yellow Archives - Page 4 of 11

Dame au Chapeau by Natalia S. Gontcharova Inspiring a Tote Bag Travel Capsule Wardrobe

January 17, 2018 She Doesn't Mean to Attract Attention...

But she always seems to... So she takes advantage of her conspicuousness...

She's always trying to encourage her students to think of things differently...

In the same way, she encourages everybody who sees her to think of colors in different ways, by wearing distinctive and unique combinations that give her great pleasure...

She can be spotted far across campus, which is a mixed blessing...

Her appearance exudes energy and cheer, which is always welcome in the dead of winter!

She would LOVE to get a hat, but it's going to have to be just perfect.... Maybe in the spring?

love, Janice

... 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 ... View the Post

Does Navy Have to be Predictable? Start with a Scarf: Red Tulip by KathKath

November 8, 2017

There are so many traditional, classic accents to wear with navy - red, burgundy, bottle green... but what if you want something brighter, and more "off the beaten path?"

Nobody else wants to go...

But she's going to the lecture. Alone. And she's really excited!

(Her sweater also comes in orange... she's very tempted...)

Everyone claims that the University shuts off the heat on weekends, so she's prepared to dress warmly for the lecture. And her hotel advertises that they provide a full brunch IN YOUR ROOM, so she's certainly going to avail of that opportunity...

Yes, she's going to pin a brooch to her cardigan that she's wearing with a flannel shirt! And yes, she'll carry the ... View the Post

Is It Possible to Pack an Interesting Overnight Bag? Start with a Scarf: The Joy Rose Scarf by KathKath

November 7, 2017

She's not a boring person...

And so she's embraced these colors!

And now she has SATURDAY NIGHT season tickets to the opera! Just 1 ticket - nobody else she knows loves the opera enough to deserve to go with her...

Saturday morning she heads into the city:

Her bag is tiny, and quite light - how much will she need for 30 hours?

When everything is gathered together, it looks so pretty and cheerful - sort of like how she feels when she gets to go to the opera!

She knows that nobody else there will be wearing a yellow dress...

She can wear her coat as a bathrobe when her brunch is delivered... and if it's cold the next morning, she can always wear her flowered shirt under her pink ... View the Post

How do you Choose a “French 5-Piece Wardrobe?” Start with Art: Portrait de Greta Prozor by Henri Matisse

October 20, 2017

A short and sweet post today, because I've lost ALL track of time...

Let's say that you've got a well-established core wardrobe of the essentials, in mostly black. So you decide, this fall, you're going to use this amazing painting as the inspiration for your purchases - your "French 5-Piece Wardrobe" for this season:

You think for a few days, and decide that this is going to be your guideline:

This is your starting point - more than enough essentials to keep you reasonably well-dressed for most casual to medium-dressy events through the season:

And after some careful, deliberate shopping, this is what you add to your wardrobe for the upcoming cooler weather:

In addition to the myriad ... View the Post

Three French 5-Piece Wardrobes for Spring

April 7, 2017

Yesterday, I shared with you what I consider to be the "must have" items for warm weather. (although I don't think I can say it enough - there is NO SUCH THING as a "must have" item; if someone tells you that there is, they are more interested in selling you something than they are in helping you figure out what you most need for YOU...)

Today starts the fun part - adding accent colors! I think I'm going to have to do this for at least another 2 or 3 days, because your suggested accent colors were many, varied, and lovely!

But let me start with the "Color of the Year" - another one of those fun marketing gimmicks that really don't mean a whole lot, but that remind us to focus on a color that we might have ... View the Post

How to Accent a Neutral Capsule Wardrobe with Brights – Start with Art: Le Pot a Tisane by Leger

March 20, 2017

So far, we've been relatively subtle in our accent colors... THAT'S going to change!

I see many things in this image, but I do NOT see a pot of tea!

