The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 9 of 265 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Want a Simple Blue & White Summer Wardrobe? Start with Art – Mirage by Max Ernst

June 14, 2024

She loves the painting. She REALLY loves the colors - she believes that the top section is brown, and who are we to disagree?

This is an important thing for us all to remember - just because our painting of inspiration and motivation includes (in this case) four colors doesn't mean that every wardrobe we assemble MUST include all four colors...

So while our heroine has a "shades of pink" and brown wardrobe in her dreams for the upcoming cool weather, right now, she's liking blue and white...

She's found a dress she loves, as well as a handbag that's gorgeous...

She already had lots of white clothes, so this year, she found new sneakers with blue trim, as well as a bracelet, and a new band for her ... View the Post

Want to Embrace the Pantone Color of the Year? Start with Art – Untitled Watercolor 1946 by Mark Rothko

June 12, 2024

For those who don't pay attention to such things, the Pantone 2024 "Color of the Year" is Peach Fuzz. Very pretty, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we can find clothing in this color!

Our heroine is smitten with this painting, and she just knew that someone, somewhere, would eventually introduce clothing that would be perfect...

She knows full well that taupe is a miserably difficult color to find in clothing, so she's prepared to wear white with her new accent color, if necessary. And she's also willing to be persistent, and patient, in the hunt for taupe!

These are the colors she wants for her new wardrobe accent:

She's not entirely sure how much of this new color she will purchase - she's going ... View the Post

Want to Add Denim to Black & White? Start with a Scarf – the Willow Allen Scarf by Echo

June 10, 2024

Maybe you really loved the black and white wardrobe on Friday, but you know that you don't want to travel without some denim or chambray!

This scarf should set you up pretty well:

the text means "take care of the land and animals and they will give you life"

I've isolated the three shades of blue in the scarf, but I think you can be pretty flexible with this:

These four outfits are going to look familiar, but different. This is what The Vivienne Files is all about - the possibilities you have available with small changes. Nobody needs an entirely new wardrobe (well, almost nobody); most of us just need a few well-chosen updates!

Yes, her handbags are similar, but it's not that easy to find a nice ... View the Post

Looking for an Interesting Two-Toned Wardrobe? Start With a Scarf – The Ralph Lauren Scarf by Echo

June 7, 2024

Say you've got a scarf you really need to wear, for whatever reason. And it's not colorful...

This isn't all bad - this is actually a fun challenge to see how much visual interest you can bring to a simple color palette:

An obvious place to start is with black and white stripes....

The knitted texture of a solid sweater can make a lot of difference, as can a woven bag, or "perfed" shoes...

If you're wearing black and white, you don't want to miss the chance to find all of the black and white shoes you can!

Checks are always fun too!

Ah, if you've got a chance to take a quick trip somewhere, there are worse ways to pack than this!

This isn't exactly the way this is ... View the Post

June 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 2

June 5, 2024

Today's three heroines went three very interesting, different directions in their wardrobes - all of them valid!

Let's start with Rothko, who is fast becoming one of my very favorite artists:

Our first heroine has a wardrobe that feels like it has a lot of accent color in it, although it's not a huge percentage of the whole (37.5% to be exact) ...

And she has gloriously pretty accessories:

But for June, she felt like settling into some neutrals - especially a workhorse pair of black linen pants. (these should be worn at least weekly until the first frost...)

She also decided to go ahead and buy a cashmere hooded sweatshirt - yes, she might have grabbed a cotton one instead, but this feels more like ... View the Post

June 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 1

June 3, 2024

Time to visit our six heroines and see what intelligent, well-considered wardrobe additions they make this month!

knowing full well that these wardrobes could be expanded in ways that defy logic...

This painting doesn't grow old:

At the end of May, our heroine had 24 garments in this capsule wardrobe - LOTS of red:

And her accessories were just right for her - I will always believe that you can tell much more about a woman from her accessories rather than just her clothes!

Our heroine only has one dress - the classic grey one - and she feels like she wants something for summer. It wasn't a big leap to decide that a two-piece camp shirt and skirt was perfect:

Filling in her clothing purchases ... View the Post

Want to Travel Pretty? Start with a Bracelet – The Highlands’ Heather Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

May 31, 2024

Yes, we waited as long as possible to get to the May bracelets, because our bracelet goddess was on vacation in .... SCOTLAND...

my envy knows no bounds...

