The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for April 2014

April 2014 - Page 2 of 3

Can Chanel Guide Us to a Workable Casual Wardrobe?

April 16, 2014   One of the most popular posts I've ever written was asking if Coco Chanel was right when she told us that a woman only needs two suits to be well dressed.  (find it here)  I'm often asked how this idea translates for those among us who wear mostly casual clothing, and who don't really have any use for a suit.  So these are my thoughts:   First off - the equivalent of the black suit - a cardigan, capris, pants, and a dress:  

  and then a similar approach in beige - another cardigan, linen pants, a pair of shorts and another:  

  First add-on is a couple of "twin-sets" in accent colors.  But only one cardigan, and a linen shirt to take the place of the ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Dots!

April 15, 2014   Now that it's snowed in Chicago, it feels strange to post the very warm-weather outfits that I saw over the weekend.  But spring WILL arrive - it always has...   This dress was amazingly attractive; while I don't in any way need more clothes, this would really tempt me!  

  The girl wearing these pants looked fabulous.  I think her legs were 4 feet long...  

  The tunic in the 2nd outfit was WAAAAY cuter in person than the photograph really conveys, and it looked tremendously comfortable too.  

  love, Janice ... View the Post

The Spring 2014 “Must Have” List…. ahem

April 11, 2014   If you've been reading The Vivienne Files for very long, you know pretty well that I am NOT convinced that there is every ANYTHING that you must buy. I believe that the majority of us need to wear shoes, but beyond that, I think that clothing and accessories are pretty much an open field...   That said, most of us want to look as if we are at least somewhat aware of evolving culture and style around us. So when I saw a fairly reasonable five-item "must have" list, I thought I would at least take a look.   First item up was a total reject for me: Little White Dress.

White is not flattering on many of us. White is difficult to wear, from a see-through/lingerie point of view, and White gets ... View the Post

Inspired by a Blue and Beige Hotel Room

April 10, 2014   Ah, you wanted to see outfits from the OTHER hotel room?  That, I can do...  

  This isn't entirely different from yesterday's room - it shares a camel/beige sort of feeling, but some beautiful shades of blue give us a different wardrobe.  

There are lots of stripe influences in every room I've seen in this hotel, and that's great, from a clothing choice perspective.  A striped cardigan is always going to get my vote...  And the lace skirt and trimmed blouse are the same as from yesterday, but take on a different look with a blue cardigan.  

  Soft blue will always make me think of chambray, and I love the striped sweater with the skirt (more than any pair ... View the Post

I Want to Dress Like an Empire-Style Hotel Room

April 9, 2014  

This is a typical room in the Hotel des Grands Hommes, in Paris.  The colors and the details in this room can inspire a beautiful wardrobe.  The colors words that I focused on were taupe, beige, camel, apricot, slate, gold, copper and bronze.  I was looking for soft, patterned, draped and refined looks...  

   The striped colors of the headboard drew my eye to this sweater - it's softness confirmed my choice.  And the combination of apricot and charcoal with a detailed scarf were irresistible.  

   I loved this coat, and the ornate flats appealed.... and the draped tunic dress, with warm tobacco leather leggings and metallic ballet flats are a ... View the Post

A Case for Overpacking

April 8, 2014   So a couple of weeks ago, very shortly after we got back from Paris, I learned that someone very dear to me was quite ill. I immediately offered to go help with their care-  I was thinking I would be gone for a day or two...   Normally, I have a pretty well-defined plan for emergency travel, which I outlined in a post here, way back when. To recap, this is what I recommended for a travel outfit:  

  and this is what I suggested one might pack...  

  But I was only going to be gone a couple of days, right? So I traveled in this:  

  and packed this (not exactly these garments, but these are a fair representation of what I DID ... View the Post

11 Minimalist Icons

April 7, 2014   I'm pretty busy these days with my care-taking responsibilities, but someone asked about the 11 Minimalist Icons mentioned on the cover on last week's featured book, Ma To-Do Lists - Dressing. I don't know that I fully appreciate all of these choices, but they are certainly thought-provoking! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  love,

Janice ... View the Post

Mood Boards, Style Boards, Inspirations Boards…

It's an old piece of advice - grab a stack of magazines, a pair of scissors, and start snipping out all of the things that you see that you love.  Glom them all together, and look for unifying themes and motifs upon which you might be able to build a wardrobe.

Fashion designers are legendary for having a wall of their atelier covered with photographs, snippets of fabric and trim, and anything else that might help both inspire and focus them as they put together their collections.  Is there any reason that this wouldn't work just as well for us?  (keeping with yesterday's theme of thinking the way a designer thinks in order to curate our closets in the way a boutique is curated).

I don't like to call these mood boards - ... View the Post

A New Favorite French Book…

 

        April 4, 2014   When I travel, I always try to find any cool books about style, fashion, wardrobe planning, art etc. etc...  This one looks pretty foolproof, but since it's by the authors of L'Armoire Ideale des Parasseuses, I thought it was well worth grabbing.   For a long time, I've often pondered the difference between  stores that we love, and closets that we detest.  If this were my closet, I would be endlessly happy:  

So how does one get to the point of loving one's closet as much as one's favorite store?  This excellent book has a great mental strategy:  

Your clothing = your boutique collection Think of your closet as the ... View the Post

Paris vs Chicago, and a Great Quote

April 3, 2014   What does Paris have that Chicago doesn't?  

  Bookstores - dozens and dozens of bookstores.  It used to be a joke between Belovedest and me - "Oh look - a bookstore!" when we would walk past one, but it's sort of lost it's humor, because bookstores are so common in Paris, and so very uncommon in Chicago.   You might say that it's because we stayed, this last trip, near the Universities.  But that's a weak explanation - from my apartment window in Chicago, I can see buildings belonging to at least 3 universities - and there are very few bookstores in the entire downtown area... And what's interesting is that the French don't spend THAT much more time reading than American ... View the Post

Crazy Eights as a Base for Extravagant Purchases

April 2, 2014 Often,  I  am asked if it's possible to justify purchasing something wildly beautiful and deeply extravagant, if one already owns a core wardrobe of simple, neutral basics.  Well, if you can afford the splurge, and you deeply adore the item, and you feel with some strong conviction that the item in question won't date terribly, then go for it...   Here's a very simple example- a core of black garments for warm weather, and then a big splash-out on a cardigan and a handbag...  

Your basic garments:  

  This already gives you a wide range of simple core outfits upon which you can build - from the most casual to ensembles that are almost dressy!  

  It is on ... View the Post