The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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February 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Confident Lynx

February 22, 2021 You Could Go By Yourself... She looked at her favorite bracelet - the Confident Lynx...

She's going to do this - she's been anticipating this Cathedral Tour weekend for ages, and she's not going to miss it just because nobody she knows wants to go too!

So she starts to plan...

It won't be bitter cold by the time of the tour, but she knows that she wants to dress rather warmly, because old stone buildings are never toasty...

Since she's going to be alone (well, there will of course be other people on the tour!), she wants to make sure that she can lift her own luggage and manage it without having to resort to the kindness of strangers! So she arranges a tidy black core of clothes, and ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Echo Photo Floral Silk Square

February 15, 2021

Let's wallow in some flowers!

 

This has the potential to take black and white RIGHT into spring - at least in our hearts! What lovely colors:

Today's heroine assures me that her wardrobe is pretty classic black and white, so let's start with a 12-piece Common Wardrobe that will see her into a few warm days:

Now - the accent colors!

I had to splurge and show you this tee shirt, because I think the floral print is lovely...

Coral! Who wouldn't look at least reasonably good in this color? And the sleeveless top brings summer into the room, even if worn under a cardigan:

Okay, one may not be inclined to wear this cardigan every other day, but it is SO bright and fun for these ... 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

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

Start with Art: Man in a Café by Juan Gris

January 13, 2021

She was looking for a foolproof color palette; one day, she ran into this gentleman:

She is thrilled - she can see black, white, shades of grey, camel, khaki, brown, and denim blue. These colors ALL go together...

She starts small, with packing for a long weekend. She knows that her denim shirt is perfect under a black sweater and cords...

Now, how can this be foolproof?

v-neck sweaters are perfect over button-front shirts, OR on their own; button front shirts are easy 1st layers or they can be worn without something over them. Now that she has found Petite sizes that have short enough sleeves, and ample enough torsos, she's all set! and black bottoms and shoes...

So this is what she ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: William Morris Floral Scarf from The Met Store

January 8, 2021

It was a gift, and she adored it immediately:

They had talked for a while about her interest in expanding her black and white wardrobe, and she thought that this scarf might be the perfect catalyst.

She held it for a while, and looked at it closely... Eventually, she isolated this color palette:

She doesn't plan to quit wear white, but she feels like it will be... de-emphasized in the future.

Right now, this is her Common Wardrobe. She's been quite happy with this, so far, through the cooler weather:

Since mid-October, she's been wearing these pieces and very few other things - some days she wore gym clothes, and the occasional day saw nothing but pajamas (tell me you've NEVER done that...). ... View the Post

Start with Art: Soir de Neige a Terajima by Kawase Hasui

December 30, 2020 A Snow Sabbatical She adores snow...

She likes the clarity and simplicity of a landscape with snow! And so when she was planning her wardrobe for a quick weekend away, she decided to stick with clear, wintery colors:

She will be walking about town quite a bit, but she doesn't expect the weather to be bitter cold. And frankly, she's not concerned - she's one of those people who just does NOT get cold...

It'a gift!

In an ideal world, her sleeveless dress might be a heavier ponte knit, or maybe even wool. But she has her snowflakes with her, and her warm jammies, and slippers that she would cheerfully wear out on the street to breakfast...

She just wants a day or 2 to be away from the usual. ... View the Post

Start with Art: Honor by Elizaveta Egiazaryan

December 28, 2020

She's quite smitten with this painting:

So when they decided, at their family meeting, that they MUST turn down the thermostat and try to cut back their energy consumption, she wondered if the warmth of her flower painting could be translated into real warmth...

Her normal wardrobe is very strictly black and white, and has been that way for quite a while. She really doesn't need a lot of clothing these days, so she's been managing pretty well with just this:

She went back to her current favorite painting, and studied it carefully. Black and white are certainly here, but what makes the painting feel warm to her is the more cream and beige tones. And the luscious pink helps too!

So she created a color ... View the Post

Start with a Ruana: Echo Smoked Lilac Tweed Ruana

December 23, 2020

She loved the whole idea of a ruana, and when she saw this one, she was smitten:

She magnified the image as much as she could, and finally decided that these might be the colors that she would wear with it... if she decides to buy it!

But before she buys anything, she's going to sit down for a few minutes (maybe with a piece of paper and her favorite pen) and think about how she might wear this beauty...

Obvious 1st choice might be black pants and a pink sweater, but her pants will be her favorite velvet jeans, and the sweater will have some lovely textures. And fun socks - of course!

Now she stands for a good, long minute in front of her closet, thinking about the beige possibilities...

A ... View the Post

Choosing Accessories: Painterly Architectonic by Liubov Popova

December 7, 2020

Remember this most difficult group of colors?

Although it's a challenging work of art, it does include three easily-available neutral colors, and 2 really nice accent colors. Our heroine finalized her wardrobe with this, and it seems pretty practical:

But she wants, and needs, accessories! Let's accessorize a dozen outfits for her, and make some effort to use some things more than once. It would be sort of fun to have completely different accessories for each outfit, but that's not exactly practical...

First off, for those of us spending the majority of our time indoors, what's not to love about a pair of wool clogs? You could certainly dash to the mailbox, or around the block with the dog, wearing ... View the Post

Can You Build a Wardrobe with Colors that Clash? Start with Art: Painterly Architectonic by Liubov Popova

November 27, 2020 She Really Loves This Painting...

And she has all of these colors in her closet! So she figures that she will pull together her "Garde-Robe du Mois" (wardrobe of the month) for the end of November and the start of December based on this...

First, she's trying to figure out how often she will wear things, based on the "How Many Pieces of Clothing Should I Own?" worksheet.

She starts with 31 days - a longer month, perhaps.

And then, because she never leaves her home these days, she knows that she only wants to wear 1 outfit per day.

She will probably evenly split between 2 and 3 garment outfits.

And finally, she plays around with the "How many times do you want to wear each piece during your time ... View the Post

Start with Art: Adding Accessories – Colored Rhythm: Study for the Film by Leopold Survage

I'll be back off and on for a week or two until things settle... Your kind messages and support help keep me sane right now. much love, Janice

 

November 25, 2020

She's quite happy with how her wardrobe is progressing; she's basing her choices on this painting she just discovered, and the color palette she developed from it:

She has her clothes all ready:

This is already a pretty fun wardrobe, but she's eager to see what accessories will add. The perfect scarf is all this outfit needs - a pair of earrings and some loafers finish this outfit in a classic way!

A sweater with texture and a pendant with a real eye-catching pattern are perfect for a work day:

The turtleneck print is subtle but its just ... View the Post