navy Archives - Page 32 of 45

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Carnation Lily Lily Rose by John Singer Sargent

June 30, 2015 Wow! When I asked for paintings, you all came through with some beautiful suggestions... This John Singer Sargent is so lovely...

In the deepest shadows, I saw navy, although on another day, it could be deepest gray, or maybe something else - really good paintings are wonderful in the way they can have so many different aspects over time.

I'm embarking on a 4 by 4 that's particularly challenging: a casual wardrobe in soft and fluid navy and white. So VERY often, navy and white are crisp, and starched, and nicely pressed and snappy - which is pretty great. And I'm sure that at some point earlier in the fictional day, these lovely white dresses were immaculate and pristine, ... View the Post

3 x 3 = 45 in a Six Pack Travel Capsule Wardrobe

June 15, 2015 So I was thinking about Six-Packs (the clothing kind, not beer...) and I realized that if you chose your pieces exactly right, you could get 45 different outfits from 9 total garments - six of them packed.

This isn't to say that you are going to want to take off on a six-week trip with just a few changes of clothing, but what we DO learn from this is that you can give yourself options. If the weather changes, if the level of dressiness of your activities are unexpected, or if you manage to destroy one garment during your travels (it can happen!), you can still get dressed. Some excellent accessories, and you'd be all set!

love, Janice ... View the Post

“Whatever’s Clean 13” Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Green, Navy and Beige

June 13, 2015

Soft green - not bright, not acid, not kelly. It's a hard color to describe but you know it when you see it! And remember, because your accessories are made of all sorts of different materials, they don't have to be "dye-lot" matched.

I like the looks of this - the change of cardigan really shifts the feel of these capsules, doesn't it?

The green brings a fresh, but gentle, feeling to this grouping.

Have a lovely weekend, love, Janice ... View the Post

“Whatever’s Clean 13” Capsule Wardrobe in Coral, Navy and Beige

June 12, 2015 Oh, this was FUN! It's delightful how much difference the change in accessories makes in the look of the whole capsule. First up, a wonderful scarf, and some classic, inexpensive coral-colored jewelry. (it goes without saying that we don't wear real coral - no reefs will be destroyed to adorn us!)

And then I changed out the shoes, the rest of the jewelry, and tossed in a cute little clutch! The only clothing that I swapped was to substitute a coral cardigan for yesterday's beautiful brown one...

Just the one change in the template makes a difference!

This overview looks VERY different from the one with the leopard accent, to me. Accessories ... View the Post

“Whatever’s Clean 13” in LEOPARD, Navy and Beige

June 11, 2015 You wanted to see this idea "warmed up", and many of you mentioned leopard... here it is!

I swapped out the beige garments for a warmer, more golden shade, and I chose a brown cardigan because it's just lovely! Some leopard accessories, and you're ready to travel...

This is how the template filled up - it looks really coherent, and you can clearly see that everything (including the striped tee shirt) will work together.

And this helps us visualize everything, including accessories. The 2nd tote bag is the kind of thing that you would smash down in your outbound suitcase, and then use to carry purchases on the return. It was SO reasonably priced that I could ... View the Post

“Whatever’s Clean 13” in Navy and Beige, with different accessory “moods”

June 9, 2015 You all send me the best requests! How about a "Whatever's Clean 13" in navy and beige, with the accents and prints/patterns in the accessories? Our starting template:

The "Flower Burst" scarf from KathKath was specifically mentioned, and I thought that a few She-Beads bracelets would work well. I really want to support these designers that have been so generous to The Vivienne Files!

