The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Home » taupe » Page 4

taupe Archives - Page 4 of 5

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: The Shoe Shop, by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones

Subtle, neutral, graceful...    

Painting: Shoe Shop, by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, blazer – Topshop,

 slingbacks – Circa Joan & David, scarf – futabaya, dress – Narciso Rodriguez,

 coat – Rachel Comey, scarf – Tamakiku, boots – Gabriella Rocha  

Painting: Shoe Shop, by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, wrap sweater – Stella 

McCartney,  silk tank – Kain Classic, ankle boots – Debenhams, skirt – Donna 

Karan, taupe sweater – Vince, scarf – milleneufcentquatrevingtquatre, 

bracelet – Paige Novick, jeans – Helmut Lang  

Painting: Shoe Shop, by Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, blazer – Malene Birger, 

brooch – Cara Accessories, pants – Brunello ... View the Post

Maximize your ROI: the cashmere twinset

August 10, 2012   We should all be carefully planning our fall and winter purchases right now...  

Silk scarf – Hermès, Pearl & gold earrings – Lord & Taylor, crocheted necklace – Lamprini, grey wool skirt – Jil Sander, grey suede shoes – Rupert Sanderson, tweed skirt – Erdem, cashmere eternity scarf – Parker, color-blocked pumps – Pour la Victoire, plaid skirt – Burberry, ankle boots – Rag & Bone  

Grey pants – Vanessa Bruno, scarf – wrq.e.d, metallic flats – Rocket Dog, pink wool capris – J. Crew, rose gold stud earrings – Liberty, crocheted rose gold bangles – YooLa, clutch bag – Uroco, boots – Modcloth, mulberry jeans - Topshop  

Lace dress – Mango, coral & pearl earrings – ... View the Post

Visualizing French Chic: Taupe

July 24, 2012

 

Way back when, the original French Chic book listed seven garments, and then a dozen ways to combine them and accessorize them.  I've chosen to visualize this potential in a non-black color (and in some "not quite solid" pieces), and in some younger and less conservative iterations...

And please note that your clothes don't have to all be out of the identical dye lot; a bit of blending is quite alright.

 

 

 

 

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a shawl: Hermès l’Art du Temari

It might seem "out of season" to be thinking about a shawl, but it's well worth planning ahead in order to be prepared to wear this beauty.  Fifty-five inches square, and an almost sheer blend of cashmere and silk, these shawls can be worn as a light layer in even the warmest weather - never forget the blast of air conditioning in every restaurant this time of year.  Or use it to cover up during a long car trip...    

Color-blocked turtleneck – The Row, jeans – Current/Elliott, athletic shoes – Debenhams, earrings – Miriam Salat, sweatshirt dress – United Bamboo, grey leggings – Douuod, ankle boots – Giuseppe Zanotti  

Pearl earrings – Astley Clarke, dress – 3.1 Phillip Lim, suede pumps – Miu ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a scarf: Hermès Peinture Fraiche

A scarf without a lot of color in it can be a challenge, but I think of scarves as silk jewelry.  As such, this scarf, for me, became something made of silken pearls, and a of a burnished, brushed pewter that just happened to be fiber rather than metal.  When taken in that sense, this scarf goes anywhere that "cool" toned jewelry would go.  It was lovely to study...

Taupe pearl earrings – Adrienne Vittadini,  Navy dress – Alberta Ferretti, navy pumps – Debenhams, bracelet – Chan Luu, taupe sweater – Vince, moccasins – Minnetonka, ivory jeans – Windsmoor Classic  

Studded pearl earrings – Renee Lewis, sweater – Cruciani, Boucle skirt – Marc Jacobs, boots – Nine West, bracelet – Antik Batik, tee shirt – ... View the Post

Chic sighting x2 – at the bakery counter

Some amazing color combinations, on some VERY nice, and lovely women...

