ivory Archives - Page 2 of 7

How to Pack a Foolproof Travel Wardrobe, All in Neutrals

If you're in Chicago, you of course must go to the Art Institute of Chicago, our very deservedly famous art museum. But when you're there, make sure not to miss the fabric exhibit. It's small, it's in the basement, it changes every few months, and it NEVER disappoints...

Seen there last weekend, included in a really stunning exhibit of batik fabrics:

This fabric is maybe 9 or 10 feet long, and 4 feet wide. It's really kind of breathtaking...

Seeing these neutral colors working so beautifully together, our mythical heroine was able to solve her packing dilemma...

I've got it all arranged...

We'll just go from city to city by train; I've already purchased the train passes....

Well okay, she thinks...

You just have to be able to ... View the Post

How to Pack for a Long Weekend (in Paris?)? Start with Art: Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay

This painting just makes me sigh...

This color scheme has so many possibilities:

More and more I find that brown leather is a great way to incorporate brown into almost any outfit!

I know that it's possible to just go to Paris for a long weekend (I've done it - it was insane...) if you live much closer than those of us in North America. Imagine that our heroine is going there, to spend some time outdoors - maybe photographing sculptures in the many parks?

I'm assuming that for this trip, she's going to neither climb nor crawl, so she doesn't have to wear absolutely hard-core work clothes. Just a handful (+1) of nice things that will look attractive during the day and not leave her unprepared for a good bistro dinner or two:

If ... View the Post

How to Build an “All-Neutral” Capsule Wardrobe in Ivory and Black

Someone asked me what this wardrobe would look like with ONLY ivory and black pieces, incorporating prints and patterns as the accents. And someone else asked what I would do if I were choosing how to build on the original 9 Neutral Building Blocks. So I thought I'd incorporate both ideas into one post - a last look at those 9 ivory and black pieces!

First off - these are the pieces that I would add, if I were going to build on the neutrals. It would be really easy to just get seven striped garments! But I always love a good marled sweater, the mitered skirt is a fun way to slim one's hips, and then there's that Keith Haring tee shirt that I like so much...

And just for reference, the original nine wardrobe Neutral Building ... View the Post

Four Paintings, Four Different Ways to Wear Black and Ivory Neutral Building Blocks

Ah, here's where the heroines with the wardrobes from last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and yesterday all come together, and where we get to see just HOW much a few accent piece can change the look of very simple, neutral pieces of clothing.

First up - all four of these women own the SAME black cashmere cardigan. But once they put it into the mix with their own things, the results are very different:

Someone didn't mention to our last woman (the very avant garde lady) that we were getting dressed up, but I don't honestly think she's the kind of person who would mind...

If these four women were sitting in a restaurant together, I don't think anybody would be inclined to walk up to them and point out that they all have the same ... View the Post

How to Accent a Neutral Capsule Wardrobe with Brights – Start with Art: Le Pot a Tisane by Leger

So far, we've been relatively subtle in our accent colors... THAT'S going to change!

I see many things in this image, but I do NOT see a pot of tea!

What might be the thing that really threw this painting into the "must address" bucket for The Vivienne Files is the surprising presence of that beautiful purple. (and yes, a wee touch of green!) Normally, I think most of us, if we were painting this, might be tempted to use blue alongside the red and yellow. But that's why he's Leger, and we're not...

I also really appreciate the degree to which these colors are strong, but not jarring or neon. That takes a bit of skill...

I know we're getting a bit weary of seeing these, but I have to always remember that many of my readers aren't ... View the Post

How to Use Both Warm & Cool Accents in a Capsule Wardrobe – Start with Art: Carnival Evening by Henri Rousseau

This sets a mood, doesn't it?

I love how much the sky is emphasized... and that glimpse of stars... sigh...

If you've seen the earlier installations of this series (yesterday, and the day before) you can cruise through this quickly. We have our starter Neutral Building Blocks:

The dozen (at least!) possible outfits from these pieces:

And the way those 9 pieces fit in a 4 by 4 Wardrobe template:

What a fun exercise this is! It's not necessarily the easiest thing in the world to find seven perfect pieces within an 8-hour work day, so if you're going to try to put together a wardrobe like this at home, please be patient with yourself as you shop. The pieces are out there, but might take a bit of time to find..

