The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Neutral Accessories: Shoes Part 1

May 15, 2014  

One of the keys to putting together a truly effortless wardrobe is to assemble the minimum necessary clothes and accessories, so that getting dressed is a nearly foolproof exercise.Once you've made it through the most difficult step -  deciding what your basic neutral is going to be -  you just gradually stock up on basics and move forward...

The most important accessory?

Neutral Shoes

You've got to have shoes.  Not a ton of them, and not with insane stupid heels, but a few good timeless styles that can take you almost anywhere.

For my world, I narrowed down all of the world's available footwear to six pairs:  a pair of flats, a pair of pumps, some loafers, a pair of sandals, some ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Dark Pool version 2

May 8, 2014   Maybe, when you first saw this painting (or scarf) you saw the end of it with the black and red accents, and not the pastels...  

The way you fold a scarf can make a huge difference in what's shown or concealed - the beautiful Mai Tai is a master at showing you how this works (and just, in general, how to wear a scarf to brilliant effect.)   So if you're more drawn to the high-contrast interpretation, here are some very different ways to approach the same neutral garments that I used yesterday.  (I know, I'm lazy...)   Using black or white instead of a pastel immediately changes the whole feel of the capsule.    

Scarf – Elizabeth Blackadder’s Dark Pond, sweater – Uniqlo, ... View the Post

Start With Art: An Interior from Architectural Digest

February 25, 2014   This photograph was sent to me as a suggestion for a wardrobe - and what a great idea.  This photograph prompted, in me, ideas of wood, stone, natural fabrics and textured fabrics.  While I'm going to start with mostly colors in the beige/brown/grey families, there are definite hints here of green, blue and orange that would be great accent colors here.

  Another question I've been asked is about the possibility of purchasing garments one at a time, so this is something we're going to try here.  And the idea of not matching colors exactly - the colors in this wardrobe (with one exception) won't be identical matches...   So here we go!  First off, wouldn't you like to be sitting ... View the Post

Wearing a Celtic Knot Scarf – July through December

February 6, 2014   As is usual in the hottest weather, you might only be able to use your scarf to tie up your hair, or to decorate the handle of your bag, but the colors can still be the guiding inspiration for your wardrobe choices. These four garments clearly give you four outfits for the summer months.  

  Even though September is still warm, it always puts me in the mood for a sweater - and warm gold seems so perfect for autumn.  For October, olive is a perfect neutral for a jacket, and a suede skirt in deep russet will have lots of mileage through the colder months.  

  Many of us need a dress during the winter months for family and holiday events.  If you wear warm colors well, ... View the Post

Wearing a Celtic Knot Scarf – January through June

February 5, 2014   One of my dearest readers sent me a couple of photographs of this scarf, and asked me for some suggestions...  This scarf has great possibilities - the gold, turquoise, carnelian and olive drab colors, with some white, offer tons of possibilities.   If anybody can tell me who designed this scarf, or where it's available, please let me know ASAP - I hate showing something this beautiful without giving credit where credit is due!  

    Cold weather requires sweaters and boots - and olive and carnelian are both exceptional colors for this.  All of the major colors in this scarf go really well together, so you can combine them pretty much at will and the scarf will pull everything ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With a “Difficult” Scarf: Sepia and Light Grey

January 24, 2014   One of my friends asked me specifically to suggest some ways to wear this scarf - Musique des Spheres, from Hermes. The scarf came out... at least 10 years ago? And thus is only available on the secondary market, but as you can clearly see, it's a stunner. There is NOT a pink patch in the upper left corner... I struggled to find the best image of this scarf I could, and this was what I found.   Identifying the adjectives that convey the aesthetic of this scarf is difficult - I had to think and study for quite a while. But I found that I kept coming back to the ideas of contrast (the clarity of the lines against the background), balanced with an overall sense of muted coloring (the scarf is not pure white, ... View the Post

How to wear an olive v-neck sweater

March 23, 2013    

Sweater – Burberry Brit, tee shirt – Equipment, white jeans – J. Crew, flats - Lanvin, tie-dyed tee shirt – Proenza Schouler, yellow flats – Emilio Pucci  

Sweater – Joseph, earrings – Astley Clarke, scarves – Hermes, jeans – Ralph Lauren, boots –  Officine,  earrings – Miguel Ases, khakis – Vince, loafers - Gravati  

Sweater – Burberry Brit, white cotton shirt – Equipment, bracelet – Stella McCartney, pants – Thakoon, boots - Acne, opal  earrings – Vaubel, white silk blouse – Chloe, watch – Movado, suede skirt – Ralph Lauren, tights – HYD Cristalle, pumps – Maison Martin Margiela   

Sweater – Burberry Brit, earrings – Hari Jewels, silk blouse – Dries ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Alphonse Mucha Summer

Yes, there's plenty more to come from Paris, after jet lag has released it's relentless grip...This painting made me want to find things that were soft, feminine, but with a certain inner strength or control.  The expression on her face is pretty confident!

Tee shirt – Thakoon, corduroy jeans – Current/Elliott, ankle boots – Mango, cashmere turtleneck – Eickhoff, skirt – 3.1 Phillip Lim, pumps – Salvatore Ferragamo    

Top – Moschino Cheap & Chic, skirt – Jenni Kayne, sandals – Dorothy Perkins, halter dress – Missoni, sandals – Manolo Blahnik    

Dress – Diane von Furstenberg, slingbacks – Miu Miu, blouse – Aubin & Wills, pleated skirt – Alexander McQueen, ballet flats - ... View the Post

Visualizing French Chic: olive, and young, and casual

 

Jacket – Virginie Castaway, vest – Humanoid, cardigan – Manestrale, dress – Go Green M by M, Rolled capris – Dorothy Perkins, jeans – J Brand, shorts – D&G  

Black tee – Uniqlo, sunglasses – Lacoste, athletic shoes – Nike, White tee – Fat Face, bracelets – 1928, boots - Cordani  

Tank top – Madewell, fedora – Forever 21, Sandals – Mulberry, flower earrings – Lord & Taylor, gold clutch – Style & Co., gold sandals – Sam Edelman  

Short-sleeved shirt – Old Navy, cross body bag – 9 West, sunglasses – Wetseal, tee – Nike, espadrilles – Mad Love, woven flats - Blowfish  

Tee shirt – J. Crew, scarf – Tillys, ballet flats – Aldo, earrings – Inc International ... View the Post

Wardrobe: Warm Colors, Casual Styles

Lots of people really liked my post about a "Chanel-inspired" wardrobe based on 2 suits, but expressed concern because they found it too dressy.  So I've tried here to work from the same general idea - four garment groupings in 2 neutral shades, and then build around them for a 24-piece wardrobe.  This is primarily a very casual wardrobe, with only one skirt, and one dressy blouse.  There are some flowers, and some lace, and the obligatory Spring 2012 pair of "fashion color" pants...  Enjoy!

Sweater – Topshop, pants – Rabens Saloner, tee shirt – Shakuhachi, denim pants – A.L.C., olive sweater – Cacharel, olive pants – Closed,  blouse – Bruuns Bazaar, shorts – Denim & Supply  

Beige Cardigan – ... View the Post