The Vivienne Files - Page 42 of 262 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Building on a Successful Travel Wardrobe: Start with a Scarf from Jessie Zhao New York

March 11, 2022

The travel wardrobe worked well...

When she got home, she decided that it would make good sense to assemble a small but versatile summer capsule wardrobe in the same colors!

Here's what she has when she went away for the weekend...

Being a fond reader of The Vivienne Files, our heroine decided to be somewhat organized as she planned her warm weather wardrobe, so she assembled all of her garments (so far!) into a 20-piece grid. There's no labels here; she's using it for visibility and to keep from being distracted by her accessories!

The first thing she sees is that she does NOT have any navy; can a woman live through the entire summer without a dark neutral in her wardrobe?

So she starts with ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Blue Rural Landscape by Jessie Zhao New York

March 8, 2022 It Just Felt Right...

She knew that she wanted a fresh color palette for spring and summer this year - this year when she was finally going to be able to get out and do some things...

When she saw the scarf, she knew that THIS was what she wanted!

She and her sweetheart are going away for a weekend, and she thinks that this will be the perfect opportunity to try out her new color palette...

Their activities will be mostly city-type things - museums, window-shopping, café-sitting and DINING... Nothing insanely dressy, but she wants to look pretty!

When she takes a look at her travel capsule wardrobe, she just feels happy; these colors are built for happiness!

But of course, because she's a ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #51: A Skirt

March 7, 2022

It's getting to be that time of year when many of us are going to be invited to something dressy - weddings, baptisms, graduations etc etc.

These things can be much more fun if you have your outfit sorted!

Please note - a lot of the garments that look like plain old ordinary tee shirts are, in fact, cashmere tee shirts! They aren't as warm to wear as you think they might be, and they give you a simple silhouette that's still dressy, because of the fabric...

For this first outfit - if you buy this bag, you'd not be crazy AT ALL to buy at least a couple of garments in this shade of blue; J.Crew has quite an assortment...

If you're one of us "anything, so long as it's black!" people, a snazzy blouse and some ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Sunflowers by PJ Studio Accessories

March 4, 2022

Those of you looking for a bright yellow and blue sunflower scarf to wear as a visible sign of your support of Ukraine - get thee to Etsy.com and search - they have TONS of them. But make sure that you're looking at vendors based in your home country - specify in the filters where you want your items to be located!

Love, Janice A Small Gesture...

She would be a lot more comfortable staying home to watch the news, but she really needs to go on this little trip...

So she grabs her Sunflower scarf to get her started with her packing. It doesn't really look like what one expects from a sunflower - nothing big and bright gold.

But it's the thought that counts...

She's been pretty ... View the Post

March 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

March 2, 2022

It's pretending to be spring here in Chicago! Not quite tee shirt weather, but close...

I looked at the 10-piece wardrobes that we had on hand at the end of February, and concluded that what was most needed right now are tops - specifically, a cardigan and 2 tee shirts...

I think I will be adding neutral tee shirts to all of these wardrobes... and maybe a fun accent tee shirt. And I know that we've seen this cardigan before, but it's a tough one to resist!

This wardrobe now has a lot more options...

If you're a fan of the Queen of England, take a close look at this scarf; it's a tribute to her 70th anniversary. (no political observations, please!)

Some of this heroine's new ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #50: An Accent 2nd Layer

February 28, 2022

Either you deserve a new sweater because you've made it this far into the winter without going crazy, or because your autumn is just beginning and you are ready to get in the mood!

But an accent 2nd layer - with or without a coordinating tee shirt or blouse - can bring a lot of new life to your cool weather wardrobe...

note: all of these pants are the same as I shared last week; you should be able to wear a good pair of pants a dozen different ways!

