The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Crazy Eights as a Base for Extravagant Purchases

April 2, 2014 Often,  I  am asked if it's possible to justify purchasing something wildly beautiful and deeply extravagant, if one already owns a core wardrobe of simple, neutral basics.  Well, if you can afford the splurge, and you deeply adore the item, and you feel with some strong conviction that the item in question won't date terribly, then go for it...   Here's a very simple example- a core of black garments for warm weather, and then a big splash-out on a cardigan and a handbag...  

Your basic garments:  

  This already gives you a wide range of simple core outfits upon which you can build - from the most casual to ensembles that are almost dressy!  

  It is on ... View the Post

Food, Shelter, Clothing and Optimal Wardrobe Size

March 29, 2014  

Okay, you're fixing dinner for the four people in your family. So you roast 5 turkeys, and a side of beef, and 2 or 3 bushels of potatoes, and bake at least a dozen pies, right? Of course not - food is perishable, and you don't want to waste it.

You're out driving around and see a house that's really attractive, so you buy it. Yea, you already own 8 or 10 other houses - you've really lost track - but this one is pretty, and it's a great price. Right?

Of course not - houses are wicked expensive, and you simply can't afford to be this wasteful.

You can see where I'm going with this - almost all of us own more clothes than we need, and we keep shopping even though we have enough...

Debbie Roes, over ... View the Post

I Worry too Much about Packing, Especially for Paris…

March 7, 2014   Do you worry too much about what to pack? Anticipation is a lot of the fun, but it's possible to reach a point in preparation where you drive yourself slightly nuts; I have reached that point with preparing for Paris next week.  For a while, I would just wear something that I really loved, and then (after laundering) hang it onto the rack designated for Paris packing.   Okay, so now about 50% of my closet is ready to pack.  Clearly not going to work out, eh?   And then I get panicky - what should I take?  What if I forget something I really love?  Will it all fit in my suitcase?  You would think that I'd never done this before, or that what I pack will be the most important thing ... View the Post

The Vivienne Files FAQ: Are Accessories Necessary?

March 4, 2014   Do you have to buy and wear accessories?  Absolutely not - except most of us will have to wear shoes... But I very strongly feel that just a few well-chosen accessories can make a world of difference in how the simplest of garments come together into ensembles.   If you're not comfortable wearing scarves, find a way to just throw one around your neck one day and then do your utmost to ignore it for as long as possible.  Make sure your first scarf isn't anything floaty or filmy that's going to blow up into your face at the first opportunity.  Maybe something quite small, tied up and out of the way so that you won't even really see it...   Jewelry is also pretty useful - earrings especially ... View the Post

How to Pack for Slushy Streets

February 14, 2014   Lucky me - I'm going to New York for a few days next week!  Belovedest has to go to a series of meetings there, and we had a free plane ticket, and so...   But this is a particularly dicey time of year to travel - there's no telling what I'm going to find for weather.  So the first thing we have to always plan is what the "drop dead" plan is for cancellations, i.e., at what point do we go back home after a number of delays. But once that's settled, I also have to face that fact that I'm not going to be happy slopping around Manhattan unless I have serious footwear - specifically, my Bogs.  And they're... bulky... really, really bulky...   I could wear them on the plane, but I'm going ... View the Post

Six Days of a Navy Suit

February 7, 2014   Many people ask me about what to do with their interview suit after they've interviewed... so I'm going to show a week of work attire that uses your suit as separates.  Just as the daily crossword puzzles become more difficult during the week, these outfits become progressive more casual...   Two notes:   (1) I'm working with a palette of navy, grey, beige, pink and white.   (2) I'm going to show the same shoes repeatedly, just to emphasize the utility of a few pair of good shoes, rather than my usual unique shoes for each outfit.   Monday is our dressiest option - use your suit jacket over a contrasting dress, or use your skirt as a base for a tweed jacket and silk ... View the Post

Is It The End of the Affair?

For a while now, I've been smitten with the Maltese Cross motif in jewelry, especially that from Kenneth Jay Lane.  (I know there are VASTLY more expensive versions, but I'm not spending a condo down-payment on a bracelet...)

But recently - last since September? - I haven't worn a piece of this jewelry. (the square gizmo in the middle is a mirrored compact)  Not once.

Is it time for me to move on?  Do I sell them?  Hang onto them for a few more months to see if I fall back in love with them? 

I firmly believe that one of the most important things that you can do when you're trying to define a personal style is to let yourself identify and really... wallow... in things you love.  A personal signature is ... View the Post

Plagued by the Muchness of Sameness

I don't imagine that it surprises you to learn that I look at literally thousands, if not tens of thousands, of garments and accessories each day.  Of course I peruse most of these online while I'm building beautiful vignettes to share with you, but I look at them nonetheless.Why do I have to look at so much STUFF every day?  Because the vast majority of it either (a) looks like most of the other things I've seen, or (b) looks cheap, poorly made, poorly photographed, and utterly unworthy of your attention.  Often, I see clothes that qualify for both (a) and (b)... the true losers of the wardrobe world.

What can we do to combat this infinite sameness?

1.  Don't give in to it.  Buying basics is wise and often a ... View the Post

Three Neutral Colors – An Amazing Range of Possibilities

Realistically, it's quite easy to work with three neutral colors as a solid wardrobe core.  And starting with the fourteen rather arbitrary neutrals that I isolated yesterday, combinations of three start to pile up QUICKLY.  Note that these THIRTEEN pages of color combinations are only those that include black as one of the colors...      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    For reference purposes, these were my fourteen neutral colors... 

  Interestingly, one of the most popular posts I've ever written was one which I built a wardrobe around six neutral colors  (see it here).  And I've finally ... View the Post

Two Neutral Colors – Dozens of Options

I get a lot of emails from people who are concerned about building a wardrobe around neutral colors, because they're worried that they will end up looking like everybody else.  If you devote yourself to black, and you live in a major city, that is certainly a valid concern!  But I think that there are more neutral colors around than you immediately think of, and that if you can focus on two colors as your predominant theme, you have dozens of options.   First off, let's choose a palette of possible neutral colors.  This palette is NOT exhaustive, and the colors as they are shown here are NOT intended to reflect the beauty and the depth that the color actually exhibits in three-dimensional garments and accessories. ... View the Post