The Vivienne Files - Page 250 of 262 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Ten trivial travel thoughts

in no particular order....

Leggings are not pants. I don't care WHO told you that you looked fine in them. You don't. Pearls do not set off metal detectors - yet another reason to wear them! I have never come back from a trip and wished that I had packed more. That said, it's never a bad idea to be prepared for the whims of weather. Snow on October 29th is a rude shock. Blister bandages. Yes, they're expensive. Buy them anyway, put them in your bag, and at the first sign of a "hot spot" on your feet, apply said bandages to the clean and dry foot. Make a mental note that you should send me flowers. Mom jeans. Just get rid of them. Yes, they're comfortable, but they look atrocious. Safety ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: peacoat – seven ways

Coat - L.L.Bean, boots – Old Gringo, skirt – Junya Watanabe, tights - Fogal

Hat – Missoni, jeans – Topshop, boots – Aldo, blouse – Suzannah, pencil skirt – Elie Saab, pumps – Giuseppe Zanotti

Cargos – Flannels Fashion, blouse – Etro, pumps – Ferragamo, tunic – Calypso St. Barth, pants – Reiss, sandals – Miu Miu

Dress – Lanvin, short boots – Giuseppe Zanotti, jeans – True Religion, slouch boots – Wetseal, poncho - Etro ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: blazer – seven ways

Blazer – Daks, dress – Ax Paris, belt - Armani

Jeans – Levi’s, tee shirt – Paul & Joe, leaf bracelets – Topshop, tunic – Debenhams, linen pants – Jigsaw, sandals - Givenchy

Skirt – Suno, tee shirt – The Row, cross-body bag – Gorjana, boots – Eileen Fisher, denim skirt – Old Navy, turtleneck – Old Navy

Faux leather pants – Nicole Miller, black pearl necklace – Debenhams, suede pumps – Ralph Lauren, hoodie – Topshop, cargo pants – Rag & Bone, shoes – Converse Chuck Taylor, bag - Novica ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: little black dress – seven ways

Dress - Miss Selfridge, tee shirt – Proenza Schouler, boots – Ralph Lauren

Leather jacket – Acne, pumps – Miu Miu, scarf – Diane von Furstenberg, sweatshirt – Topshop, boots – Wetseal, bag - Novica

Jacket – Moschino, bag – Marc Jacobs, flats – Kelsi Dagger, cardigan – Diane von Furstenberg, boots – Mou, scarf - Burberry

Belt – Fendi, necklaces – Kenneth Jay Lane, sandals – Max Studio, beige sweater – McQ, espadrilles – H&M, scarf – Pucci ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: A line skirt- seven ways

Skirt – Preen, denim jacket – Notify, scarf – Etro, tee shirt – American Vintage, pumps - Ecco

Tee shirt – A.L.C., tights – Falke, necklace – Miriam Salat, flats – Palazzo Bruciato, bolero – Jacques Vert, tee shirt – T by Alexander Wang, belt – Marc by Marc Jacobs, flats - Trotters

Striped top – Old Navy, sandals – Cole Haan, flower brooch – Debenhams, t-straps – Irregular Choice, tank tops – Buckle, plum bangle – Vince Camuto, teal bracelet – Kate Spade

Black blouse – D&G, boots – H by Hudson, bikini top – Diane von Furstenberg, white cardigan – Theory, espadrilles – Mymu ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: jeans – seven ways

Jeans - Levi’s, blouse - Gianbaptiste Valli, woven bracelet – Roberto Coin, bangles – Citrine by the Stones

Sweater – Acrobat, bag – Debenhams, boots – Humanoid, tunic – Theyskens’ Theory, cardigan – Surface to Air, silver sneakers - Vans

Wrap top – DVF, black tank – Dorothy Perkins, jacket – l’Agence, white tee – Paul Smith, pocket square – Paul Stuart, shoes - Naya

Halter – Warehouse.co.uk, clutch – mstylelab, sandals – Born, silk top – Antik Batik, ivory turtleneck – Derek Lam, boots - Frye ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: black pants – seven ways

