The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Paris Accessories – Autumn 2017

Arguably, my favorite thing to do in Paris is look at the shop windows! And given my demonstrated fondness for accessories, there can be little surprise in learning that I love to look at scarves and jewelry most of all...

I think that one of the reasons that the Parisienne has such a reputation for chic personal style is the wide range of accessories that are available in Paris. When confronted, from birth, with such a vast number of choices, any person has to begin to clearly define their preferences and inclinations early, and continue to refine that personal style throughout their life. Without a sense of direction and focus, shopping for a simple ring or scarf in Paris can be completely overwhelming!

Many of these photographs are ... View the Post

What are the Shop Windows Trends in Paris – October 2017

October 9, 2017

 

My shop window photographs didn't come out well at all this trip - it was either too dark, or too sunny and you could see more of me than you could of what I was photographing. But I took lots of notes, so I can still share a lot of what I saw!First up, rest assured that when you get to visit Paris, you don't have to dress up like something madly fancy - most of the people we saw on the streets were wearing the original Vivienne Files Common Wardrobe of jeans, sneakers, simple tee shirts and sweaters, with a snazzy scarf! That's such a change in the last 20 years or so since I first visited. Once upon a time, you would never have worn sneakers, nor jeans...

Just as we had on our last visit, we're still seeing ... View the Post

Reviewing what I Packed for Paris, September/October 2017

October 6, 2017  

Well, this is interesting... At the relatively last minute, Belovedest persuaded me to take my larger suitcase (I'm still not quite sure why...) so I ended up packing a few more things than I had intentionally intended.

It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't really amazing, either... Realistically, I could have rated every garment that I packed with a green star as a "keeper;" all of my clothes go together pretty well under almost any circumstances, and I wore every stitch of what I packed.

But in order to force myself to actually rate things, I thought that choosing a third of the pieces as "green," a third as "yellow," and the remainders as the "red star" losers might be more illuminating.

First up, I ... View the Post

Taking some Talbots to Paris next week!

September 15, 2017

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. You almost never see that from me. Because I don't show pictures of myself every day, a lot of retailers assume that they don't ever need to send me clothes or credits of any sort... silliness! Talbots very generously gave me free reign on their site to pick a couple of pieces, and I had great fun choosing...

Belovedest and I leave for Paris on the 20th - we try to go somewhere lovely to celebrate his birthday every year. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to choose a couple of pretty, somewhat romantic pieces that would integrate really easily into my "mostly black" travel plans...

This is what I chose:

The bow on the cardigan is really a pin - which is great! I'll probably ... View the Post

How to UNPACK Your Suitcase

August 23, 2017

Ah, the eclipse was amazing! So was our 14-hour drive home... (a trip which charitably might take 6 hours if you're a slow driver....) If today's post feels a bit incoherent, understand that I got 2 hours of sleep!

After we got back from Ireland last week, our suitcases were laying open on the floor in our apartment for a couple of days - partly because we were tired and just didn't get around to doing all of the laundry immediately, and partly because I'm trying to cultivate a very slow and attentive process for unpacking. I'm doing this so that I can review what I packed (and remember what I forgot!) immediately after the trip, and try to learn something useful for future adventures...

You might remember from my ... View the Post

Dublin Ireland, August 2017

August 21, 2017

When you read this, I will be in southern Illinois to see the solar eclipse! Belovedest and I decided that this was almost certainly the best chance that we will ever have to see a full solar eclipse, and that we would be daft to miss it. So we're spending Sunday night downstate in a hotel, and then driving further down to see the fun. Should be entertaining, I'd say!

But I want to share with you some really random highlights of my recent trip to Dublin. I was there nearly 2 weeks, and really didn't venture beyond the suburbs; I LOVE Dublin, and am never bored there... it must be in my blood!

