The Vivienne Files - Page 58 of 264 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Need an Accent Color to Get Through the Rest of the Winter?

February 10, 2021

This post is partly for me - I'm hankering for something in a different color than my usual!

I've got to be really careful not to buy something without a LOT of thought; my wardrobe has been 95+% black and white for decades, so busting out with a blue scarf and tee shirt would be a MAJOR change...

But I see that my favorite tee shirt is available in quite a few colors; what might I do?

More pink is always a possibility; I know that I love pink, and it goes well with all my black and white:

I love the way these 5 things look together, but I'm not sure that coral is a direction I should go...

Yellow? I think not, but it's so pretty and cheery...

Oddly enough, Beach Glass ... View the Post

Start with Art: Lunar Halo over Snowy Trees by Goran Strand

February 8, 2021

Yes, it could be "Start with Nature," but I feel that this images owes a LOT to the photographer, and thus to me it is art... A robust discussion is welcome! It's supposed to start snowing by sunset... And so she's packing and going to be on the road by lunchtime!

Her favorite Bed and Breakfast has her favorite room available...

So she pauses for a second, and closes her eyes:

She's not really planning to do much of anything except walk outdoors, eat when summoned to do so, and read...

Okay, maybe a nap...

So it's pretty simple to get things together!

She can wear what she already has on, swapping out her slippers for good boots:

So long as she has her charging cord for her books (what ... View the Post

Start with Art: Untitled 2019 by Jeremy Stenger

February 5, 2021 The Lake is Frozen... Better get ready... She stops to focus for just a couple of heartbeats on her current favorite painting and color palette:

She knows that she needs to pack, and she knows that she doesn't want to spend much time dwelling on that, so she remember her current color palette...

What she's wearing will be fine for the drive - she just needs to get on her shoes...

She's agreed to fix dinner TONIGHT - this gets her off the hook for meals the rest of the weekend! So before she even walks NEAR her closet, she pulls out a big grocery bag from her stash, and starts assembling the ingredients for a big pot of soup...

And then she cuts the dry ingredients for biscuits together ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe = Guide to a Garde-Robe du Mois

February 3, 2021

Yes, this is confusing...

But I'm trying to find a way to use the core 52 garments from The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe to help anyone who has to keep 2 separate wardrobes in 2 locations (or those of us who wear 2 completely different seasonal wardrobes as the weather comes and goes...)

Last week, I looked over the 52 garment list, and chose 10 to be the "core" wardrobe for this heroine. An example of one of the 10-piece wardrobes is this lovely grouping:

As useful and versatile as this wardrobe is, most women will want to add something to it! In order to stick to our plan, I went back to the list of 21 garments that remained AFTER I removed the 10 "core" pieces from the list. (and then split the list into warm ... View the Post

February 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

February 1, 2021

Ah, I'm so happy! I love these scarf-based wardrobes...

If you want to catch up on where we left off last month, click on this sentence to jump back there!

Since we are (for now) loosely following the Starting From Scratch wardrobe guidelines, this month brings us to a 2nd pair of pants and a shirt.

For most wardrobes, these pants will be chosen so that our heroines will each have a pair of jeans and another pair of pants that are somewhat dressier. The new shirt will be neutral if that's what they need, and accent if that's what's missing. A few more accessories, and any of us would be in good shape for an overnight trip with what's included so far.

This is our first scarf, and palette. The only possible ... View the Post

Perfect 10 Packing? Start with Art: Untitled (Acrylic #1) by Ed Clark

January 29, 2021

I've been thinking a lot about 10 garments in a Travel Capsule Wardrobe, like in the ones that I'm positing for the heroines who are managing wardrobes in 2 homes...

And I thought that maybe it was worth revisiting the Perfect 10 template that is one of my personal favorites!

Calm is still in short supply, so let's look at more calming art, eh?

Such lovely colors, and such a relaxed and stable feeling to this...

So let's imagine a heroine who has to make a 3 or 4 day trip - fairly often - but never with any sort of advanced notice. A morning phone call could mean "out the door and on the road" by lunch-time...

