Black Archives - Page 69 of 87

The Perfect Clothing/Slot Machine /Backpack

April 26, 2014

I've been in the live-in caretaker role for quite a while now - since we got back from Paris, I've only been home a handful of days... In order to uncomplicate my life, I just put some clothes into a backpack and hopped on the train, hoping for the best. Turns out that my instincts were great - I was wearing three garments, I packed six, and there was literally NO combination that wasn't wearable. I felt like my clothes were a perfectly weighed slot machine upon which I couldn't lose...

These were the clothes that I had with me: (okay, these aren't exactly the same garments. My cardigans are from Lands' End, and are years old. My denim shirt is from J. Jill and is no longer available. Everything else is Eileen ... View the Post

A Case for Overpacking

April 8, 2014 So a couple of weeks ago, very shortly after we got back from Paris, I learned that someone very dear to me was quite ill. I immediately offered to go help with their care- I was thinking I would be gone for a day or two... Normally, I have a pretty well-defined plan for emergency travel, which I outlined in a post here, way back when. To recap, this is what I recommended for a travel outfit:

and this is what I suggested one might pack...

But I was only going to be gone a couple of days, right? So I traveled in this:

and packed this (not exactly these garments, but these are a fair representation of what I DID ... View the Post

Crazy Eights as a Base for Extravagant Purchases

April 2, 2014 Often, I am asked if it's possible to justify purchasing something wildly beautiful and deeply extravagant, if one already owns a core wardrobe of simple, neutral basics. Well, if you can afford the splurge, and you deeply adore the item, and you feel with some strong conviction that the item in question won't date terribly, then go for it... Here's a very simple example- a core of black garments for warm weather, and then a big splash-out on a cardigan and a handbag...

Your basic garments:

This already gives you a wide range of simple core outfits upon which you can build - from the most casual to ensembles that are almost dressy!

It is on ... View the Post

Three Garments – Four Seasons

April 1, 2014 The clothes I bought in Paris are going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting, so I've been giving some thought to how many different ways I can wear them. Here are my ideas, so far... First up, the dress that I bought at French Trotters. It's not available, but it's rather similar to this dress (mine has a bit more clearly defined pattern). I know that I can wear this with a turtleneck layered underneath, warm tights, boots and a scarf - I did that in Paris! But I can also scale it back to just leggings and flats, or sandals and bare legs...

Next, I want to make sure that I get maximum utilization from my new striped tee shirt. ... View the Post

How to Pack for Springtime in Paris: Black, White and Clouds

March 21, 2014 From the April 2, 2012 A Femme d'un Certain Age - visit there to see all of the possible combinations.

Cloud-print tee – Stella McCartney, grey pants – Veronique Branquinho, cable-knit cardigan – Stella McCartney, pave earrings – Marc by Marc Jacobs, silver flats – Bloch, grey metallic scarf – Dorothy Perkins, grey tote – Laema

Dotted scarf – Aspinal of London, pearl & jet earrings – JCPenney, star-print georgette scarf – Helene Berman, Cap-sleeved black silk blouse – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Black & white diamond flower ring – Lord & Taylor, white cardigan – Yves Saint Laurent, pearl drop earrings – Kate Spade, diamond and rhodium earrings – Lord & Taylor, bangle bracelet – 2028, ... View the Post

How to Pack for Springtime in Paris: Neutrals with Texture

Since these images were created over a year ago, the products are rather unlikely to still be available, but the idea holds true... The original post was at A Femme d'un Certain Age, April 2012.

