Archives for June 2013

June 2013

The ABC’s of Chic Sightings: Detail-Oriented, Elegant, Fit

This is really a biggie - the woman with loose threads dangling about, run-down heels, just a generally ill cared-for appearance, will never be one of my Chic Sightings. You may not have money, you may not have access to the world's most amazing assortment of clothes, but you can always be clean, tidy, and well-maintained. Anything less just doesn't cut it!

By elegance, I don't mean decked out for the opera in the most expensive, high-fashion swank garments available. To me, elegance is a reflection of clarity and simplicity. I always feel a bit twitchy when I'm confronted with too many ruffles, studs, grommets, and other gee-gaws on fast fashion. Pile on a couple of busy prints, and I'm getting a migraine. ... View the Post

When White Shirts Fail

White shirts are an absolute classic, right? Everybody should own one. Everybody should pull it out and wear it whenever they're in doubt about what to wear. Uhhhh - I don't quite agree. Yes, there are times and places where a white shirt is the most appropriate choice - a conservative job interview, for example. But many of us, on a day to day basis, might be better flattered to wear tops that are closer in color to our pants or skirts - if not a solid color, then a darker background. See what you think...

Belovedest and I saw this woman a couple of days ago, and he asked me why she seemed so out of proportion - the woman in question is actually tall and thin. Her white tee shirt looked ... View the Post

What happened to the Vivienne Files?

The Vivienne Files is not dead - they've only been moved back to their old URL.

Due to circumstances that only someone MUCH more computer-savvy than me could explain, the site theviviennefiles.com has died. Gone kaput. Vanished. Google ate it, and Google will NOT spit it back up for me.

So I can be found at theviviennefiles.blogspot.com.

I'm so sorry. If I knew who to yell at, I would be screaming myself hoarse right now...

love, Janice

p.s. Make sure you scroll down and see today's "real" post about all of the Chic Sightings of white in Chicago, in the heat of summer... ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: White

As soon as the weather warms up, white clothes are a common choice, even in Chicago. I personally would be more likely to go out naked than to wear white - especially a white dress, but I admire many of these choices. They bring a freshness to summer, and color to the streets.

And note that there are, indeed, a pair of leggings in the mix here. Worn, modestly, with a tunic that covers all of the anatomically graphic bits... ... View the Post

Packing for a Special Event, Urban, Early Spring

Yes, this is the second day in a row that this lace-trimmed scarf is shown - I think it's both amazingly beautiful and quite versatile. I can't imagine anything that you might wear from this travel wardrobe that wouldn't look just a tiny bit nicer with this somewhere.

And yes, there are a couple more tops in here from Eric Bompard. If you really love a color that tends to be difficult to find, you should stock up when someone has it in production. During those long dry spells when nobody's making the right shade of taupe, you can just save your money, and when you see the perfect color, you can go just a wee bit nuts!

Sweater – Eric Bompard, Jeans – Acne, Bracelet – Elena Estaun, Dress ... View the Post

Packing for a Special Event, Urban Setting, Autumn

I get tons of questions about how to pack for various special occasions - weddings, graduations, etc. To me, this sounds like the perfect time to break out a really wonderful dress. Nothing flouncy or bright or conspicuous - that wouldn't be comfortable, at least for me. But something with an amazing cut, in luxurious fabric... Coupled with a drop-dead spectacular coat...

In fact, the whole trip could be an excuse to pick up a handful of the most beautiful garments: a wonderful sweater, along with the perfect jeans, another more casual but still exquisite dress, and a show-stopping skirt, along with a couple of blouses.

While grey might not be your cup of tea, many of us could travel a long, long time with just this ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Navy and Green

Navy and green summer outfits - some for quite warm weather, and others that I saw in the more spring-like transitional coolness a couple of week ago. All of them were fresh, pretty, and stood out in the crowd.

I don't know if anybody noticed, but if you liked the way these colors looks,replicated a few of these outfits in your own wardrobe, and were a little bit rigorous in sticking to one shade of green, you'd have a pretty nifty capsule wardrobe, or a pretty organized suitcase full of clothes: ... View the Post

The ABC’s of Chic Sightings – Appropriate, Balanced, Comfortable

Lots of people ask me how I choose a Chic Sighting - and I don't really do any choosing - they just happen! But I've devoted a lot of thought to what makes (or breaks) a Chic Sighting, and in my typically orderly fashion, I've tried to assign my observations to an alphabetic analysis.

First are foremost, you have to be appropriately dressed for your environment, both physically (the weather), and socially (no strapless dresses at rugby matches). No matter how stunning your little dress and sandals might be, if it's SNOWING and you're just wearing a dress and sandals, you are not a Chic Sighting.

Balance is an elusive concept, but the absence of balance seems to show either dubious taste, or a lack of planning. ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Black with Metallic Accessories

There were lots of black dresses on the streets of Chicago yesterday, and lots of all-black outfits. But a few really stood out from the crowd by virtual of their carefully chosen metallic accessories. From the young lady in the spikey necklace and woven flats to the executive with her Ferragamo shoes and bag, (and great silver sunglasses), black and silver caught the eye.

The first woman I saw who really got me noticing the all-black outfits with metallics was wearing a simple sleeveless top with shorts, but her accessories really elevated what might have been a very stark outfit. Right behind her was a lovely person in a sleeveless dress with gold flower jewelry - uncluttered, but very charming.

In the Loop, I saw a couple of ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky by Emily Carr

So very simple. Tall, austere, lean, yet radiant. Vertical is balanced with the striations of the sky. Soft, cloudy, stormy around the edges, luminous throughout. A lifetime of personal style inspiration could easily come from this...

A stunning dress, with simple earrings, pumps, and a structured bag. A casual tee shirt dress, with shoes and a necklace that echo the sky in our inspirational painting.

A cloudy grey coat, with soft suede boots and a stormy sky scarf, or a lacy dress with some dark accents, a soft and flowing wrap, and skylit shoes. Even the earrings are lacy!

Another sleek dress with simple silvery accessories, or maybe a sweatshirt, soft corduroy jeans, suede booties, and another scarf ... View the Post

Shopping and dining in Toronto

I experienced a sunscreen breakdown while we were in Toronto; I believe one of my temperature irregularities is to blame - too much blotting of the radiant visage lead to loss of sunscreen, and now I'm sporting some freckles. While cute, they are indeed a sign of sun damage...

So when we walked past Goorin, it seemed obvious that I'd best hasten in there and get myself a good sunhat. The above lovely critter is now sitting on my desk. The fact that it has Bogart in the name is just a bonus (I adore Humphrey...); it's a great hat, fits perfectly, and shades me exactly as I needed.

The weather in Toronto was a bit warmer than we had been promised by the weather "forecasters", and so when we saw the Preloved store, I ... View the Post

Toronto – how I got it all packed

We're back! And Toronto was wonderful - what a great, vibrant, busy, diverse city. We will definitely go back, and I have much more to share with you about this trip.

But I received a lot of questions about how I packed - so I've got snapshots of the process!

The bag - empty. Those are my ghastly workout shoes next to the bag, so you can see how small the bag actually is. This is the Tumi Riggs carry-on - no wheels. I didn't even realized that they MADE one with wheels... Maybe Tumi should give me one of those, eh?

There's about 30% of my packing capacity already - my shoes "bumpered" on the sides of my bag, and my pajamas rolled up and slid in between the shoes. Since these ... View the Post