The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Home » Archives for 2019 » Page 5

Archives for 2019

2019 - Page 5 of 14

Start with Art: Revisiting Persia, by Helen Frankenthaler

September 11, 2019

 

Back at the beginning of the summer, our heroine managed to finish the report to which she had dedicated 3 months of her life. Far from being chastised for her work's inadequacies, she was warmly praised, and given 2 weeks of vacation and a well-deserved bonus...

She loves this painting, and tries to use it as her guide and inspiration for her wardrobe:

The Luncheon Speaker Now, her proposals have gone corporate-wide! And she's heading to the launch luncheon at the home office to speak about her work...

The overall dress code of her company is VERY casual, but she's been advised by some of her supervisors that the home office can be dressier. Not that anybody can be specific about what that ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 11: Neutral 2nd Layer

September 9, 2019

Another Monday, and time to add something more interesting and exciting to your Weekly Timeless Wardrobe! Our heroine is adding a 2nd layer to her wardrobe... it could be printed or patterned, so long as it works beautifully with her core neutral garments.

For example, if you're working with a grey palette, with ivory as your light accent color, the above cardigan would be quite useful for you...

Your choice of 2nd layer can be as bold or as subtle as you like...

A cardigan like this is richly subtle:

If you already have a dark neutral 2nd layer, looking at your lighter neutral is worth considering!

Black and ivory always looks good...

This sweater would be great with so many ... View the Post

I Want a Different Pair of Pants…

September 6, 2019

When you focus on a color palette for your clothes and accessories, you spend money smarter, and you have a much more versatile and coherent wardrobe. But sometimes you might want something... different? Some variety? A change of pace?

I'm feeling that way these days... I'm happy wearing blue jeans, black pants, and the occasional pair of white linen shorts... but what could I add to my wardrobe that might be practical and useful?

This color is called "stone," and is a relatively cool color... So I thought about what other neutral colors could be worn easily with a pair of pants in this color...

If you already have your core sweaters, tee shirt and other pieces in your neutral colors, these pants fit in ... View the Post

September 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

September 4, 2019

My favorite post of the month! Although I love everything I give you, I must admit...

For new readers, the thesis is this: in January I choose 6 Hermes scarves from the new season, and then, for a year, I add a new outfit each month to six gradually growing and developing wardrobes. It's fascinating to see how the wardrobes evolve...

Even though the weather is still quite warm (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is!), this is honestly the time to start getting your fall and winter outfits together. The selection is best now, both for styles and sizes. And having these outfits ready for that first cold day gives you both a sense of security AND something to anticipate! (it's good to have something wonderful to ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 10: Neutral Print or Patterned Top

September 2, 2019

I'm in Pittsburgh...  I'd be a true ingrate if I didn't give a hearty shout-out to the lovely people at Crazy Mocha who let me sit in their store while I finished this post. If you see a Crazy Mocha location, patronize them!

What differentiates this top from the one you added to your wardrobe last Monday is the degree of print. I see this top as being something that makes a little bit more of a statement - a more visible stripe, or a more pronounced floral. You could stick with something subtle, if that's what you like!

This first top would be lovely for someone who wears jeans frequently...

There aren't a ton of guidelines for this purchase: stay in your color palette and your chosen ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Tom Baker’s Doctor Who Scarf!

August 30, 2019

When one of my favorite people in the whole world wants me to try something, I'm there for him! EVERY TIME!!! She's An Event Coordinator... And she's being sent to another property to supervise a Doctor Who convention. Her kids bought this for her; they thought it was hysterically funny....

She looked at the scarf for a few minutes, and then had an epiphany! She loves camel and olive, and she realized that this could work...

She bought a couple of sweaters to pick up her "new" accent colors, and found that it was indeed possible to pull together a travel capsule wardrobe using a VERY unlikely color palette...

She forced her kids to come into her room before she packed, just so they could see what ... View the Post

10 Ways to Wear Black Print Pants

August 28, 2019

 

This is actually a post in support of the usefulness of the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe! Once a heroine has those neutral pieces in hand, adding something fun like these pants is much more practical; she will have a ton of ways to wear them immediately.

What makes these pants work? A neutral background (I prefer the dark neutral here, but in hot weather a light neutral background makes sense too), the 2nd neutral included in the print, as well as one of her accent colors...

I feel like the white tee shirt (or other white top) needs something other than black for shoes, in order to balance the look of everything. You may not agree...

This is an outfit I would wear every week:

I really ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 9: Neutral Textured Top

August 26, 2019

This week's addition to our Weekly Timeless Wardrobe could be either a shirt, blouse or sweater, depending on what you feel will be most useful for you. What I envision being included in your wardrobe will be something with some texture or pattern to it - a striped tee in your neutral colors, or a cabled sweater. Maybe a neutral shirt with a small, discreet print....

These guidelines provide a reminder of what to consider when you make this purchase (or choose something from your existing wardrobe!):

A subtly patterned shirt with a background in your dark neutral is really versatile:

A sweater with a bit of depth or texture gives you something with a little bit of interest to wear with printed skirts ... View the Post

Start with Art: A Travel Capsule Wardrobe based on Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

August 23, 2019

Ah, remember this quite lavish and elegant heroine from this post, and this one?

She's a specialist in the symbolism around various saints in Gothic architecture. Very successful, very highly regarded around the world. And now, she's going to be traveling for 2 days every month to present a serious of lectures at the University of Paris. Tough work, eh?

Since the fire at Notre Dame, there's quite a bit of study being done all over Paris about every detail of the cathedral. She's essential to helping with some of the reconstruction...

Her hair is still a flawless crown of white braids; her lipstick never budges, and her fingernails are flawless... I believe that she has no idea what denim IS, and has never ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The August Fierce Ambition bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs

August 21, 2019

What rich, luscious colors; there's NOTHING Halloween-ish about this beauty!

"Can You Come For a Month?" She's wanted to volunteer for them for YEARS! Finally, their needs and her computer skills overlap perfectly! And she's taking a sabbatical from her real job to go there...

"You can stay in the dorm with the other volunteers; there's laundry there, and we manage to cobble together meals that we share..."

"There's very little storage here, so don't bring your entire wardrobe! If you're going to be in a public-facing position in the office, you need to look presentable, but nobody needs to bring a tuxedo nor a ballgown... But do be advised that the offices get pretty chilly after the beginning of ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 8: Light Neutral Shirt

August 19, 2019

Wait! Don't just skip over this because you've never had luck in the past finding button-front shirts that fit properly. They DO exist... (and of course, these outfit ideas would work beautifully with light neutral blouses or tee shirts...)

Not all that long ago, I got a job working in a bakery. It wasn't exactly the job of my dreams, but I wanted to work there for a few months so that I could learn more about how everything was done. It was fascinating...

I had to wear a long-sleeved, button-front white shirt every day. Happily, I found that Lands' End Petite sized 12 fit both my strong torso and my rather short arms. So don't give up!

I've given some thought to what you need to keep in mind when you're ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Polka Dots!

August 16, 2019

I was out and about the other day, wearing dots... And suddenly I saw them everywhere!

This isn't precisely what I was wearing, but it's sufficiently close that you could pick me out of a crowd...

Dots are great - they're truly timeless and classic, but they're sufficiently interesting and uncommon that they bring a sense of fun and whimsy to any outfit...

I particularly love the idea of a dotted dress... How can I have managed to never have one for my entire life?

I'm pretty sure I had a dotted skirt, back in the days of my corporate wardrobe. I was pretty racy... This next skirt would be great for the entire year - can you imagine this outfit for the winter holidays, with a cozy cardigan on ... View the Post