Cream wool cardigan – Paul Smith, black pearl and diamond stud earrings – Blue Nile, Black knit pants – DonnaKaran, back cashmere scarf – Barneys New York, tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins, Trench –- Day Birger et Mikkelsen, bag – Marc by Marc Jacobs, loafers - Asos

Sunglasses- Ray-Ban’s, Printed silk tee – Michael Michael Kors, stars tee shirt – Mulberry, brass & pearl bracelet –Lanvin, white tee shirt – MTWTFSS, Crinkle fabric skirt – Proenza Schouler, striped tee – Saint ... View the Post

I Love Baroque, but I Live Simple and Contemporary

March 8, 2014 Maybe this is the living room of your dreams:

But your core wardrobe is our usual:

So let's try the same exercise we did before - find three garments that reflect the warmth, the rosiness, the ornate and filigreed nature of the room...

You have to keep, somewhere in the back of your mind, the reminder that you need to work with neutrals of black, white and khaki. Otherwise, let your heart go wild... and you will have lots of ways to wear them.

If this feels comfortable for you, you can branch out and add a few accessories that also share you sensibility...

These will work beautifully ... View the Post

I Worry too Much about Packing, Especially for Paris…

March 7, 2014 Do you worry too much about what to pack? Anticipation is a lot of the fun, but it's possible to reach a point in preparation where you drive yourself slightly nuts; I have reached that point with preparing for Paris next week. For a while, I would just wear something that I really loved, and then (after laundering) hang it onto the rack designated for Paris packing. Okay, so now about 50% of my closet is ready to pack. Clearly not going to work out, eh? And then I get panicky - what should I take? What if I forget something I really love? Will it all fit in my suitcase? You would think that I'd never done this before, or that what I pack will be the most important thing ... View the Post

My Favorite Style is Inappropriate for my Life!

March 6, 2014

I think many of us wrestle with this - we really adore an aesthetic and style that just does NOT translate into our day-to-day life. For example, say this is your idea of a great room - Diana Vreeland certainly thought so:

But this is your typical wardrobe - simple, high-quality neutrals that really don't reflect that colorful exuberance above:

For starters, a red tee shirt seems like the easiest thing to slide into this closet. But consider a richly patterned cardigan and/or skirt. Remember when making your choice that you want to work with your neutral core, so you should look for elements of black and white, if possible. And more importantly, these items should satisfy that longing for ornate opulence that ... View the Post

The Vivienne Files FAQ: Are Accessories Necessary?

March 4, 2014 Do you have to buy and wear accessories? Absolutely not - except most of us will have to wear shoes... But I very strongly feel that just a few well-chosen accessories can make a world of difference in how the simplest of garments come together into ensembles. If you're not comfortable wearing scarves, find a way to just throw one around your neck one day and then do your utmost to ignore it for as long as possible. Make sure your first scarf isn't anything floaty or filmy that's going to blow up into your face at the first opportunity. Maybe something quite small, tied up and out of the way so that you won't even really see it... Jewelry is also pretty useful - earrings especially ... View the Post

The Vivienne Files FAQ: Do I HAVE to buy basic garments?

March 1, 2014 Every day, I get lots of emails with lots of questions. I like that, and I'm happy that you take the time to write to me. ([email protected]) As hard as I try, I don't really have time to answer everybody individually, but your questions make a lot of difference when I choose my content every day. The single question I'm asked the most: "Is it absolutely necessary that I own neutral, simple, basic, plain, boring garments?" Let me say this flat out - if you can find a naturalist community with consistently moderate temperatures and well-groomed walkways, you can go without purchasing ANY CLOTHING AT ALL for the rest of your life. I know this is reducto ad absurdum, but sometimes we need ... View the Post

How to Pack for Slushy Streets

February 14, 2014 Lucky me - I'm going to New York for a few days next week! Belovedest has to go to a series of meetings there, and we had a free plane ticket, and so... But this is a particularly dicey time of year to travel - there's no telling what I'm going to find for weather. So the first thing we have to always plan is what the "drop dead" plan is for cancellations, i.e., at what point do we go back home after a number of delays. But once that's settled, I also have to face that fact that I'm not going to be happy slopping around Manhattan unless I have serious footwear - specifically, my Bogs. And they're... bulky... really, really bulky... I could wear them on the plane, but I'm going ... View the Post