The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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November 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Third Painting by Elizabeth Magill

November 5, 2024

If you're in the US, I'm assuming that you have already voted, or have a plan to vote today... A Big Small Change Our heroine's been living in a blue and white wardrobe, inspired by her love of this painting:

She has a wardrobe full of lovely tops - solids, prints, almost all of the basics, and a nice bunch of accent and statement things:

Maybe she could use another dress? Or not - she has skirts, and the world just isn't as dressed up as it used to be...

She loves her scarves and jewelry, and who wouldn't?

She also feels pretty good about her shoes and bags:

But she's been thinking for quite a long time about denim. Not a TON of denim, but maybe a pair of jeans? And a chambray ... View the Post

Want to Fit In? Start With Art – Pines and Sky by Walter J. Phillips

October 18, 2024

She's going to the whole Homecoming thing - the game, the pre-party, the actual dance, (which is allegedly SUPER casual...), the brunch. Her friends persuaded her, and so she's happy to be going. But she doesn't want to paint her face, wear some outlandish hat, or just in general do anything that might look foolish!

Her school colors are navy and forest green. She loves them. And she's been using this painting to inspire her wardrobe for a while, so she's in good shape for having things to pack.

These are the colors that she uses for her wardrobe... After a few minutes, she makes the decision to NOT pack anything in periwinkle blue. She's always tempted, but too many colors in a travel capsule wardrobe might be ... View the Post

Can’t Wear Wool? Start With a Fleece Shirt Jacket from Lands’ End

August 26, 2024

It might be any kind of caregiving opportunity... but you've got to go somewhere legitimately cold (and with short days!), and you can't wear any kind of wool. Dear oh dear...

But trust me, there are solutions!

Fleece is wonderful. Warm, soft, washable...

but don't wash too often - this stuff sheds the microplastics that are found in every organ of your body now! Maybe try to find a good filter for your washer output hose...

These colors are particularly pretty, and would be cheery in a place with long cold nights:

I don't know if "shirt jacket" is one word, two words, or hyphenated. I'm going with two separate words for now...

One of the many joys of a shirt jacket is that you can wear it both ... View the Post

A Dignified Travel Wardrobe? Start With a Scarf – the Chun Wai Chan silk scarf by Echo

August 7, 2024

The first thing I saw in this scarf was a upside-down Ukraine flag...

"Your Costumes Will Of Course Be Transported For You... but you will have to carry your warm-up gear, as well as your personal attire."

Ballet dancers might travel with a lot of personal gear - she's seen it before. But NOT her... First, she chooses a classic palette that she found in her favorite new scarf:

"And I'm going to remind you again - we expect you to dress like ballet stars - NOT shabby teenagers. No jeans, nothing torn, cropped, or otherwise sloppy. People should know immediately that you are an artist..."

Well... OKAY.

She starts with her favorite dress:

They are allowed to wear pants; she picks out her ... View the Post

Want a Timeless Summer Capsule Wardrobe? Start with a Shirt – the Mountainside Shirt by L.L.Bean

July 12, 2024

While much of the world is getting ready for cold weather (I'm looking at you, Nordstrom!), some retailers are still introducing clothes for NOW. TODAY. Summer... (in the Northern Hemisphere)

One of you spotted this and wondered if it was a good base for a small summer wardrobe:

The three colors in the shirt are obvious for a wardrobe, and I decided to add white to the mix because... SUMMER! If you just don't do white, you can always substitute more navy, or denim, or chambray...

I started with simple navy classics, as well as a bandana, a sling bag, leather tennis shoes and a pair of earrings...

Then I looked at all of the "lake blue" things at L.L.Bean and chose a range of tops. Shorts and sandals ... View the Post

June 2024 Start with a Bracelet – Cabernet Dreams Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

June 19, 2024

So if you're going away for the weekend to visit a few vineyards, shouldn't your wardrobe be based on a "wine-themed" bracelet? (or scarf, or brooch...)

Especially when your favorite neutral is navy!

 

The weather where they're going will be warm, unless it's cool. The days will be hot, or chilly. Nobody seems to be sure what to expect, so she packs accordingly!

She knows that they will be going to a nice dinner, and she's hopeful that there will be a day warm enough to wear shorts. But she's determined not to pack too much - if she has to wear burgundy pants all three days, so be it!

