The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Home » Start with Art » Page 9

Start with Art Archives - Page 9 of 44

Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Drei Häuser By Paul Klee

April 10, 2023

I really love this painting - it seems so simple, but the more you look at it, the more the colors make themselves clear and distinct...

You may remember that this heroine assembled this wardrobe for the eventual arrival of warmer weather:

I haven't yet thought of a better way to add accessories than to go through a wardrobe and put together a bunch of outfits, and then make sure that each outfit can be dressed up (or down, I suppose?) appropriately. I don't think that there's a rigid checklist of accessories that everyone should own - some women don't wear jewelry, some don't wear scarves, some don't carry a handbag... You get the idea!

I enjoyed this - these colors are beautiful and ... View the Post

Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Wagen in Silberner Strasse by August Macke

April 7, 2023

I love the accents in this painting...

Here's a reminder of the 16-piece capsule wardrobe that our heroine has chosen for the upcoming Spring and Summer:

Let's walk through a bunch of her favorite outfits, to see how she might accessorize each:

These wee stud earrings are available in 12 different stones - all of the birthstones!

This is our heroine's only scarf, but WHAT a scarf!

I love the subtle coordination of a "denim-colored" bag:

Those of us who own a Longchamp tote bag can vouch that they're SO useful!

Would you get a green pedicure? Or would that be overkill?

A simple beige outfit takes on a bit of shine with some jewelry!

This heroine seems to really like ... View the Post

Adding Accessories! Start with Art: Windows by Robert Delaunay

March 31, 2023

Accessories make SO much difference; I think we're going to see that pretty quickly!

Remember this painting?

And this wardrobe?

Let's work our way through a bunch of outfits, to see what accessories our heroine needs...

First up - the all-beige ensemble! Some people make this look wonderful...

For this next outfit, if the weather gets too hot to wear a scarf around your neck, you can always wear it as a belt, or in your hair, or tied to your bag...

One could make a summer-long project of looking for accessories that worked with their summer capsule wardrobe!

Even a very small scarf - literally a pocket square - can add a touch of color when worn as a bracelet, or around your neck, ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Drei Häuser By Paul Klee

March 27, 2023

I love this one...

Were I to ever find myself in a situation where I was going to wear a lot of beige (it could happen!), these would be my favorite accent colors:

As is true with all 4 of our "beige" heroines, we are starting with 8 garments...

Our heroine was VERY patient in finding her accents; patience is probably the most important quality to bring to any shopping!

But it was worth it - her selections are varied, and lovely!

She takes a close look at her 4 by 4 Wardrobe Template, just to make sure that she didn't lose her discipline at some stage! 

I suspect all of us have some rogues in their closet, eh?

She then arranges all of her clothes in a more natural way to view ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Windows by Robert Delaunay

March 17, 2023

This is pretty cheerful! And I always sense a feeling of the Eiffel Tower when I look at this...

 

So I have FOUR heroines that I'm thinking of, right now... Each of them is going to start the spring with an 8-piece core of beige - lots of linen!

And then each will channel her favorite painting to choose 8 accent garments... What colors might be chosen from our first painting?

First, let's look at what our heroines are each going to use as their wardrobe base...

Frankly, if you want a handful of linen garments for this summer (and then next 10 summers, to be honest; linen lasts a long time!), now is a good time to start looking...

I'm not going to show you the various outfits possible ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Flowers by Sir Cedric Morris

March 15, 2023

Beware the Ides of March...

Or maybe not! Maybe the Ides of March bring flowers to you...

This palette is particularly good for someone who wants variety in their wardrobe - it would be possible to find maybe 10 accent colors in this painting!

Our heroine starts with beige; you can do a lot and go a long way with a simple beige outfit!

Next, she indulges in olive green...

Before she forgets, she tosses in her favorite blue spring sweater, and a pair of jeans in a very light beige...

She wants shorts! So it makes sense to stock up on olive - some accessories will be useful...

