The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Packing for an Emergency from Capsule Wardrobe Project 333 – warm weather

Realistically, Project 333 makes packing a snap - you don't have terribly much from which to choose, and if your garments were wisely chosen, most of them should go together pretty well.  But I always find it comforting to have a plan in mind, when those phone calls arrive.  I've had a few near misses recently with having to travel at the last minute, so I'm happy to have the following plan for the balance of the warm weather.   Travelling for me almost always involves flying - my relatives are scattered about the planet. Even on the hottest summer days, airplanes are cold (it's always WAAAY below zero at 35,000 feet), so a cardigan, a light wrap, and SENSIBLE shoes are always appropriate.

  In these clothes, I ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333 continues, with 3 substitutions

July 11, 2013  

Now that I'm home during the day, I've found that I don't need to dress like a serious business executive all of the time, and I'm able to indulge my fondness for ballet-ish garments, and a lot of dark neutral colors.  I find that being able to have a simple, monochromatic wardrobe makes sense for me...   This month's additions: the most excellent Preloved tee shirt that I bought in Toronto, a charcoal tank top from Eileen Fisher, and a pair of black skirted leggings.  You either LOVE, or HATE, skirted leggings.  I've found that I love them - they're comfortable, flattering, and just unusual enough that they make me happy.  

  This was what I was using for Project 333.  I ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: The Uniform gets MORE Uniform

I may have mentioned recently that I had problems with the striped tee shirt that I had included in my spring and summer project 333.  Bottom line - I didn't try it on when I was pulling summer clothes out of storage, and I found that it fit poorly when I finally went to wear it.  I blame weight lifting...So one swap I've made is to donate the shirt that is now so unflattering, and replace it with a looser striped tee shirt that's designed to layer over things - in my wardrobe that will be tank tops or a simple dress. 

More and more, I find that I'm very happy wearing monochromatic outfits - everything black and grey is starting to suit me well. I particularly found my green tee shirt to be... awkward - mentally. ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: FAILURE, in the second week in my uniform

Well, not anything horrendous or drastic (let's be serious, last week wasn't a great week for many of us...), but when I woke up Friday morning to the sounds of SNOW HITTING MY WINDOW, I  retreated to my jeans, which I had not included in my 33 garments.  Of course, when I picked those 33 pieces of clothing, I didn't expect to have to dress for snow.  Sigh...Monday and Tuesday were great, similar to last week, I started with a black "suit", chose a bright tee shirt, and added a scarf to tie things together and brighten things up.  Tuesday was a core of black garments, with boots, a cardigan, and a cashmere scarf to keep warm,

 

  Wednesday and Thursday were also very uncomplicated.Another core of black, ... View the Post

Sunk costs, Capsule Wardrobe Project 333, and a confession

February 16, 2013  

 

My tweed jacket isn't working. I bought it on sale (I should have known better!), and every time I wear it I feel... meh. Below par. Not on my game. Frumpy. I think you get the picture...So let's all think about this for a minute... my jacket is NOT the glorious Alexander McQueen pictured above, but let's say I paid $200 for the one that I have. That money is SPENT. GONE. In economic parlance, we call that a sunk cost.

There are now two possible "equations" for my life with this jacket:

(1) negative $200 spent on jacket + negative feelings wearing jacket = double negative (2) negative $200 spent on jacket + positive feeling wearing something else = neutral outcome

Piling onto a ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: Redefining Normal

In the mid-1990s, the average American bought 29 items of clothing a year.  Today, we buy 59 items.  We also throw away an average of 83 pounds of textiles per person, mostly discarded apparel, each year. - From Mother Jones.I've discovered that wearing 33 garments, well-chosen, is plenty.  Abundant.  An embarrassment of choices.  Going too far beyond this level is, for me, to spend money on clothes that I could be spending on... a trip to Paris?  Our retirement home?  Better-quality garments, made in countries that take care of their workers?  

 

 

 

 

 

Here are just some of the combinations I've discovered.  This isn't exhaustive.  I've ... View the Post

How I wear a scarf

After I slipped off my scarf last night, I threw it down on the bed and photographed it.  This is the way I wear a scarf about 90% of the time...

Very simple:

bias fold tie a knot about 8 inches up from one of the ends of the scarf.  You can move the knot up or down depending on how you'd like to wear the scarf pull the loose end of the scarf through the knot look at the scarf and decide which side looks better to the front slip over your head, and go

Just toss it on and wear it.  This isn't rocket science, nor origami - it's just a lovely piece of silk you're using as a surrogate piece of jewelry.  Don't over-analyze the tying process. ... View the Post

New jobs, the shopping fast, and Capsule Wardrobe Project 333

So the new work environment is "business casual", with jeans on Friday.  Piece of cake...In honor of the Project 333 crew, but NOT in strict adherence with their guidelines, I've whittled down my wardrobe to the following 33 garments, which will be all that I wear for the months of June, July, and August.

Unlike Project 333, I'm going completely, wildly unlimited with accessories...

Outfit updates will follow!

 

 

 

  ... View the Post

A dilemma, and a wardrobe math solution

So I've not done the best of jobs in cleaning out my wardrobe, and I think I finally understand what's holding me back.  Somewhere in my heart I hold onto the hope (delusion?) that I'm going to get an office job again some day, and that I therefore won't be wearing an apron non-stop.  Therefore, I think I have to hold onto ALL of my office-worthy business clothes...In order to get past this, I've tried to approach the problem the way Vivienne would.  Basically, what are the available options I have RIGHT NOW, just with the clothes that I've decided to keep in my wardrobe up to this point?

If you remember, I'm at the 32 garment point in my plan:

 

  And from these garments I've decided that the following, ... View the Post

my wardrobe: some pattern & texture with my black

These are the eight winter garments that I've chosen to keep, which I wear in order to leverage the all-black core items already chosen to survive the wardrobe purge  (you didn't really think that I wear unrelieved black every day, did you?)

First I show my additions to my edited wardrobe, and then below, I show all of the items that have been specifically chosen (so far) to stay, through the first four stages of the curating and distilling process.

Yes, I really love argyle...

  ... View the Post