The Vivienne Files - Page 170 of 286 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Paris Store Windows, December 2015

December 18, 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 ... 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

December 17, 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 ... 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

December 12, 2015 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 ... View the Post

How to Plan a Warm-Weather Capsule Wardrobe

It's the most popular question I am asked right now - what to plan for warm weather? It seems that a fair number of people are moving south, either for the winter, or for good!

I've thought about this a lot, and have written about it in the past. Maybe these posts will be helpful?

love, Janice

A Summer Common Wardrobe - a fairly casual warm-weather wardrobe in black and white

Start with a Bird: Northern Flicker - a Four by Four Wardrobe in black, beige, orange and green, including shorts and sleeveless tops.

Start with Art: "A Mysterious Hand Leads to Another Path" by Jan Toorop - a collection of warm-weather outfits in soft, powdery colors, that make a great-looking wardrobe when assembled together.

Four ... 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

Choosing an Accent Color for Charcoal

December 9, 2015 One of my favorite colors - easier to wear than black, and easier to pull together outfits! So long as your grays are in the same general tone, things don't have to match exactly - always a help.

I used all kinds of schemes for finding pieces this time - I started by looking at men's scarves (always a mystery to me...). The crinkled scarf here is worth taking a look - it's actually a large image of Napoleon. Wearing sunglasses. Designers are an interesting lot, aren't they? (and PLEASE admire that I found square earrings to echo the gridlike nature of the quilted jackets... these are the things that entertain me no end! and the earrings on the left combine the warmth of gold and the coolness ... View the Post

Choosing an Accent Color for Teal or Petrol Blue

December 8, 2015

First up, I have to confess that the whole question about what, exactly, this color is called is a mystery to me. I found all sort of shades and tones of these color under both Teal and Petrol blue. It seemed, in a general sense, that it was more likely to be called Teal in North America, and Petrol blue in Europe. Further, the things that claimed to be Petrol were generally more expensive than those that were called Teal. You may find different examples...But whatever it's called, it's very pretty!

In the time that I've been looking into the idea of accent colors, I've approached finding ideas a few different ways. Some color I just knew would work well, and some were combinations that I have wanted to ... View the Post