Start with Art Archives - Page 44 of 58

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: El Trovador by Claudio Bravo

October 7, 2016

Every time I see this artist's name, I think of the Manchester City soccer goalkeeper of the same name....But this is so serene and lovely, with a beautiful muted palette:

Since this week we're talking about small wardrobe updates , I focused these colors into a simple mauve and grey, and accents of warm, light golden brown.

As we have done all week, I'm starting with this minimal, classic assortment of pieces:

Just a reminder - 9 pieces, carefully chosen, can give you quite a few outfits, before you've incorporated any updates or refreshers!

Yes, I broke one of the BIG rules of The Vivienne Files - but I looked and looked and LOOKED for items in just the right shade of ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Untitled by Wilfredo Lam

October 6, 2016 How cool is this?

Sleek and calm, but with that tiny little pop of gold eye shadow, and those hot pink lines...

As has been the theme so far this week, I'm starting with a very small, very neutral capsule wardrobe that might be found in almost anyone's closet, and then I'm adding just a few accent items. This gives you the opportunity to test-drive a new color in your wardrobe without going crazy...

As before, these few pieces give you a fair number of ways to get dressed:

This is basically the "French 5-Piece Wardrobe" idea- adding a handful of pieces each season to your core wardrobe. It's a simple way to try out a new accent color, or just to ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

October 5, 2016

Ah, you've seen this before, I'm sure:

But did you know that Rossetti was working with a model who really LOOKS like this? Her name was Jane Morris; she was married to William Morris, the textile designer... (see the teal and black scarf below for one of his designs!)

What do you do if this kind of aesthetic appeals to you TREMENDOUSLY, but you live a very normal, ordinary life that doesn't involve having 3 feet of madly waving hair, or standing around all day in swishy velvet dresses, brooding over a pomegranate?

A few small additions might help channel that feeling for you...

As I did yesterday, let's start with a very simple wardrobe of extremely neutral garments that ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Vase with Honesty by Vincent van Gogh

October 4, 2016

I'm going to take a rather different approach to working with art, for this week. One of the biggest concerns that you raise to me is that it's impossible to completely re-do a wardrobe from the very beginning. So I'm going to look at introducing accent colors and art inspirations into an existing wardrobe, and see how that works...First, let's start with our beautiful painting:

These were the colors that I saw within the painting. For the most part, they're nice neutrals, and thus should be easy to combine.

Here's where I want to change things, for now. Imagine that the above painting has become something of a fascination for someone; they've decided that, moving forward, they want it to be their ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Portrait of Marevna by Diego Rivera

September 23, 2016 A calm, balanced woman, able to see all sides of an issue.... Remember her from the class reunion? This was her visual cue:

When we met her at the reunion, this was what she had with her to wear; she was deftly straddling the divide between warm and cool colors:

Just a few days later, she's headed to Europe for a 10-day... attempt to talk some more extreme individuals down off of a political ledge. It's all pretty quiet - no fanfare...

(yes, she seriously considered packing the matching leopard shell...) She's going to have to talk to a wide variety of people, in a WIDE variety of settings. She will certainly see the inside of a conference room, but also ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Spirit of Autumn by Albert Pinkham Ryder

September 22, 2016

Do we remember the veterinarian from the class reunion? She was the woman who used this as her style leitmotif:

And who had packed this eclectic mix for that trip:

Since she's an expert in the study of contagious diseases in free-range ruminants (someone's got to study these things!) she's been invited to an extensive symposium on lifestock health being held at a major university. Thus, she's going to be gone for a while, and is going to need some additional things to wear:

Flannel shirt – Uniqlo; earrings – Aurelie Bidermann; brown turtleneck – Uniqlo; green turtleneck – Jardin des Orangers; cream turtleneck – Lands’ End; tee – Kettlewell; cardigan – Simply Be; scarf ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Cow’s Skull: Red White and Blue by Georgia O’Keeffe

September 21, 2016 She's a medical examiner, and she's got her own, very deliberate, way of doing things! When we saw her at the class reunion, this was what she had with her:

cardigan – J. Crew; necklace – Swarovski; ring - Armenta; earrings – Alexis Bittar; scarf – Image Diary; bracelet – Alexis Bittar; scarf – Etro; watch – Movado; sweater – L.L.Bean; black and white tee – Rag & Bone; blue tee – The Mercer N.Y.; dress – Lands’ End; jeans – .L.Bean; pants – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ End; handbag – Lautem; pumps – Cole Haan; boots – Munro; flats – Vaneli; tote – Orciani This is the unifying style inspiration that she uses for her appearance and image; not for just anyone, I'd ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art Part 2: Portrait of Pablo Picasso by Juan Gris

September 20, 2016 Mmmm, Cubism... it forces us to look at things in a different way, and that's bound to be a good idea...

