Archives for September 2020

September 2020

Start with Art: Church Tower in Zeeland by Piet Mondrian

September 30, 2020 Can You do the Tours?

That would be the tours of the cathedral, that are a part of the upcoming anniversary celebration... Since she's both an architect and an architectural historian, the tours would be simple for her - delightful, in fact...

And frankly, she's been looking for a good opportunity to spend a weekend there, because she has a MAD crush on the Choir Director...

They're both single. They're close in age, and have a LOT in common. This is going to be her opportunity to get know this amazing person better, and see if there's anything there...

Thus, her travel capsule wardrobe is a festival of feminine touches!

One day the tour will be the crypts, so warm pants are essential. One ... View the Post

Start with Art: The Dark Lady by Anna Katrina Zinkeisen

September 28, 2020

Oh MY...

Her bow inspires me...

She Just LOOKS Serious... She always has, even as a child. She wasn't a sober child, really. But her resting face was always pensive...

But she wisely took a positive aspect from this impression that she left - she could dress in practical, gorgeous dark colors - they suited both her coloring and her demeanor!

Thus, when she was forced into the head office for a couple of days of 1st quarter 2021 planning (a woman can dream!), she has no trouble packing:

yes, some of this will look very familiar, but quite different when different colors are involved!

These meetings aren't overwhelmingly dressy, but it's always smart to be prepared for the lovely dinner to ... View the Post

Start with Art: Untitled by Svenja Deininger

September 25, 2020

Another wonderful artist...

Pulled in SO MANY Directions... It's what life has been, for quite a while. But she has a chance to get away for just a few days - it's her turn to go take anything she wants from her great-aunt's home...

She has always allowed herself just a little bit of "all for her" in her life, and in her wardrobe. A wise, careful woman can do great things with a black, camel and cream wardrobe, of course.

But someone who needs to express herself, just a wee bit, is going to grab an occasional accent color!

This isn't going to be a case of rummaging through dusty stacks of worthless debris... her great-aunt had some amazing costume jewelry, beautiful scarves, and some books that ... View the Post

Start with Art: pink mineral by Elizabeth Magill

September 23, 2020

Oh my, did I find a new artist for us!

You're Going to WHAT??? Yes, she's going to the Oil Industry Convention thing... She's a mineralogist, but her big specialty is showing the damage that's done by fracking...

These guys, and they ARE mostly guys, don't love her...

Still, it's her responsibility to try to find a little bit of headway, an occasional conversation, that will keep environmental concerns visible in this crowd. It's not easy!

So she takes the soft power route...

Yes, her scarf is a breast cancer fund-raising item...

Happily, she only needs to dress up just a wee bit, for the dinner the last evening. The other 2 days are seminars, and LOTS of meeting and greeting types of ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Start with Art: White Peacock & Blue Delphinium by Jessie Arms Botke

September 21, 2020

I found this painting last week when my arms were killing me - I thought I'd find some whimsical painting that had lots of ARMS in it...

But this artist's middle name came up in my search!

What good luck is that? I'm Wearing White ALL Weekend...

The possible color combinations are many - I could easily have looked at that intense green at the top, or the deep brown of the branch...

But this particular heroine is being rebelliously dressy, so this is her palette:

They're all driving in from all around the region for the 100th anniversary of the Aviary. Her great-grandparents founded it, and it's still going strong!

There won't be any big festivities - just a special weekend for visitors, and a ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – Sapphire Skies by Fierce Lynx Designs

September 18, 2020 Cool Weather = Clear Skies! "Hey - what are you doing this weekend? You know the temperature is supposed to drop a ton, and the skies are supposed to be crystal clear..."

well, she was going to do laundry, and read, and nap...

"I'm going to drive up to the observatory Friday evening - if you come with, you can watch for meteor showers while I'm photographing that dying star I found..."

i.e. you can sit out where it's cold, and keep your head on a swivel watching for something - anything - happening in the skies...

