dark neutrals Archives

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #41: A Dark Neutral Cotton Turtleneck

December 27, 2021

Now that we've all survived the extravagance and jollity of the early winter holidays, it's time to remind ourselves that - most of the time - we need some practical, neutral clothes to serve as the base for our more wonderful and distinctive things...

I suspect that many of us got sweaters for Christmas or Hanukkah... (yes, a sweater you buy yourself is still a gift!)

If you're trying to find an easy way to wear your new sweater, how about layered over a neutral column?

This is also a good way to bring a new scarf into an outfit in a way that really emphasizes the color(s) and pattern of the scarf!

Think about what fabric you want, and what cut. Do you want a more lightweight turtleneck? All natural ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #19 – Dark Neutral Short-Sleeve or Lightweight 2nd Layer

July 19, 2020

Time to check in on our neutral, timeless wardrobe pieces; today we need something to wear on those freakish days in the summer that turn cool, or for the air-conditioning that turns normal places into meat lockers!

First, a simple column of white (or any color, really) can take on a ton of different looks with an overshirt and some accessories:

For me, this is the quintessential summer 2nd layer - a black cardigan that's warm enough to do what needs done, but sheer enough not to look like it's October!

It's kind of a suit... And here again, you could use a LOT of different accent colors!

A black "suit" can also be worn in a million different ways - some days you just want some silver and onyx, and a ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #18 – Dark Neutral Lightweight Pants

July 12, 2021

Even in the hottest parts of the summer, it's smart to have a dark neutral pair of pants handy. Serious life business is no respecter of weather!

Note that you don't have to match colors flawlessly to put together a beautiful outfit:

Classic drawstring pants are so useful in the summer...

You can look perfectly serious at work without melting onto the floor under your desk!

Maybe you really LIKE squares? A little gingham, and some square-ish accessory are just right...

It's not exactly a suit, but it works quite the same way when getting dressed...

I'm always surprised at how good green and grey look together!

Almost like jeans, but a LOT cooler:

For all new visitors, ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #17 – Dark Neutral Shorts

July 4, 2021

Happy 4th of July to everyone! (even if you're not celebrating a holiday, you can still be happy, right?)

As with everything on The Vivienne Files, if these garments don't work for you, substitute things that will! If you're not a "shorts and sleeveless top" person, maybe you're a "cropped pants and tee shirt" woman...

First up - last week's pink tank top gets casual!

For those of you keeping each of these "individual garment" pages, I offer up some lovely brown...

Bright blue with navy shorts is a natural!

Olive accessories that didn't look terribly overly green were hard to find, so I chose brown instead; I think it works well!

For those among you who spend a lot of time near a beach, lake ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 44: Dark Neutral Shorts

June 1, 2020

Now that it's warm enough to wear shorts in Chicago, this post feels timely! It's long overdue...

A note about linen shorts - yes, they wrinkle. Amazingly. And then... they soften up, and they're just sort of gently crumpled. I find them the most comfortable fabric for garments in the scorching weather, and I rather appreciate the natural look and feel of the wrinkling! Your mileage, as in all things, may vary...

It's pretty straightforward - for most colors - to find shorts that work well with our "Six Scarves, 12 Months" scarves:

I've ALWAYS got a few thoughts, and reminders of how flexible these suggestions are! Remember, nobody can tell you what clothes you need or should buy...

I ... View the Post