travel capsule wardrobe Archives - Page 13 of 35

Want a Simple Blue & White Summer Wardrobe? Start with Art – Mirage by Max Ernst

June 14, 2024

She loves the painting. She REALLY loves the colors - she believes that the top section is brown, and who are we to disagree?

This is an important thing for us all to remember - just because our painting of inspiration and motivation includes (in this case) four colors doesn't mean that every wardrobe we assemble MUST include all four colors...

So while our heroine has a "shades of pink" and brown wardrobe in her dreams for the upcoming cool weather, right now, she's liking blue and white...

She's found a dress she loves, as well as a handbag that's gorgeous...

She already had lots of white clothes, so this year, she found new sneakers with blue trim, as well as a bracelet, and a new band for her ... View the Post

Want to Embrace the Pantone Color of the Year? Start with Art – Untitled Watercolor 1946 by Mark Rothko

June 12, 2024

For those who don't pay attention to such things, the Pantone 2024 "Color of the Year" is Peach Fuzz. Very pretty, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we can find clothing in this color!

Our heroine is smitten with this painting, and she just knew that someone, somewhere, would eventually introduce clothing that would be perfect...

She knows full well that taupe is a miserably difficult color to find in clothing, so she's prepared to wear white with her new accent color, if necessary. And she's also willing to be persistent, and patient, in the hunt for taupe!

These are the colors she wants for her new wardrobe accent:

She's not entirely sure how much of this new color she will purchase - she's going ... View the Post

Want to Add Denim to Black & White? Start with a Scarf – the Willow Allen Scarf by Echo

June 10, 2024

Maybe you really loved the black and white wardrobe on Friday, but you know that you don't want to travel without some denim or chambray!

This scarf should set you up pretty well:

the text means "take care of the land and animals and they will give you life"

I've isolated the three shades of blue in the scarf, but I think you can be pretty flexible with this:

These four outfits are going to look familiar, but different. This is what The Vivienne Files is all about - the possibilities you have available with small changes. Nobody needs an entirely new wardrobe (well, almost nobody); most of us just need a few well-chosen updates!

Yes, her handbags are similar, but it's not that easy to find a nice ... View the Post

Looking for an Interesting Two-Toned Wardrobe? Start With a Scarf – The Ralph Lauren Scarf by Echo

June 7, 2024

Say you've got a scarf you really need to wear, for whatever reason. And it's not colorful...

This isn't all bad - this is actually a fun challenge to see how much visual interest you can bring to a simple color palette:

An obvious place to start is with black and white stripes....

The knitted texture of a solid sweater can make a lot of difference, as can a woven bag, or "perfed" shoes...

If you're wearing black and white, you don't want to miss the chance to find all of the black and white shoes you can!

Checks are always fun too!

Ah, if you've got a chance to take a quick trip somewhere, there are worse ways to pack than this!

This isn't exactly the way this is ... View the Post

June 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 1

June 3, 2024

Time to visit our six heroines and see what intelligent, well-considered wardrobe additions they make this month!

knowing full well that these wardrobes could be expanded in ways that defy logic...

This painting doesn't grow old:

At the end of May, our heroine had 24 garments in this capsule wardrobe - LOTS of red:

And her accessories were just right for her - I will always believe that you can tell much more about a woman from her accessories rather than just her clothes!

Our heroine only has one dress - the classic grey one - and she feels like she wants something for summer. It wasn't a big leap to decide that a two-piece camp shirt and skirt was perfect:

Filling in her clothing purchases ... View the Post

Want to Travel Pretty? Start with a Bracelet – The Highlands’ Heather Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

May 31, 2024

Yes, we waited as long as possible to get to the May bracelets, because our bracelet goddess was on vacation in .... SCOTLAND...

my envy knows no bounds...

In keeping with her Scottish adventure, her bracelets this months are right on point:

For a longer trip, or a larger wardrobe, there's a ton of ivory and bone hues to work with here...

Right now, we have quite a few heroines traveling to places that aren't sweltering summer weather - Arctic cruises, north of Scotland, north of Finland... You all do some interesting things!

