The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Travel with Janice Archives - Page 4 of 15

How to UNPACK Your Suitcase

August 23, 2017

Ah, the eclipse was amazing! So was our 14-hour drive home... (a trip which charitably might take 6 hours if you're a slow driver....) If today's post feels a bit incoherent, understand that I got 2 hours of sleep!

After we got back from Ireland last week, our suitcases were laying open on the floor in our apartment for a couple of days - partly because we were tired and just didn't get around to doing all of the laundry immediately, and partly because I'm trying to cultivate a very slow and attentive process for unpacking. I'm doing this so that I can review what I packed (and remember what I forgot!) immediately after the trip, and try to learn something useful for future adventures...

You might remember from my ... View the Post

Dublin Ireland, August 2017

August 21, 2017

When you read this, I will be in southern Illinois to see the solar eclipse! Belovedest and I decided that this was almost certainly the best chance that we will ever have to see a full solar eclipse, and that we would be daft to miss it. So we're spending Sunday night downstate in a hotel, and then driving further down to see the fun. Should be entertaining, I'd say!

But I want to share with you some really random highlights of my recent trip to Dublin. I was there nearly 2 weeks, and really didn't venture beyond the suburbs; I LOVE Dublin, and am never bored there... it must be in my blood!

First up - where I stayed when I was there the first week, before Belovedest arrived. I was in an Airbnb apartment 2 blocks ... View the Post

Timeless Chic Sightings: Black with Metallic Accessories

June 27, 2017

Some things don't change much through time - over the weekend, we saw lots of women accenting solid black outfits with well-chosen metallic accessories. These kinds of outfits always catch my eye!

The clothes from this post are absolutely ageless and timeless; if you keep your eyes open for metallic accessories (or an accent color?) that you love, you'll instantly have an outfit that can wear forever, or until it falls apart! And that should be our goal - to use things fully and well, and retire them when they've been worn as much as possible. Anything less doesn't do justice to our time, nor or budget, nor to the planet.

love, Janice ... View the Post

Memorial Day with Belovedest and Me…

Let me say first off that in my ideal world, these holidays would be true holidays in that EVERYBODY would get the day off. At least in the United States, most holidays are great for those of us who work in offices or are self-employed, but if you work in food service or retail, it's just another day. I wish that could change, and that those people could also have holidays... sigh...

That said, Belovedest and I slept late, and then roused ourselves and walked out to get on the Metra train south, in the train station just 2 blocks from us:

In 20 minutes, we were in Hyde Park. Home of the former president. Home of the University of Chicago. Home of the best bookstores in Chicago, no possible competition imaginable. (I've walked most ... View the Post

Want to See a Really Adorable Scarf?

May 12, 2017  

I plain and simply can't do the New York shoes today - I had a bunch of broken hyperlinks to fix on yesterday's post, and I'm feeling distinctly horrid. (I have a chronic pain condition that I'll tell you all about some day...)But I have to share this with you; last night, Belovedest comes into the apartment after work carrying a gift box. Now, my birthday isn't until the last part of June, but he tells me that he has an early gift for me...

We're going to Paris in September for HIS birthday, but you can bet your bottom dollar that this scarf is going to be in my bag!It's not a Hermès (thank heavens, they can't all be that outrageous!), but it's lovely quality silk, nicely printed, with cheerful images and ... View the Post

What Were They Wearing in New York? Chic Sightings of Accent Colors

May 11, 2017  

They were wearing black! Of course they were wearing black.... Or navy blue...So what I really noticed were the accent colors - the bright pops of cheer that stood out in the crowd.

Please note that I did NOT ever go up to someone and ask them what brand of whatever they were wearing; I took careful notes, and have attempted to recreate their overall look as well as I can with the tool at hand. I suspect that if you were to see the same women, in the same outfits, you would recognize them immediately!

This first woman was business lunching; she was able to stride down the street with her male companions without any problems, thanks to her flat shoes. (I'm going to share with you tomorrow my observations about ... View the Post

New York – A Whole Bunch of Random Thoughts, Observations, and Tales…

New York was lovely - I could live there TOMORROW... Sigh...

Our hotel was very near the United Nations, and the first afternoon we were in town, we went on the tour there. Just do it, trust me. It's a lovely facility, which makes mid-century modern architecture and decor look amazing. The guide that we had was both smart as a whip and a lovely young man, and the experience of being somewhere where everyone is working toward peace and prosperity for the entire human race is absolutely calming and invigorating, all at the same time...

If there aren't active sessions, you get to go into the General Assembly and the Security Council chambers. And I'm just sayin', the gift shop and the bookstore are worth a few minutes of your time ... View the Post

How Can I Accessorize a Column of Black? Chic Sightings to the Rescue!

February 9, 2017

In the last few days, I noticed a number of women wearing simple black "columns," - a sweater and pants, or a tee shirt with pants, and at least in one instance, I think she was wearing a black dress with black tights.

But what caught my eye was the way that each woman had put her own very personal spin on the basic black core of their outfit. My eye was caught immediately when I saw this great floral tote:

  This is really clever - the grey and white in the cardigan keep the outfit from looking anything at all like Halloween.

  And I spotted this tote WAY across the room - I've always kind of wanted one of these... and I could love this cardigan to pieces...

  Even when you're ... View the Post

Paris Miscellany December 2016 – The Beautiful, The Festive, and the Quaintessentially Parisian

When I take pictures in Paris, I'm a little bit... reckless? Carried away? It's hard to avoid - between the excitement of being on vacation, and the EXCITEMENT of being in Paris... well, there's a lot of beauty that I feel that I want to capture. And much of it doesn't fall into any nice thematic sort of plan, so I'm just going to show you things!First - PASTRIES!!!  The holidays are when chestnuts come into their own, and my favorite dessert - Mont Blanc -  is topped with a TON of candied chestnuts that have been forced through a ricer. I can eat these until I am absolutely ill...

But if chestnuts don't appeal, every pastry shop window has a ton of possibilities!

   Cold weather also brings the need to drink ... View the Post

Paris Street Style, December 2016, or What I saw Parisians Wearing, and in the Paris Shop Windows

December 15, 2016

 

Why yes, I did a bit of people watching, and window shopping, when I was in Paris! What did I see?

Sigh... lots of amazing things! One particular phenomenon that I saw on students (well, mostly students) was the plaid coat with unmatching plaid scarf outfit. The first time I saw it, I thought it was just a madly creative young man, but then I saw it again, and AGAIN...

I think it's rather cool, albeit bold. I could see myself wearing this black, white and red ensemble... For the less brazen, a plaid scarf worn with a solid or tweed coat would be a nod to this look, without going over the top!

Red plaid coat – Alcoolique;  red plaid scarf – Halogen;   Bluegreen & red plaid scarf – ... View the Post

Paris Street Art? Graffiti? Whatever you call it, it’s pretty interesting!

  I'm still feeling a bit like the north end of a south-bound skunk (as my sainted father would have said!), but I wanted to start sharing my Paris photographs and observations with you. As you've probably noticed, I'm fascinated by the graffiti/street art in Paris. They work so HARD on it... and some of it's a real contribution to otherwise ordinary walls on ordinary streets - at least to me.

One thing that I think is significant is the degree of artistic quality present in much of this work. Even on the streets, you can't just toss any old half-baked thing out there and expect it to be accepted. High aesthetic standards!

When I first saw this wall below, I thought it was some Star Wars -ish movie poster, but when I looked ... View the Post