The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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taupe Archives

I Need Accessories For Client Meetings and Dressy Evenings! Start with a Scarf: Vintage Rose by KathKath

Yesterday, we left our heroine with a really lovely 16-piece wardrobe, but pretty much in need of more shoes, and at least a couple of pieces of jewelry. (okay, this is not NEED in the biological survival sense, but more need in the "being appropriately dressed for business" sense...)

So, as I love to do, let's work through one accessory at a time and assess the possibilities.

This very simple outfit cries out for a necklace, at least to me:

The same necklace can of course be worn here, but I'd like to see my heroine with a softer, more rounded handbag. A briefcase is essential, but not every day...

Okay, I'm the first to admit that floral boots aren't likely the next thing that this heroine needs! But they are very popular right ... View the Post

I Need a Wardrobe For Client Meetings and Dressy Evenings! Start with a Scarf: Vintage Rose by KathKath

Yes, you saw this scarf a long time ago - KathKath actually gave me one to give away to one of you! But now they've made this beautiful pattern available in both silk and a cashmere blend, AND in both rectangle and square shapes... As if that wasn't enough, you can also get a 30% discount on anything on their site using the code vivkath30. Pretty sweet, I'd say!

UPDATE: KathKath assures me that they've got the discount code working, and that it's good through the end of 2017 (woo, holiday gift money might be GONE....) If you continue to have issues, feel free to contact them directly; there's a contact form on their site. They're truly nice women... hugs, Janice

Our heroine is long past the point where she worries about wearing pink to ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Demoiselle Cranes and Lotus by Jessie Arms Botke

I could use paintings from this artist for WEEKS! She had an amazing career, and her body of work is beautiful - graceful, colorful, yet true to nature. Genius...

Please be aware, when looking at paintings online, that a LOT of work has been "touched-up" by people gone mad with Photoshop. If something seems wildly out of the normal style for an artist, look for multiple versions of the image. Especially once something gets to Pinterest, it is widely circulated, even though it might NOT be authentic. This is also true if you see a photograph of a bird that seems unlike anything found in nature - some of those pictures have been really altered... sigh...

Same Lake House, Different Weekend... "You know that there are frost warnings up there ... View the Post

Can Wallpaper be Your Wardrobe Inspiration? Heck Yes!

One of you sent me some images of William Morris wallpaper and fabric ... oh, what lovely fun!

If you have a few minutes to spare, I can't encourage you enough to take a look at their wallpaper and fabrics. They might not be your style, but they are so lovely, creative and distinctive. The William Morris company is particularly adept at using themes and ideas from nature, and many of their products would make excellent inspirations for a wardrobe.

(and if you have a fondness for that spruce color that we saw from Pantone, get thee to L.L.Bean, where it appears to be a staple of their palette!)

When I saw this, I thought of a lovely heroine who drives, uphill (!) to get to her family's lake house...

The Lake House "Make sure my ... View the Post

How to Personalize Neutrals in a Capsule Wardrobe – Start With Art: L’Encens by Ferrand Khnopff

I've made the bold pronouncement recently that it's the accents that make a capsule wardrobe personal - it's possible for any number of women to share a core of identical "base" clothes in neutral colors, and the overall impression that they make will vary, based on how they accessorize and accent those neutrals.

Well, I've been asked to flesh out that idea in some detail, so here goes! For the next 4 days, I'm going to feature 4 works of art that share a base of black and ivory, but which include a variety of accent colors. Each heroine will begin with the same 9 wardrobe Neutral Building Blocks in black and ivory, to which I will then add seven accent pieces. Then, after everybody's got their wardrobe set up, I'm going to juxtapose ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe Starts with Art: In Vaudeville: Dancer with Chorus by Charles Demuth

Yesterday, the accents we used in the so-called French 5-Piece wardrobe were all colors in the same range of intensity and saturation - they were somewhat soft, and very clear. This painting takes us in a couple of rather different directions!

The accent colors suggested by this painting range from a really elegant neutral taupe to quite a vivid yellow/gold, as well as all shades of warm rose pink.

The base pieces for this wardrobe might rely more than usual on black, as suggested by the tuxedo on the central dancer:

I love taupe, and it's terribly difficult to find. But this cardigan is EXACTLY what I was hoping to find - fluid, soft, with movement.

I wasn't as successful in finding that kind of "swing" in the shades of ... View the Post

Choosing an Accent Color for Taupe

Taupe is SO elusive, and can be interpreted in so many ways! But to me, taupe means a greyish beige, that's sophisticated and subtle.

I found all four garments today at L.L.Bean. It's great to be able to find multiple pieces in a difficult color in 1 place - it improves the chances that the garments will match or at least blend nicely.

Some of you have made it very clear that you think Bean is terribly unsophisticated and boring, but I find some of the nicest, best-made, most classically styled clothes there, at prices that don't require missing a mortgage payment! We can't all wear runway designer clothes... You are free to replicate these looks at much higher prices if that's what you prefer.  

Neutral colors really take on a ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: The Golden Stairs by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones Version 2

She loved her travel wardrobe so much, she decided to gradually, carefully, and thoughtfully augment it in the same colors and mood!

Remember, this is the painting and the color scheme with which she was working. Beautiful, graceful, and evocative...

And this was the entirety of her wardrobe for her recent family trip. While the dress might be a little bit "over the top" for work, the rest of the pieces will be appropriate, if only for casual Friday.

And so, gradually, she made some purchases. She carried a wee laminated print of her painting with her, to keep her focused, and to keep her colors on point.

Eventually, she could open her closet and see this!

I pulled together 20 outfits from her wardrobe - there are dozens more ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: The Golden Stairs by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones

This painting caught my eye, and held it for a LONG time, on my recent trip to London.

After studying this for a long time, I realized that the majority of the color tones found here fall into two distinct families, which work beautifully together.

I feel an immoderate affection for taupe, but it is a THANKLESS color to try to find in our world. I don't understand why; it's subtle, rich and elegant without being difficult to wear.

Happily, I was able to find just enough things for our heroine...

Standing Out, Quietly There are always LOTS of women at these family events. But they do look to her for a certain quality of elegance or sophistication; she IS the one who lives in the city, with the cool job (in their eyes)...

This ... View the Post

Scarf Selling Saturday: Hermes Les Instructions du Roy, in Light Blue

Another chance to buy one of my beautiful scarves! I have so much TOO much stuff; and this is a scarf that needs to get out and about and get some appreciation...

But first things first  last Saturday's Venice scarf! Dear MzMary, who left the very LAST comment on that post, please send me a note at theviviennefiles@gmail.com so that we can arrange for your purchase of the gorgeous Frey Wille scarf...

So how might someone wear the scarf above?

First up, there are substantial touches of taupe in the scarf, so I envisioned someone in a simple taupe dress, a fabulous bracelet or two, and simple pumps, with the scarf tied in her hair - maybe holding back a low pony tail? Nothing over the top, but softly luxurious...

At the other ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Northern Flicker

When your wardrobe plan gets difficult

When I received a note about building a wardrobe around the coloring of a Northern Flicker, I was really excited; taupe and black, with accents of orange? What's not to love?

But as most of us have found, it's one thing to choose and truly commit to a color scheme, and quite another to actually FIND the items that you envision. These beautiful shades of taupe are pretty straightforward to find in winter clothing, but to find them for summer was quite another story!

 I specifically chose this photograph because it gives us two really great, and complementary, accent colors to mix in with the taupe and black. At this point in this project, I was filled with enthusiasm, and thought that this ... View the Post