I'm almost done with the post that's supposed to be here today, but I absolutely MUST rest...
I'm so sorry; check back tomorrow and I promise that there will be something good here for you!
love,
Janice ... View the Post
Archives for 2019
2019 - Page 9 of 14
Spring Travel: Pilgrim of the Absolute by Brian Fahlstrom
May 22, 2019 She's Very Excited... Her company is organizing a pilgrimage from Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel! She's never been there... She's arranged for pilgrimages from Paris to Chartres, but this is new! (in an ancient kind of way!)
She's going to drive up from Paris, along the route the pilgrims will walk. She will stop to walk small segments of the route, to make sure that there aren't unexpected construction issues, or other blockages that will be a problem... And she needs to pack with a plan; her rental car is tiny!
Our heroine starts with her inspiration painting and color palette:
The weather will be warm when she lands in Paris, but she knows that she would be insane to fly without a cardigan or other warm layer; ... View the Post
May Travel: Knitting a Stocking by Sir Francis Grant
May 20, 2019 She Could Scream... but it wouldn't help... She's supposed to visit a client, to help them choose which software, and for how many people, they will buy. But she's being given shockingly little direction about how to prepare! So she channels her inner calm knitting woman:
She was told that the office is very casual.
She was told that the office is casual, but that she needs dressy clothes to meet with executives.
She was told that it was always really warm in the office.
She was told that they run the air conditioning so high that it's like a meat locker there.
AGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
She can do this...
When she arrives, she's just going to stop by the office to drop off her laptop and some information ... View the Post
Do You Have a Really GOOD Inventory?
May 17, 2019
About 20 years ago, someone broke into my apartment. Literally. Bashed out the doorknob, and opened the lock...
That was all fine - I'm not attached to my possessions (I tell myself.) But when I went to collect on my renter's insurance, I found that I was NOT appropriately prepared. If I didn't have a receipt, or at least a photograph of the item in question (mostly jewelry), the insurance company wasn't at all convinced that my lovely things ever existed. THAT was a rude shock...
alert - seemingly random change of subject coming up...
And why do we keep buying things that we don't need? Is it simply because they look so doggone good that we are tempted, and that's all it takes?
So what if we found a way to make ... View the Post
Start with a Bracelet – The May green and beige bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs!
May 15, 2019
She knew immediately that it was just what she needed for her warm-weather wardrobe...
It suits her current color palette perfectly!
Why Don't You Come up For the Whole Week? She's GOT to finish the edits on her book. This week. By Friday. No jokes, no exceptions...
She had hoped to make it to her friends' home for the weekend...
It all seemed doubtful, until she picked up the call...
"Come up this evening and stay for the week; we've got electricity in the gazebo! You can sit out there all day, work, drink iced tea (until cocktail hour), and still be here to have dinner with us and spend the evening. The Wifi out there is better than in the house!"
Hmm... out of the sun, eating her ... View the Post
Have You Ever Had Your Portrait Painted?
May 13, 2019
I have, a lot, years ago. When I worked in a bookstore, I moonlighted at an Art Center, as a model... It was nice to be paid in cash, but it was quite a lesson in sitting quietly!
I've been ill - fibromyalgia has eaten up quite a bit of my time... But I didn't want you to wake up Monday morning without something pretty on The Vivienne Files!
So I'm sharing some Giovanni Boldini paintings with you...
They may not be your style, but there's no denying that these women have their personal image sorted out. Can you imagine how long it might take to decide what to wear for such a project?
I want to be the Countess de Janville when I grow up - I've got the curly hair!
My ailments tend to only last a few ... View the Post
Do You Have Enough Clothes?
May 10, 2019
Unless you're reading this naked, the answer is probably yes...
So then why do we keep buying clothes? Boredom? A need for variety? Dissatisfaction with what we currently own?
It's a question that we could think about for a long time...
But let's hypothesize, eh?
Start with a painting; a... difficult painting...
So when do you struggle to get dressed? For work?
Maybe it makes sense to pull together a tiny cluster - 5 garments and 7 accessories? - that will give you lots of possibilities. You have to be really disciplined about buying simple, classic pieces that are versatile, but they don't have to be utterly boring:
It might take you a few months to get all of this purchased (or found in your ... View the Post
April Showers Bring May Flowers…
May 8, 2019
And sometimes, flowers are what inspire you to update your warm-weather wardrobe...
Many of us have a pretty decent core wardrobe to carry us into the warm weather...
Many people could get through quite a bit of the summer with just these 9 garments - especially if you have to dress for work every day, and this is your leisure wardrobe.
But maybe you want to brighten up your core wardrobe with some pretty colors?
Even just one "French 5-Piece Wardrobe" in an accent color can give you quite a few new outfit options:
Maybe you're in the mood for orange?
Lace is fun for summer - not insanely dressy, just a pretty way to update a tee shirt...
The nice thing about getting a ... View the Post
Adding to a Starter Wardrobe in Black, Grey, Brown and Pink
May 6, 2019
When we left our heroine on Friday, she had assembled a small, but quite versatile, core wardrobe with 11 garments:
From here, our heroine's choices will depend on what she most needs for her day-to-day life, as well as making certain that she's prepared for those dressy occasions that catch one off guard. It is for the latter that I always suggest that ALL of us have a "nice" outfit in reserve. While you certainly can substitute pants for this skirt, if you're absolutely NEVER going to wear a skirt, for most of us this next outfit will come in handy more often than we might expect...
And we are kind of long overdue for getting this heroine a good jacket! The nice thing with this length of trench coat is that it ... View the Post
I Don’t Know Where to Start my Wardrobe…
May 3, 2019
I've been asked this a couple of times in the last few days - what do I do when I really have no idea where to start with my wardrobe?
Years ago I tried to think of how one could start a wardrobe from scratch; I think that my ideas might still be useful...
First up, I want our heroine to have some unifying inspiration to get her started; she's not stuck with this for the rest of her life, but it will at least help her focus her initial choices:
I can't emphasize this idea of mine enough - if you struggle to get dressed, make certain that you have a really GOOD, basic, neutral pair of pants. No studs, no embroidery, nothing that will make it difficult to wear your pants with all kinds of things...
And shoes. ... View the Post
May 2019 – 12 Months, 12 Outfits – Based on 6 Hermes Scarves
May 1, 2019
I was fascinated to see how much these wardrobes became versatile this month; when a wardrobe gets to about 10 garments or so it seems to be the critical mass...
So this is your "dial-up warning;" there are lots of images here!
Here's the first scarf and color palette:
As always, I'm assembling simple outfits with timeless garments that can be worn through the summer, and can be mixed in with other items in a wardrobe...
I so easily could travel with this:
This heroine's new garments are quite versatile...
Would this be a fun color palette for someone with greying hair? I find this idea very tempting...
A pretty tank top is such an easy way to brighten things up...
This ... View the Post
Spring Updates? Or Maybe Mother’s Day?
April 29, 2019
I'm not good with dates - I forget birthdays (except my own, and Belovedest's), if we hadn't got married on the 1st day of Spring I would struggle with our anniversary, and let's not even get started on the holidays that changes dates every year!
But Mother's Day in the US is coming up soon... If you're still lucky enough to buy gifts for this occasion, it's time to give it some thought!
And yes, your mother would want you to have something pretty too...
If your wardrobe could use a bit of freshening up, a new accent color for warm weather is a fun option to consider; for this post, I just found cardigans that I liked, and then built around them. A pretty cardigan over a neutral outfit ALWAYS makes things feel new ... View the Post
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