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A Ted Baker Scarf-Based French 5-Piece Wardrobe

You don't have to follow the Pantone colors - make your own very personal "French 5-Piece Wardrobe" by starting with something that has some real "whappage" in your life!

For me, that might often be a lovely Ted Baker London scarf. (No, I have absolutely no business relationship with them... sigh...)

You go shopping - see the scarf - and the path is clear! A couple of simple, timeless garments, classic earrings, and a summery tote, and your spring is ready to start.

Imagine if you were devoted to wearing black and white - you had this lovely 10-piece Common Wardrobe available for spring. (Yes, you've seen this wardrobe before...)

You would already have a wealth of lovely outfits:

But then you bring your new blush-hued pieces ... View the Post

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Palace Blue (with grey and white)

Maybe she has grey hair and bright blue eyes?

(Yes, white linen pants require "granny panties" in YOUR nude...)

She likes subtle, understated, and relaxed looks that flatter her hair...

But this spring, she decides that she's going to be ALL ABOUT her blue eyes... Just for a bit of a change - why not?

(FYI - Lands' End calls this color Maritime Blue - it's worth search the site for other pieces...)

Now when she wants something bright, she has an abundance of choices! And she can still wear her subtle greys and whites when that's the mood...

I'm going to revisit each of these Common Wardrobes, but I'm going to go rogue and abandon the Pantone colors (trust me, I can't find the colors available to buy in any form I'd happy ... View the Post

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Blooming Dahlia

Maybe black and white isn't your thing... maybe now that warm weather is approaching, you're in the mood for LIGHT...

And maybe you're very casual. Not a scarf person. Really, VERY casual, relaxed, leisurely...

Maybe start with this:

You've got every kind of white top from sleeveless to long-sleeved, and everything to cover your legs a little, a bit more, or all the way! Layer on a sweater or a sweatshirt and you're good to go.

This is NOT boring.... this is subtle!

You're ready for an update, and a bit of an accent color for the upcoming warm weather. But nothing overly dressy - why buy things you won't wear? You can update just as easily with canvas shoes, tee shirts, and a fresh backpack...

Everything just looks a little ... View the Post

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Tomato Red

When the weather gets warm, many of us get the urge to shop! And so let's think about limiting our purchases to whatever essential, core items we need, and then a French 5-Piece Wardrobe to freshen and update our classics...

First, every change of season has me dreaming of tossing out all of my clothes and buying an entirely new wardrobe from Eileen Fisher. (NOT going to happen, but a woman can fantasize, and then use that fantasy to create a better reality, right?)

This is what I'd be buying, if I was going to do such a madcap thing:

Of course, when you look at this wardrobe for a few minutes, you realize that you don't need to buy ALL 10 pieces to get the desired effect - maybe just 2 or 3 of the real signature pieces (that marled ... View the Post

The Most Popular Post on The Vivienne Files (so far!)

I am surprised that this was this most visited post - I suspect that Google's statistics aren't always reflective of the real world!

But this is still a really interesting post, based on information from an old (and very popular) fashion book called Hot Tips...

I was heartened to see that all of the outfits I suggested would still be perfectly appropriate and undated... that's my goal!

For what it's worth, I am just now starting to mend from the flu, so I can't guarantee that there will be posts every day on The Vivienne Files. I'll do my best, but I can assure you that flu + fibromyalgia = a long recovery...

love, Janice ... View the Post

My 2nd Most Popular Post – Project 333 for Warmer Weather – Shifting Basics

For a couple of years when I still had an office job, I tried to participate in Project 333 - wearing a 33-piece capsule wardrobe exclusive for at least a month. This post shows how I was trying to migrate certain pieces out of my capsule wardrobe, and what I would substitute as the weather warmed up...

The general thesis behind this idea holds true for any garment in which you seem to live... If you wear jeans constantly in the autumn and winter, maybe you could consider denim capris, or shorts, or maybe chambray pants for warmer weather? The same garment, in terms of color and cut, but lightened up...

Should I look into these "substitutions" more in the future? Let me know!