This might be a smart time to grab a cotton cardigan and lightweight tee shirt - these pieces would be useful WELL into the early summer:

A pretty spring color can give you a little bit more mileage for your corduroy pants:

You don't HAVE to ... View the Post

I Love Them, But Will I Wear Them? John Fluevog boots

February 25, 2022

Sometimes, you just give in:

So when our heroine was very politely requested to accompany her partner to a weekend conference in a big city, she thought that these would be her perfect slightly rebellious keynote for her travel capsule wardrobe...

She's not going to go completely nuts; she's just going to assemble a wardrobe that will show off her fabulous new boots to their best advantage!

On her own time, when she's sight-seeing, she WILL wear her new boots. At the various dinners, she may wear them, but she chooses to pack a pair of more conservative pumps too!

Since soft rose and dark green are already her favorite colors, it wasn't terribly hard to assemble a travel wardrobe to wear ... View the Post

February 2022 Start with a Bracelet: The Tranquil Lynx Bracelets

February 23, 2022

She's been frazzled for a long time...

So when she saw a special offer to stay at her VERY favorite ocean-front hotel for a long weekend, she was tempted... Oh so tempted...

Grey and white sands, water in every shade imaginable, and hints of blush and orange in the sunrise...

yes, there are some pink quartz beads here!

She has, frankly, no idea what the weather will be, and furthermore, she doesn't much care! She doesn't really want to walk in the sand, or (heaven forbid) frolic in the surf. It IS still only February...

But her best understanding of the forecast is that the weather will be quite warm enough to sit out on the deck with a book, sunglasses on, knees exposed to the light! Not that ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #49: A Textured Top

February 21, 2022

Sweaters! By the time late February rolls around, many of us are SICK of our sweaters...

A new sweater, with some texture or pattern, might be all it takes to get us through 'til Spring without deciding to wear bathrobes 24/7...

And if you find something in a lovely color, that you could wear well into the Spring, all the better!

I would wear this entire outfit in a (ahem...) heartbeat:

Maybe the end of winter is easier to tolerate if you have a brightly warm-hued sweater, and a cheery wee neckerchief!

note the angle at the neckline of the scarf, with the rooflines on the scarf...

Mixed textures is an easy and low-key way to bring some interest into your wardrobe; don't forget the ... View the Post

Two important notes…

(1) I've lost quite a few emails; I don't know how it happened, but I know that they're gone. If you've written to me recently and didn't receive a response, write to me again! (don't worry, it won't bother me!)

(2) I think I have flu; I can't swear that there will be a blog post tomorrow. I will do my best, but right now it feels like I've swallowed broken glass, and that for some reason limits my creativity!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #48: A Print or Patterned Shirt

February 14, 2022

Remember, we are evolved enough as humans that we can buy our own Valentine's Day gifts... Do something beautiful for yourself today (and every day, frankly!).

Today, I'm pondering the role of a plaid, striped or printed shirt in one's wardrobe...

This little teal and navy cluster is a perfect example of the Triple Top Secret! You can - obviously - wear this outfit just as it's show above; in bitter cold weather, 2 shirts and a sweater isn't excessive. Add a pair of long underwear pants, boots in place of loafers, and some hard-core outerwear, and you'd be fine in Chicago in single-digit temperatures!

But if you own these 4 garments, you have SEVEN outfit possibilities!

depending on the style ... View the Post

One Way to Choose and Assemble Your Uniform

February 11, 2022

I've probably mentioned this before (20 times!), but since we've all moved into 1 apartment together, my ONLY real issue is that my closet isn't conveniently placed, nor organized.

And I, of course, really don't have buckets of time to work on it!

My plan is to get rid of things that are no longer appropriate for what I do every day, and to have a good plan for what I purchase.

I'm also moving more and more toward Urban Organic as a style mantra, so I'm trying to buy clothes with better fabric, with less synthetic content, and that are made somewhere humane...

Big goals!

Initially, what would be the most help to me is to have a solid Cluster of 9 garments (either 3 outfits, or 27, depending on how ... View the Post