"I want to publish anything that we can find about this "stray" meteor shower that we thought we saw; you are going to co-author this with me, aren't you?"

they've been published ... View the Post

Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Ophelia Among the Flowers by Odilon Redon

September 17, 2020

One last visit to this most wonderful of paintings (unless someone reminds me to look at it again next Spring!), to add some accessories to our Shakespeare expert's travel wardrobe:

To refresh our collective memories, this is the wardrobe on which she settled:

Of course she already has some accessories - but not nearly enough!

She's pretty methodical about choosing more accessories - she works her way through a handful of representative outfits from her wardrobe, and adds accessories that feel right for that outfit, as well as maybe some other outfits from her travel plan.

First up, she really REALLY wants to wear pink earrings, and she realizes that she's long overdue for getting her sunglasses ... View the Post

Just a Wee Delay…

September 16, 2020

Yes, I'm supposed to have that great accessories post here, to add some pretty goodies to that Ophelia Among the Flower by Odilon Redon wardrobe....

But when I woke up this morning, my arms - from my elbows to my shoulders - are amazingly sore. Like someone took my triceps and set them on fire. Delightful.

So I will get the accessories ready for us for tomorrow, and in the meantime I'll leave you to ponder this gorgeous thing:

I suspect that we might have to have quite a bit of wardrobe and accessory fun with this painting, eh?

love,

Janice

P.S. YOU MUST VISIT THIS BLOG!!!! This lovely reader of The Vivienne Files occasionally pulls together her own wardrobes into her version of what's ... View the Post

Start with Art: Expanding on a Wardrobe based on Ophelia Among the Flowers by Odilon Redon

September 14, 2020 Well, THIS is Interesting.... She went to Cambridge, met with the lead actors, sat with them through a read-through of the entirety of Hamlet. It was great fun - she loved the people and the setting and their whole approach.

She thought it was finished when she got back in her car and left Cambridge...

Remember, this is the painting that she's using as her inspiration:

When she packed for her initial visit, it wasn't too tough; wear 1 3-piece outfit, pack 2 more 3-piece outfits that go with each other, as well as what you wear while traveling. In theory, you could have as many as 36 outfits...

WELL... The director has an ill family member, and now must quarantine. And now our heroine has been invited ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting The Visit by Marie Laurencin

September 11, 2020 The Documents MUST Be Signed in Person...

Oh RATS. It's only a couple of hours to drive to their offices, but she's NOT going to make the trip there and back in 1 day!

So she makes her plan - she'll go for a couple of days, and take care of a few other small shopping errands that have been delayed for the last six months!

She finds a LOVELY hotel room, at a screaming discount. The night before her meeting, she drives down...

A quiet dinner near the hotel, unpacking, and reading for a bit fills her evening...

With all of the disruption to her life right now, having a travel capsule wardrobe that's so harmonious gives her a little bit of comfort:

She's on the fence ... View the Post

Start with Art: Ophelia Among the Flowers by Odilon Redon

September 9, 2020

FULL Academic Professional Mode

Dear Heroine,

This might seems like a very forward email, but since you are such an expert on Hamlet, I thought that I would ask for your assistance in preparing our community theater for OUR upcoming production of Shakespeare's greatest play...

oh great heavens...

If you could come up to Cambridge for the weekend, we would be delighted to offer you the finest accommodations, and excellent dining. In return, we would like for you to sit through a read-through of the play with us and give us your advice and insights.

oh great grief, this could be SO MUCH FUN...

Please note that all of our meetings are being held outdoors, as will our performance. COVID ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Butterfly Wings from Echo

September 7 2020 Pollinators! Yes, people who study pollinators have conferences - EVERYBODY who studies almost anything has a conference most years! And she's going to this one...

Her travel capsule wardrobe is going to be based on this beauty:

Most of her colleagues study bees - and rightly so - but her specialty is butterflies! And so she's going to wear her scarf often, building a wardrobe around these colors:

For no good reason she can think of, she's going to wear her white jeans to get there. She's not worried... She's more thrilled with her new blazer, and matching earrings:

Weather reports for her destination are all OVER the place, so she's going to take her black shirt with her, so she can wear it under ... View the Post