First up - where I stayed when I was there the first week, before Belovedest arrived. I was in an Airbnb apartment 2 blocks ... View the Post

Timeless Chic Sightings: Black with Metallic Accessories

June 27, 2017

Some things don't change much through time - over the weekend, we saw lots of women accenting solid black outfits with well-chosen metallic accessories. These kinds of outfits always catch my eye!

The clothes from this post are absolutely ageless and timeless; if you keep your eyes open for metallic accessories (or an accent color?) that you love, you'll instantly have an outfit that can wear forever, or until it falls apart! And that should be our goal - to use things fully and well, and retire them when they've been worn as much as possible. Anything less doesn't do justice to our time, nor or budget, nor to the planet.

love, Janice ... View the Post

Memorial Day with Belovedest and Me…

Let me say first off that in my ideal world, these holidays would be true holidays in that EVERYBODY would get the day off. At least in the United States, most holidays are great for those of us who work in offices or are self-employed, but if you work in food service or retail, it's just another day. I wish that could change, and that those people could also have holidays... sigh...

That said, Belovedest and I slept late, and then roused ourselves and walked out to get on the Metra train south, in the train station just 2 blocks from us:

In 20 minutes, we were in Hyde Park. Home of the former president. Home of the University of Chicago. Home of the best bookstores in Chicago, no possible competition imaginable. (I've walked most ... View the Post

Want to See a Really Adorable Scarf?

May 12, 2017  

I plain and simply can't do the New York shoes today - I had a bunch of broken hyperlinks to fix on yesterday's post, and I'm feeling distinctly horrid. (I have a chronic pain condition that I'll tell you all about some day...)But I have to share this with you; last night, Belovedest comes into the apartment after work carrying a gift box. Now, my birthday isn't until the last part of June, but he tells me that he has an early gift for me...

We're going to Paris in September for HIS birthday, but you can bet your bottom dollar that this scarf is going to be in my bag!It's not a Hermès (thank heavens, they can't all be that outrageous!), but it's lovely quality silk, nicely printed, with cheerful images and ... View the Post

What Were They Wearing in New York? Chic Sightings of Accent Colors

May 11, 2017  

They were wearing black! Of course they were wearing black.... Or navy blue...So what I really noticed were the accent colors - the bright pops of cheer that stood out in the crowd.

Please note that I did NOT ever go up to someone and ask them what brand of whatever they were wearing; I took careful notes, and have attempted to recreate their overall look as well as I can with the tool at hand. I suspect that if you were to see the same women, in the same outfits, you would recognize them immediately!

This first woman was business lunching; she was able to stride down the street with her male companions without any problems, thanks to her flat shoes. (I'm going to share with you tomorrow my observations about ... View the Post

New York – A Whole Bunch of Random Thoughts, Observations, and Tales…

New York was lovely - I could live there TOMORROW... Sigh...

Our hotel was very near the United Nations, and the first afternoon we were in town, we went on the tour there. Just do it, trust me. It's a lovely facility, which makes mid-century modern architecture and decor look amazing. The guide that we had was both smart as a whip and a lovely young man, and the experience of being somewhere where everyone is working toward peace and prosperity for the entire human race is absolutely calming and invigorating, all at the same time...

If there aren't active sessions, you get to go into the General Assembly and the Security Council chambers. And I'm just sayin', the gift shop and the bookstore are worth a few minutes of your time ... View the Post

How Can I Accessorize a Column of Black? Chic Sightings to the Rescue!

February 9, 2017

In the last few days, I noticed a number of women wearing simple black "columns," - a sweater and pants, or a tee shirt with pants, and at least in one instance, I think she was wearing a black dress with black tights.

But what caught my eye was the way that each woman had put her own very personal spin on the basic black core of their outfit. My eye was caught immediately when I saw this great floral tote:

  This is really clever - the grey and white in the cardigan keep the outfit from looking anything at all like Halloween.

  And I spotted this tote WAY across the room - I've always kind of wanted one of these... and I could love this cardigan to pieces...

  Even when you're ... View the Post