The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Home » warm weather » Page 6

warm weather Archives - Page 6 of 37

A Happy Occasion? Start with a Scarf – The Olaf Hajek silk scarf by Echo

March 25, 2024

Sometimes, something is just cheerful...

She's going away for a long weekend for a VERY happy occasion; she knows that she will want to wear her favorite bright accents, so she starts with her new favorite scarf!

As with so many trips we take to attend an event, we're never quite sure what we should wear! But if we travel with love and a good heart, everything will work out...

Our heroine likes to wear navy with her bright accents, so her travel outfit falls into place with a bit of fun and a great deal of comfort:

Since she's not certain of what the level of dressy is going to be, she provides herself with a wide range of options - a dressy dress, a more classic dress to dress up or down, and ... View the Post

Dressy Weekend? Start with a Scarf – The Raven Garden of Happiness by June Hunter

March 22, 2024

It's a dressy weekend - the weather will probably be warm... but there is always a chance of a cool snap!

But how to be dressy without bringing everything you own? Well, a tight color palette and planning ahead is always the way to go.

And how about starting with black and pretty accents?

Before you go down this path, you want to be ABSOLUTELY certain that wearing black isn't a problem. This wardrobe is actually designed for someone who's a prominent figure in a wedding, at which the bridesmaids will be wearing black dresses; I think she's okay with this!

She's wearing a very "normal" travel outfit - closed-toe shoes, and a cardigan for the inevitable freezing air conditioning... but she's rocking ... View the Post

Looking for Unique Accent Colors? Start With a Scarf – Emiliano Ponzi Scarf by Echo

March 15, 2024

Some of us like lots of colors in our wardrobe. And sometimes, we're looking for an inspiration for a new accent color (or two...)

How about this clever and beautiful scarf for some inspiration?

Let's assume that our heroine wears black as one of her neutrals, and is interested in adding at least a couple of new things to her warm-weather wardrobe in black. She then has three really "off the beaten path" accent colors from which to choose!

Most of us can stand to replace summer pants every few years, and a nice cardigan is never a bad choice. But this year, instead of a black & white striped tee, how about butter yellow?

For some of us, this dress might feel short - others might find it just ... View the Post

Like Green and Blue Together? Start with Art – Portrait of Woman in Green Hat by Picasso

March 6, 2024

She's been thinking about this painting a lot...

Lots of possibilities - from the most basic black and white, with tan accessories, to immersion in green and blue...

If you're only going to be away for a few days, and you're not going to see the same people twice, you can put together a wardrobe that might not be ideal for a longer trip...

And she would really like to see what it feels like to wear blue and green for 3 or 4 days in a row! She wears a LOT of black and white, so something colorful is a change of pace for her.

She won't be doing anything really dressy - a simple shirtdress is as dressed up as she will want to be... Mostly relaxed, casual tourist activities!

If it turns cool, she ... View the Post

Want to Expand a Travel Capsule Wardrobe? Start with a Bracelet – Voyage to Tibet by Fierce Lynx Designs

February 28, 2024

Monday, our heroine started with her new bracelets, and assembled a small but cheery wardrobe to pack for a meditation retreat...

This was her wardrobe - doesn't this just feel bright, light and clean?

She had a wonderful retreat - and she was very happy with her travel capsule wardrobe. So much so that she decided to add another neutral and make this her warm weather wardrobe for at least a year or two...

But what neutral? Black would work, but might be hard to wear with yellow or green on a regular basis. Beige might wilt when paired with bright accents, as might olive or any other muted color...

Navy. It's obvious, really...

Her target number of garments for her warm weather wardrobe is 24, ... View the Post

Want a Cheerful and Meaningful Warm Weather Holiday Wardrobe? Start with a Bracelet – Voyage to Tibet bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

February 26, 2024

She's going somewhere hot! Well, hot during the day - cooler in the evenings...

Her trip is only for a long weekend, but she's excited, and she has a plan, based on her new bracelets:

She's NOT going to Tibet - that might be a longer trip than just a long weekend! - but she will be meditating, mostly on the world and the elements that compose it. So, a bracelet that includes blue (to represent sky and space), white (air and wind), red (fire), green (water), and yellow (earth) seems just right!

Yes, she fully understands that she might get dirty. But she won't be doing anything grubby or overly physical; meditation retreats are nice, quiet places...

