Start with Art Archives - Page 2 of 28

Start with Art: The Visit by Marie Laurencin – grey and white and relaxing…

April 29, 2020

When she saw this painting, the first thing she thought was that the poor woman on the horse will NOT be invited in, because she's got to stay 6 feet away from the other women...

But she also thought that the colors would be idea for her wardrobe!

Now that her employer has become the last company in the world to start doing video meetings, she realizes that she needs to look a bit pulled together, and calm, and in control. At least from the waist up!

So she isolates her colors for Spring...

And then she pulls together her core Weekly Timeless Wardrobe in grey and white. She loves grey, but finding grey clothes in warmer weather isn't always easy!

She realizes immediately that she has a lot of ... View the Post

Expanding a Start with Art: Light of Iris by Georgia O’Keeffe

April 24, 2020

Last week, they went to the farmhouse to see if they would like to stay there for the long-term. They realized pretty much as soon as they pulled into the drive that they did, indeed, want to stay out of town!

When they thought that they were only going to stay for a few days, she chose her travel capsule wardrobe based on her favorite painting:

She was still wearing her travel outfit when they decided to go back into town and pack up all of their food, their computers, and more clothes. It's only 5 miles, so it won't be a long trip!

Before they drove back, she dashed upstairs and dumped out her tote bag onto the bed. This was she had initially packed:

They talked about packing, on the way back into ... View the Post

Start with Art: Portrait de Greta Prozor by Henri Matisse

April 23, 2020

She's been sitting for a REALLY long time...

She's taking her favorite painting, distilling it down to the essential colors, and then PACKING!

Black, denim, olive, and BRIGHT golden yellow! She doesn't want to work very hard getting dressed, but she's okay with people noticing her...

It's just for a long weekend... She's going to plan outfits for each day, although she won't necessarily wear every outfit. She just doesn't want to have to work; she's done quite enough work, spending so much time indoors...

Her travel wardrobe is dark, and a bit intense. That's just exactly what she wants - no worry about spilling things, no worry about putting together outfits "on the fly," and no having to shop ... View the Post

Start with Art: Light of Iris by Georgia O’Keeffe Inspires a Travel Capsule Wardrobe

April 15, 2020 In Search of Flowers... They might go stay at the farmhouse indefinitely. At first, they thought that staying in town would be better - less "cut off" from civilization and other human life.

But now they realize that they're not seeing anybody anyway, so being closer to nature might be the better option!

She's longing for flowers; she's been thumbing through art books for weeks...

THIS is what she wants in her life - the colors, and the freshness...

So they pull on their boots, and their rain coats, and toss a few garments into a bag; if they decide to move up for a long while, they will return home and pack a LOT of things...

Warning - if you're looking at rubber boots, be absolutely CERTAIN that ... View the Post

Start with Art: Choosing a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Petit Matin by Joan Mitchell

April 10, 2010

I promised pretty colors...

Our heroine is looking for flowers... She's packing for a long weekend, basing her choices on this palette that she's chosen:

Thinking about flowers, and admiring photographs of flowers, were a part of what kept her happy and content during the quarantine. But now, they're going to walk a ton, outdoors, and admire nature.

Now that they're free to travel again, they've found the perfect destination - a mansion house with extensive gardens! Miles and miles of gardens...

She's less conservative than she has been in the past. Once upon a time, she would have a solid navy suitcase, and wear solid navy shoes for the drive. But now, she's more relaxed, and understands that ... View the Post

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe from Rising Green by Lee Krasner

She's feeling... exuberant...

Now that she's free to travel again, she's going to do things differently. She's had so much time to plan, and she's going to be so much more organized!

This is her color palette:

She's not going to be reckless - she's still wearing her compression socks, and waterproof loafers. But she's finally going to start wearing the scarves that have been living in a dresser drawer for ages...

Before, she would NEVER have considered packing pants that were lighter than dark navy. She wouldn't have consigned lovely scarves to a suitcase, nor would she have traveled with cashmere sweaters.

