Black Archives - Page 57 of 87

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Black and Yellow Broadbill Version 2

I hadn't planned to revisit this lovely bird, but someone wanted some yellow...

Without the green background, the colors seem more intense to me. At any rate, I brightened up the coral and blue, to be in a better balance with the yellow... No matter how good it looks here, I'm not recommending yellow eye shadow - there's a limit to taking inspiration from nature!

I thought I'd plunge right into the yellow... Note how the addition of the scarf with the coral and orange print keeps the ensemble from looking like a bumblebee, or a Pittsburgh sport fan. (for those out of the sports loop: I think EVERY professional sports team in Pittsburgh wears at least some yellow and black)

(I love the scarves from Abo London - they are REALLY ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Nature: Black and Yellow Broadbill

January 6, 2016 You've very possibly seen a Photoshopped version of this photograph, which made the colors really BRIGHT... and I'm not sure why someone would have bothered - this photograph is quite beautiful just as it is!

Weeks ago, someone asked me, on Facebook, to work with this photograph. It's about time I got around to it, because it includes lovely colors! I did NOT include the yellow circle around the eyes of the bird, except for a bit in one of the scarves, and the yellow gold in the jewelry. And while I don't always pick up the background color of a photograph, this one was really the perfect color, in the ideal intensity, for this color scheme...

Yes, I really, TRULY believe that if you find a ... View the Post

Mixing Metallics: She-Beads Holiday 2015 “Peace”

December 19, 2015

For this season, the lovely Alexandra worked with white, gold, copper and a little touch of black, to give us a collection with some gleam and a touch of sparkle - I think she's really talented...The range of ways that you can wear this jewelry is nearly infinite - there's nary a color that won't look cool with these. I like the way they bring an unexpected warmth to colors that don't usually get warmth...

If you're going to wear snazzy jewelry, you might as well have a stand-out manicure. While I have really conflicting feelings about nail polish, there are some times when it's very difficult to resist!

I love all of the textures and patterns in the first outfit, and I think the jewelry gives ... View the Post

Packing for Paris! What I’m Doing Differently, This Time…

December 10, 2015

I'm leaving today! Early this evening, in fact, which is a little bit irritating, because I don't get to Paris until 10 a.m. Sometimes this flight leaves much earlier, getting one to Paris in time for an early breakfast. Some day, I will understand why the airlines change things so often...But no matter! I'm going, and I'm going to have a wonderful time. If you want to keep up with my running around, please follow me on Instagram. (it's that little camera-ish thingy in the right margin area) I plan to post something there at least hourly when I'm awake, so everybody will know that I'm okay...

Differently? My primary plan originally was that I was going to be pretty informal - jeans and nice athletic ... View the Post

Pantone 2016 – Useful Colors, If We See Them!

December 5, 2015

Yes, "new" colors.

Normally, Pantone gives us just one color for a year, but this year we've been given two... (can you imagine the changes in the world if there really WERE two new colors? I dream of these things...)

I like to imagine that there was a huge fight going on at the Pantone offices, and that announcing 2 colors for next year was the only way to settle it. Talk about your 1st world problems. (no, I don't really like that term, but it's a good way to describe any color dispute...)

I debated not even blogging about this, but I think I have to turn in my official blogger eyelash curlers or something if I completely ignore this announcement. I was really undecided.

And then I saw ... View the Post

Choosing an Accent Color for Black

November 26, 2015

Something that I struggle with a lot, personally, is my accent color, or colors. I'm always thinking that something other than red should be my "color", but who am I kidding? I keep coming back, over and over, to red...

So I was playing around with a variety of accent colors, using simple black garments as a core, and building around quilted vests, just for the heck of it...

When you're looking for these vests, make sure you look for "quilted," rather than "down," unless you specifically want down. Some of the vests with synthetic insulation are just as warm, and quite lovely; you'll miss them if you don't include everything quilted. The synthetic insulated vests are less puffy, too!