And I've been asked more than once for a travel capsule wardrobe that's full of L.L.Bean clothes and their timeless aesthetic. AND many of us are excited about wearing pink. So ... View the Post

Want to Try Warm Accents with Black? Start with a Scarf – The Juan Delcan Scarf by Echo

May 27, 2024

While some of us are loyal to the color palettes given to us - sometimes years ago - by color consultants, some of us are out there experimenting...

This scarf inspires experimentation:

At first, I thought I would tackle something with the light blue background - faded denim and chambray would both be ideal.

But then I really focused on the juxtaposition of black with the warm gold, green and orange creatures on this most whimsical of scarves:

Our heroine, who has a fondness for lacy and textured cardigans, is off and running!

Her wardrobe has many of the same classic black garments as that of her friend from Friday's post, but things look very different with these colors!

Even though ... View the Post

A Dressy Week of Travel? Start with a Scarf – The Camilla Stærk Silk Scarf By Echo

May 8, 2024

A week of operas - well, four operas in seven days!

Not for the faint of heart, for certain...

And she also needs to cover her head every day - she wants to find a classic, simple scarf that she can wear with everything...

This might be perfect!

Her plan is to take a two piece black "dress," and another simple black dress, and accent them with her favorite bright colors. There will be so many people attending these operas - nobody's going to notice what she wears! But of course she wants to be appropriate and comfortable - as well as being nicely attired when she heads out for a super-late dinner...

The one outfit that she's already sorted out includes the coolest little clutch bag...

For ... View the Post

Want to Break the Mold With Your Accessories? Start with a Scarf – Mary-Louise Parker Silk Scarf from Echo

May 6, 2024

Our heroine has the world's tiniest travel capsule wardrobe planned, but she wants something really unexpected for her accessories. This scarf caught her eye, and gave her an idea...

She's been planning to pack denim, black and white - well, just a white tee shirt (and maybe a button-front shirt...) but she felt that black accessories were too predictable. But BURGUNDY accessories? Hmm...

She expects to be leaving from a cool-ish day - so a cashmere sweater, corduroy pants and her cool denim coat are her planned travel outfit.

But if she starts with the Mary-Louise Parker scarf, adds a fun lapel pin, and burgundy boots, then she can pack her clothes in her Hurley backpack... Talk about ... View the Post

May 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 2

May 3, 2024

I'm really quite happy with the way these three wardrobes turned out this month - as always, I'm eager to hear what you think of our progress!

First, this oh so elegant painting:

Her wardrobe at the end of April was practical and versatile, if a bit short on the color rust! I get infinite pleasure from that stack of four long-sleeved tee shirts...

It seemed obvious to look for rust - at least rust tops. A second pair of shorts (which could of course be a skirt, a pair of cropped pants, or long pants) and lightweight linen pants finish up her garment purchases. While we were in the "rust mode," Our heroine grabbed coordinating accessories too!

If you're not familiar with COS, I recommend them highly. ... View the Post

Love Neutrals? Start with a Scarf – The Laura Ridloff Silk Scarf By Echo

April 29, 2024

It's perfect, she thought... Just what she needed to focus her summer city packing...

The brown in her new scarf is actually sepia, but she knows better than to try to spend the rest of the summer looking for sepia clothes! So she accepts that her favorite brown is going to be pretty close - certainly close enough! - and she has her color palette ready!

Next, she just start taking things out of her closet, and assembling outfits that fit the palette and the scarf. Some outfits are perfect for travel, others for the occasional business meeting, and some are flat-out casual!

Although she won't be doing a lot of business "stuff," she still likes to always include a dress - you never know when you'll be ... View the Post

Eight Outfit Ideas, based on the Christiane Lemieux Echo 100 Limited Edition scarf

April 22, 2024

She loves neutrals - ALL the neutrals. When she saw this scarf, she distinctly heard it calling her name. (don't tell anyone - they'll think she's daft!)

But yes, this sometimes happens...

She admired the scarf extensively, and studied the colors for quite a while, too...

Her first thought was how lovely this scarf would look with her favorite summer dress - perfect for those days when she can't get out of going to her office:

Weekends? This scarf is just the right touch with a classic black and gray outfit:

Another outfit that could go to work or out for any sort of activity with friends - the scarf breaks up the severe monochromatic outfit perfectly:

But should she bust out? She's ... View the Post