The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Popular Posts on Pinterest….

If everything has gone according to plan, I'm in Dublin... (if THIS trip falls through, I'm just going to move to Europe and give up trying to visit there...)

But of course I like to leave you pretty things to enjoy while I'm gone, so I thought that this time, I'd see what people are "pinning" from The Vivienne Files onto Pinterest. (if you've never visited Pinterest, be warned - it's a highly-addictive way to collect images that you love...)

These aren't going to be in any particular order, because this list fluctuates quite a bit... but one of the most popular posts? Accessories in the autumn colors from Pantone, for 2017:

As so often happens, I'm delighted to look at this and feel that it's really timeless. One might have ... View the Post

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Tomato Red

When the weather gets warm, many of us get the urge to shop! And so let's think about limiting our purchases to whatever essential, core items we need, and then a French 5-Piece Wardrobe to freshen and update our classics...

First, every change of season has me dreaming of tossing out all of my clothes and buying an entirely new wardrobe from Eileen Fisher. (NOT going to happen, but a woman can fantasize, and then use that fantasy to create a better reality, right?)

This is what I'd be buying, if I was going to do such a madcap thing:

Of course, when you look at this wardrobe for a few minutes, you realize that you don't need to buy ALL 10 pieces to get the desired effect - maybe just 2 or 3 of the real signature pieces (that marled ... View the Post

Pantone “New” Colors for Spring 2018 – Accessories in a Dozen Colors…

This is always one of my favorite little mini-events of the fashion year - when Pantone tells us what the "new" colors will be. Of course we all understand that a new color is a physical impossibility, but I still enjoy seeing what they're thinking, and then looking for some accessories that might reflect these colors (more or less!).

It's especially fun for me because I tend to go back to my old template to reuse it, and I can see how very much alike some of the colors are from season to season. This color could easily be the Grenadine from last fall - it even comes first in the list, just as Grenadine did... (Frankly, I would have rearranged things a bit so that the similarity wasn't quite so obvious!)

As is true with most of these ... View the Post

Stop the Presses! New Colors are here….

Well, of course there aren't new colors here - there ARE no new colors...

But Pantone has announced their colors for Spring 2017, so it's always interesting to see what in the world they've found that's interesting...

It's considered very significant, in fashion circles, that they chose to make this announcement hot on the heels of New York Fashion Week (yes, it's capitalized!). I'm not sure why.

These are their choices:

 

They're lovely colors, of course. All colors are lovely... (and yes, if you compare these to the colors of the year for 2016, you're going to see some REALLY familiar things; there are a finite number of colors in the world!)

In the interest of seeing how these color look when mixed in with neutrals, I've ... View the Post

Pantone Fall 2016 “New” Colors, and Way to Try Them

Always a favorite time of year for me - Pantone finds "new" colors to share with us!

Of course, there's no such thing, but I always like to spend some time looking at the colors, and trying to see if I can find them represented anywhere in the world of merchandise. Gone are the days when these colors dominated retail offerings!

While a couple of these colors are nothing more than cleverly named neutrals (the grey and the taupe), the other 8 might serve as a fun new accent color for a season or two. With that in mind, I looked at accessories, nail polish, and a few tee shirts, to see if anything was tempting.... And don't forget that canvas shoes are available in about a billion different colors, too!

I could easily see adding some of ... View the Post

Pantone 2016 Colors, and an Accessory Refresh

This horridly cold weather in Chicago reminds me of the best aspect of writing The Vivienne Files - I don't have to leave the building. (seriously - grocery story, gym, pool, dry cleaner etc. all in the building!) But I begin to crave a change of colors, and something to brighten up my winter clothes, which begin to all look the same.

While we all understand pretty clearly that Pantone colors don't actually rule the world, nor do they actually find "new" colors, they can still be a useful guide to looking at some accessories in colors that we might not otherwise consider.

What could be more fun than a new bottle of nail polish, and maybe an inexpensive ring, to cheer up the end (?!?) of winter? I think things on your hand and wrist give ... View the Post

Pantone 2016 – Useful Colors, If We See Them!

Yes, "new" colors.

Normally, Pantone gives us just one color for a year, but this year we've been given two... (can you imagine the changes in the world if there really WERE two new colors? I dream of these things...)

I like to imagine that there was a huge fight going on at the Pantone offices, and that announcing 2 colors for next year was the only way to settle it. Talk about your 1st world problems. (no, I don't really like that term, but it's a good way to describe any color dispute...)

I debated not even blogging about this, but I think I have to turn in my official blogger eyelash curlers or something if I completely ignore this announcement. I was really undecided.

And then I saw this:

First off, it's a really touching ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Fall Accent Color: Linden Green

I wasn't crazy about this color when I started looking for accent items for our capsule wardrobe, but when I started putting it against the neutral colors it really began to grow on me.  And I'm also beginning to see the value in an accent cardigan.  I think it's easy to assume that an accent color for a season or two might be best purchased in a blouse, tee shirt or sweater, but upon reflection I can see that a cardigan could be worn more often, and make more of a visible impact...  Food for thought.

While I was combing the internet for this color, I noticed that the brand Schumacher had a variety of garments in this color currently available.  It's not uncommon for a brand or designer to do a grouping in a ... View the Post