Thus, she keeps some things ready for this adventure, starting with a travel outfit ... View the Post

Revisiting the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe – Living in Multiple Homes

January 27, 2021

Remember these?

I've been meaning to come back to this list, and just in the last week I've received the same questions a few times:

What should I keep packed for emergencies? and

How do I split my wardrobe between 2 homes?

These are related questions, from women who are now having to maintain a business in 1 area, and do a lot of export marketing in a 2nd area, and are thus going to maintain 2 households.

First off - this is NOT glamorous. This isn't going to be like "oh, let me jet off to my home at St. Bart's for the weekend..." 2nd home.

This is more like "I can no longer just ship things from here to there, so I've got to fly (or take the train) and carry merchandise..."

This is a question ... View the Post

Start with Art: Untitled 20191210 by Takayuki Yoshida

January 25, 2021

She's dreaming of warmer weather, and she's determined to at least FEEL like spring is coming...

She starts here:

And this is her color palette - her base is going to be navy and white, but she's really interested in these accent colors!

Before she tears off into this project with blinding enthusiasm, she pauses to consider if it's realistic:

their home is always warm in the winter, she's not going to be going out much at all - wearing white pants won't be a problem because she can skip them if she needs to go out into the slush, and she can layer her chosen garments if she needs to warm up.

She starts by choosing her navy and white Common Wardrobe - the base upon which she will ... View the Post

A Plan to Control Shopping – Analyzing Your Impulses

January 22, 2021

For no good reason that I can pinpoint, I'm in the mood to shop! Maybe it's the sunshine beaming down on the lakefront that gives me this sense of optimism and cheer that translates into... buying things for myself?

Just on the face of it, that's an odd thing. I should be wanting to go out and walk for miles, or throw some snowballs, or open all of my blinds and clean our THIRTEEN big windows... (because cleaning windows is so often something one longs to do, right?)

But one of the occupational hazards of writing The Vivienne Files is seeing TONS of beautiful things, and finding that I'm still thinking of a few things long after I've moved on...

Like these beauties:

You can clearly see ... View the Post

Start with Art: A Garde-Robe du Mois based on Moonlight, Winter by Rockwell Kent

January 20, 2021

She's decided to plan a Garde-Robe du Mois, based on the clever and very useful suggestion made by Fiona Ferris in her recent book, The Chic Closet. (Fiona is VERY chic...)

She knew she wanted navy and white - they're her favorites! But beyond that, she was stumped! Something warm? Something with a bit of an organic feel, and a sense of radiance, to combat the darkness of deep mid-winter?

She scrolled through all sorts of museum websites, and art websites, and WHAP! - there it was:

The colors were obvious, if not something that was usual for her:

This is going to be a process that takes a few iterations, so she starts slowly - a small, 9-piece Common Wardrobe that includes all of her favorites - a ... View the Post

Accessories! A Garde-Robe du Mois based on a William Morris Scarf…

January 18, 2021

Remember this lovely scarf?

And this 21-piece "Garde-Robe du Mois" (Wardrobe of the Month) that started with 12 black garments, and then to which we added 3 accent garments, in 3 colors:

As great as any wardrobe might be, it will require at least a minimum of accessories - few of us can manage without something on our feet, and it's a rare woman who won't want a bag, or a pair of earrings...

So let's look at a generous sample of outfits from this wardrobe, representing both black and white outfits, and outfits that incorporate the 3 accent colors, and let's add accessories to each of them!

First up, the most classic of outfits is a perfect base for an amazing scarf. Timeless earrings and loafers ... View the Post

January 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Sophisticated Lynx

January 15, 2021

Not sophisticated like swishing around a boudoir in a silk negligee and fluffy maribou-trimmed mules! (is that really sophisticated?)

Sophisticated as in appreciating subtle things. Quiet good taste. Details that set the excellent apart from the everyday...

Stones with soft color gradients, and subtle beaded trim:

The nuances of color are deeply hidden in the stones, revealing themselves only to the attentive observer:

In cold weather, a gentle touch of rose pink is so flattering... The right earrings and mask bring a feminine touch to a classic outfit:

I almost never show vintage pieces here, because only one of you can buy it, but I could NOT resist this most perfect of ... View the Post