The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Travel with Janice Archives - Page 9 of 15

Lessons Learned: Amsterdam and Paris

What an adventure THAT was!  Belovedest and I had a wonderful time - of course we did - we were together.  And we learned some things that I think are worth sharing...  

If you're connecting from a plane to a train, buy your train tickets in advance, even if you can't guarantee that you'll be on time. (and of course, you can't guarantee, because you're flying in, and planes are delayed)  It's MUCH less expensive to purchase train tickets in advance, and you'll be assured of a seat.  B and I had been promised by a couple of different people that it was ALWAYS easy to get train tickets from Paris to Amsterdam - au contraire, my friends!

When buying train tickets, even if you don't know your return time ... View the Post

The Things One Learns While Traveling

August 5, 2014

 

I got home last night, or more properly, early this morning. Rain and lightning on both ends of my journey made things... interesting...   First off, when I got to my departure airport, I found that it was packed, literally almost shoulder to shoulder. No seats, no place to even LEAN on something, and absolutely no access to any electrical outlets. I'd been using my cell phone all day for contact among the various people taking me to the airport and picking me up, and I listen to music on it while in flight. Dead battery loomed large, and dreadful.

   

I can't recommend enough these Anker portable chargers. Mine is exactly the same size as my cell phone, and it completely recharged ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Navy Tunic and White Cropped Trousers, times 6

July 22, 2014  

It seems to be almost the uniform of the weekend - roll up the sleeves of a navy linen tunic, pull on some white cropped trousers, and accent with brightly colors jewelry and sandals...  The jewelry isn't all precious stones, and the sandals are casual, but the effect of the bright accents was very eye-catching.I think you can learn a lot about your personal color preferences based on which of these looks appeal to you, or which you swear you could never wear!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

The Vivienne Files bookshelf: The Lost Art of Dress by Linda Przybyszewski

March 28, 2014  

  It's one of those questions that confounds the observant person - there are more clothes, and often more attractive clothes, in stores than ever before, but you see fewer well-dressed or just generally attractive people about.  Why are all of these appallingly bad clothing choices being made, and why (at least when I was a child) did women seem to be able to avoid making these mistakes and dress themselves flatteringly?

   

Linda Przybyszewski attempts to answer this question in this book - a very well-written and interesting look at the Home Economics teachers, Department of Agriculture Extension employees, and other women who used to help us choose our clothing.  I ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Black Cardigans – Great Dresses

May 9, 2014   Now that summer has arrived with crashing suddenness in Chicago, the quality of Chic Sightings has changed completely.  At lunch time today, it seemed that half the women walked out of their cubicles wearing a black cardigan...  As soon as they got into the sunlight, the sweaters came off, and beautiful dresses, lovely shoes, and perfectly-chosen jewelry took center stage.  

  love, Janice

Looking back:

2012: One of my readers asked me about how to use a monochromatic scarf, in What to Wear With an Hermes Scarf: Peinture Fraiche.

2013: Balancing concerns about coverage and climate can be a challenge, and I tried to address this concern about Dressing modestly in a hot ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Dots!

April 15, 2014   Now that it's snowed in Chicago, it feels strange to post the very warm-weather outfits that I saw over the weekend.  But spring WILL arrive - it always has...   This dress was amazingly attractive; while I don't in any way need more clothes, this would really tempt me!  

  The girl wearing these pants looked fabulous.  I think her legs were 4 feet long...  

  The tunic in the 2nd outfit was WAAAAY cuter in person than the photograph really conveys, and it looked tremendously comfortable too.  

  love, Janice ... View the Post

A New Favorite French Book…

 

        April 4, 2014   When I travel, I always try to find any cool books about style, fashion, wardrobe planning, art etc. etc...  This one looks pretty foolproof, but since it's by the authors of L'Armoire Ideale des Parasseuses, I thought it was well worth grabbing.   For a long time, I've often pondered the difference between  stores that we love, and closets that we detest.  If this were my closet, I would be endlessly happy:  

So how does one get to the point of loving one's closet as much as one's favorite store?  This excellent book has a great mental strategy:  

Your clothing = your boutique collection Think of your closet as the ... View the Post

Paris: Where We Stayed, What We Heard

  Almost 20 years ago, when Belovedest and I first went to Paris, we stayed at the Hotel des Grands Hommes (the hotel of the great men, NOT the hotel of the big guys).  I don't even remember how the hotel was chosen, but we really enjoyed it, and have been back a few times since then, but not recently.   But when we were planning for our anniversary, it seemed an obvious choice, and it was a BRILLIANT selection.  They continue to enhance the rooms and the common areas, and literally every corner of every section of the hotel is beautiful and holds delights.  Our room was small, of course, but beautifully appointed, with a bathroom that was both spacious and utterly immaculate.  

  Hotel des ... View the Post

Paris: Where We Ate

March 26, 2014

It doesn't surprise you, I'm sure, to hear that Paris is a pretty excellent place to dine. I can't honestly remember ever having a truly bad meal there; most of the time I feel pretty confident walking into any restaurant or cafe that's at all busy, knowing that I'll eat pretty well, and occasionally have an astonishingly fun experience.   So in alphabetical order, these are the places that I can remember dining last week:  

Benoit, 20 rue Saint Martin, 75004

This is where we went for our anniversary dinner, and it was a great choice. The service was that perfect balance of warmth and respect that marks the very nicest places to dine. This Alain Ducasse charmer is rather tiny, and is the ... View the Post

Paris: What I Wore, What I Bought, What They Wore

March 25, 2014   Every time I travel, I realize that I could pack less.  We realistically could have been able to get through most days with jeans, a sweater, and something to dress up a bit for dinner.  The items that were out of my bag continually look like this:  

  Our weather was changeable - most days we started with jackets and ended up carrying them my late afternoon.  I found that I really enjoyed my fingerless gloves - they're sort of whimsical compromise that proved to be just warm enough.  And my ballet flats were great - they have enough support to be comfortable and excellent for walking.  Despite all of the stereotypes, you could wear jeans every day in Paris and blend in ... View the Post

Paris: Politics and Pollution

The first thing we noticed when we got to Paris last Saturday was that there was an election soon!  The Paris government very wisely puts up temporary "walls" upon which the political posters are affixed - a brilliant solution that minimizes the amount of paper glued to walls, and gives all candidates equal opportunity to expose their ideas to the public, without having to be concerned about raising huge amounts of money.

The single most amazing thing to me when I saw these posters was that more than half of the candidates that I saw on posters were women.  I know, I know, we're supposed to be used to this sort of thing by now, but after watching the interchangeable contesting the Republican gubernatorial ... View the Post