The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for 2012

2012 - Page 19 of 25

Imaginary shopping: a wee “pick-me-up”, in pink

My last springtime adventure in imaginary shopping is the "how to experiment with a fashion color" question.  I'm totally smitten with this striped top, and my desire for it would be sufficient to convince me to introduce pink into my wardrobe for six months or a year - however long the top lasts.   Here is a case in which I would NOT spend a lot of money on jewelry, and I would buy a decent pair of shoes or sandals, but not a long-term investment pair.  This small shopping spree is designed to brighten up my wardrobe for spring, indulge in a garment which I love, and participate in the "brightly colored pants" trend, without breaking the bank.  

Tee shirt – J. Crew, cropped pants – Diane von Furstenberg, pink ... View the Post

Imaginary shopping: basics, in blue

  Today, I've scaled back my purchases a little bit, and chosen to "buy" a more trendy color - cobalt blue.  I loved cobalt when we all wore it back in the 80's, and am happy to see it back again.  But I'm not willing to make quite such a major investment in blue as I was willing to consider yesterday in my imaginary red extravaganza...   So I would look to purchase the following:

Cardigan – J. Crew, tee shirt – DKNY, pants – Piazza Sempione, skirt – Diane von Furstenberg, scarf – Givenchy for Liberty of London, lapis earrings – Astley Clarke, lapis & onyx bracelet - Nordstrom     Based on the idea that I want to leverage these core wardrobe items:

 And this is how I would wear my new ... View the Post

Imaginary shopping: extravagantly red

I'm not shopping these days, but I do LOOK at lots of things (as you well know!).  So I decided to do some imaginary shopping; sort of walking through the process of what I would do IF I were in a shopping phase of my life.     First up:  What basics do I already have in my wardrobe that I wear a lot, and want to use as a basis for leveraging my purchases?  

Now, what do I want?  I've chosen to splurge on red this shopping spree.  It's an on-trend bright color, but it's dead classic, and never goes out of style.  It's a color I wear well, I already have a couple of beautiful scarves with a lot of red in them, and it mixes brilliantly with black.  

So... a cardigan and a tee shirt (sort ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in brown and turquoise

This is the last iteration of the original "honeymoon" packing theme that I started over a week ago. But in the next few days, I'm going to do some imaginary shopping, I've got a chic sighting to share, and then I'm going to tackle a "second honeymoon in Paris" theme, which will have a slightly greater focus on neutral colors and modest silhouettes!

love, Janice ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in brown and TANGERINE!

It's the color of the year!  But you can still wear it and look more elegant than trendy...   And I know that I said today would be the last iteration of this travel package, but someone asked me to try on turquoise, so tomorrow is brown and turquoise.  It's going to be beautiful!    

Brown cardigan – Aviu, gold heart earrings – Alex and Chloe, white tee – Michael Stars, Scarf – Hermes, orange jacket – Creenstone, brown pants – Maxmara, penny loafers – J. Crew, brown bag – Christopher Kon      

sunglasses – Miso, orange clutch - Tiffany, gold hoop earrings – J. C. Penney, orange striped top – J. Crew, flower earrings – J. C. Penney, white short-sleeved button-front top – Kookai, ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in Brown and coral, for uncertain weather

Still evolving the same packing which started with my honeymoon, I'm now thinking of a trip where you're leaving a cooler climate (maybe early autumn in northern climes) and heading south.  Brown keeps your grounded in the September or October mood, but still lots of soft coral colors to enjoy your vacation destination!Tomorrow is the last installment of this particular theme and variations; I'll be using the color of the year - tangerine!!!  (the identifying of annual colors always makes me laugh...)

Brown cardigan – Aviu, gold heart earrings – Alex and Chloe, white tee – Michael Stars, Scarf – Hermes, Coral jacket – H&M, brown pants – Maxmara, penny loafers – J. Crew, brown bag – Christopher ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in camel & blue

April 11, 2012

Today, I've swapped out the black for a much softer camel, and you can see that with just a few adjustments to the accessories, the same 5 (core neutral garments) + 2 (white or light neutral tops) + 7 (accent pieces, including a jacket or coat) approach continues to work.

This could be particularly useful if you have a well-established base wardrobe in your best neutral(s), and were considering making a big investment in a new accent color.The seven garments, a scarf, a couple of pieces of jewelry, and you've added LOTS of new options to your core wardrobe.

Stay tuned; I'm still playing with this idea!

love, Janice

p.s. If you're currently estranged from someone you once loved, get back in ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in black, white & blue

The general theory behind my packing plan can be translated into nearly infinite color combinations.  If pink is not your cup of tea, try blue!  In the next few days I'm going to swap out for at least one different neutral, and a few different accent colors.  The theory is always the same: 5 core neutral garments, an accent jacket, a couple of white or light neutral tops, and then the 6 dash accent garments in your color(s) of choice.  Easy peasy, once you get the hang of it...  

 black cardigan – Ganni, sapphire earrings – Lord & Taylor, white tee – Michael Stars, Scarf – H&M, Denim coat – Derek Lam, black pants – Donna Karan, patent loafers – Tod’s, black tote – Big ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for My honeymoon, in pink and black

Way back when, when I married belovedest, we went to Florence and Venice for our honeymoon.  It was late March and early April, cool evenings and beautiful sunny days.  And I absolutely SPLURGED on more pink clothing that I've ever worn before or since.  A blissful time...

 

 black cardigan – Ganni, earrings – Kimberly McDonald, white tee – Michael Stars,   

Scarf – Roberto Cavalli, Pink coat – Jil Sander, black pants – Donna Karan, patent loafers – Tod’s,   

black tote – Big Buddha  

 

 

sunglasses – Dorothy Perkins, pearl earrings – Kate Spade, pink lace top – J. Crew,  

 white short-sleeved button-front top – Kookai, pink ... View the Post