The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Packing for Paris! What I’m Doing Differently, This Time…

December 10, 2015  

I'm leaving today! Early this evening, in fact, which is a little bit irritating, because I don't get to Paris until 10 a.m. Sometimes this flight leaves much earlier, getting one to Paris in time for an early breakfast. Some day, I will understand why the airlines change things so often...But no matter! I'm going, and I'm going to have a wonderful time. If you want to keep up with my running around, please follow me on Instagram. (it's that little camera-ish thingy in the right margin area)  I plan to post something there at least hourly when I'm awake, so everybody will know that I'm okay...

Differently? My primary plan originally was that I was going to be pretty informal - jeans and nice athletic ... View the Post

A Template for Your Travel Outfit

November 19, 2015  

For a long time, I've been saying that I think the outfit in which you travel is the most important clothing you have to choose for a trip, and I'm sticking with that belief. Recently, Belovedest had dinner with a co-worker who spent over 48 HOURS in an airport in Egypt, trying to get home. (when they were finally allowed to board a plane, they had to leave all luggage and carry-on bags behind, and could only take with them what they could carry visibly in their hands, i.e. phone, passport, and wallet...)Okay, that's a very extreme case, but it's not at all unheard of to be delayed, or have to be re-routed to an unexpected city (where you hang around either on the plane or in the airport for an undetermined ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dantis Amor by Rossetti – THE FINALE

November 2, 2015

I think this is going to be my last post about Dantis Amor; as much as I love the painting... Today, we're dressier, we're completely out of control shopping, and we're going to travel along with one of our friends....Just a few reminders of our Style Reference Point:

 

Thanksgiving is Canceled... Yes, her grandchildren have 2 sets of grandparents. Somehow, this year, they're ALL going to the "other side" for Thanksgiving. And she is going to be home alone....

Or not...

She always wanted to see the Thanksgiving Parade in New York. She always wanted to eat at that restaurant. She always wanted.... lots of things. This is the year!

She got onto her computer, and cashed out every flyer mile and ... View the Post

My Favorite Posts: Packing with Navy

A color I don't ever wear, but posts that I really enjoyed preparing. The images still make me smile...

Packing: Navy with classic accent colors

Warm Weather Travel in Navy and Coral - Step by Step

Four Pack: Burgundy and Navy

Breaking All the Usual Packing Rules: Navy and Green love, Janice ... View the Post

My Favorite Posts: Packing with Camel

October 10, 2015   I'm not sure exactly why I love these so much, because I never wear camel! But I really love the way the richness of the color works so beautifully with deep jewel tones, or soft pastels. If I had the coloring to look gorgeous in camel, I'd be ALL over it...  

  Four Pack: Camel and Burgundy  

 

  How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Teal and Camel    

  How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Navy and Camel    

  How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Camel and Wine     love, Janice ... View the Post

Vacation: TODAY!!!

October 3, 2015  

To say that we're excited would be a bit of an understatement! Two weeks (which is SO un-American, the country that has NO law requiring any vacation, at all, for any person, ever) in Wales and England, including attending a Rugby World Cup match! And dinner reservations at some amazing places, and a few days in London, and a visit to my English relatives, AND a bunch of driving around amazing places etc. etc.This is gonna be good...

If you don't follow me on Instagram, you might want to start. You'll be able to see what I wear every morning (I lay out my outfits and photograph them), and we'll take some pictures of beautiful or amazing places. I'm not one of those people that buries you in photographs, but ... View the Post

Whatever’s Clean 13 FOR MEN – warm colors, warm weather

 

September 19, 2015

I understand that some of you are less than fascinated by the assembling of a travel wardrobe for a man; I can understand that. However, I felt that I really needed to respond to the requests that I've received, for years, for such a project. And let's not collectively forget that these wardrobes work EXACTLY like the women's version. With very little adaptation, any of these wardrobes could change gender and be really attractive. Yes, you'd want to toss in a piece of two of jewelry, and swap out ties for scarves. Maybe the 3rd pair of trousers would be better suited to be a skirt, and you don't have to pack quite so many shirts that button down the front, and have a collar. (although you could keep them just ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art in Orange and Red: Nature Morte by Georgette Agutte

September 4, 2015

This color scheme had to be revisited one last time, because there's an eccentric aunt lurking in the background who wants a bit of attention. (just for the record, I'm the eccentric aunt in my family's tree...)

She persists in believing that orange and red are meant to go together! They're side by side in the color wheel, they're both in flowers, and fruits, and lots of beautiful prints. Why not pair them - it's a singular style statement that you don't see every day!

You would see this woman... on a plane, train, you name it, she's going to be visible. Happily, her sunny personality is equal to the level of high-intensity color.

For reference purposes, and to give credit where artistic credit is due, ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Version 2 of Nature Morte by Georgette Agutte

We took a look at this painting a few days ago, and my result was a very dark and subdued mix of burgundy and black.  THIS version is quite a bit brighter!This is the same general scenario: a lovely woman who has to make a quick overnight trip for a (possibly) dressy event - wedding, dinner party, etc.

I've kept the jewelry and scarf from the previous iteration of this project, and black pants are still on the menu. But a change of coat, sweater, boots and tote change everything completely.

coat – MSGM; boots – Munro; cashmere sweater – RED Valentino; trousers – Oasis; scarf – Sam Edelman; earrings – Kendra Scott; cuff bracelet – Alexis Bittar; tote bag – Lodis  

Just to refresh our eyes, here's the ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Joan of Arc by Jules Bastien-Lepage

August 20, 2015   French Realist painting at it's very finest...  

And this suggests for us a color scheme using one of my favorite combination of neutrals: camel and grey!

Our heroine is going on a voyage, so this seems like an appropriate template around which to build her wardrobe:

Clarity, and Commitment She knew she was on the right track. Now she knew that she had to share what she knew.

It would require travel. It would require speaking to anyone who would listen. It would require unflagging confidence in the merits of her cause.

She can do this!

  She knew that a pair of jeans would be handy when she was between meetings and speaking engagements; as she started to pack, this ... View the Post

Twin Posts: What to Pack to Visit Chicago, Labor Day Weekend

This is really exciting for me; as a blogger who seems to be under most radars, to have been asked by Susan of Une Femme d'un Certain Age to partner up for a pair of posts was unexpected, and pretty thrilling.

Susan's blog was one of the very first I ever followed, and her style and élan are qualities that I try to emulate in my own way. I can't encourage you enough to get to know her and appreciate the charm and elegance that she brings to her life, and in turn, to ours!

So today, Susan's going to give us some guidance about what to pack if we're off on a voyage to her neighborhood, in Los Angeles. I'm really eager to see what she has to say, since that's an area to which I've only traveled ONCE, and I'm sure I have a few things I ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Untitled, 1953 by Mark Rothko (revisiting navy and cognac)

July 27, 2015   Wow! When I ask for help finding art, you all jump right to the rescue!  And isn't this a great version of navy and cognac, with a striking pink accent?  

I snuck in a touch of white... and if you look really closely, our celadon green from last week is present, just a slight touch, along the bottom of the painting.

  I kept the navy garments, but changed out everything else here. In honor of the block-like angularity of the Rothko painting, our accessories are now going to be square, or include a square motif if possible. (even the tote bag here has an embossed texture with a square feeling to it...) I took the cognac accessories down a notch darker, to show the options that are available ... View the Post