The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Start With a Scarf Archives - Page 9 of 21

Start with a Scarf: Triangle Magic by Jessie Zhao New York

February 17, 2021

One of you has treated yourself! I think it's important to do that, from time to time...

(I splurged on a scarf too - I'll share a link at the end of this post...)

I'm pretty certain that our friend uses green as one of her accent colors, but I'm going to use denim blue instead - this scarf certainly gives you options!

As I've been inclined to do these days, I'm starting with a classic navy and white Common Wardrobe of 12 garments. When I talk about Common Wardrobes, I mean those classic, timeless garments that many of our wardrobes have in common...

With 12 garments in hand, anybody who wants to pull together a Garde-Robe du Mois (see Fiona Ferris for the explanation of this) just needs 9 more ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Echo Photo Floral Silk Square

February 15, 2021

Let's wallow in some flowers!

 

This has the potential to take black and white RIGHT into spring - at least in our hearts! What lovely colors:

Today's heroine assures me that her wardrobe is pretty classic black and white, so let's start with a 12-piece Common Wardrobe that will see her into a few warm days:

Now - the accent colors!

I had to splurge and show you this tee shirt, because I think the floral print is lovely...

Coral! Who wouldn't look at least reasonably good in this color? And the sleeveless top brings summer into the room, even if worn under a cardigan:

Okay, one may not be inclined to wear this cardigan every other day, but it is SO bright and fun for these ... View the Post

February 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

February 1, 2021

Ah, I'm so happy! I love these scarf-based wardrobes...

If you want to catch up on where we left off last month, click on this sentence to jump back there!

Since we are (for now) loosely following the Starting From Scratch wardrobe guidelines, this month brings us to a 2nd pair of pants and a shirt.

For most wardrobes, these pants will be chosen so that our heroines will each have a pair of jeans and another pair of pants that are somewhat dressier. The new shirt will be neutral if that's what they need, and accent if that's what's missing. A few more accessories, and any of us would be in good shape for an overnight trip with what's included so far.

This is our first scarf, and palette. The only possible ... View the Post

Accessories! A Garde-Robe du Mois based on a William Morris Scarf…

January 18, 2021

Remember this lovely scarf?

And this 21-piece "Garde-Robe du Mois" (Wardrobe of the Month) that started with 12 black garments, and then to which we added 3 accent garments, in 3 colors:

As great as any wardrobe might be, it will require at least a minimum of accessories - few of us can manage without something on our feet, and it's a rare woman who won't want a bag, or a pair of earrings...

So let's look at a generous sample of outfits from this wardrobe, representing both black and white outfits, and outfits that incorporate the 3 accent colors, and let's add accessories to each of them!

First up, the most classic of outfits is a perfect base for an amazing scarf. Timeless earrings and loafers ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: William Morris Floral Scarf from The Met Store

January 8, 2021

It was a gift, and she adored it immediately:

They had talked for a while about her interest in expanding her black and white wardrobe, and she thought that this scarf might be the perfect catalyst.

She held it for a while, and looked at it closely... Eventually, she isolated this color palette:

She doesn't plan to quit wear white, but she feels like it will be... de-emphasized in the future.

Right now, this is her Common Wardrobe. She's been quite happy with this, so far, through the cooler weather:

Since mid-October, she's been wearing these pieces and very few other things - some days she wore gym clothes, and the occasional day saw nothing but pajamas (tell me you've NEVER done that...). ... View the Post

Start with a Ruana: Echo Smoked Lilac Tweed Ruana

December 23, 2020

She loved the whole idea of a ruana, and when she saw this one, she was smitten:

She magnified the image as much as she could, and finally decided that these might be the colors that she would wear with it... if she decides to buy it!

But before she buys anything, she's going to sit down for a few minutes (maybe with a piece of paper and her favorite pen) and think about how she might wear this beauty...

Obvious 1st choice might be black pants and a pink sweater, but her pants will be her favorite velvet jeans, and the sweater will have some lovely textures. And fun socks - of course!

Now she stands for a good, long minute in front of her closet, thinking about the beige possibilities...

