black Archives - Page 30 of 53

A Template for Your Travel Outfit

November 19, 2015

For a long time, I've been saying that I think the outfit in which you travel is the most important clothing you have to choose for a trip, and I'm sticking with that belief. Recently, Belovedest had dinner with a co-worker who spent over 48 HOURS in an airport in Egypt, trying to get home. (when they were finally allowed to board a plane, they had to leave all luggage and carry-on bags behind, and could only take with them what they could carry visibly in their hands, i.e. phone, passport, and wallet...)Okay, that's a very extreme case, but it's not at all unheard of to be delayed, or have to be re-routed to an unexpected city (where you hang around either on the plane or in the airport for an undetermined ... View the Post

Scarf Selling Saturday: A TWO-fer: Les Instructions du Roy, and Soleil du Soie

November 14, 2015 I want to clarify that the following post was written and scheduled for publication late Thursday afternoon; had I known of the horrid news that would emerge Friday afternoon and evening, I would had written something very different.

However, I'm going to leave this post here, for comments and for beauty's sake, because I feel like defiantly living life as normal. Let's appreciate small joys, and marvel at the wonders of the craftsmanship and creativity of our fellow humans, in the face of barbaric actions that would prefer we spend our time thinking only of negative and dark things...

You are, each of you, very important to me. I take your thoughts and feelings very seriously, and try to be sensitive to ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Vintage Rose by Kathkath

November 13, 2015

Who wouldn't want this?

Such lovely colors....

I wanted to think more about the idea of the "Whatever's Clean 13" and different ways to go about creating a grouping that will simplify your life - at least when you're getting dressed!

So I thought I'd dig WAY back into the archives of my brain, and The Vivienne Files, for the "Not So Crazy Eights" - the idea that owning eight garments in the same color might be the smartest thing you can do.

Let's hypothesize that someone in the world is pretty committed to her black wardrobe, so the first eight aren't terribly difficult. That said, she's in a little bit of a pickle for the upcoming holiday season; her friends and family aren't the strapless sequined ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Black Dahlia by Yuh Okano

November 5, 2015

When this scarf arrived Chez Vivienne Files, I thought "there's no way on planet Janice that I'm giving this scarf away!"But of course, I managed to rein in my enthusiasm and genuine admiration for this beauty, and I'm going to give it to one of you. Leave a comment... and yes, no matter where you are in the world, you may certainly comment and be entered to win! I'll ship anywhere...

It's a crispy but sheer silk organza (?), and it's primarily black, white and shades of grey, but there's this elusive hint of pink that makes it just... riveting. You can get truly mesmerized looking at it! The size is about 6' by 1' - a nice manageable size for a big fluffy bow...Colors were so ... View the Post

Scarf Selling Saturday: Venice Scarf by Frey Wille

October 24, 2015

As promised, here's the first of the scarves that I want to sell, and it's a really amazing one!I used to be quite mad about Venice, and when I saw this scarf, it was irresistible. That said, I don't remember ever wearing it, so it's in great condition.

Quality is very comparable to an Hermes scarf in terms of silk weight, size, and finish. It's difficult to see on photographs, but this scarf has a bright red contrast hemmed edge against the more deep maroon red right next to it. Imagine the skill it takes to (a) dye the edge of the scarf at just the right width to form the edge, and then (b) roll it and stitch it in place to form the contrast edge. This, to me, is the mark of a crafted item, rather than something ... View the Post

What Women Were Wearing in London, or the Four Black T’s

October 20, 2015

If you want to blend into the London crowd, the first thing you need to buy is black tights! And a pair of very sensible low-heeled black shoes... We walked for about 26 miles over the 2 days that we were in London (yes, I'm really happy that we work out so much!) and about half of the women we saw were wearing either black tights or black trousers, with shoes in which they could easily walk. Many ballet flats...And I saw a large number of women who had paired their tights or trousers with a lightweight top in black.

Thus is born the Four Black T's: tights, tee shirt, trousers and turtleneck! (mnemonics help me remember things!)

