Archives for January 2021

January 2021

Perfect 10 Packing? Start with Art: Untitled (Acrylic #1) by Ed Clark

January 29, 2021

I've been thinking a lot about 10 garments in a Travel Capsule Wardrobe, like in the ones that I'm positing for the heroines who are managing wardrobes in 2 homes...

And I thought that maybe it was worth revisiting the Perfect 10 template that is one of my personal favorites!

Calm is still in short supply, so let's look at more calming art, eh?

Such lovely colors, and such a relaxed and stable feeling to this...

So let's imagine a heroine who has to make a 3 or 4 day trip - fairly often - but never with any sort of advanced notice. A morning phone call could mean "out the door and on the road" by lunch-time...

Thus, she keeps some things ready for this adventure, starting with a travel outfit ... View the Post

Revisiting the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe – Living in Multiple Homes

January 27, 2021

Remember these?

I've been meaning to come back to this list, and just in the last week I've received the same questions a few times:

What should I keep packed for emergencies? and

How do I split my wardrobe between 2 homes?

These are related questions, from women who are now having to maintain a business in 1 area, and do a lot of export marketing in a 2nd area, and are thus going to maintain 2 households.

First off - this is NOT glamorous. This isn't going to be like "oh, let me jet off to my home at St. Bart's for the weekend..." 2nd home.

This is more like "I can no longer just ship things from here to there, so I've got to fly (or take the train) and carry merchandise..."

This is a question ... View the Post

Start with Art: Untitled 20191210 by Takayuki Yoshida

January 25, 2021

She's dreaming of warmer weather, and she's determined to at least FEEL like spring is coming...

She starts here:

And this is her color palette - her base is going to be navy and white, but she's really interested in these accent colors!

Before she tears off into this project with blinding enthusiasm, she pauses to consider if it's realistic:

their home is always warm in the winter, she's not going to be going out much at all - wearing white pants won't be a problem because she can skip them if she needs to go out into the slush, and she can layer her chosen garments if she needs to warm up.

She starts by choosing her navy and white Common Wardrobe - the base upon which she will ... View the Post

A Plan to Control Shopping – Analyzing Your Impulses

January 22, 2021

For no good reason that I can pinpoint, I'm in the mood to shop! Maybe it's the sunshine beaming down on the lakefront that gives me this sense of optimism and cheer that translates into... buying things for myself?

Just on the face of it, that's an odd thing. I should be wanting to go out and walk for miles, or throw some snowballs, or open all of my blinds and clean our THIRTEEN big windows... (because cleaning windows is so often something one longs to do, right?)

But one of the occupational hazards of writing The Vivienne Files is seeing TONS of beautiful things, and finding that I'm still thinking of a few things long after I've moved on...

Like these beauties:

You can clearly see ... View the Post

Start with Art: A Garde-Robe du Mois based on Moonlight, Winter by Rockwell Kent

January 20, 2021

She's decided to plan a Garde-Robe du Mois, based on the clever and very useful suggestion made by Fiona Ferris in her recent book, The Chic Closet. (Fiona is VERY chic...)

She knew she wanted navy and white - they're her favorites! But beyond that, she was stumped! Something warm? Something with a bit of an organic feel, and a sense of radiance, to combat the darkness of deep mid-winter?

She scrolled through all sorts of museum websites, and art websites, and WHAP! - there it was:

The colors were obvious, if not something that was usual for her:

This is going to be a process that takes a few iterations, so she starts slowly - a small, 9-piece Common Wardrobe that includes all of her favorites - a ... View the Post

Accessories! A Garde-Robe du Mois based on a William Morris Scarf…

January 18, 2021

Remember this lovely scarf?

And this 21-piece "Garde-Robe du Mois" (Wardrobe of the Month) that started with 12 black garments, and then to which we added 3 accent garments, in 3 colors:

As great as any wardrobe might be, it will require at least a minimum of accessories - few of us can manage without something on our feet, and it's a rare woman who won't want a bag, or a pair of earrings...

So let's look at a generous sample of outfits from this wardrobe, representing both black and white outfits, and outfits that incorporate the 3 accent colors, and let's add accessories to each of them!

