Black Archives - Page 41 of 87

Trojan Gates by Helen Frankenthaler – Start with Art for Tote Bag Travel

January 5, 2018 Le Mot Juste* They never give awards to the translator...

Yes, it had been a particularly difficult project...

And as always, she took great pride in putting in the time and effort necessary to find the perfect word - the one that conveyed not just the meaning, but also... the nuance. The subtlety. The suggestions, and hints, and overtones that were apparent in the original language.

That's just the way she is. Others can settle for what falls to hand quickly and easily, for the "it will do fine" way of working. That's not her style...

(a close look at her travel earrings will show you just HOW much she looks for subtleties...)

She was surprised to be invited to the awards dinner; it's a ... View the Post

L’Oiseau Forestier by Max Ernst – Starting a Wardrobe with a Tote Bag Travel Capsule

January 4, 2018 Assertiveness, Channeled "Why is SHE going?"

"Well, she was just named chief negotiator - didn't you hear?"

"She IS? She always seems so... ladylike... I don't see her as the arm-wrestling for the last dime kind of negotiator..."

"Don't get me wrong - I know that she's as smart as a whip..."

"Shouldn't she be wearing some serious pantsuit with shoulders out to HERE?"

"She doesn't even wear blazers!!!"

always trust the jealous rivals to focus on how you dress, eh?

As in all things, the details matter...

If anybody ever troubled to look, they would see that her jewelry looks like the weapons and body-armor of a Barbie-sized warrior race... Even her ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – January 2018

January 1, 2018

It's that time again! I looked and LOOKED at the Hermes scarves for this year - I wanted to find some unique color combinations... I kept changing my mind until literally the last possible minute!

This year's focal points for gradual wardrobe building are these lovelies:

A word to the wise - these scarves are selling FAST this year - I had to go to the sites for 3 different countries to find these colors, literally just 3 days after I started working on this post! Your best option for finding a fast-selling scarf is to call an Hermes store and ask THEM to find it and send it to you. Their staff is usually delightfully helpful and nice, and it will save you the legwork of trying to mail-order a scarf from a ... View the Post

The Twelve Art Works of Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of those who are celebrating today, and a warm and wonderful day to everyone!

Today I've got 12 works of art for you - 11 paintings and 1 pretty amazing photograph, along with color palettes, and a sense of how the colors might be made to work in a wardrobe.

I've chosen almost all "modern" works of art - for what we do here on The Vivienne Files, I need to have a relatively limited color palette. Paintings that are completely realistic tend to have every color of the rainbow in them, and THAT would make a carefully edited wardrobe almost impossible!

So, if you have time, and if you have an opinion (or 12!), tell me if you'd like to see any of these developed into a wardrobe. If you've a preference for warm ... View the Post

Evaluating a Wardrobe – How do the “12 Months, 12 Outfits” Wardrobes Do?

December 15, 2017

What makes a wardrobe work? And how can you tell if a wardrobe is going to be functional and versatile? Not the headiest questions in life, but still important, if you like to get dressed and enjoy the process (as well as the results!).

Ultimately, your wardrobe works if you can get dressed every day with ease and pleasure. It doesn't matter what's in there, how tidy or messy it is, or how many different colors and/or styles of things you own. It's the most subjective thing in the world...

That said, if you're struggling, I have a few ideas that you might want to consider!

First up, let's start with the black, white, grey and rust wardrobe that I finished up on December 1st:

Since I built more ... View the Post

Essential Accessories for a Pretty but Casual Wardrobe: Start with a Scarf – Vintage Rose by KathKath

December 13, 2017

Update - I did NOT go to Paris - a very last-minute fibromyalgia "interlude" suggested that the wiser course was to stay home and try to reschedule. Happily, I have a bunch of blog posts ready for you, so I can still rest for a few days! hugs - Janice When I left this wardrobe last week, the clothing portion was pretty well-organized, with lots of possible combinations, so let's choose some accessories for this heroine!

It seems that the first outfit is always a very simple one that kind of cries out for a necklace or something at the neck...

As far as a woman can get with a good briefcase, at some stage she's going to want a handbag instead...