In keeping with her Scottish adventure, her bracelets this months are right on point:

For a longer trip, or a larger wardrobe, there's a ton of ivory and bone hues to work with here...

Right now, we have quite a few heroines traveling to places that aren't sweltering summer weather - Arctic cruises, north of Scotland, north of Finland... You all do some interesting things!

And I've been asked more than once for a travel capsule wardrobe that's full of L.L.Bean clothes and their timeless aesthetic. AND many of us are excited about wearing pink. So ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Modest Dresses and Nude Accessories

May 29, 2924

Last week I went for another cortisone shot in my wrist, as well as the ten millionth re-fit of my arm brace - heavy lifting is catching up with my wee bird-like wrists!

But the thing I remember most from the entire adventure is a group of people I saw walking OUT of the office building as I was walking in...

Maybe 30 or 40 of them, equally split between men and women. The men were all wearing suits or blazers and trousers, and ALL of them were wearing ties. That, in and of itself, might have caused me to swoon.

BUT THE WOMEN!

All were wearing either:

(a) a skirted suit,

(b) a dress and jacket, or

(c) a dress - with sleeves, below the knee, no cleavage, with nude shoes!

Please, of course, understand ... View the Post

Want to Try Warm Accents with Black? Start with a Scarf – The Juan Delcan Scarf by Echo

May 27, 2024

While some of us are loyal to the color palettes given to us - sometimes years ago - by color consultants, some of us are out there experimenting...

This scarf inspires experimentation:

At first, I thought I would tackle something with the light blue background - faded denim and chambray would both be ideal.

But then I really focused on the juxtaposition of black with the warm gold, green and orange creatures on this most whimsical of scarves:

Our heroine, who has a fondness for lacy and textured cardigans, is off and running!

Her wardrobe has many of the same classic black garments as that of her friend from Friday's post, but things look very different with these colors!

Even though ... View the Post

Want Something to Spark a Range of Ideas? Start with a Scarf – Honey Dijon Scarf by Echo

May 24, 2024

If you're offended by profanity, approach this post with caution - there is indeed a word printed on this scarf which might disturb...

We've heard from a handful of heroines who are looking to wear black with pink, and who want to either be more dressy, or more youthful. Maybe this addresses all sorts of desires!

Here's the newest Echo 100 scarf:

Yes, you can just fold the bottom left corner in, and nobody will know. Or you can let it fly free and see what happens...

This inspires the easiest of color palettes; while I didn't include white in any of the outfits, it's sort of an obvious addition to this scheme:

I'm suggesting outfits that cover a handful of weather conditions and degree of ... View the Post

Are You Just Now Adding Accent Colors? Start With a Scarf – The Helena Christensen Silk Scarf by Echo

May 22, 2024

She's never worn accent colors - there are a ton of neutrals, and she's always been just fine with them!

But she saw this scarf...

Immediately, she saw colors that she loves. It's not that she's never liked accent colors, but until now, none of them really felt like her. Who are we to question?

Her Common Wardrobe is migrating slowly toward spring - a black top with ruffled sleeves is about as racy as she's ever really gone! But she does have summer tops and a pair of shorts, so she's off to a good start:

Then one day, she decided to just jump in and shop! She's still not made the move to wearing earrings - THAT feels like too much a change... (yes, I have two friends who NEVER wear earrings ... View the Post

Is Your Wardrobe Very Basic? Start with a Scarf – Krista Kim Silk Scarf by Echo

May 20, 2024

What do you do about accents and accessories when your wardrobe is very neutral and practical? I've been asked this quite a bit, recently...

Say you're smitten with this scarf:

You can easily see that there are tons of colors possible to emphasize in this scarf, but you isolate this color palette:

Yes, it's entirely possible that the border of this scarf is navy, rather than black. I'm not quite certain...

Here's where your questions seem to arise - this is what your day-to-day wardrobe looks like:

Yes, these 12 garments are what I refer to as A Common Wardrobe, or "clothes that most of us own in one variation or another." Years ago, I spent an evening observing a large gathering of advertising ... View the Post