And yes, these would make ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Brooch: Boucheron Lotus Brooch

November 20, 2015

Oh. My. Goodness....If this somehow became mine, I would wonder WHAT in the world was going on, and then I would indeed build my entire wardrobe (and that of my bodyguards!) around it. What a beautiful piece of jewelry...

But even if one is not destined to own this, it can still certainly be used as a style focal point, or inspiration. The colors are straightforward enough:

Yes, I included the black of the background; I think it serves well as a foil for the diamonds, sapphires and emeralds.

So she's heading home for a long winter holiday weekend. She doesn't wear lavish, or amazing clothes - mostly things that are readily available. But in her mind, she remembers the brooch, and ... View the Post

Preparing for the “Festive Season”

November 16, 2015

Guess where I'm going to be next Thursday night! Okay, don't guess - I'm going to this:

Woo hoo! A little Beaujolais Nouveau, some tasty morsels, and TISH, from "A Femme d'un Certain Age." Sounds like a great evening to me...

But, of course, what to wear? The dress code is "Elegant Business Attire", which for me means no gym clothes, and in Belovedest's office might mean that you wear socks. Or maybe that you showered within the past 2 weeks. Elegant is NOT something that's much associated with business attire, in my limited experience!

So I'm starting with a black dress - easy peasy. I have the dress on the right. I debated between the two - I admit that I adore the idea of a dress with ... View the Post

Scarf Selling Saturday: A TWO-fer: Les Instructions du Roy, and Soleil du Soie

November 14, 2015 I want to clarify that the following post was written and scheduled for publication late Thursday afternoon; had I known of the horrid news that would emerge Friday afternoon and evening, I would had written something very different.

However, I'm going to leave this post here, for comments and for beauty's sake, because I feel like defiantly living life as normal. Let's appreciate small joys, and marvel at the wonders of the craftsmanship and creativity of our fellow humans, in the face of barbaric actions that would prefer we spend our time thinking only of negative and dark things...

You are, each of you, very important to me. I take your thoughts and feelings very seriously, and try to be sensitive to ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Vintage Rose by Kathkath

November 13, 2015

Who wouldn't want this?

Such lovely colors....

I wanted to think more about the idea of the "Whatever's Clean 13" and different ways to go about creating a grouping that will simplify your life - at least when you're getting dressed!

So I thought I'd dig WAY back into the archives of my brain, and The Vivienne Files, for the "Not So Crazy Eights" - the idea that owning eight garments in the same color might be the smartest thing you can do.

Let's hypothesize that someone in the world is pretty committed to her black wardrobe, so the first eight aren't terribly difficult. That said, she's in a little bit of a pickle for the upcoming holiday season; her friends and family aren't the strapless sequined ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Black Dahlia by Yuh Okano

November 5, 2015

When this scarf arrived Chez Vivienne Files, I thought "there's no way on planet Janice that I'm giving this scarf away!"

But of course, I managed to rein in my enthusiasm and genuine admiration for this beauty, and I'm going to give it to one of you. Leave a comment... and yes, no matter where you are in the world, you may certainly comment and be entered to win! I'll ship anywhere...

It's a crispy but sheer silk organza (?), and it's primarily black, white and shades of grey, but there's this elusive hint of pink that makes it just... riveting. You can get truly mesmerized looking at it! The size is about 6' by 1' - a nice manageable size for a big fluffy bow...Colors were so ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dantis Amor by Rossetti – Step 3

October 30, 2015

Now the fun starts! The clothes from yesterday are certainly very nice, if not mind-bending, but in order to give things just a touch of zest, and a sense of finish, some well-chosen accessories are imperative! (well, shoes are imperative, even if you never wear a scarf or a piece of jewelry; when pressed to offer up what piece of clothing every woman, without exception, should own, the only thing I can honestly think of is shoes...)Reminders of our basic style source, and the clothes with which we're working:

As I said, shoes first! I always look for something comfortable - that's completely NOT negotiable. When men start wearing uncomfortable shoes, I will too. In the meantime, my ... View the Post