The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Chic Sightings: Black with Metallic Accessories

June 21, 2013

There were lots of black dresses on the streets of Chicago yesterday, and lots of all-black outfits. But a few really stood out from the crowd by virtual of their carefully chosen metallic accessories. From the young lady in the spikey necklace and woven flats to the executive with her Ferragamo shoes and bag, (and great silver sunglasses), black and silver caught the eye.

The first woman I saw who really got me noticing the all-black outfits with metallics was wearing a simple sleeveless top with shorts, but her accessories really elevated what might have been a very stark outfit. Right behind her was a lovely person in a sleeveless dress with gold flower jewelry - uncluttered, but very charming.

In the Loop, ... View the Post

Shopping and dining in Toronto

June 19, 2013   I experienced a sunscreen breakdown while we were in Toronto; I believe one of my temperature irregularities is to blame - too much blotting of the radiant visage lead to loss of sunscreen, and now I'm sporting some freckles.  While cute, they are indeed a sign of sun damage...  

  So when we walked past Goorin, it seemed obvious that I'd best hasten in there and get myself a good sunhat.  The above lovely critter is now sitting on my desk.  The fact that it has Bogart in the name is just a bonus (I adore Humphrey...); it's a great hat, fits perfectly, and shades me exactly as I needed.   The weather in Toronto was a bit warmer than we had been promised by the weather ... View the Post

Toronto – how I got it all packed

We're back!  And Toronto was wonderful - what a great, vibrant, busy, diverse city.  We will definitely go back, and I have much more to share with you about this trip.   But I received a lot of questions about how I packed - so I've got snapshots of the process!  

The bag - empty.  Those are my ghastly workout shoes next to the bag, so you can see how small the bag actually is.  This is the Tumi Riggs carry-on - no wheels.  I didn't even realized that they MADE one with wheels...  Maybe Tumi should give me one of those, eh?

There's about 30% of my packing capacity already -  my shoes "bumpered" on the sides of my bag, and my pajamas rolled up and slid in between the shoes. ... View the Post

Packing from the 333 Capsule Wardrobe, with a few essential deviations from the system

Belovedest and I are off to Toronto for a long weekend of rugby and rest.  I packed pretty easily from the Project 333, except I had to jump ship for the rugby match - nothing but jeans and a jersey will really be appropriate!So I hauled everything out and assembled it on my nifty hanging rack:

The obnoxious plaid thing is my pajamas... Far left is my black jacket - I might wear it on the plane, or pack it, depending on what the weather does.   Then you can see my jeans, and my rugby jersey, and then my sweaters and scarves, tee shirts, and pants.

Everything lays out like this:

  It is quite a bit more clothing that I would normally pack for 3 nights, but the rugby match requires very special garments, and the way ... View the Post

Chic sighting: Mixing bright colors, with metallic shoes

May 15, 2013  

Yesterday was the first truly spring-like day here in Chicago.  This was the kind of outfits that I saw often on the street - bright colors, floral sleeveless tops, and metallic flats.  Bright and springy, but still very appropriate for most offices!

orange and pink tank - Topshop, orange cardigan - Mango, Pink chinos- Levi's Made & Crafted, gold flats - Rocket Dog, yellow and green tank - Madewell, green cardigan - Paul Smith, yellow capris - Erika Cavallini

blue tank - Uniqlo, blue cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, hot pink capris - Miu Miu, green tank - Uniqlo, mint cardigan - Dorothy Perkins, lavender capris - Mother Denim, silver ... View the Post

“You’re So French” – the most recent addition to the Style Shelf

May 2, 2013

 

As soon as I saw this available for sale, I knew it was going to go onto the Style Shelf. Aside from the fact that I'm terribly tired of book covers in hot pink (every "chic lit" novel in Ireland had either a pink or a lavender cover, I swear...), this is an interesting addition to the wee library.So here, in my less than expert translation, is what the authors have to say about cleaning out closets:

ARRANGE YOUR WARDROBE

"We have a tendency to choose the first clothes that are on top of the pile. It's easy, one does not waste time, and takes no risks, and one gets dressed automatically.  What a pity for all of those treasures which have been sleeping for years, and upon which you lavished such care ... View the Post

Colorist by Shigenobu Kobayashi

 Another hard-to-find, but really fascinating book.  The author guides one step by step in a process of identifying favorite color palettes.  The book has a definite Japanese feel, and once in a while you'll run into a word used in a way you wouldn't have expected (I would guess because it's been translated), but overall it's an eye-opening new way to think about colors.  I'll post more from Colorist, because it is out of print and rather expensive to purchase.  But if you really like to be challenged in your ways of looking at the world, I recommend this book highly.

Below is the 2nd exercise in the book.  You could of course get all deconstructionist about this and start debating what he means when he ... View the Post

Paris: shopping @ Agnes B., Muji, French Trotters

Of COURSE we shopped.  It would require super-human discipline for belovedest and I to stay out of stores in Paris.  Partly, of course, shops in Paris are a great opportunity to get some insights into the French aesthetic - the way the stores are arranged, the way the merchandise is displayed - it's just NOT like shopping in Chicago.And then, there are some stores that just don't exist in Chicago - specifically Agnes B. (who had a store here which closed a few years ago), Muji, and French Trotters.  If I were absolutely forced to purchase all of my clothing from one store, it would be Agnes B.; her designs appeal to me completely.  And Muji is just cool - streamlined products of every possible sort.  French Trotters ... View the Post

Parisiennes: White Jeans in October

Women of all ages were still wearing white jeans, without seeming to even consider that they might be "out of season".  Except for avoiding slush and puddles, why NOT wear white jeans all year 'round?  The ban on white is sort of archaic, isn't it?

Jeans – J Brand, plaid shirt – Patagonia, loafers – Vaneli, sweater – Sheinside, pink loafers - Valentino  

Jeans – J Brand, sweater – Elizabeth and James, oxfords – Mel, flowered sweater – Dolce & Gabbana, kitten-heel pumps – Stuart Weitzman  

Jeans – J Brand, blouse – Equipment, white leather jacket – Blk Dnm, purple flats – Puma, chambray shirt – Madewell, cardigan – Zadig & Voltaire, pink flats - Modcloth  

Jeans – J ... View the Post

Paris: Hotel Pavillon des Lettres

Our hotel was perfect.  It's rare that anybody can say that with complete sincerity, but in this case, there was absolutely nothing we would have changed.

The Pavillon des Lettres is a 26-room hotel, designed around the theme of authors.  Rather than numbering the rooms, they assign each of them a letter (hence the 26 works our very well).  Each room is then dedicated to an author who's last name begins with the letter of the room.

We stayed in Ibsen.  It was very small by the American standard of "one must be able to square-dance in one's hotel room" (yet another reason to pack lightly!), but exquisitely designed, quiet, and comfortable.

Anybody who believe that Parisians are rude has never stayed at this hotel ... View the Post