The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for May 2013

May 2013 - Page 2 of 3

A Common Capsule Wardrobe: A variation of the standard, in navy and pink

May 17, 2013

Sometime back, someone asked me if it would be possible to put together a Common Capsule Wardrobe that would include neither black nor white.

Of course!  Pretty much anything is possible with clothing - my first idea was to work with simple navy and pink garments, while keeping a bit of grey and khaki. While you couldn't wear every last possible sort of accessory with these colors, you would still have a great many options...

 

Shall I build some variations with accessories?  Let me know; this could be a lot of fun!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333 Failure of the week, and the best advice I didn’t take

May 16, 2013  

 

  Every  wardrobe advice writer in the world will remind you that you should try on ALL of your clothes on a regular basis. It seems obvious - your body changes, the clothes can change, and the way your body feels in the clothes (an elusive concept, but you know what I mean) can change more than anything. But I, in a moment of reckless confidence, decided that I could just roll with last summer's clothes -it was only a few months ago - without trying things on.AND... my striped tee shirt is terrible. It just feels short and tight and awkward - I will never wear it...

Okay, so this isn't a tragic problem. I donated the offending tee shirt, and I found a wonderful replacement at Eileen ... View the Post

Chic sighting: Mixing bright colors, with metallic shoes

May 15, 2013  

Yesterday was the first truly spring-like day here in Chicago.  This was the kind of outfits that I saw often on the street - bright colors, floral sleeveless tops, and metallic flats.  Bright and springy, but still very appropriate for most offices!

orange and pink tank - Topshop, orange cardigan - Mango, Pink chinos- Levi's Made & Crafted, gold flats - Rocket Dog, yellow and green tank - Madewell, green cardigan - Paul Smith, yellow capris - Erika Cavallini

blue tank - Uniqlo, blue cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, hot pink capris - Miu Miu, green tank - Uniqlo, mint cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, lavender capris - Mother Denim, silver ... View the Post

Packing for a warm-weather vacation, in red & navy

May 13, 2013  

This was an interesting question - how do you pack if you want to carry on your bag, and you're on one of those airlines with a really LOW, and really STRICT, weight limit? (At least the destination was a warm weather vacation spot...)   My first advice was to get the lightest bag possible - nylon, with no structure at all.  You should consider lining it with dry cleaning bags, or packing your clothes in plastic bags, because these bags are not waterproof.  Beyond that, a very few items of clothing, in silk, linen or cotton.  No jeans -they weight too much!   The other aspect of this request that really piqued my interested was the desire to wear navy, red and white - a color combination ... View the Post

Closing the triangle of Hot Pink, Turquoise, and Orange; traveling again with Hermes Fleuri de Provence

May 11, 2013  

There was one more color combination waiting to be addressed in the beautiful Hermes Pique Fleuri de Provence - Turquoise and Hot Pink. And that got me thinking that these three accent colors (don't forget Orange), on a base of black and white neutrals, would be a perfect wardrobe scheme for... well, for everything, forever. I see the symbol for this wardrobe like this:

And with this as your focal point, you can just combine garments and make purchases with confidence...

So one last trip, with the Hermes scarf as the initial inspiration:

Piqué Fleuri de Provence silk scarf - Hermes, silk  “Neon Love” scarf – Marc Andersen  

 

Shirt – J. Crew, jacket –Faberge & Roches, ... View the Post

Do you actually WEAR your favorite clothes?

May 10, 2013   Yesterday, when I was getting dressed, I reached out for my favorite silk jacket. It's from Eileen Fisher, it's a color she calls cobblestone, which is sort of bronze/grey/green, and when I wear it I look tall and thin and young, and AMAZINGLY stylish.   I reached.  And then I pulled back.  WHAT?????   Somewhere in the back of my mind lurks this voice that says "oh, save that for a special occasion..."   Really?  At my age?  It's not like I'm going to get dirty on the playground, nor spill chocolate milk on myself at lunch. (mmmmm....chocolate milk....)   What's the worst thing that can happen?  

I might be the best-dressed person at work.  (Oh bother) ... View the Post

Dressing modestly in a hot climate: travel in blue and tan

Many of you are headed to warm climates, but still want or need to remain modest and somewhat covered-up.  This is one approach to this task.  I always choose a travel outfits that's layered, because airplanes are of course going to be cold (five miles up in the sky, the outside temperature is pretty low!).  The photograph was sent to me by someone planning for such a trip - I'm not using it for color inspiration as much as just a focal point for the delights to come...

Striped tee – Majestic, cardigan- J. Crew,  linen pants – Rafaella, earrings – J. Crew, water-resistant watch – Sperry Top-Sider, loafers- Cole Haan, cotton scarf – Becksondergaard, tote bag – French Trotters, suitcase - Tumi   Next, there ... View the Post

Turquoise & Orange: A Packing Capsule based on Hermes Fleuri de Provence

So if you love the scarf, but hot pink isn't your favorite, what about turquoise?

Piqué Fleuri de Provence silk scarf - Hermes, cashmere and linen wrap – Etro  

Orange knit top – Weekend MaxMara, jacket - Carven, earrings- Jamie Joseph, watch – Skagen, white linen pants – Nicole Farhi, espadrilles - Zara, white tote- Longchamp, rolling bag – Diane Von Furstenberg  

Necklace – K. Amato, dress –  Roksanda Ilincic, earrings – Bounkit, bracelet – Anton Heunis, pumps – Butter, sweater – J. Crew, skirt – No. 21 cardigan – Vanessa Bruno,  tee shirt- Majestic,  white capris – Dorothy Perkins, ballet flats – Dr. Scholls  

  ... View the Post

Hot Pink & Orange: A Packing Capsule based on Hermes Fleuri de Provence

Yes, traveling with white pants might seem sort of nutty... But they look really great!  Just make sure they're washable, right?  And this would certainly work well with black in the place of white.

Piqué Fleuri de Provence silk scarf - Hermes, dip dyed linen scarf – Sperry Top-Sider  

Orange knit top – Weekend MaxMara, fringed silk poncho- Ralph Lauren Black, earrings- Fossil, watch – Salvatore Ferragamo, white linen pants – Nicole Farhi,  flats – Manolo Blahnik, white tote- Longchamp, orange tote - Bodhi  

Silk necklace – Nangara by Julia Fusinato, dress –  Reiss, earrings – Ben Amun, bracelet –  Stella and Dot, pumps – Jimmy Choo, hot pink tee - BurberryBrit, skirt – Versace, ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: Another week, with travel, work, and the gym

Last week I experienced another small hitch in my Project 333- my striped tee shirt is NOT going to be wearable for the summer, so I've replaced it. (Yes, with another striped tee shirt...)   Otherwise, I have been delighted with my choices, so far.My travel wardrobe, based on two pair of black pants - one silk, one cotton twill - worked out well too.  It was warm enough that I didn't need to wear my scarves, and one day I pulled off my sweater mid-day, but that was part of the plan. Layering makes it possible to pile on, or peel off, depending on what you encounter.

So Monday and Tuesday I dressed out of my suitcase - Monday, I did some gardening, and Tuesday we flew back to Chicago. (yes, on Monday I borrowed casual shoes ... View the Post