The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for 2018

2018 - Page 10 of 17

Second Phase of Building a Wardrobe, based on an Owl Photograph

May 3, 2018

So far, so good. While we only have 5 pieces of clothing in this wardrobe, with a pair of shoes, these are important first steps - these are pieces that will be worn a LOT...

While this heroine is in need of some more clothes, let's first get her at least a watch and a handbag! Well okay, a few accessories... You don't really need piles of jewelry, or dozens of scarves, to make a big difference in how your wardrobe works for you.

I've always felt that it was a safe assumption that a wardrobe should include more tops than bottoms - the tops are more visible because they're at eye-level, they're close to your face, and they are more likely to need laundering before a pair of jeans... So let's pick up a couple more ... View the Post

Start with AN OWL! Building a Wardrobe 1 Step at a Time

I haven't done this for AGES, and it always feels like something that I need to think about at the turn of seasons. Now that warm weather seems to have finally arrived in Chicago, this might be what I should do in my own closet so that I have a solid capsule wardrobe ready for the fun to come...

I will never quit believing that every woman (except those who only wear skirts and dresses) needs a good pair of pants. Nothing rarefied, nothing that has to be kept for "special" occasions - just something to wear frequently, in order to dress a notch up from jeans or (heaven forbid) leggings...

If you're really starting from scratch, the 2nd step gives you both a "suit" of sorts, and then a top that gives you a complete outfit. A ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – May 2018

May 1, 2018

Always my favorite day of the month, for The Vivienne Files! And since today (April 30th) is actually somewhat warm in Chicago, this doesn't feel like an insane outfit to bring into our capsule wardrobes!

If you haven't seen these before, the general idea is that I start the year with 6 Hermes scarves, and for each of the 12 months of the year, I choose an outfit to add to a growing capsule wardrobe. Some of them turn out really well, and others... need some year-end adjusting! But it's a fascinating process...

Let's get started; one of the things that I liked most about this scarf was the juxtaposition of the surprising yellow, green and blue against the black. Not your usual accent colors!

This wardrobe is ... View the Post

Lily of the Valley! The Birth Flower for May

April 30, 2018

Well THIS was difficult - as much as it's really easy to find lily of the valley fragrances, and lily of the valley room fragrances, finding garments or accessories with lilies of the valley is pretty difficult. (if you see something, please post a link in the comments!)

But we persevere, right!

Yes, the blouse is absurdly expensive... but the jewelry is winsomely lovely...

So how can we channel our inner "lily of the valley" when we struggle to find something that obviously and specifically shows our flower? Maybe just adding a bit of spring green to our the neutral dresses that we break out at the first hint of warm weather...

The green that you bring into an outfit can be very subtle, and the floral ... View the Post

Traveling with Children? Pack a “Whatever’s Clean 13” Wardrobe!

Let's see how this new version of The Vivienne Files works, shall we?

It's a question I hear from time to time - I'm traveling with small children, and I want to pack something bright and cheery. I also get questions about packing with printed or patterned pants, skirts and shorts - I'm going to throw that variable into this mix too!

This is a pretty bold way to start a wardrobe! But it will work, if we're intelligent and thoughtful...

First up, let's pull out our "Whatever's Clean 13" template to make sure that this plan stays on track:

It might behoove us to come up with a color scheme, before this goes completely crazy! I'm nominating navy as a neutral for this wardrobe, because navy is a great, classic neutral for ... View the Post

Exciting Stuff Coming Soon…

Well, it will be exciting when we get it all sorted out...

My brilliant consultants at RockFort Media are moving The Vivienne Files off of Google Blogger, and onto Wordpress.

I know, that means virtually nothing to most of you - I'm not really quite sure what's going to happen either. But I do know that The Vivienne Files will be prettier, and a little bit easier to search through, and that moving away from Google makes me look like a real grown-up blogger in the eyes of the big sponsors and advertisers.

So things will be nicer for you, and a better business for me. After I make it up the learning curve, it's going to be wonderful. (I keep telling myself that...)

