The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Wardrobe of the Week February 18 – 25, 2023, and a song of praise for my 4 Objects blazer

February 26, 2023

We were out and about a bit this week - I don't have a lot of opportunities to dress up!

The only really "snazzy" outfit that I wore was the following, which I wore for a lengthy test to determine that I am NOT allergic to aspirin! My arthritis is grateful...

I've been asked about my 4 Objects blazer - WELL...

This is a detail of the fabric, and of one of the lovely front welt pockets...

When I first unpacked my blazer, the first thing that I noticed is that the garment is three-dimensional! It doesn't just lay flat when you put it down - the armholes have dimension, as does the collar!

And this is the inside front breast pocket, which was turned out like this when my blazer ... View the Post

Wardrobe of the Week: February 12 – 18, 2023

February 19, 2023

We had a quiet week, with 1 appointment out of the apartment. Snow on Thursday meant that we all stayed tucked up for a couple of days...

I made a deliberate effort to wear the same general look, and the same pants. More and more I find that I'm VERY comfortable wearing the same small assortment of clothing. 

Life is complicated enough, without wardrobe angst!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Bracelet: Transformational Lynx Bracelets by Fierce Lynx Designs

February 15, 2023

She's ready for a big change, and she's going to use this bracelet as her inspiration:

For decades, she's worn navy with pink, or light blue, or pale yellow... It fit in with her office and her job. But now...

She started with the bracelets, and THEN she saw the coat! She was wearing sneakers with green stripes, so it seemed fated... A divine brooch, the perfect scarf, and some wee earrings were all she needed:

Gradually, she added a few things to her wardrobe, while she held onto her favorite work skirt and pants:

Suddenly, she finds that she's prepared to present her new color palette at almost any activity in her social life:

She's excited about the options of soft lavender or deep, ... View the Post

WOW Wardrobe Of the Week – February 5 – 11, 2023

February 13, 2023

This week, I wore the same grey yak wool sweater every day - even on the day when I didn't put on "real" clothes! I pulled my sweater on over my pajamas and wore it rather than my robe, which felt too cumbersome...

I have to share with you the fabric shaver that I've found that doesn't get all tangled and stalled every 5 minutes - it's rechargeable with a UBS cord, and it's VERY reliable...

love,

Janice ... View the Post

WOW Wardrobe Of the Week – January 29 – February 4, 2023

February 5, 2023

Yes, I'm wearing a lot of the same clothes over and over - and part of the reason is the way our apartment is furnished!

In our main room, we have THREE dining tables! Our table is behind the sofa, with the leaves dropped, and with candles and a lamp on it - it serves well as a "sofa table."

The second, which belonged to my mother-in-law, has the leaves dropped, it's pushed up against a wall, and our (ridiculously huge) collection of alcohol is on it. The pandemic lead to a cocktail challenge with one of our friends...

The third table is my mother's - it's the one at which we eat our meals!

All of this is to indicate just how FULL our apartment is. Which, for me, translates into a closet that is only maybe ... View the Post

Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – February 2023

February 3, 2023

I must mention this: to me, this first heroine MUST be living somewhere warm, or at least warm-ish. It's hard to picture someone wearing this much ivory in a place where slushy streets are an issue!

Adding both the pink tee shirt AND the pants to her wardrobe this month gives this heroine a VERY pink wardrobe, but it's wise to grab things that match (or in this case - tone). Skipping 1 of these 2 pink garments because it feels like "too much pink" makes sense in the short term, but in the long term, having both pieces makes life easier...

Yep, this heroine likes pink. And she looks amazing in it!

Her 3 new garments give her lots of new options, although her wardrobe doesn't have a wide variety of ... View the Post

First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – February 2023

February 1, 2023

I'm already at the point where it's better to break this post into 2 posts; it's a lot to digest (or to produce!) at 1 time!

The order of the paintings is different this month; I'm hopeful that I can remember to re-order them each month to keep things fresh...

First up - the train station!

Maybe it's the single-digit temperatures today, but I realized that all of our heroines could probably use a jacket (although these are NOT the jacket one needs for the dead of winter)... Another tee shirt is pretty important at this point, and jeans or other pants. 

This heroine is due for something in beautiful soft green (called "eucaluptus steam" - it feels like a humidifier when you have a cold!), and a pair ... View the Post

Accessories! Project 333 based on Morris Graves/Rain by Kay Russell

January 30, 2023

Just to refresh our memories after the weekend, our current heroine is working on a Project 333 wardrobe based upon this painting and color palette:

Her plan is to include 16 garments and 17 accessories in her 3 month plan; the clothing that she's chosen is here:

She's going to be logical about this, and work her way through an assortment of outfits, making certain that she includes the appropriate accessories for each...

Finding both earrings AND a scarf in her favorite dusty green is a small victory, I'd say!

She's going to slightly dress up with her vest - a stunning pearl brooch, and some pretty loafers will do the trick:

Something warm and casual is always useful!

Her favorite ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Morris Graves/Rain by Kay Russell

January 27, 2023

This is her favorite painting:

She wants to tackle Project 333 for February, March and April! So she's starting with her favorite outfit, and with colors that she's drawn from her favorite painting.

Of course she can't include ALL of the colors in the painting; that would be overwhelming!

These were her choice:

And this is her favorite outfit, right now:

She tries to think of things that she ABSOLUTELY must wear through the rest of the winter - dark pants, and a denim shirt come to mind immediately:

Jeans? Heavens yes! And she really loves sweater vests, so she wants to include the vest that matches her blue cardigan:

There's no way she can omit her favorite outfit for outdoor ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Two Geese in the Snow by Komori Soseki

January 25, 2023

Plenty of Firewood... She agreed to go up to the cabin for the weekend, with the understanding that (1) they would stop at the deli on the way out of town and get enough food, (2) there is enough firewood up there for at least 5 days, and (3) there are NO chores for her to handle!

Oh yes, and there are birds about...

In all fairness, she has 2 books she really NEEDS to finish in the next few days (for work!), so it's not all just hanging about reading gossip magazines...

She will, of course, walk outdoors from time to time, to catch some sun (if it's out!), visit with any animals that are about, and take a break from her work.

In addition to using a favorite painting as her inspiration, ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Composition by Ernest Mancoba

January 18, 2023

She had always liked to wear ivory, bone, stone - those light, neutral colors.

And denim. ALWAYS denim...

So when she saw this:

She saw her color palette for the rest of the winter, right in front of her!

Although her favorite colors are lighter and brighter, she will include her black pants, at a minimum! Sometimes, you need dark pants...

To start, she pulls her 3 favorite outfits from her closet:

She realizes early on that she's not going to have a "Whatever's Clean" wardrobe - some of her clothes just aren't going to go together. That's fine, so long as the majority of her garments play nicely together and give her options...

An excellent pair of black pants are so ... View the Post

Analyzing the Six-Pack – Start with a Scarf: Royal Tulips by Katchmagic London

January 13, 2023

She's going to be really methodical about this...

And we are going to listen in to her brain, to see what we can learn...

First, she chooses her current favorite scarf as her inspiration, and then isolates what her accent colors will be:

Hmm... packing six garments and wearing 3 on the train/plane/bus means that she will have a total of 9 garments with her on her trip. She pictures it like this:

Her first outfit is straightforward - dark pants to avoid the mini-drama of spills. A warm cardigan that's pretty bulky to pack, so she chooses to wear it. And a bright tee shirt to bring color and life to her face...

She will almost certainly wear her inspiration scarf too!

Next, she chooses the ... View the Post