The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Cheval Surprise Remix Version 2

January 20, 2016   You wanted to see some purple? I found purple, and hot pink!  

You could certainly do worse than to use all five bright colors, plus black and white, as the basis of your wardrobe...

 

How many horses have you found in the scarf? I think I can see seven...

 

This is SUCH a great dress - you could literally wear it all 12 months, with a range of accessories that would keep it fresh. If I needed a dress, this one could easily vault to the top of the list!

 

 

Many have mentioned their preference for white shorts, so I honor your preference. And while the paisley top isn't exactly "cleaning out the basement" casual, I thought it was too irresistible ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Purple

I adore purple - I could easier become a really nutty "wears nothing but purple" person... There's a woman here in Chicago who wears EVERY shade of purple, and nothing BUT purple, every day. She combines the shades and nuances with reckless abandon, and carries it off with panache. I don't always like it, but I always notice it. And she seems very happy....Frankly, I'm not convinced that all of these combinations work - certainly they wouldn't work for me. But everybody gets to decide for themselves, and if you love it, go with it!

This grouping all started with the very cool purple shoes...

Bag – Jimmy Choo; trainers – Fratelli Rossetti; tee shirt – Uniqlo; crop knit    pants – Helmut Lang; Night Creature nail polish ... View the Post

Mixing Black and Brights

September 9, 2015  

One last look at how these 9 black garments can be used to serve as a base for your personal wardrobe passion - this time, BRIGHT colors!

You might be able to put together outfits with just these 9 pieces, but people would certainly see you from a long way away! If you're comfortable doing that, I think you should do whatever delights you - that's really the most important factor when getting dressed! But for those of us who love these colors in smaller doses, I have some ideas...

As always, I'm going to build around a solid, well-chosen core of neutrals. I've used black for these examples the last 2 days, but any neutral can do the trick, with a little bit of thought and ... View the Post

Turquoise and Purple! With a Warm Transitional Common Capsule Wardrobe

August 19, 2015

You all were so eager to see turquoise and purple - I felt terrible that I didn't come through! So when someone suggested that I could start gradually migrating yesterday's Seashell Accents Common Capsule Wardrobe into cooler weather, I was suddenly filled with inspiration and good ideas!

In order to make this a bit more compatible with the choices above, I took out the shorts, changed up the shoes, and replaced the two linen wrap pieces (which are sold out!) with a silk blouse and a classic straight skirt.

The shoes are more closed, and a hair darker than the earlier versions of this wardrobe. The slightly darker flats were more at home with the brown skirt, and the more covered-up tops...

You still, ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Camposanto by J.M.W. Turner

July 7, 2015   To the seaside!!!  Everyone told you that you couldn't have purple as your favorite color for your entire life - but YOU know better...  

  Did you have a favorite color as a child? I never really did, but I always wore my older sister's clothes, so it's maybe just as well that I didn't have strong feelings about it!   love, Janice ... View the Post

A 4-Piece Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Pink, Blue, and Purple

May 18, 2015  

You've seen scarves from kathkath.com on The Vivienne Files a LOT in the past: I used a beautiful pink scarf here, a rose printed one here, an amazing blue landscape scarf here, and one of my favorites - a marble printed scarf - here.If you leave me a comment below, telling me what you found on kathkath.com that you loved the most (or telling us anything else kind and loving), you will be entered to win this little (90cm square) beauty:

Yep, this is a 90 centimeter square scarf - same size as Hermes scarves. It's a glorious design - they have a close-up photograph of the pattern, and it's delectable...   So of course, I'm using this as the centerpiece of another "no-effort" weekend travel capsule ... View the Post

Start With a Scarf: Orange Hermes Art des Steppes

May 13, 2015   It's never too late to pull out a scarf that you've owned for years and recommit yourself to building around it, and wearing it more! One of you has been living with, and loving, this scarf (a cashmere and silk blend wrap) for quite a while, but feel like there's more to be done with this lovely thing.  

My first move with any scarf is to take a good look at it, from a distance, with my eyes squinting, and see what neutral colors seem prominent to me. I then look for colors that "jump out" - those are accents. This is the color scheme that I saw in this scarf. Bear in mind that I could easily find more colors - there's no one "correct" color scheme here!  

I'm thinking of this scarf for ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: Combining 2 Color Schemes from the Capri Scarf

May 9, 2015  

SOMEONE had a brilliant insight, in yesterday's comments - why not combine these two wardrobes from the last 2 days? This is a perfect Project 333 - it actually comes in well below 33 items...

And a long summer travel wardrobe? Perfect. The two neutrals give you plenty of "non-white" core pieces for travel days, and the neutrals play quite nicely together, too.

Here's our expanded color scheme:

And you recognize all of the clothes and accessories from earlier posts:

  But here's where the fun really starts - LOOK at this wardrobe!!! You might need to toss in a pair of shorts (grey sweats, or white linen?), but otherwise, I can't think of much for which you ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Capri, again, with a different color palette

May 8, 2015   You ask, I deliver! This very beautiful scarf, from the company Radical Chic, with a color scheme that emphasizes the rosy tones, and the grey base:  

Today's core of neutral is quite a bit dressier than the light brown from yesterday; maybe you have more work on your agenda, or the tone of the vacation is dressier. I would think that the Orient Express could justify a skirt...

 

  I kept yesterday's white linen separates - most because I'm smitten with the dress! And while white trousers can never be true workhorses of your trip, they do bring a summery beauty to a travel wardrobe.  

Of course, here's where the fun is! But I think we can all agree that finding subtle ... View the Post

A Black Wardrobe with Amethyst

January 8, 2015   She was born in February, so amethyst is her birthstone. And purple has always been her favorite color; could any style choice be easier?  

 

 

Any other suggestions/ideas for how to accessorize this wardrobe? I'm working on blue, and on brights, but I was also thinking of brown/gold... Anything else your beautiful hearts desire?   love,

Janice ... View the Post

I Love It But Will I Wear it? Ruby and Amethyst Jewelry

December 13, 2014  

It can happen to any of us - you wake up in the maturity of your life to find that you own a piece or two of really REAL jewelry - the kind of stuff that requires a special mention on your home owner's insurance. The kind of stuff that could be flogged in an auction, or pawned in a moment of spite. But instead, you decide that this stuff is really quite beautiful, and you'd like to wear it more often. Much the wisest course, I'd say.   Before you get carried away, however, let's address a couple of serious (and frivolous) essentials:  

Make ABSOLUTELY sure that your goodies are insured. Ask a lot of questions about deductibles, conditions of when and where you were when the item might ... View the Post