Start With a Scarf Archives - Page 15 of 22

How Can You Pack a Foolproof Travel Wardrobe? Use the Whatever’s Clean System!

May 9, 2017

I can always tell when a lot of you are planning travel because I start to see more and more emails with packing questions. Many people want a wardrobe that they don't really have to think about once they've arrived at their destination; that's why I cooked up the idea of a "Whatever's Clean" Wardrobe. If all goes according to plan, you should be able to pull any available garments from these wardrobes and assemble a reasonably presentable outfit. Certainly, some combinations are going to be better than others, and you're going to like some outfits more than others, but overall, you've got mountains of flexibility, after doing a bit of strategic thinking...

First off, let's start with a great color inspiration - ... View the Post

Part 2 of How to Gradually Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Start with a Scarf – Ted Baker Enchantment

March 24, 2017

After you've had a bit of time to process the outfits for the first 4 months of the year, which I shared here yesterday, it's time to dive back in and finish the year, and the capsule wardrobe!

First, let's refresh our memories about what our "inspiration scarf" is, and the color palette that I drew from the scarf:

She Loves Flowers And she has no better explanation for it than that - she loves them. Yes, she grew up helping her parents in their flower beds - that certainly played some role in her affections...

So when she didn't have to go to the office any longer, she decided to remake her wardrobe in the image of her dreams and desires - flowers, and flowery colors!

Sometimes, when the weather ... View the Post

How to Gradually Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Start with a Scarf – Ted Baker Enchantment

March 23, 2017

A normal blogger would wait until this was finished to share it with you, but nobody's ever accused me of being normal!

I freely admit that I think Ted Baker London makes some of the most beautiful scarves, and that they are an excellent starting point for a well-chosen capsule wardrobe. This just screams spring to me... and if you're a pansy person (or you love someone who is) this would be a beautiful "no reason at all" gift:

This beautiful floral is available in such wide-ranging lovelies as ballet flats, bags, 2 swimsuits, a cover-up, cropped trousers and a matching sleeveless top, a blouse, a tee shirt, a couple of skirts, a couple of dresses and of course other shapes and sizes of scarves. I have to admit ... View the Post

Building an All-Neutral Wardrobe, based on a Scarf: Navy, Grey, Camel and White

March 3, 2017

People often ask me where I get ideas for blog posts - they should see my inbox! I get the most wonderful emails, with the most interesting questions... (if it takes me days and DAYS to respond, please don't be offended or insulted - I love to hear from you!)

Many of us start to feel like we need to migrate away from black, and toward grey or navy. One among you found a lovely scarf - vintage! - to help focus this wardrobe shift, and asked me for a few ideas. What fun!

First off - buying "luxury" scarves second-hand is just plain smart. You can find them on Ebay (which can be dicey, because they don't do anything to police against fakes), Tradesy, 1st Dibs, Etsy, The RealReal, Malleries, and ... View the Post

Should I Buy This Scarf? How to decide if you really ought to buy an accessory…

February 27, 2017

I saw this, and was immediately captivated. I am, of course, two months into a year without shopping, so the question of buying the scarf isn't really relevant to me personally, but it is something that we all confront: "Should I Buy This?"

It's an intriguing scarf - it's not really a traditional floral design, and the color scheme is subtle and quite pretty. I imagine that this would be very flattering on a lot of women! (and it comes with an ivory background - rather than the black - if that appeals....)

My thinking? Imagine a spectrum of outfits - from very casual to somewhat dressy - that would be perfect with this scarf. And then think seriously - are these outfits that I already own, or that I would ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in a Grey Capsule Wardrobe: An Evaluation

December 6, 2016 Back on the first of November (which seems like it was YEARS ago...) we left this capsule wardrobe looking this way:

If you need to track back and catch up on how we got to this point, the earlier posts can be found here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November.

I had a hunch that this wardrobe was in pretty good shape, and this is borne out by the way that the Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe fell into place so easily:

I noticed something sort of interesting when I graphed the garments on the basis of season and dressiness - the cooler weather clothes were more casual, and the warmer weather items skewed a bit more dressy.

