The Vivienne Files - Page 220 of 268 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Now to wear a Neon Yellow v-neck sweater

April 23, 2013

This was a special request from someone who LOVES, and looks good in, neon yellow. To her I say carpe the sweater; few of us can wear this color well. It's a great way to stand out in a crowd, and make a very cheery statement on even the gloomiest days.

Outfits including a yellow sweater and a dressy printed skirt

Sweater – Erica Cavallini, earrings – Tita, skirt – Sportmax, sandals – Marc by Marc Jacobs, earrings – Tita, skirt – Prabal Gurung, sandals – Frye

Outfits with a yellow sweater, solid jeans or trousers, and a patterned scarf

Sweater – Erika Cavallini, scarves - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, sneakers - Keds, black linen pants – Vince, boots – Christopher ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: FAILURE, in the second week in my uniform

Well, not anything horrendous or drastic (let's be serious, last week wasn't a great week for many of us...), but when I woke up Friday morning to the sounds of SNOW HITTING MY WINDOW, I retreated to my jeans, which I had not included in my 33 garments. Of course, when I picked those 33 pieces of clothing, I didn't expect to have to dress for snow. Sigh...Monday and Tuesday were great, similar to last week, I started with a black "suit", chose a bright tee shirt, and added a scarf to tie things together and brighten things up. Tuesday was a core of black garments, with boots, a cardigan, and a cashmere scarf to keep warm,

Wednesday and Thursday were also very uncomplicated.Another core of black, ... View the Post

Must every woman own a pair of Khakis? Customizing the Classics…

Pants – Brunello Cuccinelli, sleeveless top – Dorothy Perkins, cord bracelet – Dorothy Perkins, blush sandals – Marais USA, chalcedony earrings –NuNu, tunic – Mary Portas, lace ballet flats – J.C. Penney, tank top – Uniqlo, tote bag – Ted Baker, sandals - Balenciag

When you read those "10 wardrobe classics every woman MUST have", you'll often see a pair of khaki pants included as one of the ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED pieces of clothing...What utter tripe - there is NO REQUIRED GARMENT for any woman's wardrobe. (Yes, I firmly believe some women can live without a bra, and if you wear tights every day, then other undergarments might be optional too...)

That said, there is some logic to the idea of a pair of khakis are a core ... View the Post

How to wear an Bright Green v-neck sweater

April 19, 2013

Wear a bright green sweater with solid jeans or pants and a printed scarf

Sweater – J. Crew, scarves - Etro, jeans – Ralph Lauren, loafers – Marc Jacobs, khakis – Vince, flats – Repetto

Wear a bright green sweater with printed trousers and sandals

Sweater – J. Crew, necklace – Dries Van Noten, wide-leg pants - Kenzo, sandals – Madison Harding, earrings – Lori’s Shoes, pants – J. Crew, sandals – Sergio Rossi

Two outfits with a bright green sweater, white jeans, and a printed tee shirt

Sweater – J. Crew, tee shirt – Splendid, white jeans – J. Crew, espadrilles – Castaner, tee shirt – Top Shop, flats - Lanvin

Wear a bright ... View the Post

A Simple Black, White and Bright Blue wardrobe, with accessories

A core of black and white, with a bit of khaki, is an easy base upon which to build with almost any color. What other colors could I use to accent these simple garments.

Cardigan – Patagonia, sunglasses – Ray-Ban, drop earrings – 1928, necklace – Masato Pearls, stud earrings- Gurhan, tee shirt – Miss Selfridge, bracelet – Good Charma, silk scarf – Ayako Kanari, skirt –Boy by Band of Outsiders, scarf – Hermes, flat sandals – Alice+Olivia, glitter sneakers – Jimmy Choo, striped flats – Libby Edeman

... View the Post

Happy Birthday to the Vivienne Files!

Today's the second birthday of The Vivienne Files. Looking back, I'm dumbfounded to see how much work I've done, and how very many kind and lovely people I've met. I could never thank each of you enough for all you've done for me!

