The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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A Black Wardrobe, with Silver, Aluminum and Grit

January 5, 2015   This is certainly not a style for just everyone, but I know a couple of women who wear this very urban, industrial style, and who carry it off with great panache! (Imagine a woman with silver grey hair, cut in a very short, angular style. Chiseled cheekbones, a slash of red lipstick...)   One of the things that we have to remember about a unique personal style is that it is, by definition, not for everybody. Realistically, it shouldn't be for ANYBODY other than you. It's hard to chart your own path, style-wise, but feeling quintessentially like yourself can be an amazing sensation...  

 

 

love,

Janice ... View the Post

A Black Wardrobe, with Turquoise, Coral, and Gold

January 3, 2015   A few of you have expressed that you couldn't wear unrelieved black, and that you're quite grateful that this isn't your dress code! You can easily see that it's a challenge to look like "yourself" in a way that's distinct from all of your coworkers if you're all wearing black. That's why I was happy to hear that many people in this uniform are at least allowed to wear whatever accessories strike their fancy.   Today, inspired by my neighbor who wears a turquoise and coral necklace EVERY DAY, I chose accessories that all have turquoise, coral (fake coral, of course) and gold, and which include texture or detail. When you see these items together, you can see the DNA that links them, I hope. And on the ... View the Post

A Black Capsule Wardrobe, with Pearl, Lace, Gold, Filigree and Flowers

January 2, 2015

After thinking long and hard about how I wanted to accessorize the "All-Black" capsule wardrobe, I decided that I'm going to accessorize it in a variety of ways, and give everybody a choice of which they prefer! In this, as in virtually EVERYTHING associated with getting dressed every day, there are no hard and fast rules, and no one "best" or "must-have" way to approach things.

I'm a big fan of finding a handful of key words that define a style, and using those words as a talisman or mantra when I'm choosing items. Using the lace tops as an inspiration, I thought that the first "accessory family" was going to include elements of pearls, lace, gold, filigree details and feelings, and flowers.

Let me clarify - each ... View the Post

It Seems Terribly Soon To Plan Spring & Summer’s French 5-Piece Wardrobe

December 30, 2014  

...but resort wear is now in the stores, and it might be time to starting planning this Spring/Summer's "French 5-Piece Wardrobe."

Don't freak out completely, quite yet. I fully acknowledge that the weather is still winter in the Northern Hemisphere, with much of the worst of cold weather yet to come in Chicago. But excellent personal style is the purview of those who plan ahead, and who aren't stuck on the first warm day trying to find a pair of sandals. By mid-April, a lot of the excellent stuff is sold out, or only available in limited and eccentric sizes...

But most of all, if you have a plan, and you start looking now, you can know EXACTLY what you're going to buy when you finally get around to ... View the Post

Maximize Your ROI: Beautiful Boots

December 11, 2014  

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.  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.   ... View the Post

Assorted Accessories for All Seasons

December 5, 2014   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...  

Winter Color Palette Accessories

This hat would destroy my hair, but it might be worth it...  

Spring ... View the Post

Scarves for All Seasons

December 4, 2014  

Since we had so much fun yesterday thinking about our "official" or self-determined seasonal palettes, I thought I'd pursue the idea a bit more today.   While I've been quite lucky to have been told by trained color evaluations that I'm wearing the right colors, I can easily sympathize with those who get conflicting advice, or who like other colors. Ultimately, I really believe that the happiness that you radiate from wearing colors that you love will overshadow any possible lack of compatibility between you and the garment. That's just a fancy way of saying that you should wear what you want, and you'll radiate loveliness just from being happy.   Your mileage may vary, of ... View the Post

Jewelry for All Seasons

December 3, 2014  

I've never been closely aligned to my designation as a Winter; I pretty much already knew that I was going to wear a lot of black and white, so learning that I was a Winter didn't change anything for me. However, I know many people who are quite fond of using their "seasonal" designation as a guideline for shopping. So since I knew I was going to show you lots more jewelry today, I thought I'd take advantage of the seasonal designations as a different way to choose some pretty things for you to see...

What riches our lives hold, eh? love, Janice

Jewelry for the Spring Color Palette

Jewelry for the Summer Color Palette

Jewelry for the Autumn Color Palette ... View the Post

Jewelry: How to Dress Up a Starting From Scratch Capsule Wardrobe

November 28, 2014  

Jewelry is the most obvious, and the easiest, way to dress up basic garments. If you look around at some of the less "expected" stores, you can find things that you've never before seen - nobody at your event will be wearing an identical item! These items can easily be worn with a number of different Starting From Scratch Capsule Wardrobes, and many of these pieces could be used during the day, as well. And don't forget that the Starting From Scratch Wardrobes already had quite a few pieces of jewelry in them - many of those pieces are well-suited for evening wear, just as many of the pieces shown below could be worn during the day.   I've opted to include brooches instead of necklaces, just because ... View the Post

Metallic Shoes and a Small Bag: How to Dress Up a Starting From Scratch Capsule Wardrobe

November 25, 2014   The first thing I noticed when I was looking for beautiful shoes and bags for your capsule wardrobes: there are absolutely RIDICULOUS, and sometimes positively dangerous, dress shoes out there. Heels that would only be suitable for walking from the limo into the nightclub, where you will be sitting for the entire evening...

But worse than that are the spikes and other lethal implements that now adorn shoes. If you're attracted to shoes with spikes, or even just with buckles or large jewels, make ABSOLUTELY sure that you've checked out how sharp all such things are, and be aware that crossing your legs, or even having your foot brush against your leg, could bruise you, tear your clothing, or even cut your flesh. ... View the Post