The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Linen & A Common Wardrobe

February 13, 2013  

Maybe it's my eyes, maybe it's my computer, but to me, this looks like a lovely pale pink. Back in the dark ages, when I was a wardrobe consultant at a department store in Des Moines (!), we used to advise EVERYBODY to buy a handful of tops in the same color as their blush.  A blouse, a tee shirt, a twinset, maybe a turtleneck - these colors can be worn with ANY neutral, and they were always flattering.  

But that was also at a time when there would always be an entire round rack of "house brand" blouses in every color of the rainbow, ditto for tee shirts and sweaters, somewhere in the store.  Now, you have to be an internet detective to find garments in varying shades of rose, pink, coral ... View the Post

More insights from The Colorist

February 12, 2013   While I don't know that any of us are in a position of completely revamping our wardrobes based on the insights from one book, I do think it's interesting to read and study things like this.  A greater understanding of one's own preferences and tastes can never truly be wasted...The first exercise in The Colorist (Shigenobu Kobyashi) is to choose 10 colors you like, and five colors you don't like:

 

Then you find these favorite colors on a full spectrum array, and determine if your color preferences are more for different shades of one color, or for different colors of a particular depth or intensity.  Yes, this is impossibly difficult to read... but on my computer, I can "right click" on ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Monaco Blue goes to work

I chose to work with a light version of Monaco blue, because (a) it was what's available, and (b) I think it brings a more sophisticated look to the gray and navy of the Common Work Capsule Wardrobe.  A nice alternative to the usual light blue that's always available in oxford shirts...    

 

Bracelets – Swarovski, blazer - Paul & Joe, silk blouse – 0039 Italy, scarf – Athena Procopiou, watch – Georg Jensen, sweater – Paul Smith, flats – Thierry Rabotin    

 

Turtleneck – L.L.Bean, blue striped shirt – Golden Goose, blue shirt – D&G, white shirt – Theory, navy blazer – A.P.C., 

grey sleeveless sweater – J. Crew, grey cardigan – J. Crew, navy v-neck – J. Crew, navy ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Monaco Blue in the warm palette

I confess, Monaco Blue is NOT an easy color to find.  I ended up going with lighter tones of it, but you might have to use your imagination a little bit for this color, until it becomes more widely available in stores.    

   

Earrings - 1928, cardigan – Marc Jacobs, denim tunic – Mulberry, sunglasses – Ray-Ban, loafers – Bottega Veneta,

 scarf – Vivienne Westwood, sweater – T by Alexander Wang    

 

 

Top row – L.L.Bean, cream shirt – Kitsune, peach blouse – Chloe, cardigan & v-neck sweater – L.L.Bean, 

brown long-sleeved tee – La Garconne, tan pants – Jil Sander, cream jeans – Les Copains, brown pants – Maison Martin ... View the Post

A question…

What would you consider an essential garment for summer?  I'm going to try to build a Common Wardrobe for warm weather, and since this one will NOT be based on my observations of real people, I'm open to suggestions and ideas.  Please leave a comment...

thanks! Janice ... View the Post

Climbing onto the Cobalt Bandwagon

I started blogging because I so admired Tish's work...  And I never take for granted the honor of being the guest "poster" on her blog.  Today, come see what I do with a suitcase full of color...  

Dress – P.A.R.O.S.H., hoop earrings – Brooks Brothers, knot earrings – Blue Nile, pumps – Brooks Brothers, 

cashmere turtleneck – L.L.Bean, black skirt – Donna Karan, cashmere cardigan – Crumpet, gold necklace – Blue Nile, 

tee shirt – L.L.Bean, black silk blouse – Equipment, gold bracelet – Ben Amun, ballet flats – Tory Burch  

Tee – Derek Lam, cardigan – Romwe, earrings – Marco Bicego, pants – L.L.Bean, loafers – Madewell, watch – Movado, briefcase – Dooney & Bourke, carry-on bag – ... View the Post

Colorist by Shigenobu Kobayashi

 Another hard-to-find, but really fascinating book.  The author guides one step by step in a process of identifying favorite color palettes.  The book has a definite Japanese feel, and once in a while you'll run into a word used in a way you wouldn't have expected (I would guess because it's been translated), but overall it's an eye-opening new way to think about colors.  I'll post more from Colorist, because it is out of print and rather expensive to purchase.  But if you really like to be challenged in your ways of looking at the world, I recommend this book highly.

Below is the 2nd exercise in the book.  You could of course get all deconstructionist about this and start debating what he means when he ... View the Post

Getting Dressed with the 33 Piece Capsule Wardrobe: the accessories

I'm not going to share with you what I wore last week, because with the exception of two days in the office, I wore flannel pajamas.  Constantly.  For five days, while I recovered from a stomach virus of Olympic strength.  Instead, I've aggregated all of the accessories that I wore during January, for our consideration.Bear in mind that the REAL Project 333 starts with 33 items of clothing AND ACCESSORIES for three months, and that there are lots of people making that work beautifully.  I'm currently doing the sissies version of 333, which has 33 items of clothing and unlimited accessories.  

First up are my shoes - only seven pair, including two pair (the black & white, and the gold) which many people ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2013 Accent: Poppy Red, for everyone

February 2, 2013   To make up for my paltry blogging efforts this week as my household battles the Norovirus, I now present for your study the very lovely Poppy Red, with the Common Capsule Wardrobe, the Common Work Capsule Wardrobe, and the Common Warm Capsule Wardrobe.  This is indeed a color that works with everything!  

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

  ... View the Post