Fall clothes are hitting the stores (amazing, I know, but we should be used to this by now), and the Nordstrom pre-season sale is coming up soon. This means that it might be wise to start planning for the next season, so that we don't get blindsided by beautiful things without having a clue about what we're trying to accomplish. In addition to making your shopping list, you might want to look into some ways to reduce your expenditures without settling for lower-quality goods. Recently, I discovered a company called Raise. You can buy gift cards at a discount. Every last retailer's not there all the time, and some of the discounts are pretty meager, but sometimes you can get excellent deals. I'm ... View the Post
Art Archives - Page 79 of 85
Trying to Fix Bloglovin….
Follow my blog with Bloglovin ... View the Post
The Monday Morning Giveaway #4 – Carry-on Toiletry Bags & Bottles
June 23, 2014 Last week's Le Monde de Hermes was won by Lynne in North Carolina - Lynne, send me your mailing address to theviviennefiles at gmail dot com!You know that I'm in a constant state of trying to reduce how much I carry when I travel; recently I went through another round of cutting back my toiletries. When I went to my favorite store Flight 001 to buy a new "3 1 1" bag, I found that they had a BOGO - buy one, get one free - offer on these bags. So I have a brand new set of two bags and a set of empty bottles!
Same as always - leave me a comment telling me your best light packing tip, and I'll let you know Friday who wins these. I'll ship anywhere in the world, so any reader anywhere is welcome ... View the Post
Start with Art: Lucy Hessel at the Seashore by Edouard Vuillard
June 4, 2014 My readers have the very best taste; this painting was sent to me to consider for a "Start With Art", and I thought the colors were so beautiful!The mood of this painting - languid, soft, dreamy, relaxed - made me think of a honeymoon, or a second honeymoon...
These were my color choices:
If you wanted to pack for a second honeymoon, you could certainly do worse than this!
As always, a well-chosen handful of outfits selected with a unifying theme will give you lots of options.
love, Janice ... View the Post
Start With Art: Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte – Version 2
May 22, 2014 A second look at this great painting - focusing on the left half of it, and picking up the lovely periwinkle/chambray blue details...
It is interesting that such a drizzly and cold painting lends itself so beautifully to hot-weather clothes.
I love this dress...
A couple more garments, some accessories, and shoes:
Soft and pretty - a great travel capsule wardrobe!
love, Janice
Looking back: 2012 - What to wear with a necklace: dragon pearls 2013 - We look at a whole bunch of ways to wear One Dress: Six Ways in Black, White and Pink ... View the Post
Start With Art: Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte
May 21, 2014
This wonderful work is back in the Art Institute of Chicago; it was being restored and was not available to view for a while. It's such an amazing work - the asymmetry, the subtle powdery colors, the juxtaposed angles...
Even though this is a chilly winter scene, I'm going to look at some warm-weather clothes... I love this coral color, so that's going to be the primary accent color in this wardrobe.
And the taupish grey that suffuses this painting is a perfect base for some simple summery tops.
A few more lovely coral items...
These should get you through at least a long weekend in style!
I ... View the Post
Looking Back… May 19th
2011
I marvel that... Well, this has been interesting... as I share that I was recovering from pneumonia. Why we think that it should be springtime before Memorial Day in Chicago is beyond me!
2012
In an attempt to come to grips with the advice that we all received in French Chic by Susan Sommers, I tried Visualizing French Chic: 7 in Black. ... View the Post
Start With Art: The Girl with A Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer
May 13, 2014
The most beautiful color scheme, combining warm tobacco brown, black, and brilliant blue and golden yellow highlights... That Vermeer guy was good!
One nice warm outfit, for in transit, or for a sudden cold snap, and some beautiful silky solids...
A simple outfit, and a nice basic dress:
A much less basic dress, and a warm-weather outfit with an over-shirt for air conditioning.
And a few extra pieces, for versatility!
love,
Janice
Looking Back:
2012 - one of my readers had a piece of jewelry that she wanted to wear more, and so I suggested What to wear with a ... View the Post
Start with Art: The Libyan Sibyl by Michelangelo
May 6, 2014
I am often asked to consider basing a wardrobe or a travel capsule on this most lovely of Michelangelo's works, and I have to admit that I find her sort of intimidating! The unusual color combinations, as well as the overall strength and power of her image are so striking that my brain goes a bit blank after studying her for a while.
Let me quote, at length, the excellent www.moodbook.com site's description of her:
"The Libica, or Libyan Sibyl brings pre-Christian prophecy to a close. With a graceful movement, displaying her lovely shoulders, her foreshortened arms, and the lowered profile of her fine head with its gold tresses, she lays aside the open book as if about to close it. It is a large and cumbersome ... View the Post
11 Minimalist Icons
April 7, 2014 I'm pretty busy these days with my care-taking responsibilities, but someone asked about the 11 Minimalist Icons mentioned on the cover on last week's featured book, Ma To-Do Lists - Dressing. I don't know that I fully appreciate all of these choices, but they are certainly thought-provoking!
love,
Janice ... View the Post
Paris vs Chicago, and a Great Quote
April 3, 2014 What does Paris have that Chicago doesn't?
Bookstores - dozens and dozens of bookstores. It used to be a joke between Belovedest and me - "Oh look - a bookstore!" when we would walk past one, but it's sort of lost it's humor, because bookstores are so common in Paris, and so very uncommon in Chicago. You might say that it's because we stayed, this last trip, near the Universities. But that's a weak explanation - from my apartment window in Chicago, I can see buildings belonging to at least 3 universities - and there are very few bookstores in the entire downtown area... And what's interesting is that the French don't spend THAT much more time reading than American ... View the Post
The Week Ahead
March 15, 2014
If all has gone according to plan, as you're reading this, I am in Paris... but this coming week, I've scheduled posts that flash back to guest posts that I did last year for A Femme d'un Certain Age. They're all about travel... If you don't already follow me on Instagram, you might want to consider. If I take any great photographs, that's where they will be first. Just look for The Vivienne Files there! love, Janice ... View the Post
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