To showcase the amazing images that have appeared on The Vivienne Files, I've changed the layout of the blog - just for today - to this Snapshot view that shows EVERY image that's been on the blog for the last two years. Scroll down, and down, and DOWN to see every idea that we've shared in the last 2 years.

And to switch your view of the blog back to "normal", to go the menu in the top left corner, just underneath where it says "The Vivienne Files". The drop down menu gives you the ... View the Post

A simple Coral & Khaki summer wardrobe, with accessories

Cardigan – Orla Kiely, sunglasses – Gucci, drop earrings – Banana Republic, necklace – Georg Jensen, pearl stud earrings- Arosha Luigi Taglia, tee shirt – April May, bracelet – Lori’s Shoes, silk scarf – milleneufcentquatrevingtquatre, skirt –Cacharel, scarf – Hermes, flat sandals – Steve Madden, athletic shoes – Keds, suede flats – Dorothy Perkins

... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: My first week in “my” uniform

This was NOT the best week for me to begin the Project 333 - our weather was impressively wintery, so I had to do some creative layering, and piling on of scarves. Happily, I managed to figure things out, and I was very pleased with how I felt...Monday and Tuesday - I started with my black "suit", added a pink tee shirt and a scarf, with some socks and loafers. I was particularly delighted with the Tuesday outfit, in which I layered a sweater over my dress (which is something I will do all summer), but then added a white cashmere scarf, opaque tights, and my boots. Instant cold-weather outfit!

Wednesday I went all black, with flats, an Hermes scarf and pearls. Wearing tights with flats makes everything warmer. ... View the Post

The Fundamentals of Chic Sightings

When I woke up this morning, it was snowing. April 13th, in Chicago, is a little bit late for it to be this cold, but a bit of patience will make this all better - tomorrow the high is to be in the 70's F.

What does this mean for Chic Sightings? That we have to be flexible, and well-informed. I can't begin to count the number of women I saw during this past work week who were wearing sandals, in near-freezing temperatures. Not going to a club, and not about to catch a plane for the Caribbean - these women were going to work. (Note, I did not see ONE man in sandals...)

The first day of third grade, I wanted desperately to wear a new outfit that had been purchased JUST FOR ME for school - a sweater, plaid ... View the Post

How to wear a petrol blue (or slate blue) v-neck sweater

April 12, 2013

I still get requests about different colored sweaters... These are great fun to pull together - I still have yellow, green, and white on the back burner.

Outfits including a a petrol blue sweater and a printed top

Outfits including a petrol blue sweater and a dressy skirt

Outfits including a petrol blue sweater, a printed scarf, and solid pants

Outfits including a petrol blue sweater and printed pants

Outfits including a petrol blue sweater, white shirt, skirt or trousers, and Hermes scarf

love Janice ... View the Post

A simple black & white summer wardrobe, with accessories

Oooh, I could live in these clothes for the entire summer... This first outfit would be fine for work, and then slip on the skirt in place of the pants, ready to go out to dinner.

A striped tee shirt isn't usually worn with a skirt - I wonder why? And the cardigan and scarf take a simple tank top and capris, and make them perfect for all kinds of activities.

Some days, simple white and khaki, with silver accessories, is all you need. And your sundress kicks it up quite a few notches with the jacket, a nice necklace, and dressy, but still comfortable, sandals.

With the more classic, trim, cardigan, the tank top and capris take on a more traditional look. And amazing diamond earrings add a lot of spark, and ... View the Post

A navy & yellow summer wardrobe, with accessories

The yellow made me think of flowers, and this is a good season to be looking at floral garments and accessories - they're everywhere... but it would be easy to focus your summer accessories on all things nautical, or other unifying themes that could make you smile all summer long.These are the accessories, and the "accessory garments":

Cotton cardigan – Nick & Zoe, sunglasses – Courreges, dangle flower earrings – Jardin, necklace – Mallarino, daisy earrings- AZ Collection, tee shirt – Weekend by MaxMara, daisy bracelet – Banana Republic, plaid cotton scarf – Uniqlo, skirt –Paul Smith, navy sandals – David Tate, yellow flats – Aldo, gold sandals – Taryn Rose, scarf - Hermes Just in case you need to dress up - ... View the Post