Capsule Wardrobe Plans Archives - Page 57 of 58

The shopping fast: Month 1

Above illustrates EVERYTHING I wore in the month of September 2011. A pretty modest assortment, but I have a few extenuating circumstances which kept this a pretty small collection.

Foremost, I don't have a job, so I'm not getting up every morning putting on "grown-up" clothes to go out and play with the adults of the world.

I spent a great deal of time wearing gym clothes; if I knew that I wasn't going out, and that I absolutely HAD to go to the gym (uh, that's every day!), I would put on my workout clothes immediately after my shower in the morning. The other people in my (very large) building are accustomed to seeing me in these clothes.

Having stacks of sweaty gym clothes around ... View the Post

Back to the roots of The Vivienne Files: Transition

Way back when, Vivienne assured me that she was not always going to have a wardrobe of black, white and red garments - she fully intended, as her hair turned gray, and her skin tones softened, to transition to gray, rose, and cream.

This is how I envision than transition...

Her original wardrobe, as we pictured it here, is this:

The first thing I could picture would be a feeling of discomfort with bright red. Not every day, but just a sense that these garments were moving to the back of the closet... so they move out and a beautiful rose pink takes its place.

The strongly contrasted black and white pieces would next make way for more muted items...

Black garments worn ... View the Post

not so crazy eights: the greens

Jacket – M Missoni, Cardigan – Ralph Lauren Black Label, Long-sleeved shirt – Elizabeth and James, Tee shirt – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Dress – Maxmara S Max, Sweater – Ralph Lauren Black Label, Pants – Malena Birger, Skirt – J. Crew

1. Flats - Clarks, Scarf – Hermès, bag – Rag and Bone

2. Boots - Tretorn, scarf – Missoni, hat - Borsalino

3. Ballet flats - Balenciaga, necklace – Andara, earrings – Coralie Leets

4. Boots - Koolaburra, ring – Blu Bijoux, bracelet – Balenciaga

5. Pumps - Born, scarf – Hermès, bag – Yves Saint Laurent

6. Canvas shoes - Keds, Labradorite earrings – JCPenney, necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane

7. Flats – French Sole, brooch – ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: the blues

Cardigan jacket – M Missoni, Cardigan – Fat Face,

Long-sleeved shirt – Organic by John Patrick, tank – Topshop, Dress – Peacocks.co.uk,

Sweater – Rag & Bone, Pants – Levi’s, Skirt – Stella McCartney

1. Shoes – Pas de Rouge, Scarf – Dennis Colomb, bag – Coach 2. Brogues – Robert Clergerie, necklace – Francoise Iberl, earrings - Mawi

3. Boots - Wetseal, scarf – Reiss, sunglasses - Fendi 4. Moccasins – Tod’s, ring – Swarovski, bracelet – Alexis Bittar

5. Flats – Chloe , scarf – Liberty of London, bag – Mulberry

6. Penny loafers – Fratelli Rossetti, Labradorite earrings – Monica Vinader, necklace – Citrine by the ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: Taupe

1. Pumps – Gianvito Rossi, Scarf – Hermès, bag – Marc by Marc Jacobs

2. Loafers - Topshop, necklace – Alexis Bittar, earrings – Fantasy Jewelry Box

3. Pumps – Jones New York, scarf –Kelly Wearstler, brooch – Alexis Bittar

4. Oxfords – Robert Clergerie, ring – Alexis Bittar, bracelet – Alexis Bittar

5. Pumps – Peter Kaiser, scarf – Hermès, bag – 3.1 Phillip Lim

6. Flats – Tod’s, earrings – Alexis Bittar, necklace – John Lewis

7. Pumps – Cole Haan, scarf – Kelly Wearstler, bracelet – Jensen-Conroy

8. Ballet flats - Hermes, brooch – Zina, ring – John Hardy

9. Boots - Lanvin, scarf – Hermès, bag – Anya Hindmarch

10. Shoes – ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: Warm Brown

Unquestionably the hardest eight garments to find - if you love this color, you should ALWAYS be on the lookout for these rare gems. But you get all of the most GORGEOUS accessories! And the scarcity just makes your personal style all the more precious...