(And yes, planning for warmer weather right now feels ... View the Post

“Fixing” a Wardrobe that Just Doesn’t Feel Right…

She's worn navy forever, and really, legitimately loves it. She also really feels comfortable with bright colors - she doesn't mind the high contrast. But, for some reason she can't quite put her finger on, she's not quite "right" with her wardrobe...

This is what's she's got for spring:

She really doesn't know what to do to feel more comfortable with these pieces, so she just started getting dressed as normal, but changing 2 small things:

She pulls out and wears what she really "feels" like wearing, rather than trying to carefully rotate everything in her wardrobe. If she focuses on what she most likes, it might help her learn something, and She keeps careful track of what she wears.

After three weeks, she sorts things out based on ... View the Post

Violets! The “Birth Flower” for February

My favorite flowers, possibly... (in the real world, I refuse to choose!) While violets weren't as easy to find as carnations, and while the actual COLOR violet is subject to massive dispute, there are still lovely and tempting things for those celebrating birthdays in February - or for those of us who just simple love violets!

I need a dressy blouse like a bad headache, but that black blouse could be just LOVELY with my velvet pants...

Does violet go well with various neutrals? I've chosen a dead-plain, classic tee shirt to use for our illustrations. And yes, I've kept the same pants from last month, and many of the same accessories - just to show how versatile a core of neutral items can be.

Van Gogh socks and green-eyed cats? This ... View the Post

L’Oiseau Forestier by Max Ernst – Starting a Wardrobe with a Tote Bag Travel Capsule

Assertiveness, Channeled

"Why is SHE going?"

"Well, she was just named chief negotiator - didn't you hear?"

"She IS? She always seems so... ladylike... I don't see her as the arm-wrestling for the last dime kind of negotiator..."

"Don't get me wrong - I know that she's as smart as a whip..."

"Shouldn't she be wearing some serious pantsuit with shoulders out to HERE?"

"She doesn't even wear blazers!!!"

always trust the jealous rivals to focus on how you dress, eh?

As in all things, the details matter...

If anybody ever troubled to look, they would see that her jewelry looks like the weapons and body-armor of a Barbie-sized warrior race... Even her oh-so-trendy flower brooch is black! She channels her aggression ... View the Post

Build a Weekend Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Blue by Kinuko Imai Hoffman

The first of the "12 Art Works of Christmas!" wardrobes - not the only time I'm going to look at this painting, though. I think I'll revisit this one every 3 months or so to expand the wardrobe to all seasons...

Frankly, any paintings by this artist would be amazing sources of inspiration for a wardrobe - if you see anything that strikes your fancy, let me know!

Creative Austerity

She's always believed that the truly creative people were the ones who could do something original within strict guidelines...

This inspires her:

The possibilities are vast, just with these 2 shades, and a bit of texture... Maybe the occasional pattern... Anybody can wear orange tights, a green skirt and a purple sweater and stand on the street corner and ... View the Post

Adding to a Successful Travel Wardrobe: Appaloosa des Steppes from Hermes

She was really thrilled with what she packed for the Holiday Party in New York; she had planned everything using her pocket square as the defining inspiration:

Her sweetheart told her that another, longer trip to New York would be in their near future - probably mid-February. So she thought that it would be wise to expand her current travel wardrobe...

She was going to try to balance clothes appropriate for those "business dinners" with things suitable for the sightseeing that she intended to do, so she needed to be very organized! If she puts together a 4 by 4 Wardrobe, and wears 3 pieces on the plane, she will have 13 garments to pack - she felt that this was a reasonable goal.

First, to "plug in" her existing wardrobe:

The ... View the Post

Teal for the Holidays? Three Different Approaches!

Happy Thanksgiving in the United States! (well, heck, Happy Thanksgiving to everybody...) I know that I should be plying you with news about "Black Friday" sales, and lots of gifty stuff, but you will get quite enough of that kind of information without The Vivienne Files piling on, right?

So I'm going to respond to the overwhelming demand for teal for the holidays by looking at it with 3 different neutrals partners... Nothing like a bit of excess for today (says the woman who fully intend to have at least 2 desserts, and then work it off tomorrow in the gym...)

First up, three gorgeous teal pieces, paired with a core of black silk:

The blazer is shown with velvet shorts at Nordstrom, if that appeals...

And while the pants are ... View the Post