The Vivienne Files - Page 153 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Green

December 23, 2015

It's a frequent question: "I really love ______, but it looks terrible on me!"

Well, first, let's answer 2 questions:

Does it REALLY look terrible on you, or were you told that once, about 40 years ago, and it's stuck with you since then? Are you sure that you want to wear this color, or is there some other way to solace your longing? Towels, thrown cushions, table wear, a cell phone cover - there are lots of ways to inject a color into your life without putting in on your person.

Okay, you really DO want to wear this color, and it really DOES make you look ghastly. Maybe it's one of those "local high school" things, or college homecoming, or.... YOU JUST LOVE THE COLOR. You don't have to ... View the Post

Paris 2015: Food, My Hotel, and more about What They Were Wearing

December 22, 2015 First up: food!!!

I personally find it pretty difficult to eat badly in Paris; if you go someplace where you only understand a fraction of what's going on, and where there are lots of people from the neighborhood, the food is bound to be at least acceptable.My last day, I was wandering pretty aimlessly near the Marais, and I spotted a nice looking restaurant, so I decided (since it was nearing 1 p.m., and I was peckish), to stop in for lunch. The formule (set price menu) looked interesting...

A lovely woman seated me, and gave me directions to the toilet. When I wandered back, bemused, she explained that the door slid rather than swung! On such small details swings (or slides?) many a ... View the Post

Paris 2015: Street Things, and What People Were Wearing (part 1)

December 21, 2015 Something I lose sight of, between visits to Paris, is the fact that there is so much really great art on the streets. This trip, I was enjoying the various lions I saw ornamenting and guarding the buildings!

While there were a lot of Christmas decorations all over Paris, they weren't as ubiquitous as they are here in Chicago. But some of them were really spectacular - worth the trip just to see them...

I saw some decorations that I thought were in questionable taste. I'm not crazy about fake snow under any circumstances, so flocked trees have never been my preference. But this just felt over the top:

And I took a couple of pictures that really ... 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

Paris Store Windows, December 2015

Oh, did I window shop....But before I get to that, I have to answer a question someone asked, before I forget: What about my hair care needs when I travel?

This is it. I shower in the evenings, and then untangle my hair again the morning, re-dampen it, and scrunch it with my hands. Stick in a headband, and I'm done! I haven't got a lot of patience for primping; if I had to blow dry my hair every day, I'd shave my head....Makeup = lipgloss, and of course I'm wearing sunscreen. Done.

I have to suggest an very small, empty spray bottle to almost anybody who's going to fly. Yes, you can buy those Evian spray bottles that are going to outlive us all in a landfill, or you can get one of these and refill it after you go through ... View the Post

Choosing an Hermes Scarf, using handbags, shoes, Chanel brooches…

December 18, 2015

Yes, I'm absolutely going to write more about Paris, probably later today, but this was sort of a rush, emergency request...A chance to choose a scarf for a holiday gift... and you wanted to see how they paired with Chanel brooches??!?!?!??!?! Chanel brooches aren't in my usual repertoire, but why not take a look?

She's narrowed it down to these:

This looks a lot like my friend: smoothly coiffed hair, always in immaculate taste. Plus I like the oval pearls that echo the tiny faces in the scarf!

Sometimes, there's nothing more fun than the juxtaposition of a Chico's necklace with a Chanel brooch. Coco would flip...Although I could easily see her in this also, the sheer ... View the Post

The Streets of Paris, December 2015

I had a wonderful time, no hesitations, and no conditions or qualifications apply.

Were things in Paris a little bit different? Yes, a little bit. As I said yesterday, my flight was very "uncrowded", so I anticipated smaller crowds, which was indeed the case. Maybe the thing that I noticed first was that there were French flags on display in unexpected places, including quite a few hanging from the windows of apartments in the city. In some cases, the flag was just a sheet of paper with the flag printed on it, taped to the window. I didn't see thousands of them - this wasn't something organized - but that made it all the more striking and moving when it was seen.

One of the things that I ... View the Post

Getting to Paris from Chicago (and back again), December 2015

December 16, 2015

If you're considering going to Paris soon, DO IT! If nothing else, the trip over was MUCH easier than it's ever been before, in my experience. A lot of people on my flight were no-shows, which meant that lots of us had a ton of space. On both of my flights - to and from Paris - I had a window AND an aisle seat all to myself. On the trip over, some people had ENTIRE middle sections (three seats wide, maybe 4?) in which to stretch out and sleep somewhat comfortably.

I know that a lot of this is the result of no-shows, because I seriously considered upgrading my seat on both legs of the trip, and decided not to because of cost. When I viewed the seat maps online, they showed that there were very few free seats on ... View the Post

Back from Paris

and my circadian rhythms have NO rhythm. You'd think I would figure out jet lag....More very soon, when I've had some sleep. It was a WONDERFUL trip. If you're thinking about going to Paris, do it!

love, Janice ... View the Post

How Do I Define and Refine My Personal Style?

Oooh, I am often asked this, and it's a great question. It's important to have a personal style "mantra" or touchstone of adjectives that help you determine when a purchase might be outside of your realm. And a wee collage of things that inspire you wouldn't be the worst idea either.I also like the concept of trying to imagine a potential purchase as being part of a larger "family" of items that might make it into your wardrobe. Yes, you really like the earrings, but do you want the ENTIRE grouping to be in your closet? Maybe best not let the rogue into the house, lest he bring the entire tribe along...

This is an exercise in Choosing a Scarf: A Black and White Hermes

This was a post about Choosing a ... View the Post

Can I Wear Warm and Cool Colors Together?

Whether you're transitioning from one "season" to another (wardrobe color season, not time of year season), or you just don't want to be limited by guidelines about color combining, a lot of you ask about wearing warm and cool colors together. I particularly enjoy these posts; I'm just enough of an iconoclast to get a kick out of breaking that particular rule!

love, Janice

Start with Art: Joan of Arc by Jules Bastien-Lepage - a really striking painting, and a cool-weather "Whatever's Clean 13" that uses both camel and grey, with pink and deep green accents. Unusual, and very lovely!

Start with a Scarf: Capri Scarf from Radical Chic - a summer "Four by Four" wardrobe that uses beige and white as a base, ... View the Post

How to Pack Light for the Beach

Another question that seems to come up frequently is about how to pack for a beach vacation. I love thinking about this "problem", and I've got a few older posts that you can review that might help you with your very "sad" dilemma.love, Janice

Start with Art: The Boating Party, by Mary Cassatt - a traditional navy and white summer wardrobe, with accents of turquoise and yellow. No swimsuits - I've been told that many of you have no need of swimwear.

Warm Weather Travel in Brown and Pink - Step by Step - how to decide how much to pack, including options for both a long weekend and a week-long vacation.

Dressing modestly in a hot climate: travel in blue and tan - some ideas about what to pack when you're going to a ... View the Post