After much pondering and searching, this is what I've chosen to pack. The sandals have jeweled tops in muted, soft shades, and the canvas shoes have clearer pastel flowers. Of course, you also now have your bright pink loafers with you, so you are able to accessorize your ... View the Post

How to Pack Light: Navy and Beige “Whatever’s Clean 13” for Uncertain Weather

June 2, 2015

You don't know what the weather is going to be, but you know for a fact that you're NOT packing white stuff... Starting out, let's wear this to travel - a cuddly cardigan, a beautiful scarf, and closed-toe shoes, just in case you have to sit on a cold plane (or slide down an evacuation slide!):

This is what I've chosen for you to pack; everything is keyed off of the two cardigans that you really REALLY wanted to take along. In order to be thoroughly "dress in the dark", those need to be your only printed garments. But that doesn't keep you from packing some cool metallic tops! And there are always accessories - another scarf, and some pretty jewelry will go a long way toward ... View the Post

How to Pack Light: Uncertain Weather, and the “Whatever’s Clean 13”

May 30, 2015

Something everyone struggles with is having to pack when the weather is iffy, or when you're going to be moving around through different weather conditions. So I thought I'd take our "Whatever's Clean 13" template as a guide to making this easier.

I've laid it out this way:

A simple navy, white and turquoise palette is the order of the day. (and starting with the Kathkath scarf, I've loosely adhered to a theme of waves and water...)

No matter what the travel plan is, I like to make sure that I'm traveling with long trousers, closed-toe shoes, and a cardigan. Depending on your mode of travel, you want to be prepared for too much air conditioning, or a rotten heating system. And it's always easier to take off your ... View the Post

How to Pack Light: A Mystery Business Trip, and the “Whatever’s Clean 13” Capsule Wardrobe

May 29, 2015

This can't be good.... Your boss comes into your office: "I need to you to go to Des Moines (or Dusseldorf, or Dublin), because they've already spent 80% of their year's budget for widgets! Get out there and see what's going on!!!"

Nobody in your office has ever been to "The D City Office", and so you have no clue what to expect. Who buys and uses the widgets? The C-Suite guys in 3-piece suits? (I can personally verify that men in Dublin still wear vests with their suits...) Or is it Jen, Roy and Moss, down in the basement? Is some moron executive treating widgets as if they're disposable? Or did a genius in Procurement find widgets at 80% off, and buy a 5 year supply? Your plate is full...

So, in ... View the Post

Start With a Scarf: Orange Hermes Art des Steppes

May 13, 2015 It's never too late to pull out a scarf that you've owned for years and recommit yourself to building around it, and wearing it more! One of you has been living with, and loving, this scarf (a cashmere and silk blend wrap) for quite a while, but feel like there's more to be done with this lovely thing.

My first move with any scarf is to take a good look at it, from a distance, with my eyes squinting, and see what neutral colors seem prominent to me. I then look for colors that "jump out" - those are accents. This is the color scheme that I saw in this scarf. Bear in mind that I could easily find more colors - there's no one "correct" color scheme here!

I'm thinking of this scarf for ... View the Post

A Turquoise Handbag: Integrating a New Accent Color

May 5, 2015

Today, I'm going to try to answer two questions with one blog post. (something about birds and stones comes to mind, but I don't kill birds...)

Many of you are reluctant to buy shoes that aren't in neutral colors - maybe it's a question of having to buy very expensive shoes because of foot conditions, or a reluctance to draw attention to lower body and/or legs, or perhaps you have Audrey Hepburn feet (aka disproportionately large)... But for whatever reason, it's perfectly justifiable, as if you have to explain or defend your preferences!

And of course, we wanted to marry navy and turquoise, because it's one of the great color combinations!

So let's grab this lovely bag first:

And go back to our navy travel or ... View the Post

A Yellow Handbag: Integrating a New Accent Color

May 4, 2015

I know I said I was going to take Mondays off. Some Mondays, I will. But today I had this whole yellow handbag question lurking in my mind, so I thought I'd share what I've found and learned. First up, there are lots of nice yellow handbags in the world! I personally would carry this one with the shiny plaque against my body (I'm not paid to advertise for any brand; I don't do it for free!). But this is a nice size, and I have every reason to believe it's well made, and it is available in seven colors...

And of course I'm sticking with these five navy garments, because I delight in showing the inherent versatility of timeless classics.

My initial adventure into yellow ... View the Post