The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Vintage Rose by Kathkath

Who wouldn't want to win this?

One of you will win this glorious creation - just leave a comment to be entered to win! Kathkath are the NICEST people...

And I'm of COURSE going to do some wardrobing around this wondrous piece...

I wanted to think more about the idea of the "Whatever's Clean 13" and different ways to go about creating a grouping that will simplify your life - at least when you're getting dressed!

So I thought I'd dig WAY back into the archives of my brain, and The Vivienne Files, for the "Not So Crazy Eights" - the idea that owning eight garments in the same color might be the smartest thing you can do.

Let's hypothesize that someone in the world is pretty committed to her black wardrobe, so the first eight aren't ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Chapter 2 of Still Life with Apples by Henri Matisse

The morning after the board meeting, they called her into the Manager's office for a conversation...

An hour later, she was the first, and only, Commercial Relationship Coordinator in the entire company. It is a position with a  somewhat nebulous job description, but one which is going to be PERFECT for showing her diplomatic skills to their best advantage!

Remember, this was her work wardrobe:

Which was based on this painting and color scheme:

 She finally felt that this was the right time to break out a new, and heretofore unseen, facet of her personality. Within her there was a brightness, and a strength, which she had downplayed in the past, in order to fit into the organization. Glimpses of it had been allowed to ... View the Post

A Black Wardrobe, with Silver, Aluminum and Grit

This is certainly not a style for just everyone, but I know a couple of women who wear this very urban, industrial style, and who carry it off with great panache! (Imagine a woman with silver grey hair, cut in a very short, angular style. Chiseled cheekbones, a slash of red lipstick...) One of the things that we have to remember about a unique personal style is that it is, by definition, not for everybody. Realistically, it shouldn't be for ANYBODY other than you. It's hard to chart your own path, style-wise, but feeling quintessentially like yourself can be an amazing sensation...

I was fascinated, but not really surprised, when I was able to find all of the accessories I needed for this post from just one website: Boticca. Some of ... View the Post

A Black Wardrobe, with Turquoise, Coral, and Gold

A few of you have expressed that you couldn't wear unrelieved black, and that you're quite grateful that this isn't your dress code! You can easily see that it's a challenge to look like "yourself" in a way that's distinct from all of your coworkers if you're all wearing black. That's why I was happy to hear that many people in this uniform are at least allowed to wear whatever accessories strike their fancy.

Today, inspired by my neighbor who wears a turquoise and coral necklace EVERY DAY, I chose accessories that all have turquoise, coral (fake coral, of course) and gold, and which include texture or detail. When you see these items together, you can see the DNA that links them, I hope. And on the imaginary woman who wears them, you ... View the Post

A Black Capsule Wardrobe, with Pearl, Lace, Gold, Filigree and Flowers

After thinking long and hard about how I wanted to accessorize the "All-Black" capsule wardrobe, I decided that I'm going to accessorize it in a variety of ways, and give everybody a choice of which they prefer! In this, as in virtually EVERYTHING associated with getting dressed every day, there are no hard and fast rules, and no one "best" or "must-have" way to approach things.

I'm a big fan of finding a handful of key words that define a style, and using those words as a talisman or mantra when I'm choosing items. Using the lace tops as an inspiration, I thought that the first "accessory family" was going to include elements of pearls, lace, gold, filigree details and feelings, and flowers.

Let me clarify - each accessory doesn't need ... View the Post

An “All-Black” Capsule Wardrobe

While I was away for the winter holidays, I received two requests from women who are required to wear "All-Black" for their work, asking about ways to accessorize their limited palette. (if you're not a rugby fan, please be aware that the All Blacks are the New Zealand national rugby team, and the current world champions. If you enjoy looking at handsome, fit young men, I encourage you to look them up!)

This is a really interesting question for me because my capsule wardrobe migrates more and more each month toward unrelieved black. Also, I know a few women here in Chicago who have this same work wardrobe requirement; a surprising number of different organizations ask their "front of house" staff to dress in this way. You'll see it in ... View the Post

Crazy Eights as a Base for Extravagant Purchases

Often,  I  am asked if it's possible to justify purchasing something wildly beautiful and deeply extravagant, if one already owns a core wardrobe of simple, neutral basics.  Well, if you can afford the splurge, and you deeply adore the item, and you feel with some strong conviction that the item in question won't date terribly, then go for it...

Here's a very simple example- a core of black garments for warm weather, and then a big splash-out on a cardigan and a handbag...

Your basic garments:  

This already gives you a wide range of simple core outfits upon which you can build - from the most casual to ensembles that are almost dressy!

It is on this base that you decide you are going to ... View the Post