The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Archives for 2013

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The die is cast…

My cubicle is cleared - above is what it looked like yesterday afternoon.  My overnight bag, purse and scarf,  office keys, headphones, essential coffee, my LAST timesheet, and my fan...

Yes, my friends, I am going to try to blog, write, and speak full time!

I'm utterly terrified.

But belovedest suggested a few weeks ago that I grab this particular bull by the horns and see what I could do in 40 hours a week that I can't do in 15...

Did I mention that I'm terrified?

I have ideas for my book, of COURSE I'm going to continue to blog every day, and I'd love to find some opportunities to speak to groups about defining personal style, planning a wardrobe, or planning a travel capsule.

Oh yea, I'm really terrified...

Hop over ... View the Post

Another DVF dress; 1 dress, 6 ways

June 7, 2013  

I thought a lot yesterday about the mystique of the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. I've never even tried one of these on; I'm super-skeptical about how a traditional wrap dress will work with my short-waisted, full-balconied, and generally no-waist torso. But I browsed through a lot of Diane's other dress designs, and found the beauty below.  This really calls out to me in all kinds of ways - it's got my favorite colors, a much less dangerous décolletage, and some side shirring that seems as if it would be very flattering...

Sigh...    

 

 

love, Janice   ... View the Post

One dress, six ways: A Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress

June 6, 2013  

One of my friends is very committed to her black and white wardrobe, which she accents with jade and aventurine jewelry. When she saw this Diane von Furstenberg dress, she was very tempted, but just couldn't commit - she wasn't sure that she would find enough ways to wear it.Now,I can't make the decision for her, but if she knows that she will want/need a dress in the next year or so for a number of events, she will have ways to wear it...

    aventurine pendant - Tiffany, green wrap - Faliero Sarti, black and white slingbacks - Semilla Scarpe, pearl and black crystal earrings - Majorica, pearl necklace - Slane, black cardigan - J. Crew, black pumps - ... View the Post

Thinking about grey and black; color, and your immediate environment

June 5, 2013

 

The comments about my recent Project 333 post were an interesting conversation about colors, and who's comfortable wearing what colors in what environments.

I'm looking out my window right now, which faces south and west, looking out onto downtown Chicago.  The only colors I can see are shades of grey and beige - even the sky is grey right now.  If you love cities (and I DO love cities), it's a beautiful view. But if you're looking for color, this is not where you'll find it.

I take all of your comments very seriously. I read every one of them, and think about what you've taken the time to say. I gave a great deal of thought to comments which thought that my current wardrobe is dark, ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: The Uniform gets MORE Uniform

I may have mentioned recently that I had problems with the striped tee shirt that I had included in my spring and summer project 333.  Bottom line - I didn't try it on when I was pulling summer clothes out of storage, and I found that it fit poorly when I finally went to wear it.  I blame weight lifting...So one swap I've made is to donate the shirt that is now so unflattering, and replace it with a looser striped tee shirt that's designed to layer over things - in my wardrobe that will be tank tops or a simple dress. 

More and more, I find that I'm very happy wearing monochromatic outfits - everything black and grey is starting to suit me well. I particularly found my green tee shirt to be... awkward - mentally. ... View the Post

I am not a movie character; hard, but necessary, wardrobe decisions

May 31, 2013  

  Somewhere in my imagination, I walk across windswept moors, my long flowing hair sweeping behind me. I'm dressed in something graceful and fluid, and it's all very dramatic and romantic...

 

And for a long time, I would occasionally buy something for this life..   Reality check? I wouldn't walk across a windswept moor, I'd stride at about 4 mph. My hair won't GET long - it won't grow past my shoulders. And even if it would, it would never flow. It might boing and sproing and ping and pong in it's curly way...   The fluid garments would get snagged on the gorse, and would get all wet and muddy around the hem...   The hardest part of having a focused wardrobe is the ... View the Post

Accessories for multiple European Cities

May 30, 2013    

paisley scarf - Brooks Brothers, red earrings - Blue Nile, knot earrings - Brooks Brothers, navy sunglasses - Paul Smith, square scarf - Etro, gold chain necklace - Brooks Brothers, red & white scarf - Monsoon, turquoise earrings - Michael Kors, navy & gold bracelet - C. Wonder, watch - Nixon You could survive without three scarves - you can live with no scarves at all!  The gold jewelry all shares a chain/link sensibility, and two simple pairs of earrings in your accent colors can get a lot of mileage.  Sunglasses in one of your core neutrals, and you're ready to travel...

Navy short-sleeved tee - J. Crew, navy ... View the Post

Multiple European cities: Packing with navy, khaki, red and turquoise

May 29, 2013  

 

I get some amazing questions, with descriptions of trips that make me absolutely green with envy!  One of my friends recently shared that she's going to be in Belfast, London, and Paris - what a dream trip for me...

She had isolated two jackets that she wants to take, and around which she would like to build her travel capsule wardrobe.

navy rain jacket - Jack Wills, short trench coat - Woolrich These are great choices - something waterproof is ALWAYS essential in Ireland, and it's wise to have a lightweight jacket even in the middle of the summer.

So my thinking: you need to start with a dark neutral color; navy is the obvious choice in this case.  I always start with a "core ... View the Post

One Dress – 6 Ways, in Navy and Pink

May 28, 2013  

let's revisit our friend who had the navy and pink Common Wardrobe.  Her accessories look kind of like this:

Striped scarf - Missoni, navy sandals - John Lewis, square patterned scarf - Dareen Hakim, bracelet - Luv Aj, Pink quartz earrings - Fantasy Jewelry Box, pink necklace - J. Crew,pink watch - Radley, tote bag - Jack Wills, navy linen scarf - Isola Marras, white sandals -Hotter, pink scarf - Faliero Sarti,  silk bracelet - Brooks Brothers, Hermes Passementerie scarf - vintage , navy penny loafers - Bass, pink flats - Sperry Top-Sider, pink socks - Bank, pink argyle socks - Chrissy's     Since this friend is ... View the Post

Part 2, Accessories Step by Step: Khaki and Green

May 26, 2013  

Just as a reminder, these are the additional accessories that we haven't discussed yet:

Bandanna - Jacob Cohen, watch - Wewood, star scarf - Dianora Salviati, green earrings- Nan Fusco, bracelet - Chan Luu, striped scarf - Faliero Sarti, necklace - Seta di Jaipur

Picking patterned scarves is exponentially more difficult than working with solid scarves, but for this wardrobe I've stuck with the simplest solution - scarves that combine the two or three main colors of the wardrobe.  As a reminder, the adjectives I was keeping in mind while searching for accessories included natural, organic, lineny, matte textured, and relaxed.

A bandanna seems obvious, but this one, ... View the Post