The Vivienne Files - Page 20 of 264 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Accenting Black with Your Favorite Color

July 27, 2023

So after we determined on Wednesday that it's possible to accent black with just about any other neutral, I want to see if it's possible to accent black with your favorite color...

There are, of course, lots of colors that I'm not including here! All colors are not easily found in this current "in between" season of clothing - not enough summer clothes, and not enough fall clothes... sigh...

But I always feel confident that a pretty shade of blue will look great!

Burgundy isn't a color that one expects with black, but the scarf makes ALL the difference... And adding a 2nd accent color with turquoise earrings... why not?

Hot pink? This scarf is irresistible! You don't have to have the earrings AND the ... View the Post

Accenting Black with Another Neutral

July 26, 2023

I've been thinking about accent colors ever since I finished Monday's post about the blue dress...

What happens when I start with this?

For many of us, finding 2 things like this in our closet isn't tough! Yours might be navy, or grey, but the idea is pretty similar...

And THEN, I was thinking about colors in wardrobes; this is NOT an exhaustive list - just something to remind me to look for Camel, when my wee brain falls black and exhausted!

If you can think of 20 colors, and if you're willing to wear any color with any other color, that gives you 400 possibilities! No wonder I don't run out of ideas!

But maybe you want this to be your uniform - or maybe it IS your uniform, once you get to ... View the Post

How to Wear a Blue Dress – 10 Ideas

July 24, 2023

I heard from quite a few of you, asking if this dress could be worn with... well... navy, black, green and pink, so far!

So I decided to give this dress the attention it deserves, and see what the possibilities might be...

My gut instinct tells me that this dress will be great with any neutral, and with just about any other color that is of a similar intensity. Let's see!

Navy - of course! This would be a great dress to wear to a stuffy office environment, and then out for dinner:

I think this is a lovely combination - the green is soft, but equally saturated, so that it stands up to the blue:

If the weather is hot...

If autumn is approaching, and you feel like a darker color is the right ... View the Post

Year 2 – Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Taisho – Large Heat

July 21, 2023

Why yes, I DID miss the previous season - July 7, Small Heat. This year, Chicago is having a VERY cool summer, unlike so much of the world. It makes thinking about warm-weather clothing sort of difficult!

But let's pick up with the current season...

At this point in the year, when major retailers are pushing cool-weather clothing at us, we can at least find nice dresses...

If I were to only own 1 dress, this might be a candidate. The dark background would make it easy to wear dark tights and flats, with a navy sweater, in cool weather:

Similarly, this dress is made to be worn with a cardigan or blazer:

I'm currently wearing the black version of this dress, with amethyst jewelry to match ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Navy & Stone, with Rose & Lavender: Start with Art – Night Music by Chuck Groenink

July 19, 2023

One of a Kind...

After she saw the 3rd corporate "campus" with beehives, she realized that she is qualified for a job that nobody has ever thought of - corporate pollinator consultant!

If companies are going to have big lawns, and ponds, and flower beds, they may as well put some pollinators in there to keep it all regenerating and... real - right?

So now she travels about, visiting corporate campuses (a term she really doesn't love), helping get beehives installed, and advising the gardening company about replacing plants. Strictly ornamental isn't nearly as sensible as something that's both decorative AND good for the environment...

It's not a really outdoorsy job - she is more likely to meet ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – Authentic Lynx Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs, and a Travel Capsule Wardrobe in navy, white, rose and green

July 17, 2023

Please note - there is NO WAY that I can include truly seasonal clothes right now, since they're all marked down, and sizes are limited, colors are sold out etc. etc. Retail seasons do NOT correspond to the world...

The only thing she's sure of - she's going to pack these bracelets! Other than that, she's not sure, yet...

Her favorite neutral is navy... Navy goes well with both of these accent colors! The bracelets have grey in them, but she doesn't wear grey...

But white goes with everything, and she loves to wear navy and white together! Maybe she has her color palette?

