Archives for May 2011

May 2011 - Page 2 of 2

Traumatized by Trench Coats

Every list of "essential" garments for women includes the trench coat. And I've tried, believe me, I've tried. Two years ago I picked up the lovely thing pictured above, and....

I look like a sausage with a rubber band around it. Deeply and profoundly NOT flattering. I should have known that double-breasted is not a good idea for me, and belting isn't something that I do very often either. But I was determined to take the fashion mavens at their word and I believed that if I just did.... something..... ANYTHING.... differently, this would be the coat of my dreams.

Nope.

So I sold this beauty on ebay, waited 'til I saw the right thing, and I scored the women's version of this:

from Burberry. Okay, ... View the Post

Coup de Coeur

Vivienne taught me years ago that it is essential to only buy things you really love - for which you experience that elusive "coup de coeur". This is a phrase I particularly love, because while it is generally understood to mean love at first sight, it has a more... physical? feeling about it. After all, a coup de pied means a kick, and a coup d'etat means overthrowing the government, so to me, a coup de coeur is like a kick in the heart, or your heart being overturned. What we're looking for here is a really deeply felt, visceral reaction.

And this is something that I've struggled with for a long time. I've always been very influenced by other people's opinions about the right things to own and wear, and so ... View the Post

Paris shopping: Diwali

Of course everybody in Paris wears scarves almost all the time! (seriously, it's true, at least in cooler weather) But these aren't the square, Hermes style silk scarves nearly as often as it's the more relaxed rectangular "echarpes" loosely looped around the neck. And where do these millions of scarves come from?

Diwali - yes, the same word as the Indian festival of lights. There are at least three or four of these stores scattered around Paris - I know of one on the Rue Mouffetard, and also on on the Rue Soufflot just down the hill from the Pantheon. These stores are the absolute mother lode of scarves in any color and any fabric you can imagine! You have to go in with some sort of a plan or clue ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 3

Just a quick snippet of the original Vivienne today...

"As to the matter of shoes - she usually has 3 pair in "rotation" and has 12 pair total. But these shoes are (just like her clothes) the best things she can get her hands on. $300 for a pair of shoes is reasonable to her. But she has them resoled and re-heeled repeatedly; she estimates that shoes last her at least 10 years. I know she's wearing one pair she has had since college, and she's 34 right now." ... View the Post

Vivienne just rocked my world view – again!

I spent all day yesterday ironing. Well, okay, I took a break and baked some banana/chocolate chip muffins, but I spent most of the day unpacking my summer clothes, checking them over, and ironing them. (also working in reverse, packing away all things winter)

So I emailed Vivienne and told her what I was doing, and she wants to know "why does it take you so long?"

And I explain that I've got X number of garments that I don't wear in the fall and winter, but that I need for warmer weather.

First response from Vivienne - of course - you've got too many clothes. I concede that.

And THEN, the killer question: "Why don't you wear the same suits all year around?".

I explain about the weather here - it gets ... View the Post