The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for July 2017

July 2017

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – August 2017

July 31, 2017

Although most of us in the Northern Hemisphere still have at least 8 weeks of hot weather in front of us, you can't tell it by what's in the stores. Cashmere, leather goods, lots of winter coats... Sigh...

But the August outfit last year, and again this year, is oriented to the season ahead:

As always, I like to see how the newest additions look when arrayed with the earlier pieces in each wardrobe:

It's always wise to make certain that you can wear any new garment in at least 3 different ways, so I like to check on this too!

I went a bit mad dressy here... sigh...

Such lovely colors...

I went a bit overboard here too, I suspect...

The brooch ... View the Post

How Do I Choose My Favorite Colors?

July 28, 2017

This sounds like a silly question - we've all known our favorite colors since we were children, haven't we?

Well, in a nutshell, no. I get emails every day from people who still struggle to choose their neutrals, or to find a signature accent color, or some other variation on these themes that boils down to the issue of knowing what we most like.

Recently, one of you commented that you found peridot green as an accent when you kept seeing that color when you meditated! I personally found this to be utterly brilliant, and about as fail-safe a way to choose a signature as humanly possible. But what if you don't meditate?

I'm suggesting that you start looking for opportunities to make choices - all KINDS of choices - ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Both Coolness and Modesty: Baie de Cannes by Picasso

July 26, 2017

You have asked me this question a lot - how can you handle traveling to a hot destination, where you need to be appropriately dressed when occasions or locations require modest attire?

Modesty almost always means 1 or more of 3 "things" need to be covered: 1. your shoulders 2. your knees, or 3. your head

So we've got to make certain that we have available to us at all times (in the backpack!) a shirt with sleeves, a skirt (or the zippy-on pieces of zip-off pants...) and a scarf... If you're one of those clever people who can wrap and tie a scarf in such a way that it works as a skirt, you're in luck...

Let's start with a lovely abstraction of a wonderful beach destination:

These are lovely ... View the Post

August Birthstone: Peridot!

July 24, 2017

THIS is a tough color - it's really difficult to find any sort of accessories in this lime-y shade of green. But I think that it's a unique accent color that's well worth considering. If you're not comfortable wearing it close to your face, don't discount the beauty and the impact of a ring and/or bracelet...

As the weather remains really warm here in Chicago, I continued to build these little vignettes around dresses, although a couple of the dresses are decidedly more autumnal in feel - some for now, some for later!

I mentioned on Friday that I feel like the best balance for a wardrobe to lean much toward accessories, in a ratio to garments. On Friday when I got dressed to go out, I put on ONE dress (more than one ... View the Post

If I Were Shopping, What’d I’d Buy at the Nordstrom Sale…

July 21, 2017

I tried. Yesterday I went into the Nordstrom store on Michigan Avenue here in Chicago. The store is 4 floors, so I have to believe that it's not one of their smaller stores...

And I struggled. First up, so MANY of the things that they have online are NOT in stores. That's a bit maddening when you walk in looking for something specific, only to find that it's not there...

Of course the store is arranged in a way to make your browsing as inefficient as possible; it's in their best interest to have you wander as much as possible, for as long as possible. I'm okay with that, if I can figure out a way to still make certain that I've seen everything in a certain category. In fashion jewelry, for example, I'm not at all sure ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Demoiselle Cranes and Lotus by Jessie Arms Botke

July 19, 2017

I could use paintings from this artist for WEEKS! She had an amazing career, and her body of work is beautiful - graceful, colorful, yet true to nature. Genius...

Please be aware, when looking at paintings online, that a LOT of work has been "touched-up" by people gone mad with Photoshop. If something seems wildly out of the normal style for an artist, look for multiple versions of the image. Especially once something gets to Pinterest, it is widely circulated, even though it might NOT be authentic. This is also true if you see a photograph of a bird that seems unlike anything found in nature - some of those pictures have been really altered... sigh... Same Lake House, Different Weekend... "You know that there are ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe that Starts with Art: Saint John by Gerhard Richter

July 17, 2017

This could qualify as Moderately Extravagant Monday!

And here's some art that might not be to everyone's taste, but colors that certainly have energy and make a strong statement:

(I personally love Gerhard Richter, and this work especially...) They Think She's Crazy...

She sleeps like a baby on airplanes. Well, any place she can sit down, she can sleep soundly. And she uses this to her advantage!

Those last-minute plane tickets that are dirt cheap, but only work if you can leave in 2 days, and only stay someplace for 3 days? She's all over them...

Most people eschew such quick trips, because they can never get over the jet lag, and they don't feel like it's worthwhile to spend all that time on ... View the Post

Can Wallpaper be Your Wardrobe Inspiration? Heck Yes!

July 14, 2017

One of you sent me some images of William Morris wallpaper and fabric ... oh, what lovely fun!

If you have a few minutes to spare, I can't encourage you enough to take a look at their wallpaper and fabrics. They might not be your style, but they are so lovely, creative and distinctive. The William Morris company is particularly adept at using themes and ideas from nature, and many of their products would make excellent inspirations for a wardrobe.

When I saw this, I thought of a lovely heroine who drives, uphill (!) to get to her family's lake house...

The Lake House "Make sure my cardigan is on TOP of the grocery boxes - I'm going to need it when we get up into the mountains!"

"If they have ... View the Post

Planning Your Complete Wardrobe, 1 Segment at a Time

I've made some progress on the 52-Piece Wardrobe Plan that we discussed last Wednesday.

First, I included the idea of columns for each of the "categories" of garment - I think this works pretty well:

The only real question here has to be about how many garments fall into each of the three categories, and that's going to have to be something that each of us personalizes. I will of course lay out my guidelines, but they're never carved in stone; I call them guidelines, and NEVER rules!

I tried to do something around the idea of using multiple colors for borders, to show that some garments were able to serve in multiple functions - FAIL. The page is pretty crowded already, and adding another border (thin as they are) just made ... View the Post

Pantone Fall 2017 “New” Colors, and Ways to Try Them

July 10, 2017

It's time again for that most amusing of events - the announcement of "new" colors for the upcoming season!

Of course we know better than to envision that there could be a "new" color (can you imagine how thrilling that would be?), but I do think that the release of these colors is a good time to look at our wardrobes with a clear eye and an open mind. Would a new accent color - maybe just for a season or two, maybe for longer - be of benefit to us? This time of year, as our warm-weather clothes begin to feel... old? and tired, a couple of new accessories might be just the ticket to get us through until the return of cold weather! See if any of these appeal... Grenadine A bit more "orange-ish" than a true red, this is ... View the Post

Do I Have to Use ALL of My Accent Colors in my Capsule Travel Wardrobe?

July 6 2017

Of course not! But let's look at an example: Just a Quick Weekend at the beach... She'll catch the bus Friday afternoon, and arrive in time for a late dinner. This part is easy - she can wear what she wore to work, with a light jacket to compensate for the Arctic air-conditioning on the bus.

She bought a new swimsuit, and she loves it - so much that she's building her entire (tiny, six-piece) travel wardrobe around the colors in it!

Yes, she's a serious swimmer!

This is what she sees as her color scheme, but she's really... hesitant... about the lime green!

Her travel outfit is navy and other shades of blue, which really echo the ocean and water colors of the swimsuit...

As she assembled her ... View the Post