The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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The shopping fast: Month 6

This month saw a couple of dinners out with friends, and a couple of job interviews which weren't overwhelmingly dressy - the bakery job didn't really require full-on suiting, thank heavens.  So I found that for another month, I had everything that I needed or wanted, and was comfortable, appropriate, and (I hope) attractive for all activities.

I visit catalogchoice.org every week to continue to pare down my temptations which arrive in the mail.  Fewer catalogs = fewer dead trees, less recycling, and less time thumbing through them looking at things I don't need.

 

 

 

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DIY: What’s Hot, What’s Not

Every season, you can find lists upon lists of "what's hot, and what's not", which basically means "what you should go out and purchase, and what you should throw away".  I refuse to let someone else tell me what I need, like, or prefer, so I decided to put together my own personal "What's Hot" list.  The results follow....Sometime soon, when I catch up on sleep, I'll do a "What's NOT" list too.

 

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My Wardrobe: the curating begins!

So I've decided that I'm going to curate my wardrobe in groupings of eight, in keeping with the plan that seems to be working so well for other wardrobes that I build!  And first up, the highly utilitarian work wardrobe for the winter holidays.  Cotton turtlenecks from Lands' End, sweatshirts from Lands' End and Adidas, and jeans from NYDJ (stretch jeans are ESSENTIAL if climbing is in your job description).  I didn't need a lot of clothes, because I'd have to come home most evenings and immediately launder whatever I'd been wearing...   To me, this wardrobe, while not particularly dressy or innovative, is elegant, if you define elegance as simple, timeless, and appropriate to the situation at ... View the Post

The shopping fast: Month 5

This month's activities included some of my heavy-lifting job (jeans, cotton turtlenecks, sweatshirts), a few lunches and dinners out with friends, and one cocktail party.  I already owned everything I needed for all of these activities, so I never felt that "need" to buy new clothes.  And I stay out of the way of temptation in stores, I've cut out all catalogs; overall, I felt only the occasional twinge of admiration for something.  Admiration does not HAVE to equal desire; more on that idea tomorrow.

 

 

 

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The shopping fast: Month 3

 

This has in many ways been the easiest month so far.  Day to day, I'm only wearing a variety of gray or black tee shirts, jeans, and my work shoes. (and of course, my apron, which is NOT pictured here...) If anything, December might prove to be even more dull fashion-wise than November!

Working in retail is a great way to condition yourself away from constant shopping; the endless glut of unnecessary stuff that we have to handle every day makes the idea of actually buying something and taking it home absolutely repulsive.  What an insane frenzy of over-consumption the holidays are in the United States...

And I must give a warm, grateful shout out to my work shoes - Camper Pelotas.  They are durable, ... View the Post

The shopping fast: Month 1

 

Above illustrates EVERYTHING I wore in the month of September 2011.  A pretty modest assortment, but I have a few extenuating circumstances which kept this a pretty small collection.  

Foremost, I don't have a job, so I'm not getting up every morning putting on "grown-up" clothes to go out and play with the adults of the world.  

I spent a great deal of time wearing gym clothes; if I knew that I wasn't going out, and that I absolutely HAD to go to the gym (uh, that's every day!), I would put on my workout clothes immediately after my shower in the morning.  The other people in my (very large) building are accustomed to seeing me in these clothes.

Having stacks of sweaty gym clothes around ... View the Post

Back to the roots of The Vivienne Files: Transition

Way back when, Vivienne assured me that she was not always going to have a wardrobe of black, white and red garments - she fully intended, as her hair turned gray, and her skin tones softened, to transition to gray, rose, and cream.

This is how I envision than transition...

Her original wardrobe, as we pictured it here, is this:

 

The first thing I could picture would be a feeling of discomfort with bright red.  Not every day, but just a sense that these garments were moving to the back of the closet... so they move out and a beautiful rose pink takes its place.

 

  The strongly contrasted black and white pieces would next make way for more muted items...  

    Black garments worn ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 8: Vivienne’s Valise, continued

I've been asked how I managed for almost 6 weeks with the very limited amount of clothing that I took with me on that trip that will live in infamy. I had a plan, believe me!

Just for reference, remember that these are the clothes that I had with me.

For flying, I pretty much always wore jeans, with the black v-neck sweater. Usually I would put either the white tee shirt or the striped tee shirt under the sweater, depending on how warm it was where I was leaving, what the weather would be where I was arriving, and what was clean!

First thing I did in the door of every new hotel in every new city/country was to give some clothing to the in-house laundry. This is always risky, because you never know when someone's going to ... View the Post

Vivienne’s Fashion Challenge

  As a rookie, fledgling blogger, and someone trying to channel a frequently reluctant muse, I'm often very insecure about how this whole blogging thing is going.  Does anybody read?  Am I wasting my time?  Am I making a digital, online fool of myself?   So receiving the Fashion Challenge from another blogger meant the world to me.  And without further ado, I shall try to answer the questions to the best of my ability, keeping in mind that I speak for both myself and the elusive Vivienne.  (she answers emails when she's darned good and ready, and not a day sooner...)   (1)  What International brands would you like to try on, and why?   I have to admit this one is hard, because I've ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 6

 

  Vivienne's bottom line on wardrobe advice is to buy less, pay more, and focus, focus,  focus. While to us her very limited wardrobe seems - well - very limited, she sees it as a  clear statement of her personal style. If she walks into a store and something  doesn't scream to her across the room, it just plain and simply doesn't go home with  her.    She has NEVER been tempted by Victorian, Gothic, Prairie, Grunge, Surfer, Safari,  Garden Party or any other style like that - she calls them costumes, and doesn't mean  that nicely. For someone for whom one or more of those looks was really compatible with  their whole persona and self-image, it might work, but Vivienne is ... View the Post

When image consultants collide

May 30, 2011

  Way back in the early years of image consulting, circa 1981 or so, I had my colors "done".  I was working in a large department store as a department manager, and it was felt that management staff should all be exposed to the services of our personal shopper and consultant group, in order to help their business.  To nobody's surprise (except maybe my mother), I am a Winter:  

  This was reassuring, as I was already building a wardrobe of gray suits, white blouses, and brightly colored scarf accents.  (does anybody else remember Dress for Success?)  One of the coolest lingering pieces of advice, which I'm going to discuss at more length some day, was the advice to buy tee ... View the Post