The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 228 of 262 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Alphonse Mucha Summer

Yes, there's plenty more to come from Paris, after jet lag has released it's relentless grip...This painting made me want to find things that were soft, feminine, but with a certain inner strength or control.  The expression on her face is pretty confident!

Tee shirt – Thakoon, corduroy jeans – Current/Elliott, ankle boots – Mango, cashmere turtleneck – Eickhoff, skirt – 3.1 Phillip Lim, pumps – Salvatore Ferragamo    

Top – Moschino Cheap & Chic, skirt – Jenni Kayne, sandals – Dorothy Perkins, halter dress – Missoni, sandals – Manolo Blahnik    

Dress – Diane von Furstenberg, slingbacks – Miu Miu, blouse – Aubin & Wills, pleated skirt – Alexander McQueen, ballet flats - ... View the Post

Paris: Hotel Pavillon des Lettres

Our hotel was perfect.  It's rare that anybody can say that with complete sincerity, but in this case, there was absolutely nothing we would have changed.

The Pavillon des Lettres is a 26-room hotel, designed around the theme of authors.  Rather than numbering the rooms, they assign each of them a letter (hence the 26 works our very well).  Each room is then dedicated to an author who's last name begins with the letter of the room.

We stayed in Ibsen.  It was very small by the American standard of "one must be able to square-dance in one's hotel room" (yet another reason to pack lightly!), but exquisitely designed, quiet, and comfortable.

Anybody who believe that Parisians are rude has never stayed at this hotel ... View the Post

A Common Capsule Wardrobe, with brown

She has an unnatural fondness for trees... Rumor has it that she once sat in one for a VERY long time, to keep it from being cut.

 

Knitted scarf – Missoni, rings & stud earrings – Jenny Bird, square scarf – Bottega Veneta, drop earrings – Leva, 

watch – WE WOOD, necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane, bag – Embawo, studded bracelet – Karen London,

 tube bracelet – Marc Jacobs, wool cashmere scarf – Epice, flats – Born, belt – Isabel Marant, boots- Mulberry  

 

 

  ... View the Post

How I Pack: The Clothes…

October 4, 2012   Now that I'm appropriately dressed for flying, the first thing I'll pack will be an outfit in solid black.  This gives me my "core of 4" in black...  

 It's hard to imagine, but at this point, with six articles of clothing, I in fact have twelve different outfits.  Okay, twelve different, really REPETITIOUS outfits, but this would in theory be "do-able" for a while.  Remember, nobody is keeping track of what you wear (if they are, they've got bigger problems than you can solve), and you can always get laundry done while traveling.  Accessories could brighten this up quite a bit, too.

 

  The other thing I definitely plan for is any activity that I'm sure of, that ... View the Post

How I Pack: my Travel Outfit

For me, the single most crucial decision in travel is what to wear on the plane.  It's all well and good to say that I'm carrying my luggage onto the plane, and thus I'm not going to be trapped in these clothes forever, but...

One may be "requested" to check one's bag.  Thus, it goes where no man has gone before, and you may not see it for quite a while. Flight delays.  You may be wearing these clothes a LOT longer than your schedule suggests. Hotel check-in timing - when we arrive in Paris, it will only be about 8 a.m.  Arriving in the city between 9 and 9:30, we will be HOURS too early to check into our room.  Thus, my first three or four hours in Paris will be spent wearing these same clothes.

I see ... View the Post

How I Pack: Liquids

 

This is it, dumped out onto the bed.  We'll have to buy toothpaste in Paris, where you can actually get a 3 ounce tube - big enough for more than a few days...  Samples of my skin care products are very helpful; some things I only use once or twice a week.

The thing that finally got me to minimize the volume of liquids that I pack?  On the first day of some month, years ago, I vowed that I was going to live ENTIRELY out of my dopp kit until it ran out.  And I realized, near the END of that month (almost four weeks into my experiment) that I still had quite a bit of stuff...  Since then, I've cut way back on quantities, and if I have to buy something, then I'll just HAVE to shop in Paris.  (oh ... View the Post

How I Pack: Jewelry

 I bought this nifty little sack on Etsy - I believe the woman who made it is in Poland?  It's the perfect size for a stack of jewelry - my cuff bracelets fit perfectly into the bottom of the bag.

In order to keep things padded, I will probably toss in a pair of socks (or two), and slide necklaces down into the socks so they don't scratch each other.

I pack a LOT of jewelry - it's small, it's light, it makes a ton of difference in the appearance of what I'm wearing.  It's all insured.  Really, what's the point in having nice things if I don't take them with me on amazing vacations to Paris? ... View the Post

A Common Capsule Wardrobe, with chalcedony

Her grandmother told her that wearing chalcedony was a sure-fire way to improve your insight into people's thoughts and feelings.  So she became a market research executive. .

Jewelry – Alexis Bittar, square scarf – Liberty London, belt – Menichetti, linen scarf – EPICE S.A.R.L., ballet flats – 

Debenhams, satchel – Hayden Harnett,suede oxfords – Labor of Love  

 

  ... View the Post

How I Pack: Personal Care Products

This is ALWAYS packed, and usually lives in the bottom of my briefcase.  

Prescription drugs are "refreshed" every month when I get my refills; I always make sure to have 2 weeks worth of each prescription packed, so that I can hit the road in a hurry if an emergency arises.  I also always carry about 12 doses of Tylenol, and of Tylenol PM - which is the answer to that jet-lag question of waking up at 2 a.m. and being awake 'til 5. The weird gizmo on my toothbrush has suction cups on the back of it, so that I can hang it from a mirror or tiled wall. Small roll of duct tape - you'll never know you need it 'til the hinges on your suitcase blow out.  Or the hinges of the suitcase of a total stranger - you suddenly ... View the Post

Imaginary Shopping for a Capsule Wardrobe “must-have” color: Winter White

Sweater – Isabel Marant, scarf – Levi’s Made & Crafted, loafers – Cole Haan, ring – Jamie Joseph  

 

 

 

 

 

There will be blog posts six days a week while I'm in Paris - everything's all scheduled and ready to go!  (no, I am NOT going to be writing while I'm on vacation...)  You will know everything about my packing approach by the time I'm back in Chicago - at which time I will tell you every detail of our trip... ... View the Post