Many of us are preparing for holiday trips of varying lengths, so today I felt like putting together something that just oozed luxury and subtlety. These rich, beautiful colors, fabrics and textures make a quietly elegant statement, without gaudy logos or overdone ornamentation. ... View the Post
Archives for 2014
2014 - Page 2 of 26
12 Months, 1 Scarf: A Navy and Green Capsule Wardrobe
I know I seem to talk about this same idea a lot, but I can't sufficiently emphasize the benefits of building your wardrobe around a unifying theme of some sort. Your theme could be a particular color scheme, a painting, a photograph, or a scarf - there are really no limits to what you might choose. This theme doesn't have to last throughout your entire life, nor does it have to define absolutely EVERY purchase that you make. However, it should be an overarching guideline that helps you make the hard decisions when you see something appealing - does it fit? does it clash? does it harmonize? does it make NO SENSE WHATSOEVER in the context of your chosen style theme?
So, when someone asked me to show some more navy and green, this ... View the Post
Choosing a Scarf to Wear with Navy
I happen to know for a fact that one of you will buy this design scarf for yourself for the holidays, and that you are struggling to decide which color you want. I further know that your wardrobe is basically navy, so I thought I'd play around a little bit with some ensembles to show what kinds of other preferences you have that might help make the choice clearer.
First up, the most lovely Hermes Ors Bleus d'Afrique - the Blue Gold of Africa. That refers to indigo, which was commonly used in textiles of this type.
And I picked a couple of outfits - very simple - in order to create a base for my ideas.
First up, this scarf cries out to have the rich browns emphasized and accented. I am NOT suggesting that you would want to wear all ... View the Post
My Capsule Wardrobe, and Starting From Scratch
My wardrobe is in kind of a mid-season funk right now. My arms are getting a little bit girthy from my workouts (hurrah!!!), and a few things that used to be capsule wardrobe stalwarts are going to have to move on to someone else's wardrobe. I'm losing sight of what my "big picture" wardrobe plan is... and that makes getting dressed time-consuming and tiring. Plus, since I don't have to go into an office any more, my wardrobe is long on "business-ish" garments that could be donated or sold. So it's time for me to Start From Scratch!
Step 1: Pants - easey peasy - my black pants from J. Jill. Perfect fit, and a 12-month fabric.
Step 2: Shoes - Stuart Weitzman "creampuff" style. They're long discontinued, but my next pair will come from ... View the Post
Maximize Your ROI: Ruby and Amethyst Jewelry
It can happen to any of us - you wake up in the maturity of your life to find that you own a piece or two of really REAL jewelry - the kind of stuff that requires a special mention on your home owner's insurance. The kind of stuff that could be flogged in an auction, or pawned in a moment of spite.
But instead, you decide that this stuff is really quite beautiful, and you'd like to wear it more often. Much the wisest course, I'd say.
Before you get carried away, however, let's address a couple of serious (and frivolous) essentials:
Make ABSOLUTELY sure that your goodies are insured. Ask a lot of questions about deductibles, conditions of when and where you were when the item might vanish etc. You don't want to find out that your ... View the Post
Chic Sightings: A Mixture of Greens
I rarely see anybody wearing green, and I almost NEVER see a mixture of shades of green in one outfit, so it was truly a red letter (or a green letter, I suppose) day when I saw both of these women. Sometimes it's certain that these kinds of ensembles are the result of carelessness, or color-blindness, but in both of these cases it was clear that a deliberate plan was at work. Bold statements, but eye-catching and fun. Not for the faint of heart, but certainly something in this to inspire us. ... View the Post
Maximize Your ROI: Beautiful Boots
One of your recently purchased a very beautiful pair of new boots, but then began to wonder if you would be able to wear them often enough to get your money's worth from your purchase.
The boots are lovely - very practical for walking, but still graceful. AND, they're currently on sale! So I have a few ideas...
Boots with casual dresses
Unlike "back in the day" when your skirt had to cover the tops of your boots, it's now perfectly appropriate and acceptable to have your legs show in between boot top and hem of skirt. Tights can match your dress or your boots, or if you're particularly comfortable with the idea, they could be a contrasting color. I'm not going to do that, but I've seen it done to charming effect.
Boots with ... View the Post
Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Art, Nature and Color Palettes
Since I started the Start With Art Series, building wardrobes based on works of art (or photographs, or other objects), I've received a lot of suggestions for which art works I might want to consider. I've been keeping a file of all of them, and I've finally decided that I should share my thoughts and ideas with you by making the file available.
The file has 100 works of art (a few scarves, a couple of photographs, and a plate, but mostly paintings), and then a 2nd page that includes my proposed color scheme, and my thought process around what I would look for in a wardrobe.
The whole file is available for $5. I included a table of contents, with hyperlinks to each painting. I am really eager to know which paintings you really ... View the Post
Chic Sightings: RED, in the cold weather
We spent a lot of time running around the city this past weekend, finalizing the purchase of gifts for a host of interesting small people! And one of the best parts of being outside on a crisp winter day in Chicago is the people-watching...
The first outfit was pretty conventional, albeit beautifully pulled together; what made it really stand out were her bright red shoes! It was a perfect day for a statement shoe, as there was no precipitation, and nothing slushy on the pavement. She was young, with long dark hair and a brilliant smile. No red lipstick, although that certainly would have been an option!
And the 2nd ensemble was notable for a few reasons. First off, a white coat is a brave statement, and a cheering site in the sea of ... View the Post
Who Won What – the Knotting Cards, and the $50 Novica Gift Card!
One of the more interesting things in life is coincidences. You KNOW, in your rational mind, that it's just a random confluence of events, but your heart wants to find a connection, or a reason, for these things to occur at just this time...
So if anybody's got a good explanation, tell me why, for BOTH random numbers I generated, the answer was 37?
I love these kinds of little events...
AND THE WINNERS!!!
The Novica Gift card - Julie Bower
The Hermes Knotting Cards - Beatriz Fortes
Will you each please contact me at theviviennefiles@gmail.com and give me your mailing addresses? Julie, I think I can just email the card information to you, so you can start shopping immediately!
We are a lucky bunch, ... View the Post
The French 5 Piece Wardrobe, The French 10 Piece Wardrobe, Project 333, My Capsule Wardrobe
Everywhere you look, there's a "number" wardrobe that's recommended to make life easier! I am as guilty of that as anyone, because I like nice, tidy, finite wardrobes, and I'm crazy about numbers.
But what do all of these number ideas teach us?
The French 10 Piece Wardrobe
To me, this idea translates into a core wardrobe with lots of versatility that is the canvas upon which you demonstrate your personal preferences, whimsy, and style. Ten pieces of clothing is a pretty excellent number for those of us who are out in public 5 days a week, in that it provides a week of "tops" and a week of "bottoms".
By the way, I'm linking to similar items to mine, because in some cases my particular garment is long off the ... View the Post
Assorted Accessories for All Seasons
These posts about seasonal colors are so much fun, and I learn something every time I work on one! Today, I started with an Hermes scarf, and then built an assortment of things around the scarf. Some of the accessories are for winter wear, and other are for the entire year.
I only wear 1 watch, but I'm not sure why - there are a lot of beautiful, moderately priced watches available that might add a touch of color or metallic luster to an outfit. While I know that in this day and age many people don't wear a watch at all, maybe a 2nd watch is an option to consider...
Today's jewelry is from Boticca - another favorite site of mine. Boticca connects you to a lot of smaller designers with very distinctive visions and amazingly beautiful ... View the Post