A ... View the Post

Start with a Ruana! Navy Lofty Plaid Ruana by Echo

December 18, 2020 She Knew Ahead of Time...

It's her favorite accessory - it includes all of her favorite colors!

So when she dressed up, rather more than usual, for the staff meeting, she knew that she wanted to wear it. As well as some rather... bold accessories!

Because when they announced that she had won the employee of the year award, which comes with an extra week of vacation, she was READY!!!

She had her suitcase stashed in her office; her boss already knew that she was taking the next week off. She's good at planning...

It's not mad cold where she's going - just cool enough to layer up sweaters and scarves! And walk, walk, walk, all around town...

The "normal" people in her office thought it ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Tiger in the Grass by Echo

December 16, 2020 Channeling her Inner Tiger This is her new favorite scarf:

She loves the colors, and the image of the tiger...

The tiger is going to be VERY important to her during the next couple of days; she's going to have to be quite... tough? Assertive? Imposing?

Suffice to say that she might encounter some acrimony, and she's going to have to stand up for herself!

She's only going to be there 2 days, possibly 3. But during that time, she is going to use all of the tools and resources available to her to represent herself as strong, capable, and decisive!

The night before she leaves, she grabs her tiger scarf and assembles a travel capsule wardrobe that is perfect with it. Sometimes she's more the ... View the Post

A Rainbow of Wardrobe Accents! (plus a few neutrals…)

December 11, 2020

While we're pondering using Echo scarves for our "12 Months, 12 Outfits" posts next year, I thought I'd dig into their site at some length...

What colors!

If I were forced to choose from among the 12 colors I show here, this might be my choice... Maybe...

Although moving into the darkest days of winter, a bright red could never be a bad choice!

If you like orange and look good in it - WEAR IT! It's just such a nice color, and we don't see enough of it.

Same with yellow - especially a really strong yellow like this. Such a lot of light and cheer you would bring to your home, wearing this...

Yep, you've seen this scarf before! But it's so lovely with this sweater, and this color is just ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Navy Heirloom Series Scarf by Echo

December 4, 2020

She lives a simple life, but she loves the idea of indulgent masses of jewelry. While that's not practical for her, a scarf that shows such a thing is perfect!

  The Bones of the Trees This is her plan for a long weekend away, looking at trees...

 

She's going to drive, so it's not a terribly long trip. And she's not quite sure what she will find for weather; hopefully she will see beautiful late autumn days!

Nobody can quite figure out why she's traveling to look at trees, now that the leaves have fallen!

She's got things for very cool, for moderately cool, and for swishing along a paved path in a skirt and sweatshirt or sweater! She pretends that it's a kilt...

She's ... View the Post

December 2020 Six Scarves, Twelve Months, Twelve Outfits

December 2, 2020

It's the end of the year - at least for this project! I will probably re-visit this to analyze these wardrobes when I've had a few days to digest them; if you have any specific requests for analysis please let me know!

Of course this has been an... unusual? year. Thus, I'm finishing off these wardrobes in a pretty "non-festive" way, since the majority of us have no business going to a party!

But we can still look good, and not waste clothing money, right?

Let's hop to it!

I think this first color scheme has been very successful. The neutrals are classic, the accent colors are pretty easy to find, and it all has worked out well. This year, our December additions are going to be (for the most part) warm, ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Echo Patchwork Painted Floral Silk Square

November 30, 2020 You Want Me to WHAT??? Yes, fly to Chicago for ONE meeting....

"If you go to the meeting on Wednesday, you can take the rest of the week off..."

Okay... She will go up to visit a friend with a lovely home along Lake Michigan, about an hour north of the city.

And since her employer is paying for her to check her luggage, it's going to be a pretty big suitcase!

She starts here:

Her favorite wardrobe colors are navy and white, so she chooses this color palette for her trip:

First, she pulls out her Common Wardrobe that she's been wearing this autumn. She includes her white jeans because (a) she loves them and (b) there will be days when she and her friend don't leave the house! Why not?

And ... View the Post