The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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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

Want to Expand a Travel Capsule Wardrobe? Start with a Bracelet – Voyage to Tibet by Fierce Lynx Designs

February 28, 2024

Monday, our heroine started with her new bracelets, and assembled a small but cheery wardrobe to pack for a meditation retreat...

This was her wardrobe - doesn't this just feel bright, light and clean?

She had a wonderful retreat - and she was very happy with her travel capsule wardrobe. So much so that she decided to add another neutral and make this her warm weather wardrobe for at least a year or two...

But what neutral? Black would work, but might be hard to wear with yellow or green on a regular basis. Beige might wilt when paired with bright accents, as might olive or any other muted color...

Navy. It's obvious, really...

Her target number of garments for her warm weather wardrobe is 24, ... View the Post

Two Wardrobe Neutrals with an Accent? Start with Art – January by Elizabeth Magill

February 12, 2024

I'm getting to be a big fan of Elizabeth Magill - her paintings are deep, and rich with color...

If only I'd found this one last month, eh? But it fits nicely with our theme of clusters in neutrals, accompanied by a sizeable dash of an accent!

This could be a lifetime wardrobe - everything from white to ivory to a soft grey, and a sizeable range of subtle blues. I even see some purple in there!

I'm going to start with the first ivory/cream wardrobe cluster that we saw - the one with the dressier pants, and the skirt. I see this heroine as having a wide range of activities planned, with the need to dress "nicely" from time to time...

Next, her second neutral - a little less dressy, but one could ... View the Post

Preparing for Spring: Start with a Bracelet – Voyage to Santorini by Fierce Lynx Designs

January 29, 2024

It's certainly not Spring yet (in the Northern Hemisphere!), but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't start planning...

Our heroine is going to travel at least once this spring, for long weekends to destinations that might be warm, and that might be cool-ish... That's sort of the charm of spring, isn't it?

So while you could certainly plan a glorious summer travel wardrobe around these color (turquoise and white for DAYS...), you can also enjoy the feel of the colors in clothes that aren't all linen, cut for 30 degrees Celsius...

So our heroine is sensible - a fun striped top, but with sleeves, and a snappy striped sweater...

A dress (that comes in a stack of colors!) that just screams "sunny day," ... View the Post

Do You Love Blue? Adding Accessories to a Start with Art Wardrobe – Blue on White, White on Blue by Paolo Quaresima

January 24, 2024

You thought that I forgot! Yes, I can get pretty immersed in those Echo 100 scarves, but there's no way I was going to miss revisiting this painting:

This heroine is going to look at each of her "wardrobe clusters" one at a time, and make certain that she has the accessories that she wants for each cluster... 

She's already got her shoes chosen - that's a lot of the thinking out of the way already!

First up, her warmest cluster. There are at least four outfits possible here, if she layers her navy shirt under her navy sweater... If you're summering in a place where evenings can turn cool, this could happen!

And for what it's worth, we have cool summer days in Chicago! The sellers of souvenir ... View the Post

Need a Wardrobe Plan for Summer? Start with Art – Blue on White, White on Blue by Paolo Quaresima

January 17, 2024

Since the temperature here is a whopping THREE DEGREES Fahrenheit, let's help a heroine who is planning her summer wardrobe!

We're going to try something kind of new - assembling a 4 by 4 Wardrobe by choosing four 4-piece clusters! Each cluster will give her at least 2 outfits, and all of the clusters will be able to work together. This is a good approach if she wants to shop (or closet-shop!) gradually, and if she's finding that clothes in her favorite colors are proving hard to find...

She wants navy, she wants white, and she wants accents of bright blue - maybe this painting is a good starting place:

One thing I've been assured - our heroine doesn't like white leather goods! I can understand that; ... View the Post

The Finishing Touches: Start with a Bracelet – Fierce Serenity Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

December 20, 2023

One last visit to the navy, grey and Larkspur wardrobe - this heroine needs a few accessories to round out her 4 by 4 Wardrobe...

Remember, this is our basis. I don't know if anybody noticed - I added dark navy borders to the "pie pieces" so that we can visualize our 2nd neutral:

This is the assortment of clothing that our heroine is taking with her. If I were her, I'd be packing long underwear to wear as pajamas, and someone suggested a down vest too!

She also had chosen some lovely accessories - not enough, probably, but still lovely...

She stands. She looks. She thinks. 

luggage won't pack itself!

Her idea is to work her way through a bunch of outfits, and make certain that she ... View the Post

Expanding Your Wardrobe: Start with a Bracelet – Fierce Serenity Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

December 18, 2023

Of course you remember this bracelet - it was only last week that I first shared it with you! 

And this was the small wardrobe that our heroine took with her on her long weekend of serious reading!

It turns out that our heroine is headed to campus for a month for a special symposium about Changing Political Ideologies in Western Democratic Systems! Riveting, eh?

Since she was so happy with her wardrobe from her "reading weekend," she decided to use that as the base for her 4 by 4 Capsule Travel Wardrobe for the month that she's away. Sensible, I'd say...

After looking at, and remembering wearing, her core garments, she decides to add a 2nd, darker neutral. And she feels like she wants a blazer ... View the Post