The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 23 of 262 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – April 2023

April 3, 2023

I know a lot of us are doubtful about this wardrobe, but I'm still really liking it...

Our heroine realized that there's a simple navy shirt that matches her navy skirt - that seems like a really logical purchase! And while she's stocking up on obvious basics, she has neither an olive tee shirt NOR an olive cardigan...

Toss in the world's most amazing scarf, a tote bag and some ballet flats to wear with her new navy "dress" and she's all set!

Her wardrobe is very disciplined, but still has plenty of possibilities:

And her accessories are lovely; a couple of beautiful scarves can make so much difference to a wardrobe:

Her 3 new garments, as always, give her at least 6 new outfits - ... View the Post

Wardrobe of the Week: March 26 – April 1, 2023

April 2, 2023

I've finished my 31 days wearing the same black wool tee shirt - and getting dressed the first day of April was difficult! Well, not difficult, but I did have to hesitate for more than a moment to think about what I would wear...

It's difficult to explain just how amazing wool tee shirts are - after 31 days, my tee shirt STILL DOESN'T SMELL BAD!!!

It's tempting to say that it's because I am in some way free of any bodily contaminants (ahem...), but one must credit the amazing qualities of wool. I can't encourage you enough to try one - even in warmer weather. If we're all going to live with smaller, more carefully-chosen wardrobes, tee shirts that are THIS comfortable, and hold up THIS well, must be ... View the Post

Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Windows by Robert Delaunay

March 31, 2023

Accessories make SO much difference; I think we're going to see that pretty quickly!

Remember this painting?

And this wardrobe?

Let's work our way through a bunch of outfits, to see what accessories our heroine needs...

First up - the all-beige ensemble! Some people make this look wonderful...

For this next outfit, if the weather gets too hot to wear a scarf around your neck, you can always wear it as a belt, or in your hair, or tied to your bag...

One could make a summer-long project of looking for accessories that worked with their summer capsule wardrobe!

Even a very small scarf - literally a pocket square - can add a touch of color when worn as a bracelet, or around your neck, ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Spring Blossom by Valerius de Saedeleer

March 29, 2023

I love this too!

This heroine is committed to switching to a warmer, lighter wardrobe, although it's a bit difficult; those of us who wear a lot of black might find this change a challenge!

 

She's starting with the same 8 beige garments are her 3 friends...

 

Her accent garments are a great assortment:

She's pretty happy with how her 4 by 4 Wardrobe looks...

And when she gets all of her things in her closet, she loves the way it looks; she can already see all kinds of options, from crisp black and white to warm green or rust with beige...

But as ALL clever heroines will do, she assembles a range of outfits in her mind, just to be certain that she will be able to ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Drei Häuser By Paul Klee

March 27, 2023

I love this one...

Were I to ever find myself in a situation where I was going to wear a lot of beige (it could happen!), these would be my favorite accent colors:

As is true with all 4 of our "beige" heroines, we are starting with 8 garments...

Our heroine was VERY patient in finding her accents; patience is probably the most important quality to bring to any shopping!

But it was worth it - her selections are varied, and lovely!

She takes a close look at her 4 by 4 Wardrobe Template, just to make sure that she didn't lose her discipline at some stage! 

I suspect all of us have some rogues in their closet, eh?

She then arranges all of her clothes in a more natural way to view ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet: Forget-Me-Not Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

March 24, 2023

Inspired by FLOWERS!

Our heroine is happy wearing muted colors, unless it's a day during which she wants to wear something bright! You can have both in your wardrobe, of course.

A sweatshirt for travel, as well as a cozy scarf, is rarely a bad idea - especially if you're traveling in an air-conditioned vehicle...

She's only going away for the weekend, but she never knows ahead of time if she's going to be in the aquamarine, subdued, calm mood, or in the bright yellow, outgoing and active mood. Not a problem - she's prepared for both:

Kindness Gems has those lovely necklaces available in a bunch of different stones, and in gold...

Her travel wardrobe is both an homage to her favorite flower, ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Wagen in Silberner Strasse by August Macke

March 22, 2023

Our second heroine who plans to use a LOT of beige in her Spring and Summer wardrobe!

Here is the art that inspires her - she is captivated by the dark, intense lines against the neutral background...

this wardrobe would work really well with chambray/faded denim as a neutral, too!

She's excited about the prospect of wearing deep, saturated accent colors with beige; her coloring is intense, and she is confident that she will look just right in these high-contrast outfits...

For starters, she assembles the beige core wardrobe that all of our heroines will have in common:

And THEN she finds 8 garments for accent - chambray shorts and a matching cardigan, and then navy, green and cranberry shirts ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Shunbun – Vernal Equinox

March 20, 2023

I'm writing this on Saturday morning; the temperature is WAY below freezing... sigh...

The first day of spring is my anniversary! 19 years - it seems like almost 2 decades...

I was thinking of pretty outfits for Easter, or some other wonderful Spring dressy occasion. Having one truly lovely outfit in your closet is only right!

 

A dress with smocking looks MUCH better on a person, rather than just stark in a photograph...

 

First sign of Spring in a lot of the world:

 

A pretty blouse or shirt can be worn a lot in the warm weather - with a skirt, certainly, but maybe shorts?

 

At a distance, this skirt doesn't seem to have much pink in it - you need to ... View the Post

Wardrobe of the Week: March 12 – 18 2023

March 18, 2023

The weeks go by...

Every day so far in March, I've worn the same black long-sleeved wool tee shirt. It's sort of a miracle the way it does NOT smell bad. It's hard to explain unless you actually wear one yourself, I guess... But these things that I'm learning about wool clothing are going to change the way I dress - less, better, and less laundry!

love Janice ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Windows by Robert Delaunay

March 17, 2023

This is pretty cheerful! And I always sense a feeling of the Eiffel Tower when I look at this...

 

So I have FOUR heroines that I'm thinking of, right now... Each of them is going to start the spring with an 8-piece core of beige - lots of linen!

And then each will channel her favorite painting to choose 8 accent garments... What colors might be chosen from our first painting?

First, let's look at what our heroines are each going to use as their wardrobe base...

Frankly, if you want a handful of linen garments for this summer (and then next 10 summers, to be honest; linen lasts a long time!), now is a good time to start looking...

I'm not going to show you the various outfits possible ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Flowers by Sir Cedric Morris

March 15, 2023

Beware the Ides of March...

Or maybe not! Maybe the Ides of March bring flowers to you...

This palette is particularly good for someone who wants variety in their wardrobe - it would be possible to find maybe 10 accent colors in this painting!

Our heroine starts with beige; you can do a lot and go a long way with a simple beige outfit!

Next, she indulges in olive green...

Before she forgets, she tosses in her favorite blue spring sweater, and a pair of jeans in a very light beige...

She wants shorts! So it makes sense to stock up on olive - some accessories will be useful...

Now let's get to those accent colors! A beautiful cotton sweater in a delicious shade of purple? Don't ... View the Post