Jacket – Vince, Cardigan – Closed, Long-sleeved shirt – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Tee shirt – Michael Stars, Dress – Michael by Michael Kors, Sweater – Closed, Pants – Michael Kors, Skirt – Alberta Ferretti

1. Pumps – Stuart Weitzman, Scarf – Hermès, bag – Vanessa Bruno

2. Brogues – Novacas, necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane, earrings – Peggy Li

3. Pumps – Sergio Rossi, scarf –Paul Smith, brooch – Fantasy Jewelry ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: the bonus add-ons for Navy and Gray

Green shirt – J. Crew, Cherry red cardigan – Miu Miu, White tee shirt – Vince, Navy, cream & gray striped top – Narciso Rodriguez, Square scarves – Hermès, Navy multi scarf - Missoni

Now, I'm assuming with some confidence that you've already realized that if you owned the two eight-piece wardrobes from the last 2 days, you would find that there were dozens of ways that just those 16 pieces could be combined, a la the Winter White and Camel from a couple of weeks ago.So these four pieces are a bonus - these would bring your wardrobe up to the 20 piece "French Chic" wardrobe (minus the 3 pieces of outerwear). The possibilities multiply geometrically when you put these four pieces in the mix! ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: Gray

Jacket – DKNY , Cardigan – The Row, Long-sleeved shirt – Chinti and Parker, Tee shirt – DKNY, Dress – L’Agence, Sweater – Pringle of Scotland, Pants – Michael Kors, Skirt – Lanvin

1. Pumps – Miu Miu, Scarf – Hermès, bag – Sissi Rossi 2. Brogues – Robert Clergerie, necklace – Francoise Iberl, square stud earrings - Meadowlard 3. Pumps – Jimmy Choo, scarf – Liberty of London, flower brooch – Judith Jack 4. Flats – Giuseppe Zanotti, ring – Alexis Bittar, bracelet – Alexis Bittar

5. Flats – Stuart Weitzman, scarf – Hermès, bag – Dolce & Gabbana 6. Flats – G by GUESS, Labradorite earrings – Monica Vinader, necklace – Citrine by the ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: Navy

Jacket – Alexander McQueen , Cardigan – Tibi, Long-sleeved shirt – Rag & Bone, Tee shirt – Kain, Dress – Alexander McQueen, Sweater – Burberry, Pants – Alexander McQueen, Skirt – Alexander McQueen

1. Pumps – Pierre Hardy, Scarf – Hermès, bag – Coach

2. Brogues – Robert Clergerie, necklace – Swarovski, square stud earrings - Meadowlard

3. Pumps – Jimmy Choo, scarf –Modcloth, flower brooch – Judith Jack

4. Flats – Giuseppe Zanotti, ring – Alexis Bittar, bracelet – Roberto Di Castro

5. Flats – Stuart Weitzman, scarf – Hermès, clutch – Alexander Wang

6. Flats – G by GUESS, earrings – Mikimoto, necklace ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: Casual winter wardrobe in Black

Jacket – Barbour, Cardigan – Sonia Rykiel, Turtleneck – John Smedley, Tee shirt – Proenza Schouler, Jeans - Wranglers, Sweater – Bottega Veneta, Pants – Calvin Klein, Skirt – Ralph Lauren

Lest anybody assume that the eight-piece core wardrobe is only for a dressy office environment, I offer up a core wardrobe that is pretty much my standard uniform through the winter. To this mix you can toss in an argyle cardigan, a couple of white tee shirts, and a black and white striped sweater, and that covers me (literally) for anything outside of work except the most extraordinarily dressy dinners. Enjoy!

1. Boots - Nordstrom, Scarf – Pucci, tote bag - Missoni

2. Brogues – ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: Ivory

Jacket – Christopher Lemaire , Cardigan – Unger-Fashion, Long-sleeved shirt – Alexander McQueen, Tee shirt – Warehouse.co.uk, Dress – Maxmara Studio, Sweater – Bally, Pants – 3.1 Philip Lim, Skirt – Kelly Ewing

1. Pumps – Stuart Weitzman, Scarf – Hermès, bag - Fendi 2. Brogues – Dorothy Perkins, necklace – Kate Spade, earrings – Kate space 3. Pumps – Rupert Sanderson, scarf – Robindira, bee brooch – Kenneth Jay Lane 4. Flats – Melissa, ring – Lola Rose, bracelet – R. J. Graziano

5. Flats – Henry cuir, scarf – Hermès, bag – Gucci 6. Flats – Church’s, earrings – YlKara Ross, brooch – 1928 7. Slingbacks – Stella McCartney, scarf – ... View the Post

Not so crazy eights: Camel

Jacket – Miu Miu , Cardigan – Paul & Joe, Long-sleeved shirt – L’Agence, Tee shirt – Ralph Lauren, Dress – The Row, Sweater – Ralph Lauren Black Label, Pants – Miu Miu, Skirt – Miu Miu

I know that nobody can go out and buy twenty new items of clothing, so I've been trying to think of how someone would begin the process of building a curated, distilled wardrobe. Of course, it really has to start with some serious thinking! But once you've chosen a core color from which to work, you could certain do worse than carefully acquiring a basis of eight garments upon which to build. This is how I see it taking shape...

1. Pumps – Kate Spade, Scarf – Hermès, bag - ... View the Post