The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch: Choosing Color Schemes

June 17, 2014

It's a question that's as old as The Vivienne Files - if you're starting a capsule wardrobe from scratch, how do you start?

What an ambitious question! But after thinking about it for three years, I'm going to give it a try - a step by step approach to rebuilding your wardrobe from the ground up.

Before you buy any garments at all, you've got to make a couple of decisions. One thing you'll have to work out for yourself - which silhouettes suit you best. I'm really not qualified to answer this question for every woman, but I encourage you to address this question on your own; you know better than anybody else in the world what shapes and sizes of garments suit you best...

But the next question - truly critical - is ... View the Post

Choosing a Scarf: A Bright Summer Accent

May 31, 2014  

Some of us aren't going to be wearing white all summer long, nor will pastel accessories work really well for everybody.  So I'm going to revisit the idea of buying a summer scarf, but this time working with a base of navy linen clothes...  The idea of picking up a couple of bright accessories to update my summer wardrobe is very tempting!These are the scarves:

Red Cayenne linen blend scarf – Halogen, Blue Blithe linen blend scarf – Halogen, turquoise gem linen scarf – Halogen, gold shine linen blend scarf – Halogen,  pink cyclamen linen blend scarf – Halogen, blue royal linen blend scarf - Halogen And the simple navy garments:

Top – Hobbs, shorts – Dorothy Perkins, dress – ... View the Post

What I Packed for Florida

May 30, 2014 I completely missed the backpacking around Europe experience - I never took a year off of school, and I never even WENT to Europe until I was 35... But I'm still fascinated by the whole experience of being THAT light on your feet - that self-contained.  So when a really nice Patagonia backpack made it into our home, I decided that I was going to give it a try.  At least once, just to know what it's like, I'm going to be a backpacker...

I loved it.  The incredible lightness of putting all of your luggage under the seat in front of you, and being able to walk for miles without wheels, was memorable.  I don't know that I'll ever do it again, but it was wonderful.

There were a few factors that made this ... 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

Leveraging the Floral Trend: 1= 20

April 22, 2014

Once more, let's visit this beige and navy spring and summer wardrobe.   You're happy with this wardrobe - it provides appropriate and attractive options for pretty much every event in your life.  But you decide that you WANT something floral, just to participate in a current trend.  You love flowers.  You want a new tee shirt.  You just plain want to shop!   Keeping your color scheme in mind - either through carrying around some skeins of embroidery floss, or a photograph of your closet, or whatever mnemonic works best for you:  

  You stumble across this beauty in your shopping:  

    All your colors.  Floral.  It seems perfect... ... View the Post

My Favorite Style is Inappropriate for my Life!

March 6, 2014

I think many of us wrestle with this - we really adore an aesthetic and style that just does NOT translate into our day-to-day life. For example, say this is your idea of a great room - Diana Vreeland certainly thought so:

But this is your typical wardrobe - simple, high-quality neutrals that really don't reflect that colorful exuberance above:

For starters, a red tee shirt seems like the easiest thing to slide into this closet. But consider a richly patterned cardigan and/or skirt. Remember when making your choice that you want to work with your neutral core, so you should look for elements of black and white, if possible. And more importantly, these items should satisfy that longing for ornate opulence that ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Are you More Calder or Mondrian?

February 12, 2014

Many readers send me art to consider for the inspiration for a wardrobe - thanks a lot! Send me any inspirations you have...

MANY people choose Calder or Mondrian as their favorites, and I initially thought that I could put together one wardrobe that would accommodate both art preferences. For example, here are two works of art which are typical of the suggestions that I receive.

Obviously, both of these works of art suggested this color scheme - clearly you can see the appeal of these clean, clear, and vivid hues.

I first hit a hitch when I was thinking about the initial garment in the wardrobe. A white shirt seemed obvious - but soft and graceful silk, or a crispy cotton? The silk is very fitting for ... View the Post

Start With a “Difficult” Scarf: Black and White

January 22, 2014   This scarf, currently available from Hermes, is incredibly beautiful - much more interesting in person than any photograph can do justice...  

  But it's easy to see how you could fall into the routine of wearing this scarf pretty much exclusively with black and white garments - it just seems reasonable.  So I'm proposing a mental "reframing" of the scarf that might expand your comfort zone with it...   First off, think of the adjectives that characterize the unique beauty and appeal of this scarf.  To me, this scarf is clear, graphic, and linear.  This gives you a basis upon which to think about the sort of outfits that might benefit from the addition of this ... View the Post

Wearing a Classic Burberry Scarf All Year: July through December

January 17, 2014   Let me explain a bit of the "step by step" of how I would envision the use of a scarf as a unifying theme within a wardrobe.  Starting with July - let's say you've decided that you want to get an entire new outfit in July, and you want to exercise the discipline implied by using a single scarf as your inspiration. You're working with four colors, and an overall sensibility and aesthetic of right angles, with woven textures.   July = hot, in the Northern Hemisphere.  But it also means work for many of us, so a dress is the plan.  You spot something solid red, in the world's most forgiving silhouette, so that choice is pretty straightforward.  But you don't want to add on red accessories; ... View the Post

Wearing a Classic Burberry Scarf All Year: January through June

January 16, 2014   These scarves are wildly popular, and I've been asked a couple of times if someone who loved them could use these colors as the basis of an entire wardrobe.  Camel, black, white, with accents of red?  What a wonderful idea...   Are we tired of seeing scarves, or art? I get lots of specific requests, but I've had one rather strongly-worded objection to these posts.  Since I write for you all, let me know what you think.  

  I thought that by the time warm weather rolls around, you're not going to wear the scarf all that often, but there's no reason to forego a touch of the traditional plaid on your tee shirt...  

    love, Janice

  ... View the Post

Casual Packing: The “Triple Top” Secret

October 29, 2013   Here are a couple of examples of how my Triple Top Secret selection of tops can work for a really casual trip (or just a day to day wardrobe).  First, I started with a cool flowered shirt, got really gutsy and tossed in a striped tee shirt, and worked from there.  Yes, I would wear the stripes and the flowers together...  

I realized after working with this idea for a while that there are, in fact, two "triples" inherent in this idea:

 

  Yes, the button-front shirt is critical!  A shirt that can both be worn as a jacket or 2nd layer, but also layered under a sweater or sweatshirt, is key.  

    Here's an example of how this can work with some ... View the Post