The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #26 – A Summer Dress

August 30, 2021

Ah, the last garment of summer.... Sounds like a sad French pop song!

But I think that if you're at all inclined to buy just 1 garment to get through this last 6 weeks or so of warm weather (could be less, but I always assume that it's going to be summery through September), a dress is worth considering.

You can wear it as is, or pull a cardigan over it when the weather begins to change. If you get something with a background of your dark neutral, you can even wear it with dark tights and a sweater well into autumn; I see a lot of women in Paris doing this...

This is a good time to find dresses marked down, which is always nice, so long as the dress is JUST RIGHT for you. Don't be lead astray by a price ... View the Post

Accessories – Neutrals and Brights! Start with Art: Stargazing by Helen Frankenthaler

August 27, 2021

I don't image that you've forgotten this lovely and inspiring painting:

When we looked at a wardrobe inspired by this painting, I started with a simple Weekly Timeless Wardrobe in navy and white; I thought it was important that this heroine have a good neutral base for her clothes...

And then we of course moved into bright colored clothes to spark up things...

So I was thinking - what if we started with a handful of essential neutral accessories, and then added bright things to go with the bright clothes?

In this approach, we start with this handful of classic things to wear with navy and white:

Then let's take each accent color and find some accessories that will also serve as ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #25 – Cropped Pants (or Capris…)

August 23, 2021

As I sit here writing this, even shorter pants feel like they might be too much! But since we can't spend our entire lives nude (can we?), we should be prepared to cover our knees sometimes...

Yes, this is the same cardigan! But the whole purpose of this ongoing exercise is to show that your wardrobe can be built gradually with garments that will all work together. Yes, you can have lots of accents, but this core will make your life SO much easier...

I tried really hard to scrub the background from these pants, because I think they're so lovely - such a great color. Ignore the ragged edges of the image!

Short pants - whatever you want to call them - are great for the transitional time of year with cool ... View the Post

A Step-by-Step Packing Plan in black and beige (with coral and light blue!)

August 18, 2021 They're FINALLY Going... And she's got to pack smart!

Their destination involves a lot of food and wine, but isn't overall a really dressy destination...

She's had a pretty clear color palette in her wardrobe for a very long time: black, beige, coral and pretty shades of blue, so THAT part of preparing is easy enough!

Her first impulse is to grab her "go-to" hot weather clothes:

And with that, she... is... sort of stuck!

But she starts thinking, and not just pitching clothes into her suitcase. Thinking is always a good way to get out of a packing "stall" like this...

How many pieces of clothing does she want to pack? Well, 7 days feels like at least a dozen garments, doesn't it?

Does she want to ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #24 – A Lightweight 2nd Layer

August 16, 2021

Ah, let's continue to ponder what essentials we might want in our warm weather wardrobes!

Many of us are going back to our offices - reluctantly, I might add. If you're like most women, you find the office to be bitterly cold, and then when you walk outdoors you melt immediately! So a 2nd layer is essential to stay warm indoors, while something relatively light and cool underneath is important to be able to survive the commute, or the walk to lunch...

This might do the trick!

One of the many beauties of the cardigan above is that it could easily be worn through the winter with something heavier underneath...

This next cardigan, on the other hand, is pretty strictly a hot-weather garment:

When you ... View the Post

Start with Art: Stargazing by Helen Frankenthaler

August 13, 2021

Happy Friday, the 13th!

We often ponder the merits of having a LOT of accent colors in a wardrobe... I think this post might offer an idea of how to manage them all!

This heroine understands that she needs quite a bit of navy to establish a base for her wardrobe. After that - watch out!

She starts with this - yes, it looks familiar:

Of course, I would be perfectly happy with this - I'm content with neutrals. But our heroine has other ideas, starting with bright blue!

Just out of curiosity, this is what her wardrobe would now look like with these additions. Yes, it gets her to a "4 by 4" Wardrobe plus 1 garment:

But she's just getting started - let's toss in 4 pieces in bright ... View the Post

What does a 13-Piece Weekly Timeless Wardrobe Look Like?

