The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet – November

November 20, 2019

Always one of the best days of the month!

THAT Phone Call...

She knew when the phone rang that it wasn't great. But a couple of weeks taking care of a loved one isn't a curse either - it's a privilege, and she's going to treat it as such...

It's not a dressy thing, but she still wants to look nice; she isn't going to have to do any really difficult manual labor. A bit of cooking, a bit of laundry, a bit of keeping her dearest one entertained and comfortable...

As soon as she looked down at her watch, and her bracelet, she knew roughly what she was going to pack. Grey because it's easy and neutral, and lovely, pretty accent colors to brighten up the days.

She knows that if she starts with a ... View the Post

Start with Art: The Fan by Marie Laurencin, and Test-Driving a New Neutral

November 8, 2019

Her favorite neutral is navy, too. But her approach is a bit different from our last heroine!

She's just plain and simply a more dressy woman. It's her style...

Yes, she has a simple tee shirt, but her button-front is in silk, and instead of jeans, she plans to pack velvet pants... Still, because of her disciplined color palette, she has just as many outfit options as her more... vivid friends!

Her favorite painting dictated pink as an accent color. Nothing else is acceptable!

She already can see so many ways to wear her new additions... touring museums, sitting in a cafe, perhaps an opera or ballet?

She really, really, REALLY wanted to find that bluish-purple color that's on the left ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – Diplomatic Lynx Bracelet

October 30, 2019

Oh, some diplomacy could be useful these days...

Someone Needs to Visit THAT Office... And she just knows that it's going to be her...

Nobody can really tell her what's going on there; all they seem to be able to say is that there's a problem...

Thus, she doesn't know if she's going to be in the production area, with all of the "creative" types, or stuck in the Executive Suite with the suit-y people...

So she's packing a variety of calm, relaxing neutrals...

And her travel capsule wardrobe accent color is going to be soft and approachable; she really needs to get these people to talk!

She wants to look nice, but not wear anything that really arouses strong opinions. She suspects ... View the Post

What Does a Capsule Wardrobe Look Like? 3 Examples of Weekly Timeless Wardrobes

October 25, 2019

Many of you have been wondering what these wardrobes might look at in different colors - I've got some examples!

How would 13 garments look if they were chosen with this lovely painting in mind?

I'm thinking this little capsule wardrobe might look like this:

Note here that because our heroine has a matching turtleneck and skirt, she decided to eschew the purchase of a dress, and chose instead to grab those green corduroy pants that match BOTH her green turtleneck and cardigan. If you know what you like and need, and you know (in this case) that the skirt with matching top will be ALL that you need for dress, you can accommodate the guidelines to work best for you!

Another thing to consider when you're ... View the Post

Finding Inspiration Anywhere! A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Grey with Bright Accents

October 11, 2019

You won't probably be surprised to hear that I look for color combinations and wardrobe palettes in just about EVERYTHING I see! So when we were in the hotel in Kilkenny, the carpet in the halls caught my attention; on a ground of shades of grey were scattered bright color squares...

I struggled to get any sort of a photograph of the carpet, and failed miserable. Just trust me that these were pretty much what the colors looked like...

After Wednesday's VERY black and white travel wardrobe, I thought that this would be an interesting experiment. I'm going to keep neutral 2nd layers and pants, and use the accents for the tops. And lots of fun accessories, of course!

So let's start by getting our heroine on the ... View the Post

September 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

September 4, 2019

My favorite post of the month! Although I love everything I give you, I must admit...

For new readers, the thesis is this: in January I choose 6 Hermes scarves from the new season, and then, for a year, I add a new outfit each month to six gradually growing and developing wardrobes. It's fascinating to see how the wardrobes evolve...

Even though the weather is still quite warm (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is!), this is honestly the time to start getting your fall and winter outfits together. The selection is best now, both for styles and sizes. And having these outfits ready for that first cold day gives you both a sense of security AND something to anticipate! (it's good to have something wonderful to ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The August Fierce Ambition bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs

August 21, 2019

What rich, luscious colors; there's NOTHING Halloween-ish about this beauty!

