September 3, 2018
No holidays at The Vivienne Files! I would never miss the chance to share one of these “6 outfit” posts…
Even though very few of us are seeing cool/cold weather, I firmly believe that it’s smart to get your cold-weather clothes ready in advance. Nobody’s going to give us 3 days warning that autumn is about to smack us down!
I loved the gold scarf with this otherwise monochromatic outfit…
Silk scarf – Hermès Fouets et Badines; flannel shirt – Patagonia; gold scarf – Nordstrom; vest – Uniqlo; gloves – Halogen; boots – Blondo; jeans – Lands’ End
We are far enough into the year that I now need to have a separate page for clothing and for accessories! Admittedly, a heroine who owned this wardrobe might not have NINE pairs of shoes for 9 months…
While the accent colors here are very unexpected for a “black-focused” wardrobe, I think that this wardrobe is very coherent and versatile. Each of the new garments this month can be worn in lots of ways:
Next, that amazingly feminine pink and ivory wardrobe. You might think that a flannel shirt and down vest aren’t going to work here, but I found a PINK flannel shirt AND pink jeans! There’s a certain charm to the juxtaposition of feminine colors and accessories with garments that are more utilitarian and rugged in nature…
scarf – Hermès The Horsawards; flannel shirt – Uniqlo; scarf – Klements; vest – Uniqlo; gloves – Halogen; boots – Blondo; jeans – Lands’ End
I’m starting to feel the appeal of this wardrobe; on the right woman, this would be lovely…
And this is still quite versatile too!
Two DIFFERENT plaids in 1 outfit? I can assure you that last winter in Paris, it was very common to see someone wearing a plaid jacket and a different plaid scarf! They were in the same colors, but distinctly different plaids – it look really fun and eye-catching.
scarf – Hermès Les Tresors d’un Artiste; flannel shirt – Royal Robbins; scarf – BP.; vest – Uniqlo; mittens – Lands’ End; boots – Me Too; pants – Patagonia
This is another wardrobe with an interesting, somewhat unexpected, color palette:
Even with quite a few shades of blue, there are still plenty of ways to wear these pieces in a variety of outfits:
Next is the really difficult wardrobe. Every year, I choose a scarf that turns out to be challenging in terms of the color palette. But that’s part of the fun, right?
Scarf – Hèrmes Merveilleuses Lanternes; flannel shirt – Uniqlo; scarf – Missoni; vest – Patagonia; gloves – Club Monaco; pants – L.L.Bean; boots – Kaanas
But even with the range of pieces that I’ve chosen for this scarf-based wardrobe, I think it “hangs together” pretty well:
It’s not difficult to pull a variety of outfits from this wardrobe:
This wardrobe holds so much appeal to me… the shades of blue blended together, with the grounding of shades of grey just seems so calm, effortless, and pretty:
Scarf – Hèrmes Jardin a Sintra; shirt – L.L.Bean; scarf – Rag & Bone; vest – Uniqlo; gloves – Brooks Brothers; boots – Naturalizer; cords – L.L.Bean
Can you imagine having this in your closet?
And this in your armoire?
This wardrobe is so well-integrated that you could nearly get dressed in the dark!
This last wardrobe has such great colors – black and brown, with grey and green? You wouldn’t think of it off the top of your head for a wardrobe, but it works SO well…
scarf – Hermès Ndop; flannel shirt – Patagonia; muffler – Rebecca Minkoff; vest – Patagonia; gloves – Portolano; boots – Naturalizer; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean
This is quite a range of garments, but they are clearly meant to be together:
These outfits come together so easily…
Which wardrobe appeals most this month? I’m thinking more and more that the last one might be my favorite… Happily, none of us HAVE to choose!
love,
Janice
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Looking in my wardrobe I have a mixture of the black, navy and grey capsules and have nothing in brown, olive or beige, well almost, I do have some brown leather boots. I have been following this series and have kept up with you (almost), but this month I have swapped out the gilet for a short lightly padded jacket as I do not own the former – never have. I don’t feel I suit a gilet or a waistcoat come to that and I’m not sure why, maybe it’s something to do with proportions and width of torso? Also, I don’t own a plaid shirt either, but I’m on the lookout for one, so in the interim I’m using a plain blouse or maybe a turtleneck. Love this series.
I still love best the grey/blue wardrobe – love every piece! In fact this whole wardrobe is a “whatever’s clean” as I can even see the two plaids (shirt and skirt) wearable together. This is my kind of wardrobe! Simple, elegant and so very functional. The other wardrobes this year are beautiful but this grey/blue is pure genius! When all 12 months are done, I will take a screenshot as my goal to create such a wardrobe. Thank you Janice for the years of inspiration. Janice Collins Coyle, Washington DC
The perfect wardrobe for me would be a combination of the blue/gray and the navy/red. I would take out the gray and red and throw all the shades of blue together. Maybe a blue -hued green incorporated as well. I love the colors of the sea!
I recently spotted a woman wearing a dusty pink and cream from head to toe and you are right, she was striking! I thought when I saw her that she must follow your blog! She was turning heads.
Love the nutmeg/black and will substitute grey for green (just do not like green no matter how much I try). Thank you, as always!
Janice, you truly are an artist! I love all these wardrobes. I’m a fair skinned brunette, so I appreciate those with the highest contrast the most. The accessories for the last one are fabulous. Thank you so much for your wonderful blog!
The last one is the favorite for me if I were the wearer BUT I really like all of them for the right person. This reminds me of when I was a child. My cousin, just a few months older than me, was and still is, a great drawer and made all sorts of paper dolls with all their clothes and accessories. It would be fun to draw each of the prototypes for each of the wardrobes.
I LOVE the gray+blue wardrobe! Like Cindy, above, I could combine it with the navy wardrobe, but I would keep the deep reds and all of the grays, but lose the greens. – nancyo
Thanks so much for all the work you put into this series! I look forward to it each month.
I’m even toying with the idea of finding a ‘wardrobe anchor’ scarf of my own this fall, so I can do this exercise next year; but my goal will be to make as much of it as possible. Three garments a month should be doable, for the most part, although I’d purchase stuff like jeans and sweaters and down vests.
It’s really fun to see how the wardrobes evolve and how cohesive they each are, just from starting with the anchor scarf.
Like everyone here, I’m dazzled by the choices you’ve made. It’s so helpful to see the wardrobes growing month by month. I dithered down the illustrations today, enjoying the selections without being able to pick a favourite until I came to blue and grey. As in most other months it’s my clear favourite, probably because these are my favourite colours for clothes. But the skill of your choices for all the scarves keeps me fascinated. If ever I sought to “break out” into other colours, my building blocks are here. It’s a superb series, thank you.
The blue grey wardrobe is my favourite because I think it hangs together the best. The fabric weights and dressiness factor are all similar. In the other wardrobes, the green lace skirt and the heavier navy Birdseye LL Bean sweater are both great pieces but their weight limits them I think. The blue and grey are so pretty but it is not my own color palette. This wardrobe though makes me wish it were. All the pieces have a similar personality. There are dress up pieces and casual pieces but the fabrics are such that they can still mix really well. Great job, Janice