For the next few days, there won't be any new blog posts, at all. ... View the Post

Travel – All Kinds of Random Thoughts…

April 18, 2018 I'm back from Limerick, and my friend has his gold medal in hand! That, in and of itself, makes the trip an unqualified success, because it's the perfect, desired outcome...But as is my way, I was thinking of you all, and trying to observe things that I thought would be useful or interesting for you. Of course I was!

The above photo notwithstanding, Limerick's not the most scenic city in Ireland, but it could easily be the friendliest, or the most fun... I can highly recommend:

Squire McGuire's pub, where I had about the very best pub night humanly possible - singing, dancing, drinking, hugging total strangers...

The Locke Bar, where I had what might be the very best hamburger I've ever devoured in my ... View the Post

Instruments de Musique by Picasso, Revisiting for Spring 2018

    She still doesn't really fit in... Back in January, when she went to visit a client with a number of co-workers, her uniqueness worked to her benefit... Maybe because she's inspired by this Picasso painting, it's not surprising that she's a bit of a square peg!  

This is what she packed for that very successful adventure:

Now, she's been chosen to go meet the client with whom they have the most problems. Recurring, SERIOUS problems... She's ready! For the first meeting, with management, she's making things clear, in black and white!

After the first day, she's going to tone it down a notch or two, and use a softer approach when she's meeting with the staff.

She knows that it's breaking the ... View the Post

Dame au Chapeau by Natalia S. Gontcharova Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 17, 2018

She's not a quiet, retiring type. She doesn't meant to be conspicuous, but it just seems to be her way! Maybe because she takes her style cues from this painting?

 

The last time the traveled - just after the winter holidays - she packed a simple, but eye-catching, travel capsule wardrobe:

She's off for a weekend symposium.... She's not presenting, so she plans to just sit back and listen...

She's packing what she considers to be the bare minimum for the weekend:

She loves the way that her wardrobe reflects her personal tastes; it's not something everyone would enjoy, but it gives her endless pleasure, and occasional real delight!

 

She loves the options of wearing a suit, or ... View the Post

Passion Flower with Hummingbirds by Martin Johnson Heade, Revisiting for Spring 2018

April 16, 2018   Our heroine is quiet. Subtle, but not without interest, and great depths...She draws her personal style inspiration from this moody, but beautiful, painting:

 

  She traveled back in January with a warm, simple, but at the same complex wardrobe. That sounds silly, and like an oxymoron, but there's more going on here than will meet the casual, careless eye...

She's traveling again, with a wardrobe that looks uncomplicated, but which includes 2 neutrals and 3 accent colors...

The key here is that all of her accent colors will work equally well with olive green or deepest charcoal grey...

 

It's such an eclectic, but harmonious, little capsule ... View the Post

Fonds Marins by Lee Ungno, Revisiting for Spring 2018

  April 13, 2018   She's an iconoclast - it's safe to assume that you don't know anybody with a wardrobe with color combinations like this! But she's happy, and we need to remember that happiness is a BIG factor when we choose what we wear...This is her dream painting:  

She took a quick trip just after the winter holidays, for which she packed this most unlikely but lovely Tote Bag Travel capsule wardrobe:

She's on the road again, for another quick jaunt... Sometimes she's driving to see the World's Largest Ball of Twine, or maybe there's something very important and moving at the Art Institute of Chicago that she wants to see, so she jumps on the train...

Now that she punches nobody's time clock, she ... View the Post

Study in Verticals by Frantisek Kupka – Revisiting for Spring 2018

She likes facets... and doing difficult, serious work that requires her to be multi-faceted. So it's no surprise that her personal style guideline is this:

She's still wrapping up all of the documentation from a taxing negotiation from back in January... It was fully of drama - slammed doors, pounded fists, raised voices, and all sorts of threats to quit, or to fire people.... At least her travel wardrobe was under control - nothing else was!

She's now taking off just a few days, to sit under the trees, near the beach, and listen to the ocean...

 

She's sticking with dresses. It's how she feels most comfortable! And she's keeping things simple - she's had quite enough complexity in her life ... View the Post