For starters, she assembles her favorite core of ... View the Post

Want a Warm, Simple Spring Wardrobe? Start with Art – Labor by Norbert Schwontkowski

February 23, 2024 This Year, She Wants to Keep Things Simple... Simple, like this:

She doesn't want too many things. She doesn't want lots of flowers or stripes or novelty prints. She wants calm...

Her colors are going to be drawn from this painting - she's going to use the wee table legs as her excuse to include some brown in her Spring wardrobe!

She starts with rose... this is really what caught her eye first, when she found "her" painting.... that rose wall!

Next, she finds her beige things. They're not all the same color, and that's just fine. Beige is nice that way...

Knowing that Spring isn't always warm, she feels drawn to the idea of including some brown in her wardrobe...

And last, she wants ... View the Post

Need a Wardrobe Plan for Summer? Start with Art – Blue on White, White on Blue by Paolo Quaresima

January 17, 2024

Since the temperature here is a whopping THREE DEGREES Fahrenheit, let's help a heroine who is planning her summer wardrobe!

We're going to try something kind of new - assembling a 4 by 4 Wardrobe by choosing four 4-piece clusters! Each cluster will give her at least 2 outfits, and all of the clusters will be able to work together. This is a good approach if she wants to shop (or closet-shop!) gradually, and if she's finding that clothes in her favorite colors are proving hard to find...

She wants navy, she wants white, and she wants accents of bright blue - maybe this painting is a good starting place:

One thing I've been assured - our heroine doesn't like white leather goods! I can understand that; ... View the Post

Year 2 – Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Taisho – Large Heat

July 21, 2023

Why yes, I DID miss the previous season - July 7, Small Heat. This year, Chicago is having a VERY cool summer, unlike so much of the world. It makes thinking about warm-weather clothing sort of difficult! 

But let's pick up with the current season...

At this point in the year, when major retailers are pushing cool-weather clothing at us, we can at least find nice dresses...

If I were to only own 1 dress, this might be a candidate. The dark background would make it easy to wear dark tights and flats, with a navy sweater, in cool weather:

Similarly, this dress is made to be worn with a cardigan or blazer:

I'm currently wearing the black version of this dress, with amethyst jewelry to match ... View the Post

Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Black, Beige and Blue: Start with Art – Miyajima in the Rain by Tsuchiya Koitsu

June 30, 2023

She's got to stop at the home office for a few hours, but then she's spending the weekend in the city!

Unsure of what she wanted to pack/wear, she browsed through her saved collection of paintings on her phone, and found this:

Suddenly, she's inspired!

She can wear black and blue to the office (she often feels like she's been beaten by the time she gets out of there, so black and blue is appropriate!), and then pack a few things to wear for sightseeing and dining...

She expects that it will be pretty warm, but also that she will run into some brutal air conditioning - especially in museums! 

Her wardrobe covers her for business (just in case she has to go BACK TO THE OFFICE on Saturday - ... View the Post

Travel Capsule Wardrobe for a Long Weekend: Cavaliers de l’Hiver by André Brasilier

June 28, 2023

She's smitten with this...

So when her sweetheart invited her to a mystery weekend away, she has an idea...

They're calling it a mystery weekend, but she knows that they're traveling by train, so she can narrow down their destination to a couple of dozen cities...

They've agreed that they will DEFINITELY dine out somewhere nice, but not "over the top." And other than that, they will do the things that they always do when they're in a "new to them" city - walk, window-shop, visit museums and historical sites...

Her sweetheart has reminded her a couple of times to bring a sweater, because evenings will be cool. She could use this fact to try to figure out where they're going, but she's just going ... View the Post

Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Eloping! Start with a Scarf: Oopsie Daisy by Clare Haggas

June 26, 2023

She couldn't resist; she didn't even try!

Let's Just Elope... Really, it's SO much easier, and nobody in either of their families is going to mind. Their friends expect this kind of spontaneous fun from them...

They aren't going ALL that far, really. Not that it matters; she's going to wear pink - even if they have to row a wee boat for 3 days!

Packing is tricky - she's not at ALL sure what she wants to wear for the actual ceremony! Of course, it will only be about 10 minutes, and she's not going to be on the cover of any magazines. But still, it's their wedding!

Maybe the dress? Or one of her lovely tops with her ivory skirt? She can decide when she gets there - maybe they can choose together?

she ... View the Post