August 9, 2021

Why yes, this is supposed to be the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe...

BUT...

Some week this summer, I completely lost count; I can't believe I missed a number... and I can't face looking for any more sleeveless tops! I'm going to assume that you all have a pretty clear idea of what a sleeveless top looks like, and what it will do in your wardrobe...

So instead, I'm going to address a couple of questions that came up when I showed you a couple of Weekly Timeless Wardrobes last week.

First, the question that I was asked the most was about having lots of prints in the wardrobe - could you actually have 4 of the 13 garments in print and still have some versatility?

In the wardrobe above, I traded out the ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #21 – A Printed Sleeveless Top

August 2, 2021

The weather here in Chicago is great for sleeveless - some days! Other days, we're wearing cardigans and long pants... One never knows, right!

When you're starting to get really quite tired of your summer wardrobe, having a "suit-like ensemble" in a neutral color can be really handy. You've got a perfect system in place to treat yourself to a new top, and maybe an accessory or two!

Maybe you can test-drive an accent color that you've never worn before?

Any color can be worn with black... and are you ready for a new pair of sandals? I managed to cut my foot CATASTROPHICALLY (I swear I could see my Achilles tendon!) and I've been wearing the only pair of sandals that work for weeks... sigh...

If ... View the Post

Summer Wardrobe Ideas: 2 Weekly Timeless Wardrobes

July 30, 2021

It's a question that's turned up in my mail a few times this last month - "What exactly would a summer Weekly Timeless Wardrobe look like?" "Would this be enough clothing for me if I wear a uniform for work?"

So I offer a couple of possibilities...

First up - navy and white with shades of blue for accent - classic summer colors:

For reference purposes, these are the 13 garments that I have included in my Weekly Timeless Wardrobe list; you can (of course!) adapt these to suit your needs and preferences!

If I only needed "real clothes" for evening and weekends, this would probably be sufficient for me. Of course, you still need gym clothes, and swim wear if that's something you do, but for normal ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #20 – A Sleeveless Top

July 26, 2021

Is it swelteringly hot where you are? Chicago has finally settled into an extended stretch of hot weather, so sleeveless tops are timely!

Originally, I had thought that this top HAD to be in a light neutral, but I'm now in a more flexible mindset - anything that's cool, and that works well with your existing wardrobe, is what we need! Printed tops will be added soon...

For those of us who wear tank tops frequently, it's worth considering looking for things with some sort of lace, or other decorative trim. This might be just the touch of detail that your outfit needs...

I couldn't resist keeping the same "suit" and scarf from last week, and then picking a completely different accent color; this is the kind ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #19 – Dark Neutral Short-Sleeve or Lightweight 2nd Layer

July 19, 2020

Time to check in on our neutral, timeless wardrobe pieces; today we need something to wear on those freakish days in the summer that turn cool, or for the air-conditioning that turns normal places into meat lockers!

First, a simple column of white (or any color, really) can take on a ton of different looks with an overshirt and some accessories:

For me, this is the quintessential summer 2nd layer - a black cardigan that's warm enough to do what needs done, but sheer enough not to look like it's October!

It's kind of a suit... And here again, you could use a LOT of different accent colors!

A black "suit" can also be worn in a million different ways - some days you just want some silver and onyx, and a ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #18 – Dark Neutral Lightweight Pants

July 12, 2021

Even in the hottest parts of the summer, it's smart to have a dark neutral pair of pants handy. Serious life business is no respecter of weather!

Note that you don't have to match colors flawlessly to put together a beautiful outfit:

Classic drawstring pants are so useful in the summer...

You can look perfectly serious at work without melting onto the floor under your desk!

Maybe you really LIKE squares? A little gingham, and some square-ish accessory are just right...

It's not exactly a suit, but it works quite the same way when getting dressed...

I'm always surprised at how good green and grey look together!

Almost like jeans, but a LOT cooler:

For all new visitors, ... View the Post