Now, she realizes that life is for living, and the things that we own are for using and enjoying! Life is ... View the Post

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on The Swan No. 21 by Hilma af Klint

Yes, this should be the "Six Scarves, 12 Outfits" post, but I forgot that I was working on a post for the first day of April! Frankly, I'm thrilled to see the end of March - aren't you?

I will get that post for you tomorrow, I promise...

Our heroine had hoped to see the Hilma af Klint exhibit in Malmö, but she might not make it...

But she's still a massive fan of the artist!

Now that she's free to travel, she's going to Stockholm for a long weekend to the Moderna Museet, to see some art! This is going to be her color palette for her travel capsule wardrobe:

She has decided that she's beautiful. After spending so much time alone, it's finally dawned on her that her body has done wonderful things for her, ... View the Post

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Sea Change by Helen Frankenthaler

Such calming colors....

It's not a complicated color palette, but it's certainly beautiful!

She's Ready to Dress Up... Now that she's free to travel again, she does NOT want to pack jeans, nor sweatpants, nor a sweatshirt. Frankly, if she doesn't see her casual clothes for a LONG time, she won't mind!

They're going to take the train into the city, and stay in a hotel near the harbor. She wants to be able to see the sea from their room; it's been too long.

They've had months to plan this trip, and dream about it. Leisurely walks, holding hands. Lovely, lingering dinners. Sitting in a cafe by the sea, watching the waves and sipping a cocktail.

Nothing strenuous - they don't have a check-list of things that ... View the Post

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Mountains and Sea by Helen Frankenthaler

I think we're going to have an art week; art transcends all things...

It's Truly Summer... Now that she's free to travel again, she's going to get on the train and go someplace she's never been. She randomly chose a train stop, and now she's spending a long weekend in a small city she's never visited!

She's decided that she wants to feel summery, and light, and free...

Her pants come in TEN colors...

Everything won't go together perfectly. Things will get dirty. She doesn't really mind; laundry can be done, outfits can be repeated, and she's okay with this. She knows what's important...

She packs her favorite things, and she's going to be perfectly delighted with her travel wardrobe:

Once she checks her ... View the Post

Start with Art: Building a Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Icebound by John Henry Twachtman

The first day of Spring! And our anniversary...

Quite Enough Solitude, Thank You... Now that they're free to travel again, they're making plans...

Their favorite apartment in their favorite city is available for a few days, and they are OFF!

No more wearing sensible sweatpants and warm shirts while working from home. No more being sensible PERIOD, for a while....

They've walked miles every evening in their neighborhood; they've exhausted pretty much any avenue of exploration left to them! Now, in their favorite city, they're going to go down every alley, every turn that seems uninteresting, any corner that appears to lead to a dead end...

This will eat out - of COURSE they will! But they will also pick up some ... View the Post

Start with Art: Mountain Forms by Lawren Harris

Let's do our utmost to keep The Vivienne Files an oasis of cheerful optimism and plans for the future, okay?

The Balance has Shifted... Now that she's free to travel again, she realizes that a certain... caution? has vanished from her personality...

Where she once would have shied away from a blue pedicure, and opted for the much more safe soft pink or nude, she now chooses the blue without hesitation!

She realized that her old suitcase was about to fall to pieces - one good THUMP of those hinges against the Baggage Claim carrousel and her dainty underthings are all over the airport! So she buys the best suitcase she can find... She's not spending down her retirement account, but she's treating herself... a bit ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting Tribute to Franz Marc – Foxes by Becky Kelley

I thought we could all use something bright and cheerful today...

I love this color palette - using navy rather than black as the neutral here makes it feel very... different?

We've met this heroine before, last summer...

Another Art Fair... Oh, this is not her usual style AT ALL! She represents emerging artists, and is normally dressed... eccentrically, I think might be the best way to describe it. But she has to travel, from time to time, in order to meet new artists and see what's going on the art world. And she feels that she can be more effective if she's not quite as conspicuous as usual...

So for travel she's wearing a pretty traditional outfit, with some pretty UN-traditional accessories:

She expects to ... View the Post