January 5, 2018
Le Mot Juste*
They never give awards to the translator…
Trojan Gates by Helen Frankenthaler
Yes, it had been a particularly difficult project…
And as always, she took great pride in putting in the time and effort necessary to find the perfect word – the one that conveyed not just the meaning, but also… the nuance. The subtlety. The suggestions, and hints, and overtones that were apparent in the original language.
Earrings – Kathleen Whitaker; brooch – TrueFacet; blazer – J. Crew; shirt – Lands’ End; scarf – Missoni; loafers – Callisto; pants – Banana Republic; watch – Rosefield; tote – Madewell
That’s just the way she is. Others can settle for what falls to hand quickly and easily, for the “it will do fine” way of working. That’s not her style…
(a close look at her travel earrings will show you just HOW much she looks for subtleties…)
Earrings – Roberto Coin; black top –Eileen Fisher; cashmere wrap – W Concept; bag – Whiting & Davis; cardigan– Banana Republic; silk pants – Eileen Fisher; blue top –Eileen Fisher; necklace– Cole Haan; black flats– Sam Edelman; gold flats – Linea Paolo
She was surprised to be invited to the awards dinner; it’s a quite informal evening, but it’s still an honor!
She’s not entirely certain what the environment will be like when she gets there, so she’s providing herself with a few options…
After all, she built her reputation on her ability to read moods and respond appropriately!
love,
Janice
* French phrase which means “the perfect word”
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You have introduced me to yet another stunning piece of art. My appreciation of art has increased more than ten- fold since I started visiting this blog. And your creatively continues to captivate me also Janice. Thank you yet again.
Love this collection. I would so love to wear it.
Janine
Love Helen Frankenthaler, and this piece especially. I'm also loving the combination of a warm neutral and a cool one. Thanks.
I particularly like how the tourmaline brooch ties in with the blues in the scarf. This is another beautiful small capsule that I can see many possibilities for expansion. For a longer trip, I'd start by adding caramel pants and a soft pink sweater.
I'm so happy that you noticed that! I looked and looked for just the perfect thing… And your additions would be ideal for our heroine!
hugs,
Janice
Love this wardrobe, especially the travel outfit. Makes me mourn, once again, my utter inability to wear camel without looking ill.
That Missoni scarf is perfect for this painting-inspired wardrobe! Black + caramel + teal is one of my favorite color combinations for a travel capsule, although I pair it with pure white. Caramel isn't my best color, but I do love it and try to keep it away from my face. Leopard flats are great with this too. – nancyo
Another one hit way out of the park!! I was looking for a very dramatic black dress though!!
I suspect that some time in April when I revisit this work of art, and this heroine, that a dress might be in the mix!
hugs,
Janice
Yes. Another one hit WAY out of the park. I checked out the pietersite earrings–and I can see this lovely lady purchasing them, even if she can only afford one black column to wear with them. Does she prefer the name, stormstone, I wonder?
Joan Cecile
Who couldn't love something called stormstone? The wee hints of caramel and blue in the stone absolutely clinched the choice for me…
hugs,
Janice
Uh, me, with benevolence.. the stone in the travel earrings is known as pietersite (see https://www.gemselect.com/other-info/pietersite-gemstones.php) but "storm stone" is a marketing name. Nearly the same mineral as tiger's eye but with different colouration, and set in 14k •gold plate•, with a $2,300 price tag? Has our translator been thinking in lira? Wildly expensive for what it is.
I'm another woman who can't wear camel, at least near my face, and mourn that. But the ideas here are so great, I can 'translate' them to other palettes.
Love that painting and the colors chosen for the capsule wardrobe. Plus, since I'm reading the humdinger of a new translation of the Odyssey, it feels thematically appropriate.
Looking at the painting in an enlarged closeup, it seems to me you could go farther! There are so many luscious colors in there–mustard, golden beet, russet, some olive, a soupcon of orange, various grays…
My hunch, at this point, is that I will revisit each of these paintings each season this year just to see what the changing retail offering and weather might suggest… It could be an interesting exercise, no?
hugs,
Janice
One of my top favourite artists, and my favourite wardrobe so far in this series. I'm really enjoying all of them, many thanks for all your hard work!
Alice
I like the way you used camel as an accent here. It's hard to fine camel clothing in the first place and this way it takes second-seat to the main black and white neutrals. Very nice!
I've only come to the Vivienne Files in the past few months and you have been a lifesaver for me as I've been returning to work with no idea of what to wear and a VERY limited budget. I've used this blog to establish a very successful starter wardrobe.
When I look at the outfits you put together, along with shoes and other accessories, they all look cohesive. But when I come to the detail, the one question I have is: what should you wear on the legs? What tights – what colour, how thick – might work? What do you wear under trousers/pants? I'm in London England: it's too cold and wet to go bare legged or even barefoot in shoes. Are nude sheer tights allowed (what would your French friend say?) Are socks EVER permitted and if so how do you pick them?
Have you ever thought of doing a blog piece on hosiery as accessory?
I'm trying to include socks more often in posts – they seem to slip off of my radar pretty quickly!
Most of the time, I'm a big fan of opaque tights in any kind of mild to cold weather. Nude sheer tights are still all over the place in Paris, so I don't think anybody should worry about wearing them. Barefooted in dress shoes isn't exactly comfortable for most of us, so a sheer stocking can help a ton!
regards,
Janice
What an unusual color palette. I can't wait to see this wardrobe expanded with (leopard?) accessories!
Though I lean cool this is a beautiful color palette with simple sophistication. Wish I could wear that tabaco colored jacket.