Print top – Beyond Vintage, tank – Chaser, shoes – Keds, bag – Mulberry, wrap top – Etro, blue tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins, necklace – Assad Mounser

Dress – Vionnet, black tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins, bolero – Alaia, tank – Zoe Karssen, scarf - Kate Spade

Corset top – Agent Provacateur, clutch bag – Monsoon, sandals – Rupert Sanderson, gray top – James Perse, scarf – Matthew Williamson ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: white shirt – seven ways

This book has all kinds of interesting suggestions in it! One of the things that the authors do is to take a simple garment and suggest seven different ways to wear it. Now bear in mind, some of these are not necessarily something you or I might wear, but they are thought-provoking, and that has some value, right?

Shirt – Steffen Schraut, red pants – Moschino, black tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins

Tank top – Pro Surfing, pants – Debenhams, shoes – Keds, swimsuit - Missoni

Jeans – Levi’s, belt – Diane von Furstenberg, sandals – Loeffler Randall, skirt – Haute Hippie I'm going to be on vacation all next week, so you're going to get a full week of "one garment - seven ways" ... View the Post

Wardrobe: A Bold Autumn

Blazer – Diane von Furstenberg, Cardigan – Tsumori Chisato, Blouse – Emmanuel Ungaro, Rust blouse – Max Mara, Pants – Diane von Furstenberg, Skirt – Diane von Furstenberg, Skinny Cords – Proenza Schouler, Scarf - Hermès

Gold silk blouse – Topshop, sweater – J. Crew, brown leather trench – D&G, suede dress – Jitrois, plaid skirt – Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, pants – Miu Miu, gold wool coat – Paul & Joe, orange jacket – M Missoni

Caramel chiffon blouse – Old Navy, gold sweater – Dorothy Perkins, cardigan - Etro, Turtleneck – Diane von Furstenberg, green dress – Chinti & Parker, leather & merino top – J. Crew, suede skirt – RIKA, Sleeveless top – Diane von ... View the Post

Wardrobe: brown, ivory and blue

Blazer – Ralph Lauren Cardigan – Debenhams, Blouse – L’Agence, tee shirt – Proenza Schouler, Pants – Michael Kors, skirt – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Cords – J. Brand, Scarf - Etro

blouse – Mulberry, Trench coat – Acne, Winter coat – Akris, Dress – Balenciaga, Pants– Jason Wu, Skirt – Topshop, Sweater – Derek Lam, jacket – Reiss

Dress – Thomas Maier, Cardigan – Paul Smith, Feather print blouse – Debenhams, Turtleneck – L.L.Bean, Striped top – Vince, Jeans – Levi’s, Cardigan – Roberto Cavalli, Blouse - Lanvin

Checked scarf – Armand Diradourian, ring- Andara, watch – Michael Kors, double-strand necklace – Wendy Mink, pearls – ice.com, clutch bag – Miu Miu, ... View the Post

A possible answer to yesterday’s mystery…

I'm fighting the beginnings of a cold - FOUR DAYS before leaving on vacation. (isn't that the way of it, sometimes?) But through the Lem-Sip fumes, I had one intelligent thought:

One theory about why we don't see a lot of stunning women; generally speaking, human posture is pretty poor. Having taken ballet lessons for a few decades (my parents had high hopes), I couldn't slouch if you put an 80 pound backpack on me, but that's certainly not the rule anymore. Decades ago, a young man I was dating was absolutely CONVINCED that I was a trust-fund baby, largely because of my posture. Who knew: posture makes you look wealthy?

How's your posture? ... View the Post

The Ultimate Style Mystery

Even though I'm 47 days into my year-long shopping fast, I'm not unaware of stores, catalogs, and clothing websites. If anything, since I've started blogging, and looking for perfect wardrobes for you, I see even MORE clothing than I ever saw before! And while there's a fair amount of dreck being marketed to women under the guise of clothing (or shoes - what STUPID shoes there are in this world), most of what I see is beautiful. At every price point, there are stacks of lovely clothes available - far more clothing than any of us need, or should want.

So the mystery is this - WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL OF THIS CLOTHING? Because I do NOT see that many women who look really well-dressed. And as you can tell from the ... View the Post