The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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A Clothing Diary Week 8

April 6, 2015   Because of the holidays and some family visit, I got to spend a lot of time with B and his peeps this week. It was handy to be able to just grab clothes and feel confident about putting together attractive outfits...   This skirt is fast becoming a workhorse in my wardrobe. It hangs beautifully, and has pockets!!!  

I had the immense good luck to find red Tod's loafers at a site called The Real Real. (silly name, but a great site) The price was a single-digit FRACTION of retail...

 

I will take a better photograph of the scarf when there's sufficient good lighting - it's really excellent, with strong blue and red accents on a charcoal grey and white ground. I'm finding a lot ... View the Post

Color and Proportion – Step 2: Adding Shoes, and the Occasional Solid Scarf

April 3, 2015

For this 2nd step in my pondering about proportion, I want to introduce some shoes into the equation, as well as a solid-color scarf. I didn't find that I felt the scarf was "necessary" as often as I had expected - sometimes a pair of shoes made enough difference in the proportion of the outfit that the scarf, while fun, might be superfluous.

For these first two outfits, shoes that matched the cardigan lent enough "gravity" to the outfit that I didn't really reach for a scarf. Out fit 3 is more problematic - in screaming hot weather, white sandals might work, but white shoes made this look really "uniform", in the medical profession sense. Maybe the beige scarf and loafers would be better?

These outfits felt a lot ... View the Post

Color and Proportion – How Color Affects the Balance of an Outfit

April 2, 2015

Recently, someone wrote to me with an excellent question: she had narrowed down her wardrobe colors to black, white and beige, but wasn't sure how to combine these colors. Specifically, she was concerned about what percentage of each color could be in an outfit and still be balanced.

A question for the ages, really. There are limitless possibilities for combining simple colors. So I decided to put together the most simple outfits in those three colors, and see how the proportions felt.

For starters, I picked a plain tee shirt, jeans, and a classic cardigan in the three colors my friend mentioned. From these 9 garments, there are 27 possible 3-piece outfits, as well as an additional 9 2-piece outfits. Imagine the ... View the Post

Start with Art: Version 2 Steamboat leaving Boulogne by Edouard Manet

April 1, 2015 I really love the combination of blue and grey! (I often consider including blue as an accent color in my wardrobe...) So I decided to look again at this painting, with an eye to warm weather. I brightened up the blue a little bit - Manet gives you a whole range of blue possibilities - and I equalized the proportions of the four colors:

 

  I haven't built a Four by Four wardrobe for a while, so I thought this would be an interesting project. First up, the core dark neutral charcoal, in linen:  

One of the reasons I wanted to do a summer leisure wardrobe - I found this gorgeous blue at L.L.Bean. A perfect secondary color!

The Expansion Four is usually four tops of some sort, since tops ... View the Post

A Clothing Diary Week 6

March 16, 2015   Even though I worked every day on The Vivienne Files, I also spent quite a bit of time last week doing things with my relatives and my neighbors. I find my wardrobe to be so helpful to me when I've got so many other demands on my time; it's easy to just reach into my closet and find something appropriate and comfortable without a lot of angst!  

  love, Janice ... View the Post

What I’m Packing in a Travel Capsule Wardrobe for New York

March 14, 2015   Belovedest and I are leaving Wednesday for New York for what is either a very long weekend, or a rather short vacation - six days. B lived in New York a few different times (he had one of those jobs that required frequent transfers), and so we know the city very well. Our anniversary is next Friday, so we have an excuse for some festivities. Overall, it will be a nice opportunity to spend some time together and reacquaint ourselves with a favorite city.   My biggest packing constraint for this trip is the desire to take gym clothes with me. Normally, for European vacations, I just throw my workout routine into the shredder and assume that my walking will stand in for exercise. (uh, it really doesn't work that ... View the Post

A Clothing Diary Week 5

March 10, 2015   Another cold week, but I managed well! But my weight is shifting, and so I'm going to have to get some new clothes! My upcoming spring French Five-Piece Wardrobe is going to have to do a lot of hard work...  

Yes, I wear my Munro boots a lot! They're amazingly comfortable, and I can walk a lot in them. Munro is known for making "comfort" footwear, but these don't look like mumsy marshmallows...   love, Janice ... View the Post

I Think I’m Doing Something Wrong…

Your normal fun from The Vivienne Files will return tomorrow, but today I have a question about crossbody bags.   I have a bag from Tumi - a wonderful bag - which is an earlier version of the beauty pictured above. It holds everything a human being could possibly need for a day in any city in the world. It fits flat against my body, and isn't at all bulky or obtrusive.   But every time I wear it, my clothes develop little pills and snags along the diagonal across my front and back, where the strap rubs.   Does anybody else experience this? What should I do differently?   In the grand scheme of life, this isn't a big deal, but I really don't like to feel like my handbag is destroying my ... View the Post

A Clothing Diary Week 3

February 25, 2015   Another week with incredibly cold weather. For those of you who live in warmer climates, you just have to take my word for it that this weather is exceptional, even for Chicago. Consistent lows below zero or in the single digits, days upon days of highs MAYBE in the teens. Dry dry dry air, wind to knock you over... just lovely!  I actually love winter, but this is even more extreme that I would prefer. But we carry on, in style!   As before, if I can link to my item, or something substantially similar, I will provide a link. The absence of any link means I couldn't find anything close enough...  

I know I've mentioned it before, but these Bogs boots are the WARMEST I've ever owned. They're ... View the Post

A Clothing Diary Week 2

February 17, 2015   Week #2 is an ongoing effort to dress when the weather is brutally cold. I find that I'm liking wearing dresses more and more, for the speed and the uncomplicated sleekness they bring.   Someone asked me about tights... Tights should be as easy and as comfortable as leggings or yoga pants. (Yoga pants especially are considered the most comfortable garments ever made!) Keep trying different brands and sizes of tights until you find some that don't dig into any part of your body, but rather hug you warmly and softly. You will then be able to pop on a dress in a heart-beat and be read to roll!   Some of you were interested in where my goodies were purchased, so I'm including a caption that shows brands. ... View the Post