I love those swishy ... View the Post

More Personalized Neutrals – Start with Art: Untitled by Julian Lethbridge

After yesterday's subtle colors, this feels almost like a breath of spring!

I don't know that I've ever seen accents so resolutely feminine juxtaposed against black and ivory! This would be such a nice palette to adopt for warmer weather...

Just as we did yesterday, I'm starting with the exact same nine Neutral Building Blocks:

And as before, this gets you started with a solid dozen neutral outfits. This heroine would want a couple of really pretty floral scarves that include her pastels, I suspect... And some pastel socks...

And just to keep us in some sort of order, in our additions, I like to start the Four by Four Wardrobe template. This way, it's pretty clear what kinds of pieces need to be added...

As you might have ... View the Post

How to Personalize Neutrals in a Capsule Wardrobe – Start With Art: L’Encens by Ferrand Khnopff

I've made the bold pronouncement recently that it's the accents that make a capsule wardrobe personal - it's possible for any number of women to share a core of identical "base" clothes in neutral colors, and the overall impression that they make will vary, based on how they accessorize and accent those neutrals.

Well, I've been asked to flesh out that idea in some detail, so here goes! For the next 4 days, I'm going to feature 4 works of art that share a base of black and ivory, but which include a variety of accent colors. Each heroine will begin with the same 9 wardrobe Neutral Building Blocks in black and ivory, to which I will then add seven accent pieces. Then, after everybody's got their wardrobe set up, I'm going to juxtapose ... View the Post

Should I Buy This Scarf? How to decide if you really ought to buy an accessory…

I saw this, and was immediately captivated. I am, of course, two months into a year without shopping, so the question of buying the scarf isn't really relevant to me personally, but it is something that we all confront: "Should I Buy This?"

It's an intriguing scarf - it's not really a traditional floral design, and the color scheme is subtle and quite pretty. I imagine that this would be very flattering on a lot of women! (and it comes with an ivory background - rather than the black - if that appeals....)

My thinking? Imagine a spectrum of outfits - from very casual to somewhat dressy - that would be perfect with this scarf. And then think seriously - are these outfits that I already own, or that I would be willing to eventually ... View the Post

How to Assemble a Warm-Weather Capsule Wardrobe – The Burgundy Floral Cardigan

Groundhog Day! (in the US - does anybody else depend upon rodents for long-term weather forecasts?)

And you might feel like Groundhog Day, The Movie, because this idea looks really familiar. Remember the Dandelion Cardigan capsule wardrobe you just saw on Tuesday? Well, someone went wandering on the Lands' End website, and discovered this:

She was particularly interested in seeing how this worked with navy, so I thought another trip or two through this concept might be helpful...

First up, her preferred navy (which is indeed present in small doses in the cardigan) and ivory are the core neutrals, and then the vivid red (which I wouldn't have called burgundy in about 5 years, unless it's a really cheap screw-cap supermarket burgundy...), ... View the Post

Build a “Six-Pack” Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With… Art? Fabric?

The Art Institute of Chicago currently has an exhibit of velvet fabric, tucked away in the basement rooms that seem to be reserved exclusively for fabrics. It's a small exhibit, but SUCH beauty...

Mental Health Break

It sounds terribly dramatic, but she really just wants to see her toes... with polish, if possible!

So a long weekend away, at a very un-chic beach. Renting a very un-chic suite with a kitchenette...

She wants to wear something on her lips that isn't Carmex or ChapStick...

She doesn't want to "dine." She wants to walk, on sand, maybe in her bare feet!

She wants to carry a tote bag with a snack, something upon which to sit, and maybe a book.

She wants to sleep with the window open. She wants to take a nap ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe Start with Art: Poppies and Butterflies by Vincent Van Gogh

As the days get shorter, and we spend a LOT more time in the dark (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course!), a painting like this is a cheering thing to study:

For those who worry that a "warm" wardrobe - one that's ideal for those with Autumn or Spring coloring - might be too dark in the cool weather, I offer some ideas!

I love these pieces - you could literally get dressed in the dark with no worries about not matching! A couple of pair of warm brown/tan shoes, some lovely gold jewelry, and you'd be well set for the day.

L.L.Bean has a handful of different sweaters in this "sable" color...

Green is the most maddening color to shop for right now! (unless it's yellow...) There's lots of emerald and darker shades, but this ... View the Post