The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Imaginary shopping: extravagantly red

I'm not shopping these days, but I do LOOK at lots of things (as you well know!).  So I decided to do some imaginary shopping; sort of walking through the process of what I would do IF I were in a shopping phase of my life.     First up:  What basics do I already have in my wardrobe that I wear a lot, and want to use as a basis for leveraging my purchases?  

Now, what do I want?  I've chosen to splurge on red this shopping spree.  It's an on-trend bright color, but it's dead classic, and never goes out of style.  It's a color I wear well, I already have a couple of beautiful scarves with a lot of red in them, and it mixes brilliantly with black.  

So... a cardigan and a tee shirt (sort ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in black, white & blue

The general theory behind my packing plan can be translated into nearly infinite color combinations.  If pink is not your cup of tea, try blue!  In the next few days I'm going to swap out for at least one different neutral, and a few different accent colors.  The theory is always the same: 5 core neutral garments, an accent jacket, a couple of white or light neutral tops, and then the 6 dash accent garments in your color(s) of choice.  Easy peasy, once you get the hang of it...  

 black cardigan – Ganni, sapphire earrings – Lord & Taylor, white tee – Michael Stars, Scarf – H&M, Denim coat – Derek Lam, black pants – Donna Karan, patent loafers – Tod’s, black tote – Big ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for My honeymoon, in pink and black

Way back when, when I married belovedest, we went to Florence and Venice for our honeymoon.  It was late March and early April, cool evenings and beautiful sunny days.  And I absolutely SPLURGED on more pink clothing that I've ever worn before or since.  A blissful time...

 

 black cardigan – Ganni, earrings – Kimberly McDonald, white tee – Michael Stars,   

Scarf – Roberto Cavalli, Pink coat – Jil Sander, black pants – Donna Karan, patent loafers – Tod’s,   

black tote – Big Buddha  

 

 

sunglasses – Dorothy Perkins, pearl earrings – Kate Spade, pink lace top – J. Crew,  

 white short-sleeved button-front top – Kookai, pink ... View the Post

A Chic Sighting, and a cautionary note on “payday shopping”

So I finally get a day off, and wandered about down in the "Loop" meeting a friend for lunch, stopping by to see belovedest, and just hiking about taking in the sights...  The young lady represented in the above assembled outfit was a shining light of cheer on a gloomy day; I first noticed her radiant smile, but her well-curated outfit caught my eye too!

And another thing I saw: payday shopping.  Back when I was in soft-goods retail, we always knew that the 15th of each month, and the last day of each month, would be very busy at lunch time, and after the end of the office work day.  Why?  Insert graphic of money burning a hole in someone's pocket.

There's nothing theoretically wrong with shopping the same day you ... View the Post

A Black Dress: From Conference Room to Cocktails

I did a "conference to cocktails" post over at Tish's last week, and quite a few people asked me to replicate the project with a neutral-colored dress.   A very near version of this LBD is in my closet already, so this was a lot of fun to put together!   Any other requests?  Pants?  A suit?  Let me know...  

   

Bracelets – 1928, Red scarf – Yves Saint Laurent, red ballet flats – Repetto, black & white beaded scarf – 

Kate Spade, black wristlet – Stella & Dot, black diamond & pearl earrings – Astley Clarke, 

slingback shoes – Robert Clergerie    

Black & white cardigan – L’Wren Scott, black diamond stud earrings – Lord ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for 1 night in New York with no suitcase

Yes, I'll be in New York for about 24 hours - I'm flying in, having dinner, sleeping (I hope), and then running literally TWO errands the next morning, and flying back.  Because I'm going to be racing about with very little "down time", I've determined that I don't want to pack more than I'm prepared to carry with me at all times...To the rescue - the Tumi bag that I've been carrying for almost 10 years as a brief case.  It was originally a diaper bag, but it's logged more miles as an all-purpose bag than I can remember.  I've determined that I'm NOT going to wear my usual argyle cardigan - switching from black & white stripes to grey with Hermes will give me at least a different feeling on the 2nd day. Clothing, pajamas, ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – What to pack for Paris in grey & black

This is pretty close to what I pack when I go to Paris (or most other major cities that I visit).  I always take a pair of jeans, because we try to go to a rugby match when we're there!  My suitcase would probably have even more jewelry in it, and quite a few scarves; I find that I don't mind wearing monochromatic outfits day after day if I have my favorite accessories with me.   If I had to augment this assortment for a slightly longer trip, I would add a grey cotton twinset, and another pair of capris - maybe in a black and grey paisley print.   If you ever see someone in an airport dressed like this, come up and say hello - it will almost certainly be me!

A Simple Black and Grey Travel ... View the Post

DIY: What’s Hot, What’s Not

Every season, you can find lists upon lists of "what's hot, and what's not", which basically means "what you should go out and purchase, and what you should throw away".  I refuse to let someone else tell me what I need, like, or prefer, so I decided to put together my own personal "What's Hot" list.  The results follow....Sometime soon, when I catch up on sleep, I'll do a "What's NOT" list too.

 

  ... View the Post

my wardrobe: a very deliberate second step

What I wear all winter long - to "go-to" wardrobe for almost any occasion:

black cashmere cardigan - Lands' End.  If my entire wardrobe horribly disappears, this might be the first garment I replace.  Goes over every tee shirt, dress, or blouse, all year long. the short-sleeved sweater that matches the cardigan - also Lands' End.  Like a tee shirt, but cashmere.   black cashmere turtleneck - Lands' End AGAIN.  I wear it with jeans, I wear it with silk pants, I wear it with a velvet skirt. black cashmere v-neck sweater - LE, of course.  over a tee shirt, or on it's own... black velvet jeans - Eileen Fisher.  Jeans, but so much more. black velvet corduroy trousers - Eddie Bauer.  I love these pants ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for spring break, in red, white and black

This is a bit more adult version of yesterday's pack, with longer shorts, an additional skirt, nicer quality sandals... but it's really all about the tote bag!  

Tee – A.P.C., Jeans – Yves Saint Laurent, black linen blazer – Paul Smith, tote – Totem, earrings – Debenhams, bracelet – Mars & Valentine,  flats – Tod’s, carry-on bag - Rimowa  

swimsuits – Norma Kamali, shirtdress – Miu Miu, red studded sandals – Balenciaga, cardigan – Organic by John Patrick Sleeveless dress – Valentino R.E.D., draped neck top – Steffen Schraut, striped top – Tsumori Chisato, white skirt – Closed, shorts – Marc by Marc Jacobs, white sandals – Miu Miu, tank tops – Patagonia, black & white sandals – Matt Bernson, ... View the Post