The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With a Scarf: Navy and Burgundy

January 29, 2014     What if you bought a new scarf, and you liked it so much that you decided to make EVERY clothing purchase, for a year, based on the colors of the scarf?    

I get lots of questions about red, white and blue wardrobes, so when I was asked to address this scarf specifically, I thought it could be great fun.     This looks like a tremendous amount of shopping, but do bear in mind that the average American purchases 68 garments and 7 pair of shoes per year, and that it's entirely possible that you already own a few of these items...  This budget is pretty extreme, but I'm pretty confident that you can find beautiful items for just a bit less ... View the Post

Breaking All the Usual Packing Rules: Navy and Green

January 18, 2014

Normally, I've always suggested that you pack around a great travel outfit, and then a carefully selected travel capsule wardrobe of separates, chosen separately, all working together.

But what if you decided to pack outfits?  If you work from a unifying theme around which you choose all of your outfits, this is a very effective idea, which also has the benefit of helping you remember all of your important accessories!

For this example, I'm packing for someone who LOVES the combination of blue and green, and who has a variety of clothes and accessories which reflect this.  The trip starts somewhere relatively cool, but will include some warmer weather activities, and a dressy dinner for a special ... View the Post

Wearing Hermes Grands Fonds Silk Scarf All Year – July through December

January 14, 2014   Okay, under no circumstances would you wear this scarf with the frankly gym-like outfit for August (okay, maybe tied to your bag?), but I show this as an example of how your color preferences can permeate and inform ALL of your wardrobe choices.  And yes, I would wear flat loafers with a dress, depending on how much standing/walking is going to be involved in an event.  Plus I just couldn't leave out these great shoes...  

  After establish a core of blues and some khaki, don't forget that this scarf easily supports some accent touches of shades of red!  

  The best aspect of this sweater is the way it enables you to mix shades of blue with happy abandon, and ... View the Post

From Desk to Dinner Party: Take off a Cardigan, and Add Some Bracelets!

December 27, 2013  

I don't see a lot of bracelets in the world, and I think that's too bad.  Bracelets elevate any outfit to something much dressier, and they're particularly effective at the dinner table.  Make sure that you're choose bracelets that aren't too bangy or clinky or clanky - you want to be beautiful, but not to the point of distraction!For all of these outfits, I've shown a very simple 3/4 sleeve ("bracelet" sleeve) top, in a color matching the pants, and for day I've topped them with a cardigan that makes sort of a statement, and some simple loafers.  Then after work, in addition to pulling on your bracelets, I'm suggesting some shiny shoes - always flat and comfortable though!  A change of ... View the Post

From Desk to Dinner Party: Incorporating a Gem Tone into Neutrals

December 20, 2013   Many of you ask me about incorporating a brightly color blouse or shirt into their neutral wardrobe, particularly for evening events.  So I'm using the same basic "suit" type garments that we've seen before, and bringing in bright red, emerald green, and ruby...   Note that, while it's tempting to echo the color of the accent in shoes or another accessory, it's not strictly necessary.  So long as your accessories are festive, your look will be coherent and beautiful.   More tomorrow!  

  love, Janice     ... View the Post

Neutral Accessories: Scarves, Part 1

December 11, 2013  

As much as I love to use a scarf as an accent to an outfit, once the weather starts to get cold, I find that I often turn to my black, black and white, or grey scarves.  A little bit of texture, a subtle print, or a pattern can lend a lot of interest to a monochromatic outfit.Tomorrow, I'll show you scarves from the other 8 neutral colors - I'm now including rust and teal as neutrals!

  love, Janice ... View the Post

How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Navy and Camel

November 22, 2013   A classic cabled cardigan is always a good starting-point for this travel outfit.  After I tossed in a striped top, I thought that a solid scarf with a little bit of embellishment might be a calming touch.  This scarf is one of those things that you could wear forever... and if you want jewelry made of genuine stones that don't break the bank, take a look at Novica.  You know that these aren't investment-grade gems, but they aren't glass or synthetic, and the unique designs are delightful.  

Cardigan – Ralph Lauren,  earrings – Novica,  pants - Jaeger, cowl top – Phase 8, watch – Skagen, sparkle scarf – St. John Collection, loafers – Munro, Coat– Uniqlo,  tote – ... View the Post

How to Pack for a Long Weekend: Grey and Navy

November 21, 2013  

I love these travel vignettes, and I'm going to share the step by step thought process I go through to build them.

Once you have your two core neutrals chosen, the rest just falls into place. It gives you a great deal of ease in life to have a nicely-chosen wardrobe that is focused...

First off, choose your travel outfit using any combination of the two colors  I usually opt for a cardigan and pants that are the same color, and then use the 2nd color for shoes and a coat. A printed tee shirt, and a printed scarf, that include the 2 colors, finishes off your travel outfit.

Your watch and your bag will probably be in one of your neutral colors, and a simple pair of stud earrings give you some ... View the Post

Casual Packing: The “Triple Top” Secret

October 29, 2013   Here are a couple of examples of how my Triple Top Secret selection of tops can work for a really casual trip (or just a day to day wardrobe).  First, I started with a cool flowered shirt, got really gutsy and tossed in a striped tee shirt, and worked from there.  Yes, I would wear the stripes and the flowers together...  

I realized after working with this idea for a while that there are, in fact, two "triples" inherent in this idea:

 

  Yes, the button-front shirt is critical!  A shirt that can both be worn as a jacket or 2nd layer, but also layered under a sweater or sweatshirt, is key.  

    Here's an example of how this can work with some ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Beige Cardigan, 6 different outfits

September 27, 2013   Now that we can occasionally pull out our sweaters in Chicago, I've noticed that a LOT of women are wearing a simple beige wrap cardigan in all sorts of lovely ways:  

Cardigan – Alpha Massimo Rebecchi, Tweed skirt – Stella Jean, ivory sweater – Stefanel,   taupe suede pumps – Naturalizer,  black sweater – Stefanel,  printed skirt – Weekend by Max Mara, black pumps - Sofft    

Cardigan – Alpha Massimo Rebecchi, Grey trousers – Giorgio Armani, grey blouse – See by Chloe,  grey flats – Munro,  navy top -  Shirt C-Zero,  navy trousers – Paul Smith, navy fabric loafers – Munro    

Cardigan – Alpha Massimo ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Purple and Navy

September 25, 2013   A variety of shades of purple, but all of them using navy as their neutral, from the most simple choices of navy pumps with a purple dress, to a very dressy silk blouse and velvet skirt ensemble.  

Earrings – Nikki Baker,  dress – Malo,  pumps – Trotters, scarf – Esther Bonte,  blazer – Aspesi, pants –  Cedric Charlier, loafers - Geox  

Scarf – Joanna Allsop,  sweater-  Armani Collezioni,  skirt – Pauw,  boots – Nine West, amethyst bracelets – Lagos, amethyst earrings – Lagos,  cardigan – Malo,  skirt – Sofie D’Hoore, navy suede pumps - Clarks  

Blouse – Aspesi,  clutch bag –  Georgina Skalidi,  velvet skirt – Vanessa ... View the Post