The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Accessorizing Archives - Page 6 of 22

How do You Choose a Scarf?

July 14, 2020

Why look at this! One of our very favorite scarf companies has new scarves! Some days we deserve a treat....

I strongly encourage you to click on the link above and check out all of the scarves that I DIDN'T include here...

Why do I do these posts all the time? Well, I think they're pretty, and I think that when you scroll through them and find your eye (and maybe your heart) caught by something, you might be able to learn something about your tastes and preferences...

There are SO MANY things to buy in the world; it's smart to really learn about and commit ourselves to the things that really make our souls sing!

Wouldn't this be pretty with white linen pants, or a white skirt?

I think you understand ... View the Post

Adding Accessories: Portrait of the Countess de Martel de Janville by Boldini

July 7, 2020

Our heroine needs to go shopping, again!

After she picked up a few more garments, she was left with just the accessories with which she had traveled. This isn't a bad bunch of pretty things, but she might want a few more things:

She sorted her wardrobe out into a number of outfits, and then decided to very methodically get accessories for each outfit in turn.

To start, she went completely off the rails for a pair of earrings that she could NOT resist:

Well THAT was fun! The next day was quite warm, and she realized that she wanted a good hat!

Masks! Even in a city that's beginning to reopen after the quarantine, one still needs a mask. She decides that she might as well get a few that look good ... View the Post

Adding Accessories: Coastal Image by Theo van Rysselberghe

May 22, 2020

Since we're having so much fun with accessories (oh yesterday was AWESOME...), I thought I'd go back and take a look at this beauty; it couldn't be more different from yesterday's wardrobe:

For me personally, I'd need another pair of shorts or 2, and maybe a dress? But this is so pretty, I think I'd manage!

Let's look at a stack of outfits to see what might be either useful or decorative! First up, sandals, earrings and the "always important for summer" tote bag:

I seldom show belts, but a simple gold belt would be lovely with so many of these outfits:

For those of us dealing with hair that's a bit over-grown, a gorgeous barrette is unmissable:

I love the endless softness of pale yellow and ... View the Post

Adding Accessories: Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

May 21, 2020

Let's look back for just a second at our saints, and appreciate the choice and balance of colors. There's a reason that I like to start with paintings - the artists put a LOT of thought into every choice, and we can learn from this...

And let's take a look at her wardrobe:

Our heroine is a BIG fan of accessories, so she assembles a dozen outfits and accessorizes them! She limits herself to 6 pairs of shoes, but otherwise the sky's the limit:

She realizes that she might not need a handbag all the time, but it wouldn't do to be unprepared if she finds that she has to step out!

Note that when she chooses shoes to wear with her onyx jewelry, she finds some mules with teeny round perforations, and wee ... View the Post

Adding Accessories: A Work Wardrobe in Navy, Plum, Teal and Lavender

May 15, 2020

Our heroine from a couple of days ago now has a good work wardrobe for her needs - not terribly dressy, but still serious enough that she will stand out from her former co-workers. If you're in an environment where people wear jeans and very casual clothes for work, it doesn't take a lot to stand out!

My system, such as it is, for most wardrobes, is to assemble a half-dozen outfits, trying to include all of the "bottoms" and as many of the tops as possible. I of course try to include all of the colors, and as broad a range of dressiness as makes sense for the heroine in question.

I'm sure I miss something this way, but I'm still looking for a better approach! Any suggestions?

First, let's start with a serious ... View the Post

Accessories! Start with Art – The Visit by Marie Laurencin

May 8 2020

I couldn't resist coming back to this painting, and to the wardrobe based on these colors!

First, let's look back at the spring wardrobe with a core of grey and white garments, and then a few accents in blue and pink (including that blue cardigan that keeps catching my eye!):

I'm looking for accessories that are somewhat "soft" in feel, to compliment the softness of the colors here, and also for things that will look good with more than one outfit...