Remember the author/art dealer from the class reunion?

When she left the reunion, she had only a few days left to pack before she had to prepare for a big art show in Milan...

She's devoted to beige and brown, and her blue eyes insist on blue accents. The show will be casual, dressy, classic, avant-garde, and everything in between. So she's just going to dress like herself, and let everyone else do the posturing...

The brocade shroud, the military uniform, the obsessive caressing of a VERY inappropriate pet are NOT for her...

Let them be all artsy and fey ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Portrait of a Young Woman by Henri Regnault Part 2

September 19, 2016

Remember her? Of course you do - we first saw her as the inspiration for this six-pack capsule wardrobe in black and blue.

The CEO Travels

When she left her reunion, this was her travel capsule wardrobe:

black and white tee – Rag & Bone; bracelet – Nest;brooch – One Kings Lane; watch – Movado; necklace – Natasha Accessories; cardigan – L.L.Bean; clutch – Urban Expressions; earrings – Irene Neuwirth; square scarf – Talbots; rectangle scarf – Fraas; turquoise tee – Lands’ End; turtleneck – Armani; dress – Lands’ End; jeans – L.L.Bean; pants – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ End; pumps – Cole Haan; boots – Munro; flats – Vaneli; briefcase - Eddie

She ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Portrait of Marevna by Diego Rivera

September 9, 2016

This is another of those works that I often see at the Art Institute of Chicago. She's not exactly pretty, but I think she's rather handsome:

Class Reunion/Homecoming

earrings – Kate Spade; scarf – Nordstrom; dress – Lands’ End; lipstick – Bobbi Brown in Uber Beige; cardigan – Miu Miu; bracelet – Robert Lee Morris; watch – La Mer Collections; nail polish – Chanel Le Vernis in Cavaliere; shoes – Cole Haan; tote – Marni

"After looking at the RSVP list, I certainly hope SHE's coming. We're going to need a calm head in this crowd..."

Sweater – Jil Sander; cashmere tee shirts – J. Crew; ring – L. Erickson; necklace – Natasha; scarf – Klements; jeans – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Spirit of Autumn by Albert Pinkham Ryder

September 8, 2016

Thanks for suggesting this painting to me! I love the art ideas I receive from you...

Class Reunion/Homecoming

"She was always so GLAMOROUS - I was afraid to even speak to her..."

Sweater – Jardin des Orangers; necklace – Bauble Bar; ring – Pomellato; ivory tee – Jaeger; metallic tee – MM6 Maison Margiela; scarf – Santorus; belt – Levi’s; clutch – Elliott Lucca; cords – Mother; corduroy skirt – Dorothy Perkins; ballet flats – Bernardo; jeans – Closed; loafers – L’Amour des Pieds

"Well, I know that she got a veterinary degree; she probably takes care of little teacup designer dogs for movie stars..."

"She's about the size ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Cow’s Skull: Red, White and Blue by Georgia O’Keeffe

September 7, 2016 I'm not sure that I love this, exactly, but I have to admit that it's memorable, and it's sort of mesmerizing...

Scarf – Etro; earrings – Alexis Bittar; dress – Lands’ End; lipstick – Chanel Rouge Coco in Gabrielle; cardigan – J. Crew; bracelet – Alexis Bittar; watch – Movado; nail polish – Chanel Le Vernis in Rouge Puissant; shoes – Cole Haan; tote – Orciani Class Reunion/Homecoming Weekend

Sweater – L.L.Bean; ring - Armenta; necklace – Swarovski; black and white tee – Rag & Bone; blue tee – The Mercer N.Y.; scarf – Image Diary; jeans – L.L.Bean; skirt – Lands’ End; handbag – Lautem; boots – Munro; flats – Vaneli; pants – ... View the Post