The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Do You Love Blue? Adding Accessories to a Start with Art Wardrobe – Blue on White, White on Blue by Paolo Quaresima

January 24, 2024

You thought that I forgot! Yes, I can get pretty immersed in those Echo 100 scarves, but there's no way I was going to miss revisiting this painting:

This heroine is going to look at each of her "wardrobe clusters" one at a time, and make certain that she has the accessories that she wants for each cluster... 

She's already got her shoes chosen - that's a lot of the thinking out of the way already!

First up, her warmest cluster. There are at least four outfits possible here, if she layers her navy shirt under her navy sweater... If you're summering in a place where evenings can turn cool, this could happen!

And for what it's worth, we have cool summer days in Chicago! The sellers of souvenir ... View the Post

Need a Wardrobe Plan for Summer? Start with Art – Blue on White, White on Blue by Paolo Quaresima

January 17, 2024

Since the temperature here is a whopping THREE DEGREES Fahrenheit, let's help a heroine who is planning her summer wardrobe!

We're going to try something kind of new - assembling a 4 by 4 Wardrobe by choosing four 4-piece clusters! Each cluster will give her at least 2 outfits, and all of the clusters will be able to work together. This is a good approach if she wants to shop (or closet-shop!) gradually, and if she's finding that clothes in her favorite colors are proving hard to find...

She wants navy, she wants white, and she wants accents of bright blue - maybe this painting is a good starting place:

One thing I've been assured - our heroine doesn't like white leather goods! I can understand that; ... View the Post

A Bold Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Start with Art – The Dream by Luciano Cian

January 12, 2024

The Clients Are Nervous... She sold the initial contracts... And now that it's time to actually execute the project, the staff assigned to the work are worried about how the clients have been acting. Sigh...

So she's going to travel with them, and spend a day - maybe two - with everybody. Just to make sure that the clients are happy, and that they understand that these very technical staff are part of the same organization. Yes, they're a lot more... conventional... than she is!

The clients were maybe expecting everyone to be as colorful and unconventional as their salesperson...

So she packs up a few things and books a ticket with the rest of the crew:

She's actually not ALL that "out ... View the Post

Start with Art – Hydrangea 1918 by C.F.A. Voysey

January 8, 2024

Flu still lingers, but I had enough "oomph" to spend some time looking at this beauty:

Technically, this should be called "Start with Wallpaper!" because that's what this is... I will maintain 'til my dying breath that you can choose (or find) your favorite colors almost anywhere.

Maybe not in garbage, but I'm not ruling it out!

My thinking here, from the very beginning, was that beige and denim/chambray would be this heroine's neutrals, and the green and lilac would be her accent colors. But I suspect that using beige and green as neutrals, with blue and lilac accents, would also work...

The colors I've chosen are for those who don't feel strongly about the duality of "warm/cool" colors - if you really ... View the Post

January 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 2

January 5, 2024

I'm not 100% over the flu yet, but I'm certainly well enough to share these paintings, and their wardrobes, with you!

Let's get the blues, eh?

For the first few months, I'm going to make certain that this heroine has all of her necessary navy garments, and her white essentials. I think TOO much mixing of blues, too soon, could make things difficult... Let's try to be at least a bit practical!

Well snoots, I forgot the painting!

She entered this year with these lovely core garments and accessories:

Yep - another irresistible scarf! Dark jeans, two perfect tee shirts, and I love a good sweater vest...

I don't wear navy - haven't since shortly after grad school - but I could travel with these 8 ... View the Post

January 2024 “Six Paintings, Twelve Months” – Part 1

January 1, 2024

Happy New Year!

Let's go! I'm going to try - for the first few months - to be logical and methodical about building these wardrobes, rather the way an adult might go about buying clothes...

Just in case you want to look back to where we started, this will take you there!

Let's start with this most elegant painting:

Last month/week, we started this heroine out with the most basic of garments - but still enough for a couple of outfits!

Since this heroine lives where it's pretty cold, she thought that dark pants might be logical - it could snow! Maybe...

And she wanted an accent cardigan...

