Visual inspiration: Eiffel Tower gift box and porcelain dish
I've been following the Delaunay Eiffel-Tower-inspired wardrobe collection since it began several months ago on the Vivienne Files website. My first post about it was here, and the second one was here. Some commenters on the Vivienne Files have been unsure about a wardrobe built on three neutrals with only one accent colour, and I understand the "I'd get bored" position on that. I like variety too.
More inspiration: thrifted earrings
However...I have been finding that my tastes in colours and clothing have been changing. Maybe it has to do with approaching a birthday that includes a zero. Anyway, I'm becoming happier with a toned-down, trimmed-down approach, so the three-neutrals thing is fine with me, though maybe with a little extra blue and a shot of rose or purple?
As of the May post, the Eiffel Tower heroine has 24 clothing items, probably about half of the total she'd be aiming at by year's end. Because the posts started last December, some of those clothes are turtlenecks and warm trousers, and this update is going to focus on warm-weather clothes. Although I think of the later additions as summery, especially the linen things, they're checked off mostly as spring clothes on the Vivienne Files Timeless Wardrobe chart, mostly because of sleeve lengths.
Imagine that I have a fall/winter storage box. This (out of my approximation of the Eiffel Tower clothes) is what would go into it:
Winter white ls tee
Navy ls tee
Navy check flannel shirt
Teal pullover
Winter white mock neck pullover
Dark blue button-up cardigan
Taupe trousers (because they're just a bit too heavy-feeling for warm weather)
Dark teal skirt
2 Turtleneck tops
Brown long knit vest
Navy cords
Frosted teal ls tee
This is what I would be keeping out (an approximation of the warm-weather-friendly items already on the Vivienne Files list):
Brown linen-look blazer. It was a toss-up between this and a brown linen shirt, and you might think the shirt sounds more versatile, but the shirt does that soft droopy unironed linen thing, so it can look a bit sloppy as a second layer.
The blazer holds its shape better, so if I had to choose one for a capsule wardrobe, I'd pick the blazer. (Shown with sleeveless top and shorts from the list below)
Jeans
Navy dress pants (they're not summer weight, but sometimes you need them anyway)
Navy striped dress (although it has 3/4 length sleeves and you wouldn't want it on the hottest days, it would be fine for cooler days or in air conditioning)
Dark blue lightweight pullover (doesn't seem very summery, but, like the dress, it could work on cooler days, or over a dress)
White linen shirt
Ecru linen blend pants
Muted green sleeveless top
Striped blue and white shirt
Sage green rayon pants (shown with striped t-shirt and navy fleece blazer which aren't on this list)
Green shirt jacket
(24 clothing items, if you're keeping count.)
Since it's almost June, we can assume that the Eiffel Tower heroine will soon be going shopping again and she'll probably be adding things from the summer list. So let's imagine that she adds four or five clothing items and a couple of accessories. Like this:
Pair of shorts, navy, mostly for at-home wear
Navy sleeveless top (like a polo shirt but without sleeves)
Frosted teal t-shirt, short sleeves
Sleeveless maxi dress, dark blue floral
Finally: a fast-fashion rayon tunic top, chosen for general usefulness (and stripe-i-ness) rather than high quality. I'm convinced that if you treat thrifted things like this gently (i.e. hand-wash them or at least wash on delicate and hang to dry), you can get enough wear out of them to justify having them in your closet.
Then our heroine hits the accessories motherlode at a couple of yard sales and thrift stores:
Fossil purse, green earrings (detail below), and somebody's grandmother's string of pearls
Vintage acetate scarf (also shown above with the t-shirt)
Do they all work together? Yes, mostly, and the greens are better together than you'd think. The pale green t-shirt works with all the casual bottoms, including the sage-green and ecru pants. The navy shorts and top work with the green shirt jacket or the brown jacket. The navy sweater can be worn over the sleeveless dress.
The year is half spent--and we're not done Eiffel-Towering yet.
Last updated May 23, 2025