I'm not even ... View the Post

Adding to a Successful Travel Wardrobe: Appaloosa des Steppes from Hermes

She was really thrilled with what she packed for the Holiday Party in New York; she had planned everything using her pocket square as the defining inspiration:

Her sweetheart told her that another, longer trip to New York would be in their near future - probably mid-February. So she thought that it would be wise to expand her current travel wardrobe...

She was going to try to balance clothes appropriate for those "business dinners" with things suitable for the sightseeing that she intended to do, so she needed to be very organized! If she puts together a 4 by 4 Wardrobe, and wears 3 pieces on the plane, she will have 13 garments to pack - she felt that this was a reasonable goal.First, to "plug in" her existing ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Appaloosa des Steppes by Hermes

You ask, you get! Tomorrow I'm going to expand this into a wardrobe for a longer trip...

please note that this scarf is a pocket square. it's MUCH smaller than a normal Hermes scarf, so don't order it thinking that you're getting an amazing deal, and then be crushed...

You Won't BELIEVE What Corporate Did...

her heart always sinks when her sweetheart start a conversation like this...

"They're having the Holiday Party in NEW YORK!!!"

"So does this mean we don't have to go?" fingers crossed...

"Quite the contrary - that's what's SO amazing! They're flying us all out - you included! - putting us up in a hotel AND giving us spending money!"

can we just have them give us cash instead? whoops, wrong thing to ... View the Post

Can You Really Travel with Only SIX Pieces of Clothing? I’m Going to Find Out…

November 8, 2017

Yes, I am going back to Paris on Tuesday...It's a combination of a free plane ticket, a really inexpensive hotel (I'll tell you all about that when I'm back!) and a bone-deep yearning to see holiday decorations in another country.

But more than anything, I'm really eager to see how completely... unfettered? light? I can feel while traveling. Normally, there's the suitcase and the carry-on, and maybe a handbag, and while I know that this is necessary, I don't feel relaxed when I have these things to corral and transport. I want to be focused on external things - other people, mostly, and be able to put my own "stuff" out of my mind.

This isn't impossible - one could, in theory, go almost any place that has similar ... View the Post

Are You More “Matisse” or “Monet?” Using Art to Help Define Personal Style

A long time ago, I did a post like this comparing garments that, to me, reflected either Calder or Mondrian - i.e. fluid, curving and draping lines versus a more angular silhouette. These posts aren't easy, mostly because I really struggle to find a pair of artists that have a clearly-cut difference between them... If you have suggestions, I'd love to do this more! I think it can be important and useful to refine our preferences and to learn to clearly define what we do and don't like in our wardrobes - fewer mistakes!

In the last few months, I spent some time looking at Matisse "cut-outs" at the Modern Art Museum in Paris, and the clear demarcations between colors really caught my eye. There was something... crisp?... about how these ... View the Post

I Want a Wardrobe That’s Relaxed, but Pretty!

How about we revisit this amazingly beautiful scarf? When I did the very business/dressy wardrobe based on this scarf, I was assured that another wardrobe - more casual - would be welcome..

I'm going to follow the steps that I took when I did the dressy wardrobe - I'm even going to keep some of the garments! So first up is a starter outfit of a black "suit" with a pink top:

As always, sometimes the only thing you need (for a quick overnight trip, for example) is a change of shirt or blouse. If anybody wants to get snarky because you're wearing the same cardigan and jeans, let them. It doesn't hurt you, and it might make them happy in some messed-up way!

My first instinct is always to put together a ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – December 2017

December 1, 2017

The last month of these wardrobes! Although these outfits might not be exactly what our assorted heroines most need, we're going dressy - just because we can...

There's a world of lovely velvet around this year - take advantage of this chance to stock up! I'm particularly taken with the idea of a black velvet skirt - Lands' End has one that's lovely...

This wardrobe has a unique character - just those few pieces of that rusty color make so much difference!

As always, the new pieces we've added work well with what was already in the closet:

Oh, these pants are SO lovely.... sigh....

This woman has such a distinctive style; is she blonde, you imagine?

The sleeves on this sweater ... View the Post