What might be the thing that really threw this painting into the "must address" bucket for The Vivienne Files is the surprising presence of that beautiful purple. (and yes, a wee touch of green!) Normally, I think most of us, if we were painting this, might be tempted to use blue alongside the red and yellow. But that's why he's Leger, and we're not...

I also really appreciate the degree to which these colors are strong, but not jarring or neon. That takes a bit of skill...

I know we're getting a bit weary of seeing these, but I have to always remember that ... View the Post

How to Accessorize a Capsule Wardrobe: Head by Pablo Picasso

This is really growing on me! Remember, on Friday, we started with the painting, "Head" by Picasso (which you may or may not really love - that's certainly up to you!):

Which, through a couple of steps of planning and shopping, gave us this 13-piece capsule or travel wardrobe. This is a wardrobe that's extremely versatile, giving you appropriate things to wear for every activity from a nice evening out to a hike in the park!

Cardigan– Scaglione; long-sleeved tee – Uniqlo; sweater – Uniqlo; tee – River Island; skirt– J. Crew; pants – J. Crew; jeans – L.L.Bean;

capris – L.L.Bean; shorts – Patagonia; long-sleeved tee – Uniqlo; shirt – Lands’ End ;sleeveless top – L.L.Bean

I also ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe with a Backbone by Starting with Art: Head by Pablo Picasso

February 10, 2017

Since I've had a lot of time to think recently, I've been tinkering around, in my mind, with different approaches to building a capsule wardrobe.

Many of us like to keep the bottom half of our body dressed in neutrals, either because of concerns about our bodily contours, or just because we like the way it looks. So I pondered the possibilities of putting together a wardrobe that was based upon a core of neutral "bottoms."

This is how I'm picturing it:

My thesis is that we can put the solid bottoms down the middle of this template, to form the "backbone" of my capsule wardrobe, and then fill in the accent pieces on either side. And just for fun, let's use a particularly excellent color scheme, based ... View the Post

How to Assemble a Warm-Weather Capsule Wardrobe – The Dandelion Cardigan

January 31, 2017

One of you has fallen in love....With a cardigan! And you're somewhat concerned that you won't wear it enough to make it worth the purchase...

This is the winsome object of her affections:

She assures me that she really loves the yellow, but has never worn it. And she's very devoted to her black and white neutrals:

I don't think she's going to have any problems at all - realistically, I think she need to maybe buy 1 thing for each of these outfits to pull everything together.In these first 2 outfits, she'll want to grab those delicious sandals, and the bracelets will be essential...

Another pair of yellow sandals might be overdoing it. Maybe. And the yellow tee shirt - assuming ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe Start with Art: Poppies and Butterflies by Vincent Van Gogh

November 16, 2016 As the days get shorter, and we spend a LOT more time in the dark (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course!), a painting like this is a cheering thing to study:

For those who worry that a "warm" wardrobe - one that's ideal for those with Autumn or Spring coloring - might be too dark in the cool weather, I offer some ideas!

I love these pieces - you could literally get dressed in the dark with no worries about not matching! A couple of pair of warm brown/tan shoes, some lovely gold jewelry, and you'd be well set for the day.

Cream tee – L.L.Bean; sable sweater – L.L.Bean; shirt – Lands’ End; Sand tee – Lands’ End; cardigan – J.Crew; silk blouse – J. Crew; Camel cords - L.L.Bean; ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe Starts with Art: In Vaudeville: Dancer with Chorus by Charles Demuth

November 15, 2016

Yesterday, the accents we used in the so-called French 5-Piece wardrobe were all colors in the same range of intensity and saturation - they were somewhat soft, and very clear.This painting takes us in a couple of rather different directions!

The accent colors suggested by this painting range from a really elegant neutral taupe to quite a vivid yellow/gold, as well as all shades of warm rose pink.

The base pieces for this wardrobe might rely more than usual on black, as suggested by the tuxedo on the central dancer:

I love taupe, and it's terribly difficult to find. But this cardigan is EXACTLY what I was hoping to find - fluid, soft, with ... View the Post