She's not worried about getting dirty, since they're driving. And she really LOVES her hooded cardigan - if the air conditioning in ... View the Post

Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Navy & Ivory with pastels: Evening in the Pink Sky by André Brasilier Start with Art

July 14, 2023

She's the Only One... Well, the only one she knows! When someone wants to purchase a painting - or paintings - that include horses, she's the expert...

She's off for a few days to visit a new race course; they want the Private Lounge to have a modern, but still equestrian, feel...

She's going to try to encourage them to buy some more modern art; she's not at ALL sure that she will be successful!

Her approach is going to be relaxed, and she will try to emphasize that these paintings aren't at ALL edgy. Many of them are over 100 years old - that's not exactly cutting edge!

She knows of a number of racing facilities in Europe that have included VERY modern art in their décor; sometimes that's ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Black, Brown, Green and Ivory: Start with Art – The Flower Arranger by Mary Brandish Titcomb

July 12, 2023

She loves this painting - it's what she does, in a way...

So when she travels - which is often - she uses these colors as her palette for assembling her travel capsule wardrobe:

Another Gala Opening Night She designs the flowers that lurk around on all of the occasional tables, grace all of the dining tables, and fill in the odd spaces around the museum...

She doesn't actually arrange the flowers - the local florists take care of that...

But she has spent the last 2 or 3 months designing the arrangements - making sure to use flowers and plants that are in some way symbolically associated with the theme of the current fete...

For example - her current work is at an exhibit of Grecian art, ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Black, Brown and Ivory: Start with Art – The Guitar by Juan Gris

July 10, 2023

Her favorite painting...

And her easy, classic color palette:

A Weekend Trip, For Falling in Love "If you don't get a much better guitar, you're not really going to progress a lot more. You're doing so well; I'd like to see you get a really good instrument..."

"If you go into the city, I can arrange for you to go the really GOOD guitar makers, and play as many instruments as you want."

The print tee has matching pants, a scarf, and a camp shirt...

"You'll know when you find the right one..."

So she's going away for the weekend, to do all of the usual visitor things - dine, sightsee, maybe a museum or two...

But mostly to play guitars, and to find one with which she falls in ... View the Post

Three Capsule Wardrobes: Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – July 2023

July 7, 2023

Three more heroines with unique wardrobes, and unique shopping goals!

When we last visited her wardrobe, our heroine had lovely colors, and some great clothes, BUT...

She has no shorts! (yes, for some of us that isn't a problem!) She only has 5 black garments, and black is supposed to be her core neutral, and she bought a lovely pink cardigan, and did NOT buy the matching vest... (please note, Alex Mill is having a sale! That's not something they often do.)

So she shops! Black sandals and a black tote are logical items for her to have FOREVER, and a black bracelet with a heart that matches her heart earrings and necklace just plain makes sense.

Her updated wardrobe doesn't really look different - ... View the Post

Three Capsule Wardrobes: First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – July 2023

July 5, 2023

Our heroines are filling in gaps and rescuing wardrobe orphans this month!

Let's start with our fair and blond heroine... (at least that's how I imagine her - your may see her differently!)

When we left our heroine last month, this was her 20-piece capsule wardrobe:

Our heroine has been thinking for a while that she is overdue to add some yellow to her wardrobe! It's worth mentioning that you can change your color palette if you find that you've included an accent color that doesn't feel right to you... but our heroine is going to give yellow a try!

And she doesn't have a pair of shorts! She's not one to wear shorts frequently, but a whimsical pair might be useful for her. So she shops, and this is what ... View the Post

Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Black, Beige and Red – Start with Art: Black, Ochre, Red Over Red by Mark Rothko

July 3, 2023

I love Rothko - it's hard to understand unless you've seen one in person... Even then, his paintings may not be your thing!

"Skills Enhancement" A fancy way to say "we're sending you to the main office to take a cram course in new software."

The main office is somewhat dressy... So our heroine is planning...

She's starting here:

She knows that starting with a suit - even if she wears the blazer separate from the pants - is always smart for business travel:

She's pretty sure that she's okay wearing a cardigan, if she wears a skirt with it...

She's hopeful that tales of the formality of the headquarters have been exaggerated, but she's not taking any chances! If your company is willing to spend ... View the Post