", which is a misnomer if there ever was one! The wardrobe isn't really five pieces; the concept is that you have a core of basic, neutral garments, and you then add FIVE pieces per season. I'm sure some people define a season as every 3 months, but it would certainly also make sense to just do this every 6 months. Whatever makes you happy, right?

But when I read descriptions about the "core" of neutral garments, I kept thinking that it sounded a lot like The Common Wardrobe...  And that this philosophy might be an option for helping us build our wardrobes of basics, while at the same time introducing accent colors, long-term ... View the Post

A 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe in Coral, Turquoise, Black and Grey

September 25, 2014  

Please bear in mind that I prepared this post before I left for my vacation, so some of the links might be dated...This is a great, unique, way to accent black and grey; coral and turquoise are often found together, and there's some AMAZING jewelry available (usually in warmer weather) that combines these two colors.  But of course we don't wear real coral anymore - it's pretty endangered...

  In both of these Cores of Four, I chose high-necked tee shirts to go with v-neck sweaters.  This way, if you want to layer the grey tee under the black sweater, (or vice versa) it will show nicely.  These little details can make a lot of difference in how versatile your clothes can ... View the Post

A 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe in Bright Plum, Smoky Blue, Navy and Grey

September 22, 2014   I don't want everybody to feel like I've beaten the "navy and grey" horse to death, but I had a lot of requests for variations of those colors, and they all take on their own feel...  Please remember that I prepared these posts back in August, so you'd have pretty things to read while I'm on vacation; if the hyperlinks don't work, or an item is sold out, I sincerely apologize!   This is the color scheme - three of the colors we've worked with before, but this bright plum color changes everything.  What once was a soft and muted palette takes on a brightness and life that can be included in an outfit on a day that feels right, or you can always stick with the softer colors when that's what you ... View the Post

A Trend to (Maybe) Try: An Upgraded Sweatshirt

September 15, 2014   One of the joys of having all of our core basics covered in our wardrobes is that, if a trend happens along that holds some interest and appeal, we can give it a try!  This year, sweatshirts with some sort of enhancement seem to be everywhere.  I've seen jeweled, beaded, embroidered, textured, and printed ones - some of them very beautiful.  These can be worn with nice trousers and good-quality leather shoes on casual Friday in most offices.   However, be careful, because some of these sweatshirts, while very lovely, are BLINDINGLY expensive.  Happily, there are also very similar products available at more reasonable prices.  Just check to be sure that your new purchase is put ... View the Post

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

September 13, 2014

 

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 ... View the Post