September 8, 2023
Things I learned from this post:
- Shades of grey are A-okay!
- You might want to think seriously about your preferences for high-contrast outfits vs low-contrast…
Listening
Two weeks at a Buddhist center, participating in a workshop on listening. It’s actually an event to which many companies send top executives; that’s why she’s going…
Cashmere crewneck – J.Crew; rose quartz earrings – Honoura Jewellery; soft tea rose turtleneck – Lands’ End; jeans – J.Crew; scarf – Elizabetta; socks – Stems; boots – Clarks
She won’t know anyone else there, and they won’t have any know each other’s job titles…
Feather earrings – Dower & Hall; pigeon brooch – Fable England; sweatshirt – Alex Mill; butter turtleneck – L.L.Bean; socks – Casa Clara; jeans – Everlane; leather sneakers – Josef Seibel
Somehow, she suspects that she might be able to tell at least a few things about some of the other participants!
Cardigan – J.Crew; earrings – Ep Designs; pale rose tee – L.L.Bean; corduroy pants – J.Crew; scarf – Liu Jo; bag – Tumi; boots – Sorel
The environment is very casual. The weather will be somewhere between cool and almost winter – it will be interesting to see how other participants respond to living in a cabin when the weather turns cold!
Ribbed sweater – Alex Mill; skinny scarf – Burberry; opal earrings – Spells of Love; pink necklace – J.Crew Factory; yellow tee – L.L.Bean; charcoal cardigan – L.L.Bean; scarf – Elizabetta; pink cardigan – L.L.Bean
She’s got the long underwear and the flannel nightclothes ready to go… Now, she’s thinking about presenting herself in the most calm, relaxed and receptive style possible:
She’s been assured that there will be laundry facilities available; she doesn’t want to be one of those people who shows up with 5 suitcases, and immediately becomes the demanding center of attention!
She’s hopeful that part of the listening process that they will consider is listening to oneself…
love
Janice
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Sigh. This is so lovely and calming. I suspect because of my colouring (dark brown hair / eyes and very pale skin I am “high contrast” but my personality feels “low contrast”. I love the soft grey with pastels. Thanks for such a lovely Friday post.
I would have to add a beautiful blue top to something!!! I love blue!!! Dorreen from North Carolina
,USA
Oh Me too!! My wardrobe right now is being built around grayscale from black to white and all the grays between; blue scale from navy to light blue with a focus on the mid tones; lovely soft creams from stone to ivory; and with accents in pink and rose and lilac. Unfortunately I cannot wear that lovely lemon yellow. It’s so gorgeous, but it clashes with my skin horribly.
I’ve been finding the most gorgeous sweaters and turtlenecks of excellent quality on a second hand store on line called ThreadUp. I keep seeing the most amazing scarves from Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, and Hermes on there as well. Oh to have such things in my wardrobe…
Much love from Minnesota!
Pepper
I’d never considered contrast until the last couple of years. It was a revelation, because it made me understand why some outfits just didn’t work for me, even though they were in my colours. This is a lovely wardrobe. Every year I add more grey into my wardrobe; it must be to match my silvering hair :)
What an interesting painting. I like pink and gray together, not so sure about the yellow? I don’t really think about contrast when dressing or picking things out, but as I think about it now, I guess I go for low contrast. Not a conscious choice, just the preference I’ve developed. Interesting. Have a good weekend everyone.
I am fascinated to discover that, in my head, quiet & listening is blues & greens, or full-on neutrals. The pink & yellow, gentle as they are here, feels surprisingly shouty to me. (In other contexts, I’d see it as cheery.). Learned something! 😊. (But noisiness aside, that pigeon brooch is pitch perfect for this set. It just feels cozy & inquiring.)
I like all of these clothes very much, separately and together. Think I would pick a darker yellow, more frankly lemony, but a paler, icier pink. But such lovely contrasts, and grey always and forever, in all possible shades! Thank you!
Grey does it again! It’s beautiful with so many colors. Yellow and pink are two of my favorites with grey.
The scarves are so, so lovely. I might be tempted to slip in two or three more scarves. After all, they take up almost no space and they’re light.
Beautiful set! Too pastel for me, but great to create a serene vibe – might steal it for some decorating :) And I could use a relaxing get-away right now.
Contrast is a fun question – my eye LOVES strong contrast (black and white! jewel tones!), but that doesn’t always suit me best. Luckily (or unluckily?) for me, my coloring changes quite a bit from summer to winter; so in theory a summer tan makes me more low contrast, and winter makes me a high contrast. I’ve had to consciously avoid buying black-and-white summer clothes… it’s hard! I console myself by keeping all the black-and-white summer clothes i already have, and trying to pair them with grey.
Happy weekend!
I’m like you, Ezzy. I love a *strong* contrast and veer away from pastels. It’ll be interesting to see if that changes as I grow (even) older!
Great collection, as always, Janice.
I’ve found that level of contrast is the thing that’s changed the most for me as my hair grays. I used to be very high contrast, and look my best in bright, warm(ish) colors. I still look my best in brighter colors, but need a more moderate level of contrast – for example, a brighter mid-toned print dress with a solid color cardigan matching one of the colors in the print.
As a general philosophy, my best colors are bright/mid-toned, warm, and clear. My very best colors are all three, but that can be a bit hard to find, so I also wear colors that only have two of the attributes, like clear and warm, bright and clear, or bright and warm. If they only have one of those attributes, I should steer clear, and if they don’t have any, people will inevitably ask me if I’m feeling okay.
I feel like your post from 10 years ago could have been posted today, and still would be just as relevant. Classic clothes are so timeless.
That is honestly the whole point of The Vivienne Files – you can afford beautiful things if you wear them for the rest of your life!
hugs,
Janice
Pink and grey is one of my favourite combinations but I don’t wear yellow. I’d probably wear soft green from the first scarf. The pigeon brooch is so cute though a green pigeon would be very rare.
Beth, google the kereru, which is the NZ native wood pigeon. It’s very green. (Also, is nothing like the brooch.)
Vicki, what a beautiful bird! Thanks!
😊. One of the many reasons I hang out here – the whole-planet perspective! Thanks for sharing your nifty bird!
Oh, that pale butter is so pretty. That’s one of the shades of yellow that I used in the spring. I look horrible in the gray and pink though. Contrast…hmm…probably not high because of being a redhead with pale skin. I do love dramatic looks, but look best in clear aqua, pale yellow, greens and white for warm weather while adding a medium caramel brown, mustard gold and a dark almost navy in for cool weather. What an interesting discussion and very helpful. I do think it may have saved me from buying a pair of teal corduroys I have been thinking could work. Hmm…more thought is required.
It’s very pretty. I love pastels. I probably would not take 3 pair of such similar shoes though. But ..love it otherwise.