The vivienne files

July 18, 2016 It seems that there are some among us who are struggling to pull together what they want to pack. This isn’t particularly surprising – travel is stressful enough, and the unknown factors of weather and activities can throw almost anyone into a small panic. So I’m going to approach the “1 […]

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

August 14, 2014 Yesterday, someone asked if it was possible to change the colors in the Four by Four Capsule Wardrobe. Well, yes, I plan to show a whole BUNCH of these so that we can see some of the color schemes from The Vivienne Files Color Planner in action. (that’s why I asked […]

June 11, 2014 Floral garments are everywhere this summer – any sort of skirt, blouse, tee shirt or dress your heart may desire is out there somewhere… But I receive emails every day asking how a floral garment can be incorporated into The Common Capsule Wardrobe. Let’s look at this problem in some […]

April 15, 2024 So once you’ve studied the Pantone Colors from London Fashion Week, (found here and here), you have to decide if you like the colors, if you would be flattered by wearing any of them, and how they might look with the neutral clothes you normally wear. I can’t answer the first two […]

February 11, 2022 I’ve probably mentioned this before (20 times!), but since we’ve all moved into 1 apartment together, my ONLY real issue is that my closet isn’t conveniently placed, nor organized. And I, of course, really don’t have buckets of time to work on it! My plan is to get rid of things that […]

July 16, 2021 This whole idea is a work in process; please share your thoughts! Those of you who have been here with me for a while know that I read (well, I TRY to read…) personal style books from France. It seems only fitting, since Vivienne was from Paris. My current fascination is with […]

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 […]

July 3, 2020 Okay, she’s no longer living; for our purposes, our heroine is a fictional character who looks a lot like her… When we left our heroine, stocking her pantry in Paris with the essentials, she was traveling with this wardrobe: She has just learned that she’s going to have to stay in Paris […]

A French 5-Piece Wardrobe in Toast Brown - Can I wear toast brown with my current clothes?