Start a Capsule Wardrobe With Archives - Page 108 of 128

More Wardrobe Leverage: 3 = 30

April 19, 2014

Let's say that you are the happy owner of the 24 piece wardrobe in navy and beige that we've looked at for the last two days... And you decide that you want a little bit of brightness for spring!The only real thing you want to keep in mind while shopping is the degree to which anything new that you choose can be worn with your core pants and sweaters. A scarf that includes your core colors, along with a couple of pretty accent colors, is a good place to start. Pick up a pair of tee shirts in the accent colors, and you're on your way!

At first, these don't see to be a particularly compatible choice for your original wardrobe:

But in ... View the Post

Inspired by a Blue and Beige Hotel Room

April 10, 2014 Ah, you wanted to see outfits from the OTHER hotel room? That, I can do...

This isn't entirely different from yesterday's room - it shares a camel/beige sort of feeling, but some beautiful shades of blue give us a different wardrobe.

There are lots of stripe influences in every room I've seen in this hotel, and that's great, from a clothing choice perspective. A striped cardigan is always going to get my vote... And the lace skirt and trimmed blouse are the same as from yesterday, but take on a different look with a blue cardigan.

Soft blue will always make me think of chambray, and I love the striped sweater with the skirt (more than any pair ... View the Post

I Want to Dress Like an Empire-Style Hotel Room

April 9, 2014

This is a typical room in the Hotel des Grands Hommes, in Paris. The colors and the details in this room can inspire a beautiful wardrobe. The colors words that I focused on were taupe, beige, camel, apricot, slate, gold, copper and bronze. I was looking for soft, patterned, draped and refined looks...

The striped colors of the headboard drew my eye to this sweater - it's softness confirmed my choice. And the combination of apricot and charcoal with a detailed scarf were irresistible.

I loved this coat, and the ornate flats appealed.... and the draped tunic dress, with warm tobacco leather leggings and metallic ballet flats are a ... View the Post

11 Minimalist Icons

April 7, 2014 I'm pretty busy these days with my care-taking responsibilities, but someone asked about the 11 Minimalist Icons mentioned on the cover on last week's featured book, Ma To-Do Lists - Dressing. I don't know that I fully appreciate all of these choices, but they are certainly thought-provoking!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Paris vs Chicago, and a Great Quote

April 3, 2014 What does Paris have that Chicago doesn't?

Bookstores - dozens and dozens of bookstores. It used to be a joke between Belovedest and me - "Oh look - a bookstore!" when we would walk past one, but it's sort of lost it's humor, because bookstores are so common in Paris, and so very uncommon in Chicago. You might say that it's because we stayed, this last trip, near the Universities. But that's a weak explanation - from my apartment window in Chicago, I can see buildings belonging to at least 3 universities - and there are very few bookstores in the entire downtown area... And what's interesting is that the French don't spend THAT much more time reading than American ... View the Post

The Week Ahead

March 15, 2014

If all has gone according to plan, as you're reading this, I am in Paris... but this coming week, I've scheduled posts that flash back to guest posts that I did last year for A Femme d'un Certain Age. They're all about travel... If you don't already follow me on Instagram, you might want to consider. If I take any great photographs, that's where they will be first. Just look for The Vivienne Files there! love, Janice ... View the Post

Travel and Love – Remembering What’s Important

March 14, 2014

Today, we leave for Paris. To say that we're excited would be accurate, but it's more of a "warm, thrilled to be able to go away together" kind of excitement, rather than an "OMG WE'RE GOING TO PARIS" kind of thing. Because it's every-present in our minds that, a week from today, we'll be in Paris, but TWO weeks from today, we'll be back in Chicago, and the vacation will be an accumulation of beautiful memories, credit card bills, and a few gorgeous items we purchased... Travel is hard - there's no question. You're out of your usual routine, all of your normal "stuff" is either somewhere else completely, or crammed into bags, and for many people, you're someplace ... View the Post

I Love Ornate Details…

March 13, 2014 Maybe your living room looks like this... Okay, maybe your dream living room looks like this!

But like so many of us, you have a simple wardrobe that works for your everyday life:

But if you pay attention to the details, you can incorporate that style that you love into your everyday outfits. A touch of lace, a bit of muted floral, and some silk in the place of where many of us would wear cotton.

So you have quite a few outfits that are still very low-key, appropriate for your life, but still include that touch of luxe that warms your heart.

Keep to the same philosophy for your accessories - ... View the Post

I Want to Dress Like a Chalet…

March 11, 2014 These kinds of rooms are really popular, and many of you wanted to know if this whole feeling or sensibility can be conveyed in a wardrobe.

What can we take from this photo and those of similar rooms that will help us make informed choices about what to add to our neutral wardrobe? Words that I immediately identified included wood, bone, beige, ivory, ethnic and Native America prints, warm textures, tone-on-tone layering. Starting with this base wardrobe:

Three garments that aren't a really wild stretch, but that start expressing your taste:

Lots of easy ways to wear these...

Add in some ... View the Post

I Love Baroque, but I Live Simple and Contemporary

March 8, 2014 Maybe this is the living room of your dreams:

But your core wardrobe is our usual:

So let's try the same exercise we did before - find three garments that reflect the warmth, the rosiness, the ornate and filigreed nature of the room...

You have to keep, somewhere in the back of your mind, the reminder that you need to work with neutrals of black, white and khaki. Otherwise, let your heart go wild... and you will have lots of ways to wear them.

If this feels comfortable for you, you can branch out and add a few accessories that also share you sensibility...

These will work beautifully ... View the Post

My Favorite Style is Inappropriate for my Life!

March 6, 2014

I think many of us wrestle with this - we really adore an aesthetic and style that just does NOT translate into our day-to-day life. For example, say this is your idea of a great room - Diana Vreeland certainly thought so:

But this is your typical wardrobe - simple, high-quality neutrals that really don't reflect that colorful exuberance above:

For starters, a red tee shirt seems like the easiest thing to slide into this closet. But consider a richly patterned cardigan and/or skirt. Remember when making your choice that you want to work with your neutral core, so you should look for elements of black and white, if possible. And more importantly, these items should satisfy that longing for ornate opulence that ... View the Post

Start with Art: From Mount Darling by Peter Simpson

February 28, 2014 So this is your dream:

And maybe this is your current reality:

All the more reason you should consider shopping your dream, and at least wrapping your immediate self (i.e. your body) in the calm, soft, organic and tranquil colors of which you dream. Start small - a simple silk tunic that can be worn with any pair of pants you own... This tunic, all on it's own, could raise your spirits for a few days! Maybe some blue shoes, or a bag. And your next pair of jeans could certainly be green rather than something more predictable and conformist...

So many shades of blue from which to choose - but you don't really have to choose! ... View the Post