At this very early stage, she has an almost foolproof wardrobe; getting dressed in the dark might not ... View the Post

Start with Art: Six Paintings, 12 Months for 2024!

December 25, 2023

Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating, and Happy Monday to all the world!

Let's look at some art, and some tiny wardrobe clusters that I assembled to get our heroines started on their wardrobe-building adventures:

Someone mentioned that we had no red last year - this might fix that!

A range of greys, a range of red, and some pure white for relief!

All of our heroines are starting out with VERY basic clothes - the kind of things that you need, but don't necessarily get a big thrill out of buying...

I love this painting - these women are pretty dressy for just hanging around under the trees!

Our lover of all things olive green has an interesting palette with which to work - she's got ... View the Post

Our Final 2 Capsule Wardrobes: December Six Paintings – Twelve Months

December 8, 2023

I didn't have any coffee yesterday (physicals with fasting blood tests are the worst...), and today I'm getting all weepy and sentimental about all sort of things! Not the least? Saying goodbye to these 6 paintings...

For the rest of our lives, if we happen to see an image of any of these anywhere, we will recognize them, and remember them well! What a way to learn art...

First, my very favorite. In the end, I'm true to black and white!

Our heroine ended November with a tidy 35-piece wardrobe, well-suited to most of life:

Before you buy ANYTHING, you should be able to state clearly to yourself why you either need or want the item in question. If you neither need nor want it (beyond the simple lust for ... View the Post

2 More Capsule Wardrobes: December Six Paintings – Twelve Months

December 6, 2023

Is anybody else surprised by the appeal of this next "all brown" wardrobe? I wasn't at all sure what I was getting into when I chose this painting, but I must admit that if I were to start my wardrobe from scratch (as in "I have nothing left in the world except my long-underwear pajamas and grey sweatshirt robe!"), I might do this...

Except I don't look great in brown. I don't know if that would stop me!

Let's pay this heroine one last visit...

Her wardrobe at the end of November was lovely and versatile - one could manage with just these pieces for quite a while:

But our heroine has decided to emphasize the darker shades of brown, this time of year. And she found a blazer she particularly loves!

A ... View the Post

2 Capsule Wardrobes: December Six Paintings – Twelve Months

December 4, 2023

Ah, the last visit to these wardrobes! I'm going to look at two of them today, two on Wednesday, and then the final pair on Friday. 

I confess that I will miss these six paintings! But I think that this exercise is both interesting and useful - we all need to learn to live with fewer new garments, and to wear what we own frequently. The level of waste on our planet that comes from clothing is shocking...

Let's start with this most evocative painting; imagine what trains and train stations meant to cities, back in Monet's time. They were new, definitely faster than anything that had come before, and changed their view of distances...

Let's take a quick glance at our heroine's wardrobe before she heads ... View the Post

A Warm-Hued Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Start with Art – Lane Near Wormingford by John Nash

November 13, 2023

This art is on the VERY short list to be included in next year's "Six Paintings, 12 Months..."

No Black Friday for Me, Thank You! She's leaving Thursday, after an early afternoon meal with her large, rowdy, noisy, messy family....

She will help clean up the kitchen and dining room.

She will help do dishes.

She will help pack leftovers for everyone.

And THEN... She's off to her favorite quiet rural area, where her favorite small hotel is holding a room for her....

Yes, she's going to change clothes before she leaves - she wouldn't want to wear her favorite silk shirt to muck about in a holiday kitchen!

She's just taking her small tote; she doesn't need too much for a long weekend ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule in Navy and Blues: Start with Art – The Blue Garden by Lilian Muheim

November 8, 2023

This is her favorite colors, all in one painting!

If you like floral paintings, I strongly encourage you to visit Lilan Muheim's website and enjoy the range of offerings - she's got a LOVELY talent...

One of the things she loves about her favorite paintings is that it includes both navy and olive green; having two neutrals available for one's wardrobe is always useful. She's Named For a Flower... One of the less common ones for names! But she's embraced the whole idea for decades - much easier than feeling ill-used by her parents!

And her favorite colors include the colors of her name-sake flower, so that works out well. 

Her color palette offers plenty of possibilities:

For her upcoming ... View the Post