The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 204 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

From Desk to Dinner Party: Incorporating a Gem Tone into Neutrals

December 20, 2013   Many of you ask me about incorporating a brightly color blouse or shirt into their neutral wardrobe, particularly for evening events.  So I'm using the same basic "suit" type garments that we've seen before, and bringing in bright red, emerald green, and ruby...   Note that, while it's tempting to echo the color of the accent in shoes or another accessory, it's not strictly necessary.  So long as your accessories are festive, your look will be coherent and beautiful.   More tomorrow!  

  love, Janice     ... View the Post

In Which I do NOT buy Something, but Rather Choose to Sell…

December 19, 2013

Too much stuff!!!  I'm plagued by it...  I want to sell these four scarves, to start...  Send me an email at [email protected] and we'll talk...

What actually got me started on the selling was a recent decision I made NOT to buy the charcoal grey skirted leggings that I'd been coveting for weeks.

When I was getting dressed, just a day or two ago, I grabbed my wonderful grey wool pants from Pendleton.  I've had them for quite a while, and they're wonderful, classic, high-quality, and I don't wear them nearly as often as I should...

And then I realized that I also own a pair of grey "slouch" pants from Eileen Fisher.  Wonderful pants...

AND, I have a grey wool Pendleton ... View the Post

From Desk to Dinner Party: More Silk Blouses

December 18, 2013

When combing through your wardrobe for something to use as the "key" piece in a day-to-night transition, remember that most of the focus will be on your face, especially if you're sitting at a dinner table.  Look for the key ideas of shine, sparkle, shimmer, any kind of texture-y interest, and don't forget that sleeveless often conveys a sense of occasion...Velvet pants are among my favorite garments - I wear them all fall and winter, for regular days as well as festive moments.  This mix of brown and black is a great opportunity to wear smoky quartz jewelry...

  A beautiful lace blouse is comfortably businesslike under a knit blazer, but can stand alone with feminine dash after business ... View the Post

From Desk to Dinner Party: Silk Blouses

December 17, 2013   If you know you have to go straight from work to a nice dinner, it's easy to plan ahead so that you can look special without having to do a complete change of clothes.   First off - even if you wear jeans, a nice silk tee shirt can spend the day under a cardigan and a scarf, but then can stand on its own with a gorgeous necklace and festive, but still comfortable, shoes.  

  A beautiful blue blouse (that matches your eyes?) looks perfectly serious and businesslike under a cardigan during your business day.  But lose the cardigan, pop on some dazzling earrings, and a slightly dressier shoe, and you're ready to go.   If you have any reason to believe that you're going to have to ... View the Post

The Winner of the Novica $25 Gift Certificate

This morning, last Monday's post had exactly 100 comments!  I love the tidiness of that...

And the winner is comment #40:

Sue - from the most excellent blog "Over 60 and Over Here"!

Sue, send me an email and I'll send the code for your gift certificate.  And you MUST blog about your purchase - I'm dying to know what you get.

Thank you, everyone, for entering.  Novica is a really worthy place to buy something beautiful... ... View the Post

Petrol Black and White for Uncertain Weather: A 12-Pack for Mostly Warm Weather

December 16, 2013  

You probably remember that we started last Friday with a core of six garments that would be suitable for a long weekend, and then on Saturday, I expanded the capsule travel wardrobe to a 12-pack, for cooler weather.  Now I'm going to do basically the same thing, only oriented toward a much warmer visit...Again, six carefully-chosen garments:

Shorts - I like white, but you could easily choose black or petrol. A great printed tee shirt that includes all three of your colors. A beautiful fluid top in your accent color, and A skirt that combines your accent color and either of your neutrals. Another top - dressier than a tee shirt - that can be worn with either of your neutrals, and A ... View the Post

Petrol, Black and White: A Twelve-Pack for Uncertain, Mostly Cool, Weather

December 14, 2013  

 Yesterday we packed six garments, for a short week or long weekend, and for uncertain weather.

 Today, I'm assuming that we know our trip is going to be longer - up to two weeks or more, and that we know that most of our weather exposure is going to be colder. So in addition to the original six garments we packed, I'm adding six more carefully chosen items, and a few accessories.  The clothing items are chosen in pairs - sort of like adding outfits, but with an eye to being sure that we can use each item in a variety of ways.

Another pair of pants is very important in cool weather, so black jeans are my first addition. With the black cardigan, it's a long line of black that can have ... View the Post

Petrol, Black and White: A Six Pack for Uncertain or Changing Weather

December 13, 2013   Maybe the question I am asked most frequently - how do I pack when I'm not sure what the weather will be, or when I know that I'm going from cold to warm (or warm to cold) temperatures?   Things to keep in mind:

Avoid any garment that's overtly "one climate" - like a bulky cable knit sweater, or a filmy linen tunic. Try as much as possible to choose what you pack from that middle-ground of transitional clothes.  Consider:

merino sweaters (or cotton, or silk, or a blend of these), cotton blouses and tee shirts, pants in flat finish fabrics like crepe, twill or gabardine, and dresses that can be layered under a sweater or worn alone.

Plan around a color scheme that will be ... View the Post

Neutral Accessories: Scarves, Part 1

December 11, 2013  

As much as I love to use a scarf as an accent to an outfit, once the weather starts to get cold, I find that I often turn to my black, black and white, or grey scarves.  A little bit of texture, a subtle print, or a pattern can lend a lot of interest to a monochromatic outfit.Tomorrow, I'll show you scarves from the other 8 neutral colors - I'm now including rust and teal as neutrals!

  love, Janice ... View the Post

Wonder Kids – Solving Something I Do Badly

I don't have children, and none of my close friends have children.  There are pigs that know more about PowerPoint than I know about little kids...  Once a child reaches the age of seven or eight, and has some hobbies and some interests, I can treat them like a tiny, ridiculously cute, apprentice adult and get them cool grown-up stuff.  But small children - I'm clueless.

So Saturday, when I ran into the lovely people from Wonder Kids, I was thrilled. Cool bath towel capes, for home or the beach?   Bring them on!

I chose to post today about their products because I was so delighted to find a locally made, affordable, appropriate gift for small children, and I wanted to share the information in case there were other ... View the Post

My Present for Myself, and a Giveaway for You!

December 9, 2013

I've been meaning to get a new silver chain necklace for years - I had a beautiful one that was stolen about 10 years ago, but I've just never seen one that had "whappage" - that quality that causes something to stick in your mind...But I've spent a lot of time looking at Novica recently for jewelry to show you here, and in the course of all that looking, I saw this simple yet appealing critter:

Since I've been linking to so much Novica jewelry, I wanted to know for a fact that their things were nice - high quality and good value.  After receiving this chain last week, I can vouch for this company without reservations - this chain is heavy, meticulously finished, and came packaged in a way that you don't get ... View the Post