The Vivienne Files - Page 86 of 261 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Chic Sighting: Printed Dress and Black Cardigan

January 16, 2019

Yes, they were only going out to breakfast as a family, but she considers that a special occasion! So she put on her favorite black, white and red printed dress, with her dressy black cardigan, black tights, and short boots. (it just cracks me up to see people wearing boots here in Florida on days when I personally would be wearing sandals...)

Other people might not be dressed quite as nicely, but that's okay too...

This outfit idea works for hot weather too!

Lunching at a nice restaurant?

This idea works well for work:

There are a lot of places that you could wear this outfit!

You can even get quite dressed up using this idea! (and note the subtly heart-shaped earrings - ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Madame Leon Clapisson by Renoir

January 14, 2019

Oh my... She sings in the opera. Not one of the stars, but she works all the time, and enjoys it immensely!

Even though she's not the primary singer, she's still a bit of a diva; she identifies quite a bit with the woman in the painting:

So when she purchases her clothes, she uses this color scheme - enough neutral colors that she can find what she needs, but with lovely soft accent colors that appeal to her feminine side:

Her opera company is travelling to give a few performances in another city. She will be spending most of her time rehearsing or performing, but she will have a bit of time to sight-see, shop, and dine.

She's quite dressy...

She realizes that packing only dresses and cardigans ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Rhythmisches by Paul Klee

January 11, 2019

She quilted for years - ever since she was a teenager. So when they offered her the position managing the quilt museum (THE best quilt museum in the country, in many opinions...) she jumped at the chance.

The position involves travel... So she's going to try to be organized about this!

It might not be her favorite painting, but this is what she's chosen as her core inspiration:

She wants to dress in neutrals, but she's really reluctant to be pinned down to just cool (or warm) colors; she's going to mix it up! Her palette is this:

She likes to be comfortable and sort of... low key? when she travels - she's visiting women who've made quilts, or other smaller museums, so she doesn't want to show up ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Briqueterie a Tortosa by Pablo Picasso

January 9, 2019

Solar panels. She designs installations for solar panels - big installations, small ones - whatever is ordered, she will optimize both the appearance and the productivity. She's very proud of what she does...

So when she saw this painting, it spoke to her - the angles, the bright sunny feel, the combination of grey (like metal frames) with orange and green - the colors of things that grow and bloom:

She decided to choose a color palette that she could use for all of her travel wardrobes (and maybe all of her clothing, eventually):

One challenge she always faces is that she travels to place where it is inevitably warmer than where she lives! So she dresses warmly for her departure, and ... View the Post

Winter Travel: Between Breath and the River 4 by Susan Osgood

January 7, 2019

She predicts flooding. Flood plains, coastal erosion, river bank frailties - she's the expert. And this is her favorite painting...

Long ago she decided to limit her wardrobe to her favorite shades of blue, and to use navy and shades of grey as her neutrals. She has lots of serious things to think about, so having a simplified way to get dressed every day saves her time and energy for her work!

She's often contracted out to television channels which focus on weather disasters - she will spend a few days at their headquarters helping their permanent staff make predictions about areas that need to be evacuated in the face of upcoming storms...

Ice blockages are particularly hard to evaluation - they can ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Instruments de Musique: by Pablo Picasso

January 4, 2019

Our final heroine from 2018! The square peg in the round hole, who nevertheless manages to be very effective at her job...

When she saw this painting, she knew that it would be a favorite for a long time:

So when she entered the workforce, she designed her own color palette and style guidelines... She knows that it's important for her to fit in with her co-workers, but she also wants to show her own personal... point of view!

When she traveled in January, she was absolutely delighted with what she packed - unexpected in some ways, but perfectly appropriate, just the same!

That trip went so well that she was... honored... (?) to be asked to visit their most difficult client just a few months later! ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits – based on 6 Hermes Scarves

January 2, 2019

Here they are! It took me a while to choose, but I think I'm going to love these...

