Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
October 3, 2014 I'm having a tired day today, but since I had the photographs all queued up, I thought I'd at least share them...
After Amsterdam, B and I came BACK to Paris...
We walked, and ate...
Every time I go to Paris, I have at least one meal at Brasserie Balzar!
... View the Post
October 2, 2014
Go to the shop on the corner. Walk to the back of the tiny shop floor, and climb the very steep and narrow stairs...
When you get to the top, you find a delightful little slice of Amsterdam paradise - this was our room at Maison Rika. Rika is a designer, and she has two shops on the same street in Amsterdam. Upstairs from one of the shops, she has two guests rooms. Just two. This is not the place to get room service at 2 a.m. This is much, MUCH nicer. When you check in, they give you keys to the store on the ground floor. You can come and go as you please, and you immediately feel like a member of the Rika family. If you can navigate these stairs, I can warmly recommend ... View the Post
October 1, 2014
I did not shop the first four days I was in Europe, because I was escorting my two photographer friends, and we were BUSY finding great locations and walking, walking, walking! (there will soon be a new header for The Vivienne Files!) But once B and I got to Amsterdam, I began to look about. I didn't throw myself madly into the process; I waited until I saw things that had whappage; if I hadn't found anything at all that really had appeal, then I wouldn't have wasted my very hard-earned money. It's important to remember how long it takes to earn money when you go to spend it - is object "X" worth 3, 5, or 14 hours of your effort? Sometimes, you just have to conclude that the answer ... View the Post
What an adventure THAT was! Belovedest and I had a wonderful time - of course we did - we were together. And we learned some things that I think are worth sharing...
If you're connecting from a plane to a train, buy your train tickets in advance, even if you can't guarantee that you'll be on time. (and of course, you can't guarantee, because you're flying in, and planes are delayed) It's MUCH less expensive to purchase train tickets in advance, and you'll be assured of a seat. B and I had been promised by a couple of different people that it was ALWAYS easy to get train tickets from Paris to Amsterdam - au contraire, my friends!
When buying train tickets, even if you don't know your return time ... View the Post
August 5, 2014
I got home last night, or more properly, early this morning. Rain and lightning on both ends of my journey made things... interesting... First off, when I got to my departure airport, I found that it was packed, literally almost shoulder to shoulder. No seats, no place to even LEAN on something, and absolutely no access to any electrical outlets. I'd been using my cell phone all day for contact among the various people taking me to the airport and picking me up, and I listen to music on it while in flight. Dead battery loomed large, and dreadful.
I can't recommend enough these Anker portable chargers. Mine is exactly the same size as my cell phone, and it completely recharged ... View the Post
July 22, 2014
It seems to be almost the uniform of the weekend - roll up the sleeves of a navy linen tunic, pull on some white cropped trousers, and accent with brightly colors jewelry and sandals... The jewelry isn't all precious stones, and the sandals are casual, but the effect of the bright accents was very eye-catching.I think you can learn a lot about your personal color preferences based on which of these looks appeal to you, or which you swear you could never wear!
love,
Janice ... View the Post
March 28, 2014
It's one of those questions that confounds the observant person - there are more clothes, and often more attractive clothes, in stores than ever before, but you see fewer well-dressed or just generally attractive people about. Why are all of these appallingly bad clothing choices being made, and why (at least when I was a child) did women seem to be able to avoid making these mistakes and dress themselves flatteringly?
Linda Przybyszewski attempts to answer this question in this book - a very well-written and interesting look at the Home Economics teachers, Department of Agriculture Extension employees, and other women who used to help us choose our clothing. I ... View the Post
May 9, 2014 Now that summer has arrived with crashing suddenness in Chicago, the quality of Chic Sightings has changed completely. At lunch time today, it seemed that half the women walked out of their cubicles wearing a black cardigan... As soon as they got into the sunlight, the sweaters came off, and beautiful dresses, lovely shoes, and perfectly-chosen jewelry took center stage.
love, Janice
Looking back:
2012: One of my readers asked me about how to use a monochromatic scarf, in What to Wear With an Hermes Scarf: Peinture Fraiche.
2013: Balancing concerns about coverage and climate can be a challenge, and I tried to address this concern about Dressing modestly in a hot ... View the Post
April 15, 2014 Now that it's snowed in Chicago, it feels strange to post the very warm-weather outfits that I saw over the weekend. But spring WILL arrive - it always has... This dress was amazingly attractive; while I don't in any way need more clothes, this would really tempt me!
The girl wearing these pants looked fabulous. I think her legs were 4 feet long...
The tunic in the 2nd outfit was WAAAAY cuter in person than the photograph really conveys, and it looked tremendously comfortable too.
love, Janice ... View the Post
April 14, 2014 We've only had a few days of warm weather (and it might snow tonight!), but I saw a ton of striped tops over this weekend, styled in all sorts of different ways...
love, Janice ... View the Post
April 4, 2014 When I travel, I always try to find any cool books about style, fashion, wardrobe planning, art etc. etc... This one looks pretty foolproof, but since it's by the authors of L'Armoire Ideale des Parasseuses, I thought it was well worth grabbing. For a long time, I've often pondered the difference between stores that we love, and closets that we detest. If this were my closet, I would be endlessly happy:
So how does one get to the point of loving one's closet as much as one's favorite store? This excellent book has a great mental strategy:
Your clothing = your boutique collection Think of your closet as the ... View the Post
Almost 20 years ago, when Belovedest and I first went to Paris, we stayed at the Hotel des Grands Hommes (the hotel of the great men, NOT the hotel of the big guys). I don't even remember how the hotel was chosen, but we really enjoyed it, and have been back a few times since then, but not recently. But when we were planning for our anniversary, it seemed an obvious choice, and it was a BRILLIANT selection. They continue to enhance the rooms and the common areas, and literally every corner of every section of the hotel is beautiful and holds delights. Our room was small, of course, but beautifully appointed, with a bathroom that was both spacious and utterly immaculate.
Hotel des ... View the Post
