The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Packing for Overnight – Start with a Guild Prime Shirt

September 20, 2017

Sometimes, it's best to keep things simple... Could Someone Make Up Their Mind? Maybe the meeting is business dress. Or maybe business casual - they're not sure yet...

Happily, she long ago mastered the art of keeping things simple, and flexible!

She likes her 3 colors, and all kinds of clean geometric shapes. So while they're all dithering and fussing and undecided, she's relaxed and prepared!

She can literally walk in the door of the conference center (walking distance from the train) and change into an appropriate outfit, from her tote bag...

She can carry her own luggage, and she's confident and comfortable that she can handle whatever silliness is thrown her ... View the Post

What I Packed for Florida, August/September 2017

September 4, 2017  

When you read this, Belovedest and I will be hanging out with my mother in Florida! It's super-easy to pack for these trips, because I can wear her clothes if I HAVE to (her coloring suggests a soft, cool, powdery-pastel wardrobe - not perfect for me!) and I can of course do laundry. That said, one always should have a plan!If this first outfit looks familiar, it should; it's what I wore to fly to Ireland earlier this month. It was really ideal, but I'm making just a few small changes to tweak it to suit Florida better. First up, instead of my favorite Bremerton pants from Eddie Bauer, I'll be wearing J.Jill stretch linen pants. (my Bremerton pants just got back from the cleaners - I splurged - and I'm sort of ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Demoiselle Cranes and Lotus by Jessie Arms Botke

July 19, 2017

I could use paintings from this artist for WEEKS! She had an amazing career, and her body of work is beautiful - graceful, colorful, yet true to nature. Genius...

Please be aware, when looking at paintings online, that a LOT of work has been "touched-up" by people gone mad with Photoshop. If something seems wildly out of the normal style for an artist, look for multiple versions of the image. Especially once something gets to Pinterest, it is widely circulated, even though it might NOT be authentic. This is also true if you see a photograph of a bird that seems unlike anything found in nature - some of those pictures have been really altered... sigh... Same Lake House, Different Weekend... "You know that there are ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe that Starts with Art: Saint John by Gerhard Richter

July 17, 2017

This could qualify as Moderately Extravagant Monday!

And here's some art that might not be to everyone's taste, but colors that certainly have energy and make a strong statement:

(I personally love Gerhard Richter, and this work especially...) They Think She's Crazy...

She sleeps like a baby on airplanes. Well, any place she can sit down, she can sleep soundly. And she uses this to her advantage!

Those last-minute plane tickets that are dirt cheap, but only work if you can leave in 2 days, and only stay someplace for 3 days? She's all over them...

Most people eschew such quick trips, because they can never get over the jet lag, and they don't feel like it's worthwhile to spend all that time on ... View the Post

A Travel Wardrobe Based on an Amazing Coat!

July 4, 2017

One of the best parts of writing The Vivienne Files is the ability to create imaginary wardrobes just to see how they work, without spending a ton of money...

A favorite from years ago was all built around an amazingly beautiful floral coat - I sort of imagined that someone was traveling for a wedding or other somewhat dressy party. The color scheme was mostly bright mossy green and white - NOT your everyday color scheme!

Revisit, and see if you can imagine wearing these colors...

Please note that I'm jetting around for the holiday, so The Vivienne Files will be on hiatus for a couple of days. Back soon!

love, Janice ... View the Post

When All Else Fails – Reruns!

My computer is grumpy, and my sore throat is grumpy... it's just grumpy world here!

So I'm going to suggest that you go back and visit a post from about a year ago, that's one of my favorites...

I really love the consistent moon and stars feeling, as well as the variety of pieces available in navy and white. And her story of insomnia...

Some days, I'm positively proud of what I create!

love, Janice ... View the Post

Can I Pack Just 11 Pieces for a WEEK at the Beach? Absolutely…

July 7, 2017 It's a Very... Weird... Beach House... (based on a real beach house I've seen...)

