The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Start With Nature: Bird’s Eggs photograph from Kevin Fleming Photography

November 3, 2014  

Someone sent me this gorgeous photograph... I've flipped it sideways so that I could put up a bigger image...

This was my chosen color scheme:  

  It's hard to introduce "egg-like" elements into a wardrobe, but I did stick with rounded earrings, and I aimed for a sort of softness and subtlety that would honor the gorgeousness of the photograph.  

  I introduced the most subtle greenish color to blend with the warm beige, tan and brown already here.  It's an amazingly effective combination, I think.  

  To me, these combinations are warm, gentle, and comfortable.  

love, Janice ... View the Post

Travel Capsule Wardrobe Packing with Scarves: Les Ailes de la Soie, or difficult colors

November 1, 2014   What to do? You have a wonderful wardrobe of cool neutral colors of charcoal, slate, silvery blue and ivory. But you fall irrevocably in love with a scarf that has some really pronounced warm colors in it; how can it be worn?  

 

Happily, this scarf includes lots of cool tones too - this is the color scheme I pulled together from this beautiful thing...  

  So the lacy wings of the butterflies in the scarf put me in a lacy sort of mood - this coat, scarf and bag all echo the lace motif without being overwhelmingly girly. I balanced them with a really simple ivory sweater and grey trousers, as well as simple black boots.  

In the bag are some soft garments, in ... View the Post

Travel Capsule Wardrobe Packing with Scarves: Missoni

October 31, 2014   One of my most loyal readers recently purchased this scarf and wanted to know what I would do with it - the answer is, of course, a LOT. One of the many joys of a scarf from Missoni is that they contain a wealth of colors that you wouldn't otherwise put together. I don't know why I saw bright pink here - when you get your nose right up against the scarf, it's not really there. There's teal, as well as a softer sage green, quite a bit of light blue, some slate greyish blue, navy... Lots of things to consider...   Missoni scarves are available in a lot of places, and often on sale. Different vendors get different designs, so if you have your heart set on one particular color scheme, don't forget to check ... View the Post

Start With Art: The Church at Coggeshall, Essex by John Armstrong

September 11, 2014  

What a cool painting! It shows the World War 2 damage to the church, and the "reveal" of the interior structure of the church is fascinating. So sad that such a lovely piece of art is the result of destruction...

From this, I selected two relatively minor colors in the painting as the neutrals, and then used the gorgeous pastels as the accent colors. The black is clearly visible, but I grabbed the sage green from the shrubbery that's relatively obscured on the left side of the painting.

I think what I'm trying to show here is that, although the painting itself is very light with muted pastels, it's still possible to pull together a wardrobe from these colors without enriching your dry cleaner. Capturing ... View the Post

I Want to Dress Like an Empire-Style Hotel Room

April 9, 2014  

This is a typical room in the Hotel des Grands Hommes, in Paris.  The colors and the details in this room can inspire a beautiful wardrobe.  The colors words that I focused on were taupe, beige, camel, apricot, slate, gold, copper and bronze.  I was looking for soft, patterned, draped and refined looks...  

   The striped colors of the headboard drew my eye to this sweater - it's softness confirmed my choice.  And the combination of apricot and charcoal with a detailed scarf were irresistible.  

   I loved this coat, and the ornate flats appealed.... and the draped tunic dress, with warm tobacco leather leggings and metallic ballet flats are a ... View the Post

Start With Art: An Interior from Architectural Digest

February 25, 2014   This photograph was sent to me as a suggestion for a wardrobe - and what a great idea.  This photograph prompted, in me, ideas of wood, stone, natural fabrics and textured fabrics.  While I'm going to start with mostly colors in the beige/brown/grey families, there are definite hints here of green, blue and orange that would be great accent colors here.

