The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Start With Nature: Ornamental Cabbage – a Four Pack

Why do I feel confident suggesting that this may be the only fashion ensemble in history that was explicitly inspired by a cabbage?  But I don't feel very apologetic about this - these cabbages look more like big, gorgeous flowers, with subtle colors.  Frankly, if you find colors that you like, they can come from ANYWHERE, and you never have to tell your secrets! 

It would certainly be possible to go with more pink, and a couple of different shades, but I was in a green mood...  There could also be some white in this combination, and you could use black in place of the dark grey.  I can't stress enough that you should see what YOU want to see in these colors, and adjust your choices accordingly.  The only ... View the Post

The French 5-Piece Wardrobe Meets A Common Capsule Wardrobe: navy, grey, electric blue, bright purple

October 8, 2014

There's a lot of talk in books and on the internet about the "French 5-Piece Wardrobe", which is a misnomer if there ever was one! The wardrobe isn't really five pieces; the concept is that you have a core of basic, neutral garments, and you then add FIVE pieces per season. I'm sure some people define a season as every 3 months, but it would certainly also make sense to just do this every 6 months. Whatever makes you happy, right?

But when I read descriptions about the "core" of neutral garments, I kept thinking that it sounded a lot like The Common Wardrobe...  And that this philosophy might be an option for helping us build our wardrobes of basics, while at the same time introducing accent colors, long-term ... View the Post

A Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe in Bright Blue, Ultra-Violet, Navy and Grey

August 26, 2014  

This capsule wardrobe is a perfect case study in having to be really patient in the search for the accent colors!  While navy and grey are pretty readily available, these particular beautiful, vivid shades of blue and violet were quite difficult to find!  But that's okay - you've lived this far into your life with your current wardrobe, and even if you only have the navy and grey pieces of this wardrobe for quite a while, you've got plenty of options.  If you settle for something that's close, but not exactly right, then you won't love your new clothes any more than you love your existing wardrobe, and that accomplishes nothing for anybody except the retailers!Here's our color ... View the Post

Starting From Scratch Summer Office Wardrobe in Navy and White

August 12, 2014   Yes, it still exists: the office with the strict dress code.  Pants only on Fridays.  No visible knees, nor underarms.  Absolutely  no HINT of cleavage...   This is even more challenging in the summer, when it can be sweltering outdoors, but the office will invariable be quite cool.  The rules are made, and the thermostats are set, by men in wool suits, long-sleeved shirts, and an undershirt.  (why, if they dress like this in the heat of summer, do we let them run the world?)   But you can still have a great, fun, spiffy capsule wardrobe!  

Remember this color scheme?  A few weeks ago, I showed a very casual summer wardrobe using these colors. ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Pigeons

July 23, 2014

I have to confess, I think pigeons are beautiful. Annoying little sky rats, yes, but beautiful; their shades of grey, with iridescent green and purple...

So when I was asked to build a wardrobe based on a photograph of a pigeon, I was happy to do so. But there's no way I'm addressing those red eyes!

I think this makes a lovely wardrobe...

love, Janice

  ... View the Post

How to Build a Summer Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch in Navy and White

July 19, 2014  

Someone specifically requested a Starting From Scratch capsule wardrobe in these colors, and many of you have expressed concerns about how to implement this plan if you're dealing with scorching hot summer weather.  I really felt like I wanted to go through an entire wardrobe in one post, just to clarify and illustrate one more time how I see this project working.  So here you have it!   Please note - the white garments here really ARE white - they just show up looking sort of beigy/grungy against the background. I generally don't promote the wearing of mungy clothes...  

The first three steps are pretty straightforward: pants and shoes, then a cardigan and tee, then a neutral top and ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch Step 6: Accent Color Tops and a Scarf

June 25, 2014  

Now, the fun starts!  A couple of accent color tops and another scarf will bring each capsule wardrobe to life and give you many more options.     Don't be terribly fanatic about matching up your accent colors, because you won't be wearing these pieces together; just make sure that you're choosing items that convey your preferences and your personal statement... That's what this is all about - showing yourself to the world exactly as you wish to be seen.    

Yellow tee – Warehouse, scarf – Collection Weekend, aqua tee - Reiss  

Red blouse – Cutie,  scarf – Brooks Brothers, blue shirt - Uniqlo  

Pink shirt – Fenn Wright Manson, scarf – Twisted ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe from Scratch: Choosing Color Schemes

June 17, 2014

It's a question that's as old as The Vivienne Files - if you're starting a capsule wardrobe from scratch, how do you start?

What an ambitious question! But after thinking about it for three years, I'm going to give it a try - a step by step approach to rebuilding your wardrobe from the ground up.

Before you buy any garments at all, you've got to make a couple of decisions. One thing you'll have to work out for yourself - which silhouettes suit you best. I'm really not qualified to answer this question for every woman, but I encourage you to address this question on your own; you know better than anybody else in the world what shapes and sizes of garments suit you best...

But the next question - truly critical - is ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Flowers: Delphiniums

June 7, 2014  

I think these are delphiniums, but of course I live in the middle of a city, so my floral knowledge isn't exactly top-drawer! If you can give me a better identification on these flowers (photo taken in the Duke Gardens in Durham, North Carolina) send me a note or leave a comment and I'll update things...For this photograph, I imagined that someone has to go on a business trip, but they're going to be able to arrive early, and maybe stay a few days extra, so this is a dual-purpose travel capsule wardrobe.

 

  These are the high-contrast colors that I chose:  

  For a couple of days of sight-seeing before the meetings have to begin.  

Peplum top – Alexander McQueen, black ... View the Post

How to Pack for Springtime in Paris: Navy and Violets!

Ahhh, by the time you're reading this post, I'm in Paris celebrating our 10th anniversary with my most Belovedest.  I frankly wasn't convinced that marriage was right for me (yes, I had tried it before, and I was not very good at it....).  This, however, has been the most uniformly delightful 10 years of my life, and pretty much more than any woman could hope to deserve.     This ensemble seemed perfect to revive for today, because I was married in a soft violet outfit (wisteria, to quote Eileen Fisher on the color).  This would be delightful for a second honeymoon...The original post can be found on A Femme d'un Certain Age, where various combinations are shown.

   

Navy cotton cardigan ... 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