The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch Step 13: More Accessories!

July 9, 2014

In my one-woman crusade to encourage the wearing of jewelry, today we'll look at some possible additions to various Starting From Scratch capsule wardrobes.  This addition doesn't necessarily mean shopping; it's entirely possible that these beauties are already lurking in jewelry boxes or dresser drawers.  Let's bring them into the light!And you all know that I'm a firm opponent of the "it bag" phenomenon, but I do believe that having more than one bag is entirely reasonable.  A bag in one of your accent colors, or in each of your neutrals, isn't outrageous, especially if the bags serve different purposes, or if they make you really happy!  (which, after all, is the whole point of your wardrobe)

Ms. Caramel and Black ... View the Post

What Shoes Can I Wear with Navy Clothes?

April 25, 2014

It's a question that comes up often - what are the best shoes to wear with navy clothes?

Well, men have, for generations, worn black shoes.  Nobody would expect them to wear anything different; navy shoes worn with a navy suit would be inappropriate for most men in most business settings.  I've never felt that there was anything wrong with women doing exactly the same thing...

Or you can thrown yourself into the project of finding navy shoes that work with your clothes.  Generally speaking, I think this means looking for about the darkest navy you can find that doesn't look like black.  But then you've got to make sure that you keep your shoes together and that they don't migrate into your black clothing outfits... ... View the Post

The Vivienne Files FAQ: Are Accessories Necessary?

March 4, 2014

Do you have to buy and wear accessories?  Absolutely not - except most of us will have to wear shoes... But I very strongly feel that just a few well-chosen accessories can make a world of difference in how the simplest of garments come together into ensembles.

If you're not comfortable wearing scarves, find a way to just throw one around your neck one day and then do your utmost to ignore it for as long as possible.  Make sure your first scarf isn't anything floaty or filmy that's going to blow up into your face at the first opportunity.  Maybe something quite small, tied up and out of the way so that you won't even really see it...

Jewelry is also pretty useful - earrings especially are the easiest of things to put ... View the Post

Brooches for Winter

I fully intended to hold back this post until it was a bit closer to winter, and the winter holidays, but since all of these brooches are available right now, on ebay, I thought I'd go ahead and give you some eye candy... 

While a brooch might not be considered a wardrobe essential, even the "non-brooch" people among us have to admit that these are pretty - especially when aggregated thematically...  And the vintage brooches are often beautiful quality for a modest price!

love, Janice ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: Earrings

October 18, 2013  

Earrings are far from an essential part of any wardrobe, but I wear them every day; I find that I really hate the look of the holes in my ears without earrings.  But most of the time I prefer to wear only small stud earrings, or very modest hoops - I'm not terribly keen on large earrings on me...These are the core of my day-to-day wardrobe:

    Pearls, or another lustrous stone in a neutral tone, are a good starter:  

  A metallic stud is always nice:

    It's generally handy to have a somewhat dressy earring for those occasions:  

  And a small earring in an accent color is fun:

   If you're a hoop earring type ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: Bracelets and Necklaces

October 14, 2013

Bracelets and necklaces are also items that absolutely nobody MUST have in their wardrobe; women have lived completely fulfilled and productive lives without them.  But for me, this is the core of what I will be wearing through the autumn and winter.Note that I wear both silver and gold, mostly because I have a Trinity ring as a wedding ring, and my watch has a yellow and white gold band.  As will ALL things style, your mileage may vary.

 

Pearl bracelets - there are SO many beautiful ones available:

Pearl necklaces with some black detailing - I would buy two of these and layer them together:

A nice simple gold necklace:

Pearls and gold together:

And maybe a ... View the Post

Autumn Zest: Brooches

I feel like these posts on brooches are almost vanity posts, because I have so much fun doing them.  They take HOURS - don't get me wrong - but I always have such a good time searching out the pins and cleaning up the images to share them with you.

If the weather every gets cool enough that we can break out outerwear, a beautiful or whimsical brooch is a wonderful addition to the everyday coat.  In a city with a sea of black, navy and grey coats, the chance to see the occasional brooch, or grouping of brooches, is a chic sighting indeed.

So what could you break out, for the approach of autumn?

(I used a variety of background colors, to give you a sense of how different pins will work with your clothing or coat ... View the Post

Getting Dressed with the 33 Piece Capsule Wardrobe: the accessories

I'm not going to share with you what I wore last week, because with the exception of two days in the office, I wore flannel pajamas.  Constantly.  For five days, while I recovered from a stomach virus of Olympic strength.  Instead, I've aggregated all of the accessories that I wore during January, for our consideration.Bear in mind that the REAL Project 333 starts with 33 items of clothing AND ACCESSORIES for three months, and that there are lots of people making that work beautifully.  I'm currently doing the sissies version of 333, which has 33 items of clothing and unlimited accessories.

First up are my shoes - only seven pair, including two pair (the black & white, and the gold) which many people wouldn't wear during the ... View the Post

Brooches in Bunches

How to find vintage brooches?  All of these are currently available on Etsy, and all are of the brand Coro...

Tips:

search for both "brooch" and "pin", and even "broach", if you can bear to decide up front what your tolerance is for wear and tear: scratched enamel, yellowed rhinestones etc. check the description carefully - some pieces are sold JUST for dismantling and using parts for repair - the are NOT wearable "as is" Make sure that you're choosing brooches of a similar size, if you plan to group them.  Unless you want a variety of sizes, in which case - go for it! If you see a design or pattern that you love, be patient, and check all over the internet.  Most of these designs were made in a variety of colors, and you ... View the Post

Accessories: The Power of the Plural

If you don't feel comfortable with big pieces of jewelry, but you still want a sort of "statement", consider tripling up on your jewelry.  (for some reason, it works really well with odd numbers).

Tiny brooches, like those shown above, take on a new level of impact when grouped.  (these pins are about one inch across).  You can do this very effectively with bracelets too.  Sometimes, with necklaces.  Earrings... could be tricky...

Pins are particularly fun - the variety of designs available is staggering! Were you to suddenly decide that you wanted to find five brooches that looked like feathers, or vegetables, or hearts, or ballerinas - they're out there. 

This can be great fun.  And some of these ... View the Post