Argyle cardigan – Pringle of Scotland, blouse – Tory Burch, earrings – Elizabeth and James, tote bag – Barneys New York, short boots – Acne, – Burberry Prorsum  

Down vest – Moncler, scarf – Barneys New York, sweater – Ralph Lauren, jeans – Old Navy     ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Packing in taupe & blue

This is the last of the cardigan-based travel wardrobes that started with last week's "Flying in Cardigans".  This assortment is ideal for a short business trip which combines dressy and more casual activities.  I apologize for my currently messed-up schedule, I'm going to have to rely on your imaginations to build all of the possible combinations yourself!

Cardigan – BANK, earrings – Majorica, tee shirt – John Lewis, pants – Michael Kors, cotton parka – Altazarra, loafers – Burberry, scarf – Etro, tote – Michelle Vale  

Linen cardigan - Toast, blue top – Reiss, taupe silk blouse – Alexander Wang, earrings – Amrita Singh, taupe sweater – Paul Smith, Dress – Isaac, cropped pants – Reiss, skirt – Marc Jacobs, ... View the Post

Wardrobe based on 2 suits: Was Chanel right?

December 23, 2011   One of my favorite Chanel quotes is "One shouldn't spend all one's time dressing. All one needs are two or three suits, as long as they and everything to go with them, are perfect."   So I thought about how this quote applies to the wardrobes that I build - let's try on Chanel's advice!   First, two suits: one black, one taupe. Now, to me, a suit is a jacket, pants, a skirt AND a dress. (sometimes, nothing looks better than a dress and jacket). Yes, I'm taking the definitions very loosely...  

Next, you need the things that go with the 2 suits.  One twinset that matches a suit, and another twinset in an accent color.  One turtleneck that matches one of the suits, and a ... View the Post

Prepare to Party: Beaded cardigans

One of the most irksome aspects of this time of year, fashion-wise, is being inundated with glitter, beads, sequins and other shiny baubles that we are supposed to desperately need for our fabulously busy holiday party season.  I'm always either intimidated, or feel inferior, because (a) I don't get invited  to that many parties, and (b) the ones I go to aren't all that splashy!

But it's easy to get sucked into the idea that one should invest in a half-dozen party outfits...

My antidote: I bought a (used) beaded cardigan.  These are readily available, at all price points, and are quite versatile.  See some ideas below.

Cardigan – Steffen Schraut, earrings – Miriam Salat, tee shirt – Donna Karan, jeans – ... View the Post

wardrobe: 4 Hermes scarves

Jacket – Stella McCartney, Dress – Max Mara, Pants – Stella McCartney, Skirt – Stella McCartney  

Tee shirts – T by Alexander Wang  

Tux blazer – Topshop, charcoal cardigan – Dorothy Perkins, white blouse – Topshop, black pleated skirt – Dorothy Perkins, gray wool skirt – Monsoon, jeans - Levis  

Peach blouse – Equipment, peach tee – Dorothy Perkins, petrol blue sweater – American Vintage, petrol tee shirt – American vintage,  yellow sweater – N. Peal, yellow tee – Dorothy Perkins, red knot-front top – Dorothy Perkins, red sweater – Stella McCartney    

Scarves – Hermès, gray pumps – Banana Republic, silver link bracelet – Michael Kors, silver hoop earrings – Michael Kors, ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: Black, and bonus items

1. Pumps – Sam Edelman, Scarf – Hermès, bag – Sissi Rossi   2. Brogues – Robert Clergerie, necklace – Daniela Swaebe, earrings – Max and Chloe   3. Pumps – Jimmy Choo, scarf –Erdem, brooch – 1928   4. Flats – Giuseppe Zanotti, ring – Les Pommettes, bracelet – Hermes  

5. Flats – Stuart Weitzman, scarf – Hermès, bag – Hermes   6. Flats – G by GUESS, earrings – Nnu Designs, necklace – ice.com   7. Slingbacks – Asos, scarf – Hermes, bracelet – Hermes   8. Loafers – Tod’s, brooch – Zina,  ring – Laura Alexander  

9. Pumps – Soft Style, scarf – Hermès, bag – Reed Krakoff   10. Shoes – Loeffler Randall, Bracelet – Judith Jack, earrings – Judith Jack   11. Pumps ... View the Post