The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting With Art: Shopping with a Van Gogh Seascape

February 19, 2014

What a gorgeous painting! And the colors are so perfect for warm weather... (of which I dream right now, as I watch the white-out snow storm outside my window...)

A few of you have expressed a concern about wearing light colors below the waist, and so for this wardrobe I'm going to avoid that. Also, I've been asked to include a maxi skirt in capsule wardrobes, so today I've found one!

A dark core of four - useful for most of the year, and an essential base upon which we're going to build this plan. Navy is so perfect for warm weather; if you're concerned about the colors matching, plan to buy all four items at once, and maybe from the same place.

Yes, this is the second grouping of four green garments ... View the Post

A Variety of Colors: A Simple Summer Wardrobe

February 13, 2014   I've been thinking a lot about how to plan a wardrobe that gives you options for a wide variety of accent colors. There are other way to go about this, and I'm going to figure them out, but my very first thought was the following. Here's what your summer wardrobe will look like, after we've worked out way through the steps.    

  Assuming that you're going to be carrying over a few garments from your cold weather wardrobe, I've pulled together this core of four in grey. I'm also including neutral footwear - canvas sneakers, and a simple pair of suede loafers.  

  As much as I know that the point of this is to introduce lots of accents, I think it's pretty important that we ... View the Post

Warm Weather in Navy and Pink: A Long Weekend, or a Week?

February 8, 2014   Ooh, it's nice to dream of summer clothes and warmer destinations!  Some of you are headed out with family for vacations that suggest shorts, capris, and flowing summer skirts and dresses, and the colors navy and pink are ALWAYS requested!  So here's a plan that starts with a long weekend, and then adds key garments if your trip is longer than that.   Always, for travel, I will recommend long pants, real shoes with toes and heels, and a cardigan - I always find airplanes are cold...  This outfit has the added benefit of giving you two core garments in navy around which you can work throughout your vacation.  

  A couple of pretty skirts, a pair of shorts, a dress (that will ... View the Post

Six Days of a Navy Suit

February 7, 2014   Many people ask me about what to do with their interview suit after they've interviewed... so I'm going to show a week of work attire that uses your suit as separates.  Just as the daily crossword puzzles become more difficult during the week, these outfits become progressive more casual...   Two notes:   (1) I'm working with a palette of navy, grey, beige, pink and white.   (2) I'm going to show the same shoes repeatedly, just to emphasize the utility of a few pair of good shoes, rather than my usual unique shoes for each outfit.   Monday is our dressiest option - use your suit jacket over a contrasting dress, or use your skirt as a base for a tweed jacket and silk ... View the Post

Start With… a Plate? A Great Blue, Green and Beige Idea!

February 1, 2014    One of the best questions I've ever received...  One of my friends really loves this plate, and wondered if it would be a good basis upon which to choose clothes.  Heck, if you can use a painting, you can surely use a beautiful piece of pottery...  Look for beautiful shades of blue and green, with beautiful soft white (or brown) neutrals...  

 

 

  love, Janice

  ... View the Post

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