First up, the most classic of outfits is a perfect base for an amazing scarf. Timeless earrings and loafers ... View the Post

January 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Sophisticated Lynx

January 15, 2021

Not sophisticated like swishing around a boudoir in a silk negligee and fluffy maribou-trimmed mules! (is that really sophisticated?)

Sophisticated as in appreciating subtle things. Quiet good taste. Details that set the excellent apart from the everyday...

Stones with soft color gradients, and subtle beaded trim:

The nuances of color are deeply hidden in the stones, revealing themselves only to the attentive observer:

In cold weather, a gentle touch of rose pink is so flattering... The right earrings and mask bring a feminine touch to a classic outfit:

I almost never show vintage pieces here, because only one of you can buy it, but I could NOT resist this most perfect of ... View the Post

Start with Art: Man in a Café by Juan Gris

January 13, 2021

She was looking for a foolproof color palette; one day, she ran into this gentleman:

She is thrilled - she can see black, white, shades of grey, camel, khaki, brown, and denim blue. These colors ALL go together...

She starts small, with packing for a long weekend. She knows that her denim shirt is perfect under a black sweater and cords...

Now, how can this be foolproof?

v-neck sweaters are perfect over button-front shirts, OR on their own; button front shirts are easy 1st layers or they can be worn without something over them. Now that she has found Petite sizes that have short enough sleeves, and ample enough torsos, she's all set! and black bottoms and shoes...

So this is what she ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Summer Palms Silk Square by Echo

January 11 2021 Feeling Summery in the Winter

Yes, the weather is cool, but she can still think about palm trees and warm breezes...

So she starts with a palm-printed scarf, and isolated the colors she loves:

Let's pause for a moment to think about the math behind a really efficient Six-Pack travel capsule wardrobe:

Well, enough of THAT technical stuff!

Her long weekend away is pretty casual - mostly family activities. But she still likes to look nice, and feel like she's made an effort!

Spills are possible. (both the liquid kind and the bodily tumbling onto the ground kind!)

Some relatives keep their homes... very warm, shall we say.

She's prepared!

If 1 or even 2 garments are soiled, torn, ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: William Morris Floral Scarf from The Met Store

January 8, 2021

It was a gift, and she adored it immediately:

They had talked for a while about her interest in expanding her black and white wardrobe, and she thought that this scarf might be the perfect catalyst.

She held it for a while, and looked at it closely... Eventually, she isolated this color palette:

She doesn't plan to quit wear white, but she feels like it will be... de-emphasized in the future.

Right now, this is her Common Wardrobe. She's been quite happy with this, so far, through the cooler weather:

Since mid-October, she's been wearing these pieces and very few other things - some days she wore gym clothes, and the occasional day saw nothing but pajamas (tell me you've NEVER done that...). ... View the Post

Introducing A New Accent Color into an Established Wardrobe – The Visit by Marie Laurencin

January 6, 2021

A new year, and our heroine has decided to incorporate a new accent color into her (already pretty lovely, I'd say!) wardrobe:

If you'd like to look back at the earlier posts based upon this painting, they are:

April 29, 2020

May 8, 2020

September 11, 2020

January 4, 2021

Before she impulsively wanders off into the world of all things green, she pauses to collect and sort her current wardrobe. First up, her cardigans, dresses, and "bottoms." (I just don't love the term bottoms - someone suggest a useful alternative, please!)

Frankly, although this looks like the motherlode of grey pants, they're all very different fabrics, and at least a few different silhouettes...

Now, her ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting (AGAIN!) The Visit by Marie Laurencin

January 4, 2021

I get happy just TYPING 2021...

We've visited this lovely heroine a couple of times already, last Spring in the early days of working from home, and then later in the autumn when she had to take a road trip to sign some legal documents...

Now, she knows that she's going to be working from home for the rest of the winter (at least), and she wants to be organized. Spending time each morning thinking about what to wear is SUCH a waste of time, and she wants to stop doing it!

This is such an enigmatic painting, when you look at it - why is the woman on the wee balcony handing keys to the woman on the horse? Is she coming in to visit them? What is going on here? Can't she just get off her horse and come in? Or is she ... View the Post