The Vivienne Files - Page 2 of 279 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Let’s Evaluate a Pair of Wardrobes!

December 26, 2025

Happy St. Stephen's Day!

Let's take a look at two of the wardrobes that we worked on this year, to see what we might learn, or what might be added to the wardrobes to make them work better for our heroines.

Bear in mind that THE ONLY REASON to buy clothes is because you need them, and because you're going to wear them a lot. Desire isn't sufficient. Admiration certainly isn't sufficient. Let's get ourselves reacquainted with the true meaning of need.

And let's all try to remember what we felt BEFORE we owned a certain item, and the longing that we felt for that item. if you can recreate that feeling of eagerness to own something every time you pull it out of your closet, your might get more joy out of your ... View the Post

Merry Christmas Eve! Six Paintings for 2026!!!

December 24, 2025

Happy Christmas Eve! Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, if you're alive today, you can have a happy day, right? Every holiday doesn't have to be your own PERSONAL holiday - we can be happy and full of delight for others... That's one of my goals for 2026.

Okay, I've made the decisions. I hate to do this, because I know that almost everybody but me is going to be disappointed that their favorite didn't make the cut. Feel free to leave a comment asking me to take another look at your favorite work of art. Just because something wasn't included in this series doesn't mean that we can't revisit a work. Or two. Or three!

My first choice is a wild-card; this heroine isn't going to be held to a normal budget, nor ... View the Post

Jet Lag + Insomnia = Mental Chaos! I’m Home from Paris…

December 22, 2025

Happy Winter Solstice, to all who celebrate! I know, I'm a day late, but winter will hang around to remind us...

Paris was wonderful. I did NONE of the "normal" tourist things, but as I think this is about my 50th (seriously!) trip to Paris, I felt comfortable eschewing the more expected activities in favor of just hanging out in my neighborhood and pretending that I live there. Delusions of a late middle-aged American woman, but I don't apologize for a second of skipping long lines in favor of walking slowing, smiling a lot, sitting in cafes and watching the beautiful world go by...

I'm just going to dump a bunch of things from my brain onto the keyboard for you; I will try to be coherent! I promise ... View the Post

Cool Weather Travel? Start With a Scarf – William Morris Mixed Patterns by The Met Store

December 19, 2025

If all has gone according to plan for the last eight days, I'm flying back from Paris! Cross your fingers for my experience in the Charles De Gaulle Airport - it's usually dreadful...

Many of you love your navy neutrals, and rely on it particularly when you're traveling. That's the role a dark neutral should play in your wardrobe - what to wear when you might get dirty, or spilled on, or just plan have to wear the same outfit for a really long time!

How about we start with William Morris as our inspiration?

Today's wardrobe isn't going to include red, but it's worth remembering that it is a possibility:

Just as we did on Wednesday, we begin with a dark "suit" to which we add an accent top and our ... View the Post

Don’t Know What to Pack for the Holidays? Start With a Scarf – Snow Globe by kate spade new york

December 17, 2025

I should still be in Paris.... fingers crossed!

I've heard from quite a few people who just don't know what to do when they have to pack for a holiday-season trip. Some people want to go full-tilt festive, while others just want to pack sweatsuits and hide indoors...

I can't necessarily help you know what's best for your trip, but at least for me, I'm finding that starting with a scarf is a good option!

This Christmas content of this scarf is pretty subtle:

And there's nothing about these colors that identifies with any specific holiday:

I'm always going to suggest that you travel in either a "suit-like" ensemble, or a solid column. Why complicate things? Nobody's going to look at this outfit and ... View the Post

The Color Pantone SHOULD Have Chosen for 2026

December 15, 2025

If all is going according to plan, I'm in Paris when you read this! I will NOT be checking emails, messages, or anything else much. I WILL be posting on Instagram, if you want to follow along. I do that so my loved ones in the US know that I'm okay...

Have you read anything about the very controversial choice that Pantone made for their 2026 "Color of the Year"?

They chose some shade of white, which is virtually indistinguishable for most of us from every OTHER shade of white... They call it Cloud Dancer, which is pretty enough, but WHITE?????

