The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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May 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 1

May 1, 2024

"It's May, it's May, the lusty month of May..."

Well, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, unless you live in Camelot!

But we've got beautiful things to admire and consider, and we have each other - what else do we need? (yes, we could make a list...)

First up, this most lovely of paintings, which gave us a most unusual color palette:

This is her wardrobe at the end of April - I'm mostly struck by the small number of light blue items, and a little bit concerned that she still only has one 2nd layer in her only neutral...

So we went looking:

Seriously, could there be a better scarf?

Now, our heroine's wardrobe looks more "strongly beige" - a phrase which may never before have existed. ... View the Post

Love Neutrals? Start with a Scarf – The Laura Ridloff Silk Scarf By Echo

April 29, 2024

It's perfect, she thought... Just what she needed to focus her summer city packing...

The brown in her new scarf is actually sepia, but she knows better than to try to spend the rest of the summer looking for sepia clothes! So she accepts that her favorite brown is going to be pretty close - certainly close enough! - and she has her color palette ready!

Next, she just start taking things out of her closet, and assembling outfits that fit the palette and the scarf. Some outfits are perfect for travel, others for the occasional business meeting, and some are flat-out casual!

Although she won't be doing a lot of business "stuff," she still likes to always include a dress - you never know when you'll be ... View the Post

Eight Outfit Ideas, based on the Christiane Lemieux Echo 100 Limited Edition scarf

April 22, 2024

She loves neutrals - ALL the neutrals. When she saw this scarf, she distinctly heard it calling her name. (don't tell anyone - they'll think she's daft!)

But yes, this sometimes happens...

She admired the scarf extensively, and studied the colors for quite a while, too...

Her first thought was how lovely this scarf would look with her favorite summer dress - perfect for those days when she can't get out of going to her office:

Weekends? This scarf is just the right touch with a classic black and gray outfit:

Another outfit that could go to work or out for any sort of activity with friends - the scarf breaks up the severe monochromatic outfit perfectly:

But should she bust out? She's ... View the Post

Committed to Neutrals? Start with a Scarf – The Saïdou Dicko Silk Scarf By Echo

April 8, 2024

A new scarf! And a stunning one...

One certainly could include the vivid red and gold in a color palette too, if one was inclined... but I'm going to focus on the beautiful blue:

Today's heroine is quite committed to wearing black and white, and ONLY black and white. It's her thing, and it makes it possible for her to buy the very nicest clothes she can afford.

Also, it opens the door for her to own all kinds of accessory families, in all kinds of colors. Imagine gold, silver, bright red, soft pink...

So she's planning outfits for a summer trip around her new and cherished scarf - they look like this:

I suspect this might be her travel outfit...

So all of her chosen items, ... View the Post

Part 2 – Do You Need Accents? Or Neutrals? 6 Paintings, 12 Months April 2024

April 5, 2024

The second half - I hope you like them as much as you did the first three wardrobes!

First is this subtle, somewhat muted painting...

At the end of March, our heroine didn't have much for olive in her wardrobe! This is excusable though, because she had had some good luck finding the camel that's so predominant in this painting. Sometimes, you add what you an find to your wardrobe, and wait for other things to become available...

So she shopped mostly for green:

Just these three new green garments bring a new balance to her wardrobe, with almost equal distribution among beige, green and black. If she ever runs into a lode of rust, she's going to go a wee bit nuts!

She's quite excited by the ... View the Post

Part 1 – Do You Need Accents? Or Neutrals? 6 Paintings, 12 Months April 2024

April 3, 2024

Back again with one of my favorite posts of each month! Our heroines diverge this month on what they want/need in their wardrobes, which is to be expected. Many of us can share the same core of classic garments, but we're still going to assemble our very personal wardrobes in a specific order...

Our first heroine feels like she needs to add some navy and white to her wardrobe. As we enter April, with 16 garments, only 37.5% of her clothes are her accent color - that might not be a troubling ration for many of us. But she's ready for more neutrals!

Let's pause for just a second to enjoy her favorite painting:

This is her wardrobe at the end of March; yes, there's certainly quite a lot of bright blue ... View the Post

Weekend at the Beach? Start with a Scarf – The Eva Noblezada scarf by Echo

April 1, 2024

I'm going to start on the "Six Paintings - 12 Months" wardrobes on Wednesday; it may take me three posts to get them all done!