In my ever-mathematical mind, this immediately translated into four ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: White Trousers, at the Art Institute of Chicago

October 2, 2015

I haven't done Chic Sightings for a while because... well... I haven't seen much! But last week I was walking home past the Art Institute of Chicago (which I do frequently, since it's 3 blocks from home!), and I saw both of these women. It was one of those days that started with a cool-ish morning, building to a warmer afternoon, and they both looked lovely, and perfect for the day.Is it the museum that attracts the simple, chic, eye-catching woman?

It feels like the "brunette version, blonde version" of wearing white trousers in the city...love, Janice ... View the Post

Mixing Black and Brights

September 9, 2015

One last look at how these 9 black garments can be used to serve as a base for your personal wardrobe passion - this time, BRIGHT colors!You might be able to put together outfits with just these 9 pieces, but people would certainly see you from a long way away! If you're comfortable doing that, I think you should do whatever delights you - that's really the most important factor when getting dressed! But for those of us who love these colors in smaller doses, I have some ideas...

Cobalt cardigan – Hobbs; red cardigan – Viyella; purple cardigan – Lands’ End; Purple tee – Lands’ End; cobalt ¾ sleeve top – Viyella; red turtleneck – J. Crew; Red skirt – J. Crew; cobalt pants – Etro; purple cords – Lands’ ... View the Post

Mixing Black and Florals

September 8, 2015 If you're not mad for monochromatic wardrobes, yesterday might not have been your dream. But this idea has all kinds of potential; what if you're all about floral prints?

Oh my... While each of these garments is quite beautiful on their own, when you pile them all together like this, they could give even the most staunchly pro-botanical among us hay fever...But if you also own at least these 9 solid garments, you're really in pretty good shape, wardrobe-wise. The solids temper the impact of the print, and give them center stage, and make garments that might seem busy or "too much" into pieces that are just perfect.

The addition of the floral pieces to your core black ... View the Post

Mixing Solids and Patterns, or 18 = 108 (or more…)

September 7, 2015

Ever since I started trying to identify my signature wardrobe items, and have worked with A Common Wardrobe, I've pondered the various ways in which printed or patterned garments can be incorporated into your wardrobe. I think for most of us, either non-solid pieces, or accent colors, are pretty important to give a sense of change and variety...So I started with a wonderful 9-Piece Slot Machine Wardrobe in solid black. These pieces run the gamut from a tank top for warm weather to a cashmere turtleneck for (in my life) about 6 months of winter. Just doing the math, these give you 27 3-piece outfits (3 x 3 x 3), plus 12 more 2-piece outfits. Some of the combinations might be a little unlikely - like a ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Egypt Drawing 9 by Susan Osgood

September 3, 2015 So beautiful... the depths of the black throughout the blue, the radiance of the red shining in the distance, and are those footsteps moving up off the top of the image?

A color scheme of clarity, but with dimensions of color:

Can You Play the Game? The rules are few, simple, but rigorously enforced:

Either participant can initiate the game. You must be ready to leave within the hour! You must be able to carry (not roll) your bag...

Blue cardigan – Eastex; tunic dress – Topshop; bracelet – Aoy; cross body bag – Cambridge Satchel Company; red onyx earrings – Bhavesh; scarf – We are Owls We Are Warriors; black tights – Topshop; boots – Jack ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Version 2 of Nature Morte by Georgette Agutte

We took a look at this painting a few days ago, and my result was a very dark and subdued mix of burgundy and black. THIS version is quite a bit brighter!This is the same general scenario: a lovely woman who has to make a quick overnight trip for a (possibly) dressy event - wedding, dinner party, etc.

I've kept the jewelry and scarf from the previous iteration of this project, and black pants are still on the menu. But a change of coat, sweater, boots and tote change everything completely.

coat – MSGM; boots – Munro; cashmere sweater – RED Valentino; trousers – Oasis; scarf – Sam Edelman; earrings – Kendra Scott; cuff bracelet – Alexis Bittar; tote bag – Lodis

Just to refresh our eyes, here's the ... View the Post