"Can You Come For a Month?" She's wanted to volunteer for them for YEARS! Finally, their needs and her computer skills overlap perfectly! And she's taking a sabbatical from her real job to go there...

"You can stay in the dorm with the other volunteers; there's laundry there, and we manage to cobble together meals that we share..."

"There's very little storage here, so don't bring your entire wardrobe! If you're going to be in a public-facing position in the office, you need to look presentable, but nobody needs to bring a tuxedo nor a ballgown... But do be advised that the offices get pretty chilly after the beginning of ... View the Post

A Wardrobe with Multiple “Moods” or Accent Colors? Start with an Artist: Romaine Brooks

August 9, 2019

Wednesday, our heroine chose accessories and was quite well-prepared for a lengthy trip...

But now, she's really going to travel!

Just to recap, she built her initial travel wardrobe around this stark but captivating painting:

Her initial travel capsule wardrobe is quite complete...

She's made a very tidy start to a quite large travel (or seasonal?) wardrobe:

And her accessories are similarly well planned:

But now, she's going away for 13 weeks! A guest teaching post? A short course at a foreign school? Who could guess...

She knows that there are plenty of women who could travel forever wearing nothing but black and grey, but she's thinking that she wants to introduce some accent ... View the Post

Start with Art: Ida Rubenstein by Romaine Brooks, or the Power of 5-Garment Clusters

July 31, 2019

 

She loves to travel alone....

She carries her own luggage, thank you! And she can lift her bag into the overhead bin, too. It's a point of personal satisfaction that she's strong enough to be self-sufficient... (it's an accomplishment to hold onto as long as possible, isn't it?)

In the course of planning what to pack, she grew to see that working in clusters of 5 garments would be easy to sort out in her head, and also gives her plenty of outfit possibilities! The right 5 garments can translate into 8 outfits...

It's not that she plans to travel forever, and must never EVER repeat an outfit; that's kind of silly...

But what if something is stranded at the laundry? What if the weather gets ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 5: Jeans or a Denim Bottom

July 29, 2019

I think it's about time we found something to wear below the waist, don't you think? For most of us, jeans or something similar seems the most logical place to start. When I was young, jeans were mostly for the young, and even up until about 5 years ago, when I traveled to Paris I seldom saw anybody over the age of 30 wearing jeans. But now? Jeans, in good condition - no holes, clean but not crispy pressed (no creases!) are seen on almost anybody...

As always, I have some thoughts about what to look for.... And as always, these are GUIDELINES, not hard-and fast rules. Nobody is entitled to tell you what to wear unless you're somewhere that requires a uniform. Otherwise, we're all on our own! (which makes building a ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The July Pink and Grey bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs

July 17, 2019

It's that happy day of the month when we get to see a new and absolutely lovely bracelet set from Alison at Fierce Lynx Designs!

If you would like a bracelet in pink and grey that has a bit more muted pink, and a darker grey, check out her bracelet designed expressly for The Vivienne Files! I wear mine all the time... Her Uniform is Navy Blue... With accents of burgundy and khaki. And she's absolutely SICK of it...

Which is not to say that she doesn't love her job, or that she won't be happy to go back to it in a week... But for the cold evenings and warm days at the lake house, she's NOT wearing anything that reminds her of work!

Yes, taking white clothes on vacation might seem a little bit risky, ... View the Post

Start with Art: Wall of Light White by Sean Scully

July 5, 2019

I love this artist... And this painting is a perfect ensemble of neutral colors!

We're Going WHERE? To her sweetheart's college Chess Club reunion, that's where!

She decides to pack on an outfit-by-outfit basis; she knows that the weather is going to be hot, so she's focusing on linen, and shorts, and a couple of tops that will cover her up if she wants to walk along the shore...

Since this reunion is going to be near the beach, she's bringing "water shoes"...

Even though she's not going to lie out on the beach, she knows that a couple of pairs of shorts will be handy!

Once she got everything arranged and ready to pack, she gave it a last look:

She plans out enough outfits, in her ... View the Post