First up - black and white with NO red... I'm interested to see how far I can go with just 2 shades of blue as accents. Given the success of the strictly navy and white wardrobe from last year, I'm optimistic!

This year, I thought that I would start with color palettes for each scarf - I think this will make it easier for me to make certain that I'm focused, and that each month's outfit will have a good chance of working nicely into the overall wardrobe.

I'm starting with the most uncomplicated outfits possible - lots of white tee shirts! It's easy to forget how useful these kinds of garments can be...

This next ... View the Post

Can I Last a Year Without Shopping? I’m Going to Try…

December 31, 2018

It becomes too clear this time of year - I don't need anything, and when I see things that I want, about 5 minutes of intelligent self-talk reminds me that the purchase would be... wasteful, at best.

I'd rather travel! And I do travel a lot. When you become accustomed to living for a week or 10 days or longer with just the contents of a suitcase as your wardrobe, you learn that you can manage - happily - with relatively little.

So I've got a plan! (of COURSE I have a plan - you're shocked, right?)

Clusters!

I'm going to be in Florida for part of January, but for the rest of January, I'm going to limit my wardrobe to 10 garments - 2 clusters of five...

This is my first cluster - these aren't exactly my ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Paysage de Neige” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

December 28, 2018

Ah, our friend who loves peace and quiet... She was smitten with this painting from the first time she saw it:

She found this painting to be so moving that she decided to base her wardrobe around it. In order to focus her shopping, she isolated a couple of key phrases and a small color palette that she drew from the painting:

She's been very pleased with the results!

In January she decided to get away for a peaceful long weekend at a resort that would be relatively deserted in the winter... Her plan was to go for walks, sit by the fireplace and read, and just generally relax and absorb the tranquility!

She found much to enjoy... So much so that she went back in April! Packing for that ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe: A Year of “Passion Flower with Hummingbirds” by Martin Johnson Heade

December 26, 2018

Ah, this most enigmatic of heroines! Her favorite painting is this darkly beautiful wonder:

After studying it's depths and details for a while, she found her signature style and color palette:

Back in January, she took a trip (we don't know where!) for which she planned her travel wardrobe around these colors:

Our mystery heroine traveled again in April, and she again used her signature painting and color palette to inspire her travel wardrobe:

In July, she went into the city for a couple of days, so that she could go to a couple of baseball games! I said that she was enigmatic...

In October she traveled for what we suspected might be romantic motivations...

After all this ... View the Post

Let’s Celebrate the Day with a Look at Paris Holiday Decor!

December 25, 2018

To those of you who celebrate today, I sincerely wish you peace and happiness, today and in the new year. And to all of the rest of us, we can still enjoy the day with our friends who celebrate, and enjoy the beauty that the winter holidays offer to us all!

Paris goes somewhat over the top decorating for Christmas and New Years, and I say HALLELUJAH to that. Chicago feels quite drab in comparison...

The top left photograph below, with the adorable little reindeer, was in the window of a store that sells light bulbs! Yes, bulbs. They used their merchandise nicely to give this window an old-fashioned feeling.

One of the last days that I was in Paris, I found a shop that sells ANY kind of blown glass ornament ... View the Post

Fun Stuff I Saw in Paris

If you've been reading The Vivienne Files for a while, you might have noticed that when I go to Paris, I don't seem to do any of the "normal" things! Nor do I take the normal photographs...

For example, I was amused, and really impressed, to see that a lot of the utility boxes on the streets in Paris were painted with cool, stylized portraits of writers! I'd never heard of Victor Schoelcher - had to look him up... And there was a LOT of attention being paid to Simone Veil - new books about her, re-releases of books by her, etc.

If you come into Paris from the airport in a cab, you will perhaps be startled by how much graffiti there is along the highway. It's all that usual "tagging" kind of thing - big balloon letters spelling out ... View the Post