It has a dead-end hallway, with a big window... All of the 10, 11 and 12 year old's sleep there, in their sleeping bags. Well, "sleep..."

  And there's 1 room that really must have been meant to be a walk-in closet. It's that small...   It's been her room, for years.  

  She has a twin bed, a rocking chair, and a shelf attached to the wall that serves as a nightstand. There's no closet - just pegs stuck into the shadiest wall...  

  But her room has its own bathroom! It's tiny, but still... in a house with over 2 dozen people, it's a luxury!  

  And ... View the Post

What Accesories Do You Want for Warm Weather? Start with an Echo “Paris in the Spring” scarf

May 18, 2017

 

When we left our happy heroine yesterday, she was packing for a trip to visit friends on the Gulf Coast of Florida. She was using this scarf as her leitmotif - the inspiration around which she was building her travel capsule wardrobe:

This was what she knew that she would pack - plenty of things for the beach and boat, and enough dressy pieces that she would be fine if dinner turned out to be more formal than she expected:

Just for reference, let's remember that she'd planned this wardrobe pretty carefully!

But she knows that she wants to include more accessories - especially more shoes! So she's going to work through a handful of outfits, making certain to include each of her "bottoms" so that her shoe ... View the Post

What to Pack for the Florida Gulf Coast? Start with a Scarf: Paris in the Spring by Echo

May 17, 2017

The scarf says Paris, but your luggage is all tagged TPA - you're going to Tampa to visit friends with a home on the Florida Gulf coast!

They've mentioned the beach, and the boat... (repeatedly...) There's a bit of sightseeing, some serious lounging to be done, and you might take in a baseball game. You'll be dining out at least a few times, too!

Well, you know that it's going to be hot and sunny. You know that it's a relatively casual part of the country, and you know that you don't want to carry a whole ton of stuff with you.... What to do?

Let's start with a color scheme, based on this most lovely scarf:

You know that no matter how warm the weather is, the airport will be freezing cold, and the plane is ... View the Post

How Can You Pack a Foolproof Travel Wardrobe? Use the Whatever’s Clean System!

May 9, 2017  

I can always tell when a lot of you are planning travel because I start to see more and more emails with packing questions. Many people want a wardrobe that they don't really have to think about once they've arrived at their destination; that's why I cooked up the idea of a "Whatever's Clean" Wardrobe. If all goes according to plan, you should be able to pull any available garments from these wardrobes and assemble a reasonably presentable outfit. Certainly, some combinations are going to be better than others, and you're going to like some outfits more than others, but overall, you've got mountains of flexibility, after doing a bit of strategic thinking...

First off, let's start with a great color inspiration - ... View the Post

How to Build a Warm Weather Travel Four by Four Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Palimpsest 46 by Kamrooz Aram

April 25, 2017

Let's revisit yesterday's painting - I don't feel like we've nearly exhausted the possibilities of these colors! My hypothesis is that yesterday's heroine has been invited to... a wedding, let's say, out of town far enough that she's going to stay for a week or so. Except for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself, she won't have to get madly dressed up, but she can reasonably expect at least another dinner or two out with relatives and old friends.

So we start here:

And we remind ourselves of what our color scheme is going to be for this travel capsule wardrobe:

Our heroine was really happy with her travel outfit when she took her long lazy weekend break, so she's not changing a thing ... View the Post

Build a Warm Weather Travel Six-Pack by Starting with Art: Palimpsest 46 by Kamrooz Aram

April 24, 2017

I'm smitten with this artist, Kamrooz Aram - you're going to see more from him:

 

I love these colors - especially those little touches of brightness! I didn't use them in this Six-Pack, but in a larger wardrobe, you would definitely see them... I also don't have any grey garments included here, but for a trip that would last a few more days, a nice grey summer dress, and certainly a tee shirt and shorts, would be such simple things to add.

And while I don't have style notes here, I'm definitely thinking that this is a woman who loves flowers, but who also appreciates the compelling power of large patches of solid colors, arranged in a way understood only by the artist.

My heroine is traveling ... View the Post