Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
March 31, 2015 Back from New York and trying to catch up on emails, keep the apartment from deteriorating into a wallow of clutter, and stay in touch with my friends... It's so nice having a wardrobe that uncomplicates things for me!
love, Janice ... View the Post
March 16, 2015 Even though I worked every day on The Vivienne Files, I also spent quite a bit of time last week doing things with my relatives and my neighbors. I find my wardrobe to be so helpful to me when I've got so many other demands on my time; it's easy to just reach into my closet and find something appropriate and comfortable without a lot of angst!
love, Janice ... View the Post
March 14, 2015 Belovedest and I are leaving Wednesday for New York for what is either a very long weekend, or a rather short vacation - six days. B lived in New York a few different times (he had one of those jobs that required frequent transfers), and so we know the city very well. Our anniversary is next Friday, so we have an excuse for some festivities. Overall, it will be a nice opportunity to spend some time together and reacquaint ourselves with a favorite city. My biggest packing constraint for this trip is the desire to take gym clothes with me. Normally, for European vacations, I just throw my workout routine into the shredder and assume that my walking will stand in for exercise. (uh, it really doesn't work that ... View the Post
March 10, 2015 Another cold week, but I managed well! But my weight is shifting, and so I'm going to have to get some new clothes! My upcoming spring French Five-Piece Wardrobe is going to have to do a lot of hard work...
Yes, I wear my Munro boots a lot! They're amazingly comfortable, and I can walk a lot in them. Munro is known for making "comfort" footwear, but these don't look like mumsy marshmallows... love, Janice ... View the Post
March 3, 2015 Another cold week...
love, Janice ... View the Post
Your normal fun from The Vivienne Files will return tomorrow, but today I have a question about crossbody bags. I have a bag from Tumi - a wonderful bag - which is an earlier version of the beauty pictured above. It holds everything a human being could possibly need for a day in any city in the world. It fits flat against my body, and isn't at all bulky or obtrusive. But every time I wear it, my clothes develop little pills and snags along the diagonal across my front and back, where the strap rubs. Does anybody else experience this? What should I do differently? In the grand scheme of life, this isn't a big deal, but I really don't like to feel like my handbag is destroying my ... View the Post
February 25, 2015 Another week with incredibly cold weather. For those of you who live in warmer climates, you just have to take my word for it that this weather is exceptional, even for Chicago. Consistent lows below zero or in the single digits, days upon days of highs MAYBE in the teens. Dry dry dry air, wind to knock you over... just lovely! I actually love winter, but this is even more extreme that I would prefer. But we carry on, in style! As before, if I can link to my item, or something substantially similar, I will provide a link. The absence of any link means I couldn't find anything close enough...
I know I've mentioned it before, but these Bogs boots are the WARMEST I've ever owned. They're ... View the Post
February 17, 2015 Week #2 is an ongoing effort to dress when the weather is brutally cold. I find that I'm liking wearing dresses more and more, for the speed and the uncomplicated sleekness they bring. Someone asked me about tights... Tights should be as easy and as comfortable as leggings or yoga pants. (Yoga pants especially are considered the most comfortable garments ever made!) Keep trying different brands and sizes of tights until you find some that don't dig into any part of your body, but rather hug you warmly and softly. You will then be able to pop on a dress in a heart-beat and be read to roll! Some of you were interested in where my goodies were purchased, so I'm including a caption that shows brands. ... View the Post
February 10, 2015
Sometimes, I struggle to figure out what I want to wear. I know that's NOT something I probably should admit, but it's true nonetheless. So I've started keeping track of outfits that I like, that are comfortable, appropriate, and that make me happy... And since I love to make pretty pictures, and I love to share them with you, I've started keeping a visual journal of these outfits, which I'm going to update every Monday. This means that you'll be seeing them on Tuesdays for a while.
Normal people probably wear at least seven outfits in a week, but recently I've found that I either repeat an outfit during the week, or spend an entire day in gym clothes. (my workout schedule - especially my work with my ... View the Post
Despite the fact that I don't report in regularly on my progress, I do keep track of what I wear, and what's getting appropriate usage, and what's wasting closet space. As much as I always get compliments when I wear blue, I never really feel quite myself when I'm wearing it... except denim... And, as I always have, I'm drawn to red. Always... So when I did my readjustments for Project 333 starting Monday, I added in both a red tee shirt and a red sweater. They're from L.L.Bean (those people NEVER give me any credit for promoting their clothes, the silly louts), they're festive, and I love them. Also, I'm replacing the non-existent blue jeans with my beloved black velvet skirt! My paisley pants are too cropped, and too ... View the Post
September 30, 2014
Or, in my world, 8 = 42...You might remember my excellent travel outfit:
I had this outfit on for an eternity of time, and I don't regret a thing! It was ideal, and I will almost certainly wear something very similar for future trips. But my suitcase was TOO MUCH STUFF... I'd have been well-served to have just packed this:
I understand that this seems like amazingly little, but I need to remember something really critical about my trips to Europe - especially my trips to Paris:
I SHOP!!!
I shop a lot. I start shopping the second or third day, and I tend to wear my purchases almost immediately. Thus, I leave things in my suitcase unworn, and I ... View the Post
September 6, 2014
No, it's nowhere NEAR cool enough to wear autumn clothes in Chicago - I think right now the temperature could be around 90, the humidity nears 3 digits (I swear it goes over 100% - it's like swimming in a bathtub...) and we're going to get thunderstorms any time now. But I am travelling very soon to cooler climes, and it's only reasonable to be prepared when the weather whiplashes us into cold, as it will...My clothing requirements become more and more simple; after I spend eight hours a day looking at thousands of garments and accessories for The Vivienne Files, I only want to wear black or grey. Maybe some pearl jewelry. Maybe a scarf! I now understand why some fashion designers wear ... View the Post