For our blue dress, I wanted a scarf that our heroine could wear around her shoulders (although of course she has her white cardigan that will be perfect for that!), and some earrings that also were organic in theme. Silver sandals will be useful with pretty much ... View the Post

Accessories! Start with Art: Resting by Paul Klee

April 30, 2020

This heroine knows full well the degree to which the right accessories can make a TON of difference in an outfit! First up, she's starting with this compelling painting, and lovely color palette:

Our heroine is starting with this most wonderful wardrobe in soft colors and timeless styles:

She knows that she's going to want to wear very simple monochromatic outfits sometimes, and that on other occasions she's going to break out her accent colors. Her plan, then, is to pull together some representative outfits, and accessorize each of them...

All accessories do NOT have to be neutral - blue suede shoes tell you what you're going to be humming all day!

She wants to be able to look pretty in a dress ... View the Post

Planning Accessories for a Travel Capsule Wardrobe, in Black and Pink

April 21, 2020

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you one of my favorite blog posts from a few years ago, and then my revision of it in my current favorite colors. I think this an exercise that a lot of you engage in frequent, since there's no way that the wardrobes that I post here will ALWAYS be your favorite colors!

But I didn't include many accessories - I just accessorized the initial travel outfit, but nothing else. THAT won't do...

We started here, with a travel outfit in which I could live for quite a while:

And these are the 10 garments that I chose to pack; at the time I said that I wasn't sure if I was packing for Paris or Dublin (or maybe New York?)...

My best plan (so far) for making certain that I pack ... View the Post

Dressing for the Winter Holidays – Festive but not Foolish

November 15, 2019

 

It's an indelible memory: a corporate holiday party, back in the 80's. Most of the women were wearing those silk jacquard dresses that were so easy to find back then. (mine was red, with a dropped waist, and a big bow on my left hip, at the dropped waist; the skirt was a bit flared below the dropped waist, so that it moved when I danced. And THE SHOULDER PADS were a thing of wonder...)

One women showed up in strapless sequins. Oh my. I felt bad for her...

Since then, dressing for holiday events has been stressful for me; I've always been frightened that I would make that kind of "career limiting move," or otherwise just not fit in.

So let's be sensible, and intelligent in this planning, eh? Since many ... View the Post

How Do I Know I Have Enough Accessories? Revisiting Double Vision 1974 by Edwina Sandys

September 20, 2019

It's one thing to get a good work wardrobe sorted out (as we did for our heroine on Wednesday), but how do you know that you've got the accessories that you need, and moreover want?

Let's remember our source of inspiration...

Our heroine's going to have to go back to work in her office, after years of being able to work from her home 95% of the time. She's got her clothes sorted, but she's not sure about her accessories...

So she pulls together 5 outfits - 1 for each bottom in her work capsule wardrobe - and then determines what accessories she would wear with each outfit.

First up, she knows that she will be wearing her black pants a lot...

And she knows that her tan pants will be important, so ... View the Post

Do You Have a Really GOOD Inventory?

May 17, 2019

About 20 years ago, someone broke into my apartment. Literally. Bashed out the doorknob, and opened the lock...

That was all fine - I'm not attached to my possessions (I tell myself.) But when I went to collect on my renter's insurance, I found that I was NOT appropriately prepared. If I didn't have a receipt, or at least a photograph of the item in question (mostly jewelry), the insurance company wasn't at all convinced that my lovely things ever existed. THAT was a rude shock...

alert - seemingly random change of subject coming up...

And why do we keep buying things that we don't need? Is it simply because they look so doggone good that we are tempted, and that's all it takes?

So what if we found a way to make ... View the Post

Start with Art: From the Lake by Georgia O’Keeffe

March 9, 2019

Planning a wardrobe with mostly neutrals doesn't mean that your wardrobe will be predictable...

Let's start with this most wonderful painting:

It's pretty simple - we can start with the same neutral clothes that we used a few days ago...

Ah, but the accent pieces are quite different. One of the neat things here is that this heroine could have 5 neutrals... the brown and the grey would both be excellent secondary wardrobe neutrals, don't you think?

This wardrobe feels very different to me than the earlier version with bright accents:

I've kept the silver earrings, and then added in brown and aqua...

Same with the bracelets - her neutrals are still perfect for her wardrobe, but ... View the Post