The Vivienne Files

Three Words, Personal Style, and Packing for Paris

December 10, 2025

If all goes as planned (which hasn't been the case recently!), by the time you read this I will be heading to the airport with Belovedest for a trip to Paris. Belovedest is only going for a long weekend; I will be there for a week (yes, he's tough, and we're flying in First Class, so he should get some sleep on the plane).

I'm trying really hard to pack a tiny amount of stuff. When you vacation in the middle of winter, most of the world ONLY sees your winter coat, and even then, they don't pay attention, and they don't care!

Maybe the hardest thing to remember when traveling (or at any other time!) is that you are ONLY the center of attention in your own mind. So long as you are clean, don't smell horrible, don't ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #6: The Swan No. 24 by Hilma Af Klint

December 8, 2025

The last day of the last painting! Unless, of course, I revisit these and analyze them a bit...

She had enough clothes - more than enough, as do we all. But she was really hankering after some more brown. There's something about wearing brown - especially with black - that's different from anything else she had ever worn...

Her wardrobe is all set, for now...

Our heroine would still really love to have a brown and black scarf, and you can easily see how useful it would be for her. But she has to find the right one!

Our heroine had a lengthy internal conversation around the purchase of brown shoes and a brown bag. Normally, she would keep her leather accessories to black, beige, or a metallic. ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #5: Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay

December 5, 2025

Okay, if I wanted to start a new and different wardrobe, THIS would be my choice... Until I get to the next wardrobe!

But this is such a great painting...

I can't believe that this heroine doesn't yet have an ivory cardigan!

And I would love to have found a navy two-piece dress for her, but I think that maybe the dark-wash denim skirt will be more useful; what do you think?

There's something to be learned here; even if your favorite wardrobe color(s) are easy to find in stores, you still don't always see exactly what you have in mind! This puts you in a pretty clear situation: do you need SOMETHING to fill a certain role, or can you wait? I suspect that many of us can wait...

How that we have all ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #4: Street Lights by Stefan Johansson

December 4, 2025

Maybe this isn't the most festive painting in the world, but it's still really beautiful... I find it kind of mesmerizing to imagine standing where the artist stood, looking at the lights across the river:

Our heroine took advantage of some serendipitous finds when shopping. She had whappage for a bright orange sweater, but then was very wise and measured when she decided that the green cabled sweater was going to be a core item in her wardrobe.

The striped top is a calculated experiment: she hasn't worn moc neck tops since she was a child, but she has liked the way they look when layered with a sweater. Further, the colors in this top just cry out to be part of her wardrobe. Therefore, she's going to try ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #3: Pines by the Sea by Bertha Lum

December 3, 2025

Before we dive into the fund, I have a Public Service Announcement!

Get your wallet out. Take everything out of it, and scan it all, front and back. Now email those files to yourself.

If you happen to lose your wallet, or if it's stolen (as just happened to me), you will be endlessly grateful to yourself for having this information handy... Having to replace your passport 10 days before an international trip is - shall we say - STRESSFUL!

Okay, let's dive into this most lovely painting. Imagine if I get to move to Ireland, and I have to replace my entire wardrobe for some horrible reason. These colors would be so great...

Our heroine was pretty methodical this month! She knew that she wanted some ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #2: Sun, Water Maine by Georgia O’Keeffe

December 2, 2025

I already feel as if I need to find a new Georgia O'Keeffe painting for next year! Her art works particularly well for me, because she's adept at working with a really limited palette to achieve beautiful effects...

In the middle of a legitimate blizzard, our heroine suddenly finds that sweater hold GREAT appeal; can that be surprising?

A brooch in a bow style is classic, and gives you a festive air with just a minute or two devoted to pinning yourself in just the right place...

At the end of our year, our heroine's 52-piece wardrobe (yes, the same number of garments as the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe!) is split 1/3 beige, and 2/3 blue and green. This could have gone the other direction, or it could have ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #1: Of by Elizabeth Magill

December 1, 2025

The last additions to this wardrobe! I might revisit these wardrobes later in the month to examine them in more detail, to see if there are "essentials" that have been overlooked. What do you think?