Now let's get to those accent colors! A beautiful cotton sweater in a delicious shade of purple? Don't ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: (Country Doctor) Night Call by Horace Pippin

March 13, 2023

She is ready to simplify. The recent report "Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable" recommended that people living in 4-season climates should have a wardrobe of no more than 85 things - garments and shoes... 

For winter, she's going to start here:

If she's going to have 85 items, that means 22 per season, with a bonus item; she's already decided that her bonus item will probably be a wool dress than can be worn all year!

The colors:

She's going to go outfit by outfit - 3 garments and a pair of shoes... And she's starting with jeans!

Next she starts with her black knit pants...

A simple grey and white outfit with jewelry:

And black jeans too! Her life is pretty casual...

She ... View the Post

Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – March 2023

March 3, 2023

Let's check on our other 3 heroines!

Boy do I love these colors...

This heroine felt like she was in a pretty good spot for pants - she's got black jeans, and another pair of black pants; those of us who wear black could go for weeks with just these 2!

AND... she found 2 cardigans she loves, as well as 2 scarves that are perfect with the cardigans. So she grabs a black tee shirt to give herself that "column of a neutral color" that is so versatile, and away she goes!

Her wardrobe now has 11 garments - enough for a week-long trip, if she so chooses...

It's pretty easy to see how versatile this wardrobe can be!

If someone magically put all of this into my closet, I could certainly look pretty ... View the Post

First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – March 2023

March 1, 2023

I'm somewhat gobsmacked that it's already March...

Let's see what our heroines are up to!

Our first heroine is a pretty casual person - she would like to add some olive green to her wardrobe, in separates that she can wear with everything else in her wardrobe. 

This is what she finds:

Oh, she now has so many possibilities! Relaxed, warm, but nicely pulled together...

She obviously can wear her new clothes together as 1 outfit, but she has other possibilities:

I love the autumn-y feeling that seems to permeate this wardrobe. This makes sense, once you look at her favorite painting!

Our next heroine has decided that she wants some dressier garments - not necessarily an outfit, but ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: In Vaudeville (Dancer with Chorus) by Charles Demuth

February 10, 2023

Everybody dance!

Options! She Wants Options...

She's not sure that she'll stay in the city for more than a day or two. She may stay longer...

Or she might get on a train out to some smaller town by her 2nd or 3rd day. She doesn't want to decide until she actually arrives in the city and get a feel for things...

Just to complicate things further (or simplify things?), she isn't sure how long she's going to travel. If she is good to keep going, she will keep going! But if home begins to beckon, she will return...

So she wants to have very little luggage. But she wants to be able to dress both up and down. AND she wants a range of colors - not all black...

She feels like she's ... View the Post

Accessories! Project 333 based on Morris Graves/Rain by Kay Russell

January 30, 2023

Just to refresh our memories after the weekend, our current heroine is working on a Project 333 wardrobe based upon this painting and color palette:

Her plan is to include 16 garments and 17 accessories in her 3 month plan; the clothing that she's chosen is here:

She's going to be logical about this, and work her way through an assortment of outfits, making certain that she includes the appropriate accessories for each...

Finding both earrings AND a scarf in her favorite dusty green is a small victory, I'd say!

She's going to slightly dress up with her vest - a stunning pearl brooch, and some pretty loafers will do the trick:

Something warm and casual is always useful!

Her favorite ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Morris Graves/Rain by Kay Russell

January 27, 2023

This is her favorite painting:

She wants to tackle Project 333 for February, March and April! So she's starting with her favorite outfit, and with colors that she's drawn from her favorite painting.

Of course she can't include ALL of the colors in the painting; that would be overwhelming!

These were her choice:

And this is her favorite outfit, right now:

She tries to think of things that she ABSOLUTELY must wear through the rest of the winter - dark pants, and a denim shirt come to mind immediately:

Jeans? Heavens yes! And she really loves sweater vests, so she wants to include the vest that matches her blue cardigan:

There's no way she can omit her favorite outfit for outdoor ... View the Post