Today, our heroine is going to the beach for the weekend. You might be surprised, if you don't live near a big lake or the ocean, how many people head out 3 out of 4 weekends to hang out beside some water...

Our heroine saw this scarf and knew immediately that this was going to be a favorite:

Black and white are always her core neutrals, but this summer she's looking for accents in green and pink!

yes, she could certainly use blue also - I didn't find any of the right shade of blue that really felt worked...

For the trip up there (it's always "up" no matter what direction ... View the Post

March 2024 Start with a Bracelet – Sunny Lynx Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

March 29, 2024

She's pretty happy... she needs an entirely new warm weather wardrobe!

And she's starting with this as her inspiration:

She knew all along that she wanted navy and bone to be her neutrals, and when she saw these bracelets, she realized that orange would be an AMAZING accent color.... You don't see it every day!

She's a sensible woman - she started with her neutral colors, making certain that she included shorts, a pair of pants, and a skirt...

Here's where the fun started - sort of! Orange isn't the easiest color in the world to find! But she managed...

yes, I'm working with this computer ON MY LAP in a room at a skilled nursing facility... I owe Alison at Fierce Lynx Designs a big apology, ... View the Post

A Surprise Very Special Trip? Start with a Scarf – the Ngoc Minh Ngo scarf by Echo

March 27, 2024

It was love at first sight, for the scarf...

And it had been love at first sight for her when she saw her sweetheart, too...

Over breakfast...

"I learned the oddest thing the other day..."

she's still a little bit sleepy...

"What was that?"

"Remember that weird guy at the beach bar - the one we liked so much? Well, he's qualified to officiate over weddings!"

she's gobsmacked that this guy is qualified to do much of anything except tell amazing stories, and make time fly because he's so entertaining...

"Well, I wasn't expecting THAT..."

"Why don't we run up this weekend and get married?"

okay, she's awake now!

"After all these years? Are you sure?"

we shall draw a discreet curtain ... View the Post

A Happy Occasion? Start with a Scarf – The Olaf Hajek silk scarf by Echo

March 25, 2024

Sometimes, something is just cheerful...

She's going away for a long weekend for a VERY happy occasion; she knows that she will want to wear her favorite bright accents, so she starts with her new favorite scarf!

As with so many trips we take to attend an event, we're never quite sure what we should wear! But if we travel with love and a good heart, everything will work out...

Our heroine likes to wear navy with her bright accents, so her travel outfit falls into place with a bit of fun and a great deal of comfort:

Since she's not certain of what the level of dressy is going to be, she provides herself with a wide range of options - a dressy dress, a more classic dress to dress up or down, and ... View the Post

Looking for Unique Accent Colors? Start With a Scarf – Emiliano Ponzi Scarf by Echo

March 15, 2024

Some of us like lots of colors in our wardrobe. And sometimes, we're looking for an inspiration for a new accent color (or two...)

How about this clever and beautiful scarf for some inspiration?

Let's assume that our heroine wears black as one of her neutrals, and is interested in adding at least a couple of new things to her warm-weather wardrobe in black. She then has three really "off the beaten path" accent colors from which to choose!

Most of us can stand to replace summer pants every few years, and a nice cardigan is never a bad choice. But this year, instead of a black & white striped tee, how about butter yellow?

For some of us, this dress might feel short - others might find it just ... View the Post

A Big Multi-Destination Trip? Start with a Scarf – Michela Picchi scarf by Echo

March 13, 2024

One of you has a BIG trip coming up - a week in New York, and then a yacht cruise!

WHERE TO START?

For me, I'm thinking that a color palette is a good place to start...

I'm particularly drawn to this scarf for this particular trip, because it includes the black that seems almost obligatory for New York (although I can assure you that it really isn't...), and then includes white for the cruise. Although, of course, this heroine is going to be able to wear ALL of her colors at both destinations.

The turquoise is perfect for this time of year, as is the yellow. This really could be the ideal color palette!

First up, let me state that for a trip this varied and this long, I assume laundry. At least once. ... View the Post