  Another question I've been asked is about the possibility of purchasing garments one at a time, so this is something we're going to try here.  And the idea of not matching colors exactly - the colors in this wardrobe (with one exception) won't be identical matches...   So here we go!  First off, wouldn't you like to be sitting ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: “A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” by Jan Toorop

January 3, 2014  

This painting is currently at the Art Institute of Chicago, as part of the Celia and David Hilliard Collection exhibit.  I'm not sure if it's oil - I suspect it might be pastel - but it captivates me immediately...My impressions from this were of warmth, and simplicity - clear lines and powdery soft colors, with matte finishes.

“A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” – Jan Toorop, blue topaz ring – Zayd Makarim, blue linen tee shirt – Isabel Marant Etoile, natural linen shorts – Comme des Garcons, denim blue sandals – Popet  seafoam linen dress – Paul Smith, scarf – U-NI-TY, silver sandals – Dr. Scholl’s    

 

“A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path” – Jan ... View the Post

How to wear Paisley Jeans: Version Neutral

Paisley jeans - Etro,  sweater – Jardin des Orangers, necklace – BaubleBar, loafers – Naturalizer,  sweater – Max Mara, watch – Debenhams, loafers - Lanvin  

Paisley jeans – Etro, silk blouse – Stella McCartney, earrings – Dorothy Perkins, pumps – Brooks Brothers, tee – Brunello Cuccinelli, bracelet – Brooks Brothers, loafers – La Botte Gardiane      

Paisley jeans - Etro, sweater – Patagonia, earrings – BaubleBar, flats – Stuart Weitzman, blouse – Armani Collezioni, earrings – Georg Jensen, flats – Vera Wang    

Paisley jeans – Etro, striped sweater - Vince, earrings – Folli Follie, oxfords - Hdson, leather cardigan – Avi?, bracelets – Accessorize, boots – ... View the Post

Another Common Capsule Wardrobe, with peach

November 2, 2012   When she was a child, she was admired for her downy-soft, warmly blushing cheeks... So she adopted peach as her signature...  

Drop earrings – Ippolita, watch – Lipsy, rubber bracelets – Nessa Ayzee, pearl stud earrings – Lord & Taylor, pendant – Brace Yourself LA, bag –Rebecca Minkoff, ring – Didi Jewellery, ankle boots – Romantic Soles, ballet flats – Chloe, silk scarf – Hermès, gloves – Missoni, beaded cuff bracelet – Dorothy Perkins, striped scarf – Missoni, sunglasses – Charlotte Olympia, chiffon scarf – Aspinal of London  

Top row – L.L.Bean, cream shirt – Kitsune, peach blouse – Chloe, cardigan & v-neck sweater – L.L.Bean, brown long-sleeved tee – La Garconne, tan pants ... View the Post

Another Common Capsule Wardrobe, with amber

Why yes, these ARE the same amber accessories I used with the first version of The Common Capsule Wardrobe; thank you for noticing!

 

Bracelet – Modcloth, ring & earrings  – Kenneth Jay Lane, square scarf – Liberty London, leopard amber bracelet – Romwe, beads – Linda Lee Johnson, stud earrings – Goldmajor, belt – J. Crew, bag – Maison Martin Margiela, oxfords – Dolce Vita, paisley scarf – Etro, ankle boots – Aldo, chunky necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane    

Top row – L.L.Bean, cream shirt – Kitsune, peach blouse – Chloe, cardigan & v-neck sweater – L.L.Bean, brown  long-sleeved tee – La Garconne, tan pants – Jil Sander, cream jeans – Les Copains, brown pants – Maison Martin ... View the Post

Another Common Capsule Wardrobe: warm colors

Ever since the beginning of A Common Capsule Wardrobe, I've been asked to show what I would consider to be a version for someone who prefers warmer colors.  While this version isn't going to be quite as versatile as the original, it's certainly got plenty of potential.  Does anybody want me to expand on this one, with accessories?

Top row – L.L.Bean, cream shirt – Kitsune, peach blouse – Chloe, cardigan & v-neck sweater – L.L.Bean, brown 

 long-sleeved tee – La Garconne, tan pants – Jil Sander, cream jeans – Les Copains, brown pants – Maison Martin Margiela  

 

 

  ... View the Post