So the wise people of the Internet got together and chose a DIFFERENT color: Phthalo green. (the "ph" is silent...)

And it's lovely:

If you wear a lot ... View the Post

It’s Almost 2026, and I Have Choices to Make!

December 12, 2025

If all goes as planned, when you read this, I will be in Paris. Probably in the airport, which is no great bargain...

But let's think about art! I'm kind of thinking that 2026 will be the last year of The Vivienne Files, unless we're still in Chicago, and I still have the time and energy to continue. But let's work with that assumption.

After looking at more art than you can stuff in a 30 gallon garbage bag, I've decided that for next year, I want to revisit artworks that we've seen here in the past. When I do small travel wardrobes - even if we visit the same heroine repeatedly - we never see their complete wardrobe.

If we spend 12 months with each work of art, we can get a more thorough idea of what a ... View the Post

Three Words, Personal Style, and Packing for Paris

December 10, 2025

If all goes as planned (which hasn't been the case recently!), by the time you read this I will be heading to the airport with Belovedest for a trip to Paris. Belovedest is only going for a long weekend; I will be there for a week (yes, he's tough, and we're flying in First Class, so he should get some sleep on the plane).

I'm trying really hard to pack a tiny amount of stuff. When you vacation in the middle of winter, most of the world ONLY sees your winter coat, and even then, they don't pay attention, and they don't care!

Maybe the hardest thing to remember when traveling (or at any other time!) is that you are ONLY the center of attention in your own mind. So long as you are clean, don't smell horrible, don't ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #6: The Swan No. 24 by Hilma Af Klint

December 8, 2025

The last day of the last painting! Unless, of course, I revisit these and analyze them a bit...

She had enough clothes - more than enough, as do we all. But she was really hankering after some more brown. There's something about wearing brown - especially with black - that's different from anything else she had ever worn...

Her wardrobe is all set, for now...

Our heroine would still really love to have a brown and black scarf, and you can easily see how useful it would be for her. But she has to find the right one!

Our heroine had a lengthy internal conversation around the purchase of brown shoes and a brown bag. Normally, she would keep her leather accessories to black, beige, or a metallic. ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #5: Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay

December 5, 2025

Okay, if I wanted to start a new and different wardrobe, THIS would be my choice... Until I get to the next wardrobe!

But this is such a great painting...

I can't believe that this heroine doesn't yet have an ivory cardigan!

And I would love to have found a navy two-piece dress for her, but I think that maybe the dark-wash denim skirt will be more useful; what do you think?

There's something to be learned here; even if your favorite wardrobe color(s) are easy to find in stores, you still don't always see exactly what you have in mind! This puts you in a pretty clear situation: do you need SOMETHING to fill a certain role, or can you wait? I suspect that many of us can wait...

How that we have all ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #4: Street Lights by Stefan Johansson

December 4, 2025

Maybe this isn't the most festive painting in the world, but it's still really beautiful... I find it kind of mesmerizing to imagine standing where the artist stood, looking at the lights across the river:

Our heroine took advantage of some serendipitous finds when shopping. She had whappage for a bright orange sweater, but then was very wise and measured when she decided that the green cabled sweater was going to be a core item in her wardrobe.

The striped top is a calculated experiment: she hasn't worn moc neck tops since she was a child, but she has liked the way they look when layered with a sweater. Further, the colors in this top just cry out to be part of her wardrobe. Therefore, she's going to try ... View the Post

December 2025 Six Paintings – 12 Months #3: Pines by the Sea by Bertha Lum

December 3, 2025

Before we dive into the fund, I have a Public Service Announcement!

Get your wallet out. Take everything out of it, and scan it all, front and back. Now email those files to yourself.

If you happen to lose your wallet, or if it's stolen (as just happened to me), you will be endlessly grateful to yourself for having this information handy... Having to replace your passport 10 days before an international trip is - shall we say - STRESSFUL!

Okay, let's dive into this most lovely painting. Imagine if I get to move to Ireland, and I have to replace my entire wardrobe for some horrible reason. These colors would be so great...

Our heroine was pretty methodical this month! She knew that she wanted some ... View the Post