The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Petrol, Black and White: A Twelve-Pack for Uncertain, Mostly Cool, Weather

December 14, 2013  

 Yesterday we packed six garments, for a short week or long weekend, and for uncertain weather.

 Today, I'm assuming that we know our trip is going to be longer - up to two weeks or more, and that we know that most of our weather exposure is going to be colder. So in addition to the original six garments we packed, I'm adding six more carefully chosen items, and a few accessories.  The clothing items are chosen in pairs - sort of like adding outfits, but with an eye to being sure that we can use each item in a variety of ways.

Another pair of pants is very important in cool weather, so black jeans are my first addition. With the black cardigan, it's a long line of black that can have ... View the Post

Petrol, Black and White: A Six Pack for Uncertain or Changing Weather

December 13, 2013   Maybe the question I am asked most frequently - how do I pack when I'm not sure what the weather will be, or when I know that I'm going from cold to warm (or warm to cold) temperatures?   Things to keep in mind:

Avoid any garment that's overtly "one climate" - like a bulky cable knit sweater, or a filmy linen tunic. Try as much as possible to choose what you pack from that middle-ground of transitional clothes.  Consider:

merino sweaters (or cotton, or silk, or a blend of these), cotton blouses and tee shirts, pants in flat finish fabrics like crepe, twill or gabardine, and dresses that can be layered under a sweater or worn alone.

Plan around a color scheme that will be ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Brown and Blue

November 8, 2013

Jacket – Fairly,  Suede jeans – Mother,  scarf – Hermès, loafers- Adam Tucker, silk blouse – Maliparmi, earrings – Novica,  skirt – Lover, boots – Steve Madden  

Sweater – Stella McCartney,  scarf – Pierre-Louis Mascia,  Skirt – Nomad,  ankle boots – BP,  necklace – Novica,  dress – Stella McCartney,  slingbacks - Perlato  

Blouse – Aglini, bracelet – Julia Failey, white jeans – Proenza Schouler,  flats – Cole Haan, sweater – Marika Charles, earrings – Betsey Johnson,   trousers – Rochas, oxfords - Munro  

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Packing: The “Triple Top” Secret

October 28, 2013   I found, after a few days of travelling, that the shirts and sweaters that I had packed gave me a lot more options than I had anticipated!  A reminder: these are what I had in my bag:  

  Of course, I could wear any of these except the cardigan on their own.  But as the weather, and my location, shifted, I began to experiment with different ways to layer these 5 garments.  I discovered that, ultimately, I had a DOZEN options.  In the coldest weather, I was able to layer three tops together for maximum warmth, and thus the Triple Top Secret was born!    

But I quickly realized that, if I had chosen JUST a little bit more carefully, I could have had even more ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Cliffs of the Upper Colorado River, by Thomas Moran

September 24, 2013   This painting made me think of subdued yet strong colors - both warm and cool.  Intensely pigmented, but muted in brightness...  It was a beautiful challenge.  

  Cardigan – A. F. Vandevorst,  jeans – Brunello Cucinelli, bag –nada,  loafer – Trotters, gold silk blouse – Lanvin, pearl necklace – Majorica,  skirt – Deborah Drucker, high-vamp pumps - Trotters  

 

 

Stud earrings-  Linda Friedrich Jewelry,  Blouse –Marc by Marc Jacobs,  jeans – Uniqlo,  ballet flats – Sofft,  taupe tunic – Maison Martin Margiela 4, pleated skirt – Uniqlo, triangle earrings- Robert Rose,  belt – Halogen,  pumps - ... View the Post

Signature: Hermes Clous de Trompe L’Oeil enamel bracelets

July 3, 2013   If you have the good fortune to own a pair of Hermes enamel bracelets, you may want to use them as the basis of some outfits...  

 

Cardigan –Closed, Earrings- Georg Jensen, V-neck – Closed, Silk blouse – Steffen Schraut, Blue cardigan – Massimo Alba, Wine jeans – Closed, Bag – Dolce & Gabbana, Grey tee shirt – Organic by John Patrick, Wine tee shirt – Organic by John Patrick, Slate blue pants – Massimo Alba, Tweed skirt – Dolce & Gabbana, Suede loafers = Patricia Green, Flats – French Connection    

 

 

 

  love, Janice

  ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Weeping Cherry & Bullfinch by Katsushika Hokusai

July 1, 2013   This painting is so beautiful - the first thing that struck me was the clean simplicity of it.  So I was initially drawn to cool, somewhat architectural clothes, of course in blue...  

  More blue - still simple, clean, with silver accents.  

  I loved this sweater juxtaposed with a lace skirt- it felt like it captured the balance between the simplicity of the overall painting contrasted with the delicacy of the flowers.  And there was no way I could resist chambray...  

  And even winter clothing can reflect the beauty of this painting.  Soft sweaters, tweed, suede, all capture the gentle grace Katsushika Hokusai brought to life ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky by Emily Carr

June 20, 2013

  So very simple.  Tall, austere, lean, yet radiant. Vertical is balanced with the striations of the sky. Soft, cloudy, stormy around the edges, luminous throughout.  A lifetime of personal style inspiration could easily come from this...   A stunning dress, with simple earrings, pumps, and a structured bag.  A casual tee shirt dress, with shoes and a necklace that echo the sky in our inspirational painting.  

A cloudy grey coat, with soft suede boots and a stormy sky scarf, or a lacy dress with some dark accents, a soft and flowing wrap, and skylit shoes.  Even the earrings are lacy!

 

Another sleek dress with simple silvery accessories, or maybe a ... View the Post

Integrating a scarf into A Common Capsule Wardrobe: Hermes Coup de Fouet

June 11, 2013   So one of you recently purchased a very beautiful scarf, and now you're feeling.... stuck? unsure?  It's a common situation, and one that's pretty simple to remedy.  

 

This is the lovely object in question, entitled "Crack of the Whip". Striking graphics, and an unexpected juxtaposition of yellow in the middle of the purples and blues - those Hermes people are good... First thing you have to isolate is what color or colors drew you into this scarf? If it was the turquoise, for example, you might find that you already own the following items, to complement your scarf.

  Further, let's assume that you own some version of The Common Wardrobe, a couple of simple dresses, and a ... View the Post