The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 244 of 262 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for spring break, in aqua and ocean blue

A young reader asked me to suggest what to pack for spring break, based on her preferred water colors, and on two bikinis she owns.  These are my ideas...  

Tee – J. Crew, Jeans – Place des Tendances, cardigan – J. Crew, tote – Modcloth, earrings – Jamie Joseph, bracelet – Chan Luu,  flats – Nine West, carry-on bag - Heys       Note that I ALWAYS recommend long pants, closed-toe shoes, and a cardigan or jacket for travel.  When you embark on a voyage, you truly have no idea how long you'll be traveling, or under what conditions.  But you know that (a) planes are cold, (b) airports are big, and (c) it's nicer to take off too much clothing than it is to wrap oneself in an airplane ... View the Post

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

Wardrobe: Warm Colors, Casual Styles

Lots of people really liked my post about a "Chanel-inspired" wardrobe based on 2 suits, but expressed concern because they found it too dressy.  So I've tried here to work from the same general idea - four garment groupings in 2 neutral shades, and then build around them for a 24-piece wardrobe.  This is primarily a very casual wardrobe, with only one skirt, and one dressy blouse.  There are some flowers, and some lace, and the obligatory Spring 2012 pair of "fashion color" pants...  Enjoy!

Sweater – Topshop, pants – Rabens Saloner, tee shirt – Shakuhachi, denim pants – A.L.C., olive sweater – Cacharel, olive pants – Closed,  blouse – Bruuns Bazaar, shorts – Denim & Supply  

Beige Cardigan – ... View the Post

Drool-worthy, or how’s your legacy looking?

February 12, 2012

 

So if you're not busy Friday, there's an auction of vintage Hermes items, in Paris.

Artcurial has Hermes auctions twice a year - vintage everything made by Hermes.  Just scrolling through the lots here will give you food for many drooling dreams...

Which begs the question in my mind: am I leaving anything behind me, at the end of my life, which would even be WORTH auctioning?

I don't want to have wasted every penny I've ever spent on things that my heirs will just throw away...

love,

Janice ... View the Post

The Follies of Reckless Experimentation

One of my great assets has always been my skin.  It's pale, smooth, and immune to pretty much any abuse - I could wash my face with laundry detergent, and I don't think it would matter much!  So when a very dear friend of mine gave me a few skincare product samples to try, I didn't think there was any risk involved.

Now mind you, this was product from a VERY reputable company, and it is quite well-known stuff.  Desirable, even.  Quite high priced, and considered to be the bee's knees of beauty goop.

So I apply said goop to my normally asbestos face.  60 seconds later, itching.  90 seconds later, a shade of red normally seen on ripe summer fruits.  120 seconds later, AMAZING swelling commences.  121 ... View the Post

Chic Sightings in the Chicago Loop: red coats

Maybe because it's been dark and gloomy, or maybe because Valentine's Day is barreling down upon us, but I've seen quite a few red coats in the last week, on women from 18 to 80.  They certainly brighten up an otherwise severe city sidewalk!

Red jacket – Donna Karan, black skinny jeans – Rag & Bone, red hi tops – Converse Chuck Taylor, red peacoat – DSquared2, striped scarf – John Lewis, navy trousers – Reiss, navy loafers – Easy Spirit,  

Trench – Burberry,  tote bag – Kate Spade, black boots – Liz Claiborne, black tights – Oasis, scarf – Yves Saint Laurent, wool coat – Mauro Grifoni, grey pants – Viyella, patent loafers – Kate Spade   ... View the Post

A Minimal Wardrobe from Years Ago

For years, I would tear out articles or images from magazines and keep them if they interested me, or resonated with me on some level.  In a fit of technology-inspired tidying, I scanned them all about six years ago.  Just today, I was browsing through them - aside from the very 80's or early 90's vibe from some of the photographs, a lot of the information was rather timeless.

One that I thought of a lot was the following.  I've erased her identity, because I'm quite sure that after 20 years, she doesn't want to be seeing herself all over the internet...

As I work toward identifying "the number" for the size of my upcoming carefully curated wardrobe, I'm seeing suggestions ranging from 10 to 1,000 - giving me a lot of ... View the Post

Scarf tying: the square knot, two ways

I don't wear this knot terribly often, but it's very handy to know, as there are two variations using a square knot, and once you know how to tie this one, you can do it without a mirror...

Start with a bias folded scarf, or a rectangular scarf, and center it behind your neck like so:

 

  Bring the left part over the right part:  

    and loop it over and through - standard knot-tying procedure:  

Now here's where many people go awry.  Your normal instinct is to take the "new" left end and take it back over the "new" right end.  Resist such instinct, and instead, bring the RIGHT SIDE OVER THE LEFT SIDE.  (I could get into a technical explanation of how changing direction ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in soft, warm colors with green and beige

    Someone suggested that I build a wardrobe based on my old blog photograph, of Melrose Abbey in Scotland.  These are beautiful, subtle colors that combine in lovely ways, and I could have chosen a hundred different palettes, just based on this one photo!   Build your own color-schemes, based on photos, here.  

Striped Sweater – Jane Norman, sweater – Acne, tee shirt – Kain Label, Dress – Topshop, chinos – Jack Wills, jeans – Oasis, skirt – Blumarine, scarf - Hermes  

Sweater – Vanessa Bruno, linen shirt – Acne, Duffle coat – Miu Miu, Trench – Burberry, cardigan – Woolrich, silk sweater – Private B, striped tee shirt – Sign Kora, jacket - Etro  

Crepe top – Marni, ... View the Post

Aaack!

So my belovedest ordered a few new dress shirts from a very reliable mail order establishment.  Said garments arrived chez nous,  were divested of their (excessive) packaging, and immediately went to the laundry.  Standard operating procedure in our home.

Later that same day, I found myself reading a lengthy on-line discussion about whether or not people launder new clothing before wearing it.

I was amazed; it never occurred to me that you wouldn't wash things before you wore them.  I've worked in retail long enough to tell you absolutely nauseating stories about clothing in stores.

And Good Morning America, a couple of years ago, went into an assortment of New York retailers, purchased some clothing, and ... View the Post

Maximize Your ROI: Statement footwear

 

Navy sweater – Acne, navy bag – Debenhams, Striped tunic - Jaeger, sunglasses – Cutler and Gross, Melange sweater – Black Fleece, Jeans – Alexander McQueen    

Silk blouse – Stella McCartney, earrings – Tiffany, silk sweater – Private B, gold necklace – Ben-Amun, tee shirt – Burberry Brit, 6-button cardigan – John Smedley, drop-collar cardigan – Eastex, Navy pants – Joseph,    

Silk blouse – The Row, hat – Topshop, turtleneck – Woolrich, tee shirt – Isabel Marant, floral scarf – Erdem, boucle coat – Jil Sander, Navy skirt – Debenhams, navy tights – Falke     

Ruby earrings – Lord & Taylor, Paisley drop earrings – Max and Chloe, ¾ sleeve dress – Crumpet England, ... View the Post