The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Clothing Archives

Start With a Skirt: black & white gingham linen

May 10, 2023

It's easy to look at a garment and think that you know how to wear it - we are, after all, adults. Mostly.

But it's easy to lose sight of possibilities; one of you is quite smitten with this skirt, but wasn't sure that there were enough options to make it worth including in her wardrobe.

Let's think...

This is the skirt - it's easy to see the appeal, if you're among the "black & white" crowd!

Let's start with the obvious - a white sweater, black & white jewelry, and a very modern pair of two-tone flats:

Similarly, a black sweater, bag and flats are easy choices. Adding pearls and shiny earrings help balance out the lightness and print of the skirt:

Any white blouse could be worn ... View the Post

Analysis: 1 Dress, 100 Days

December 12, 2022

Friday, I wore this:

 

This was interesting, because it was the FIRST time I wore my blue sweater, and also the snowflake scarf. So the first thing that I learned - over and over - was that I have clothes in my closet that I... not exactly forget, but recurringly overlook. Is there a difference?

But let me stop for a moment and think about the most important things that came from this project. First and foremost, if you buy a really great dress and take good care of it, it will indeed withstand 3+ months of constant wear. There's no reason to believe that clothing will only last a short while. If your clothes start falling apart after a dozen wears, you're very hard on clothes, or you're buying things ... View the Post

1 Dress, 100 Days – the Finish

December 10, 2022

It's over; I am no longer wearing my wool terry dress EVERY DAY FOR 100 DAYS.

I miss it. Not horribly, but sometimes I look down at my tan jeans, white shirt and black vest and wonder WHERE DID MY DRESS GO?

That will change soon enough, I'm sure!

Here's how I finished off the project, as well as my first Outfit of the Day for the rest of my life; I think I'm going to OOTD for a while. I find creating the outfit images interesting...

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Building a Cool Weather Wardrobe 1 Garment at a Time

November 23, 2022

This is her favorite outfit, right now. She wants to build a small wardrobe for the upcoming couple of months using this as her starting point:

Normally I would suggest her first garment should be a clean shirt, but that's not going to look much different - her green sweater covers most of her torso so the shirt isn't super visible...

But swapping out sweaters? This will make a big difference in how her outfit looks:

NOW, we find her another top to wear under either sweater. I've chosen a turtleneck because (1) it's wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere and (2) it will show under her green sweater!

Next obvious thing to find is another "bottom." Our heroine assures me that she doesn't want ... View the Post

I Love It, But Will I Wear It? Black Tweed Pants

November 16, 2022

Black and white tweed. Pull-on waist (which is delightful is you're among those of us who don't tuck in our tops!). LINED TO THE KNEES!!!

Pretty tempting...

Well yes, if you can use a pair of nice but not formal pants, these would be great...

Of course they're perfect with all of the black sweaters in the world:

If you like pattern mixing, tweed is maybe the easiest pattern to include. It's subtle enough not to glaringly clash with other things...

These pants will go with ANY solid color - bright, muted, pastel, neutral:

If you find yourself attending those kinds of events where NOBODY knows quite how dressy things will be, these pants are a great option:

If you like subtle ... View the Post

1 Dress, 100 Days: Days 72, 73, 74, 75 and 76

November 15, 2022

I'm now beginning to feel like this is my permanent uniform! It's colder at the International Headquarters of The Vivienne Files than it is in the rest of the apartment, so I bundle a bit...

Note that all of the tops except the last are worn OVER my dress - the last top is a long-underwear-ish piece that's under my dress!

love,

Janice ... View the Post

1 Dress 100 Days: Days 65, 66 and 67

November 6, 2022

I've been in the apartment, or in our building, most of the time. Today we are going out to visit our favorite garden center in the city - looking for our Christmas wreath! (yes, it's wildly early, but we want to get the perfect one!)

I hope everyone is having as wonderful a day as we are!

love,

Janice

 

 

  ... View the Post