Our heroine is channeling her favorite author - Laurie Colwin - by packing three striped tops. Laurie was ... View the Post

Looking for a Fresh, Bright Summer Accent? Start with Art – Morning Glories by Suzuki Kiitsu

May 17, 2024

If only one could find clothing as vivid and compelling as this image:

Please note that this is just a detail from the much larger room screen that is the original artwork...

Our heroine loves her navy wardrobe, but she feels the urge to really get bright this summer! So she decides to work with her favorite image, and to add this palette to her classic wardrobe core:

Her core wardrobe already includes one green top... she's ready to pile on with the green!

This heroine knows that Boden is the place to look for a vivid accent, and a pretty dress! She takes her time, and assembles the following French 5-Piece Wardrobe for hot weather:

If you're looking for an accent color dress, but this one ... View the Post

Want to Expand a Core Summer Wardrobe? Start with Art! Untitled (Red) 1956 by Mark Rothko

May 15, 2024

Sometimes, you don't have any explanation for what you love... Our heroine felt completely smitten when she saw this:

She already has her core summer wardrobe in hand, with navy and white, and coral accents.... but these colors. OH THESE COLORS!

I feel this way about shades of purple, so I'm sympathetic...

She takes a good look at her current summer wardrobe, because you don't want to just fly off in all directions without any thought at all...

And then, she shops! This might look like a ton of stuff to add to your summer wardrobe, but I have a hunch that if many of us collected everything together that we buy between early May and the end of August, it's as much as this or more!

I know that I can ... View the Post

One Way to Plan a Summer Wardrobe

May 13, 2024

It's not happening yet in Chicago, but I understand that much of the world is already living with hot weather - too soon for me! 

July is too soon for hot weather, for me. I could live in an Arctic climate, I swear...

If you wear a uniform much of the time, or you just are efficient with your clothes, you don't need a huge wardrobe for any season. Remember the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe? This is what I suggested for a core summer wardrobe from that scheme:

Unless you've completely changed sizes, or all of your clothes were destroyed, you probably already have at least a few things for summer. This is a plan to help make sure that you can actually get dressed every day - a guide to filling in the ... View the Post

Part 1 – Do You Need Accents? Or Neutrals? 6 Paintings, 12 Months April 2024

April 3, 2024

Back again with one of my favorite posts of each month! Our heroines diverge this month on what they want/need in their wardrobes, which is to be expected. Many of us can share the same core of classic garments, but we're still going to assemble our very personal wardrobes in a specific order...

Our first heroine feels like she needs to add some navy and white to her wardrobe. As we enter April, with 16 garments, only 37.5% of her clothes are her accent color - that might not be a troubling ration for many of us. But she's ready for more neutrals!

Let's pause for just a second to enjoy her favorite painting:

This is her wardrobe at the end of March; yes, there's certainly quite a lot of bright blue ... View the Post

March 2024 Start with a Bracelet – Sunny Lynx Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

March 29, 2024

She's pretty happy... she needs an entirely new warm weather wardrobe!

And she's starting with this as her inspiration:

She knew all along that she wanted navy and bone to be her neutrals, and when she saw these bracelets, she realized that orange would be an AMAZING accent color.... You don't see it every day!

She's a sensible woman - she started with her neutral colors, making certain that she included shorts, a pair of pants, and a skirt...

Here's where the fun started - sort of! Orange isn't the easiest color in the world to find! But she managed...

yes, I'm working with this computer ON MY LAP in a room at a skilled nursing facility... I owe Alison at Fierce Lynx Designs a big apology, ... View the Post

A Happy Occasion? Start with a Scarf – The Olaf Hajek silk scarf by Echo

March 25, 2024

Sometimes, something is just cheerful...

She's going away for a long weekend for a VERY happy occasion; she knows that she will want to wear her favorite bright accents, so she starts with her new favorite scarf!

As with so many trips we take to attend an event, we're never quite sure what we should wear! But if we travel with love and a good heart, everything will work out...

Our heroine likes to wear navy with her bright accents, so her travel outfit falls into place with a bit of fun and a great deal of comfort:

Since she's not certain of what the level of dressy is going to be, she provides herself with a wide range of options - a dressy dress, a more classic dress to dress up or down, and ... View the Post