This is our painting - focus, inspiration, and some beauty!

Someone suggested that this heroine needed another pair of wine pants; I can't SWEAR that these are a good color, but based on what we see on the GAP website, they look okay...

I also thought that this heroine could really use a good tote bag. I don't know anybody who doesn't carry one at least occasionally!

With enough of the right accessories, this heroine could go a long way with just her grey clothes; I know that some of you would absolutely ... View the Post

One Navy Sweater – A Dozen Ideas

November 28, 2025

I love this sweater, you can tell! Cables give a sweater a texture and richness that's appealing, and far from boring...

I was about to start working on this, with hunter green as the second major color, and gold as the jewelry and accessory metallic. But then I saw all of the comments about the red sweater, and made the changes:

Why yes, I'm still following the same overall structure from the first two sweaters...

This skirt is dressier than it looks at first glance - it's metallic! And the pendant is actually a wee magnifying glass. The Met Store has a bunch of pendants that are magnifying glasses - why don't I have one of these? Heaven knows I could use it...

Burgundy is such a lovely ... View the Post

One Heather Beige Cashmere Sweater – A Dozen Ideas

November 26, 2025 Please note, I'm NOT going to suggest gifts for you - I have no clue what your partner/child/best friend might want! And further, I'm NOT going to tell you where there are sales this weekend; assume that everybody in the world is marking things down...

If you wish to support The Vivienne Files as I refuse to play the Black Friday/Cyber Monday game, you can always click on the "Support The Vivienne Files" link at the top of each page (under the tiny clothes hanger!) and find links to retailers who will pay me a wee commission if you click and make a purchase. I won't get rich, but I am always grateful!

love, Janice

Okay!!! Many of you were interested in the possibility of adding a new sweater to your wardrobe, but ... View the Post

One Red Sweater – a Dozen Ideas

November 24, 2025

Many of you are wondering what - if anything - you want to purchase to wear through this holiday season. I'm fortunate, in that I never have to do anything even remotely dressy at any point in the holidays...

But if this was my dilemma, and I wanted to treat myself to one REALLY nice item that I could keep and wear for the rest of my life, it might be this:

There are quite a few different colors that go well with red, but for this iteration, I'm starting with black, white, and accents of gold:

If you're in a cold but dry spell, don't forget that your white jeans are still fabulous in the late autumn...

If you are called-upon to show up with the full dressy thing working, a matching skirt is the ... View the Post

Want a Complete Capsule Wardrobe? Start With Art – Red Rotation by Victor Servranckx

November 21, 2025

After all of this traveling, our heroine is starting to realize that she has a LOT more clothing than she needs. She's already quite disciplined, in that she makes all of her purchases within this color palette:

Our heroine's first trip this fall was to see her alma mater play women's basketball:

Her second trip was to an office that she'd never visited before! It's always a challenge to pack for these kinds of unknowns...

Her third trip was also for work. For many of us, the majority of our travel is for work - at least mine was, for years! It gets to the point that if you're in the office for too long, you feel like something's gone wrong.

And her final trip this year was for the THREE ... View the Post

Want to Pack Only Neutrals? Start With Art – Red Rotation by Victor Servranckx

November 19, 2025

Our last travel capsule wardrobe for this heroine - although I am going to accumulate all of her wardrobes together on Friday to see where she finds herself, clothing-wise. I may even see some additions that she could use...

Here's the painting with which she always starts her planning:

Her overall wardrobe palette includes four core colors:

Her recent numerous travel adventures have included travel capsule wardrobes based on these four related, but all slightly different, palettes:

A Dressy Long Weekend It happens every few years - ALL of the work-related holiday parties to which they are invited fall within a few days of each other!

Their solution is to find a hotel room that's centrally ... View the Post