This makes sense, when ... View the Post

Timeless: Some of My Favorite Posts from the Past, Based on Scarves

You've long since known that I love scarves, and I believe that they're an excellent basis upon which to build a beautiful wardrobe. Here are some of my favorites!This scarf is so lovely - crisp, but soft colors, gently blended:

If you have a fondness for flowers, you MUST get to know Ted Baker London. You don't have to buy; you can just admire, and glean ideas... This scarf generated 2 color combinations and two wardrobes:

Don't forget to check museum shops in your quest for the perfect accessory; museums get things that you'll never see in any other place... And this shawl is still available here!

Kathkath makes some of the most beautiful scarves, and this is a perfect example. You could build a wardrobe ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe Starts with Art: Still Life with Bouquet of Flowers and Plums by Rachel Ruysch

Dear Elizabeth, who's favorite designer is Vionnet - send me an email at theviviennefiles@gmail.com with your mailing address. You won the Mainbocher exhibit book!So what do you do if you WANT something new, but you really don't need anything? You feel the need for brightening up, for some new ideas and inspiration, for some updated options in your wardrobe... I think it's important to take these feeling seriously, and to act on them deliberately, with a clear plan and established goal. If you just start buying things willy nilly, you risk wasting money, and feeling guilty, and still not satisfying that urge that stems from something vital within you.

How about first find something beautiful to help focus that sort of "all over the ... View the Post

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Red, Blue and White

October 28, 2016 It's always interesting to work with red, blue, and white in a capsule wardrobe - the challenge is to do justice to three colors that look great together, without ending up looking like someone's flag... The grey here, the 2 shades of red, and the 2 shades of blue, give us lots of options to avoid a very "bleu, blanc, rouge" kind of look. (unless that's what you want - I'm not going to tell you no!)

Scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; wrap – Nordstrom

For this very abbreviated little ensemble, I focused on just four colors. Introducing a spectrum of grey could give you a million options...

Scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; wrap – Nordstrom He Falls Asleep.... At ... View the Post

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Camel, Green and Burgundy

OCtober 27, 2016 I'm back from Italy - we saw nothing of the earthquakes yesterday. Thanks so much for all of your emails and texts checking up on us! hugs, Janice I love camel.... I never wear it, because I look like death on a hot day when I try, but it always looks so rich and elegant in a capsule wardrobe... Scarf – Hermes Flânerie à Versailles; knit scarf – BP. There's at least 1 shade of blue lurking in this scarf, as well as a variety of green hues... and the solid scarf, on the website, is described as "olive." That seems... strange. But it's proof that you have to really search high and low, and in all sorts of odd places, to find things.

I hope you'll notice, through this ensemble, the ... View the Post

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Orange, Black, and Sand

October 26, 2016 These colors could be "Halloween-y," in a capsule wardrobe but I'm going to keep that from happening!

Scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; wrap –BP.

The presence here of the sandy tan, and some white, are critical!

Scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; wrap –BP. She Wrote Her Thesis... about Lázsló Moholy-Nagy! So when she learned that the Art Institute of Chicago had a HUGE special exhibit of his work, she cleared a couple of days from her calendar...

sweater– L.L.Bean; earrings – Bloomingdale’s; scarf – Hermes Au Bout du Monde; loafers – G.H.Bass & Co.; khakis – L.L.Bean; watch – Seiko; bag – Bric’s

His work influenced all sorts of things ... View the Post

Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Olive, Denim and Ivory

October 25, 2016 This just feels like cozy autumn clothes, doesn't it?

Scarf – Hermes Flânerieà Versailles; wrap – Nordstrom

The primary neutral in this capsule wardrobe could easily be denim blue, and you could include accents of red or yellow, too...

Scarf – Hermes Flânerie à Versailles; wrap – Nordstrom She Owns ONE Dress... And ever month or so, in the cooler weather, she puts it in her messenger bag, and she goes downtown for the night, with her sweetheart... Sometimes she feels like she should get something different, but...

wrap – Nordstrom; shirt– Oasis; earrings – Ralph Lauren; cardigan – Uniqlo; watch – Michael Kors; loafers – Franco ... View the Post