The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 224 of 288 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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

Neutral Accessories: Earrings, Part 2

December 7, 2013   I love the subtle colors of some of these earrings - the brown diamonds are unexpected, and low-key, but very appealing...  And once you learn that certain semi-precious stones are perfect for your neutral color choices, your hunt for jewelry can be much more focused.   A couple of earrings here are gold, withOUT a stone of any sort, but I chose them because they felt like they had the right... aura?.. for the neutral in question.  Some colors are just plain difficult to find!  

love, Janice ... View the Post

Neutral Accessories: Earrings Part 1

December 6, 2013

Silver stud earrings - Chen Fuchs, grey pearl stud earrings - Majorica,  grey star stud earrings - Esther Greville,  grey and gold studs – Samira13, blue quartz studs - Judith Ripka,  tassel earrings - jenny jenny,  lapis studs – Barbara Rybarova, silver and lapis studs - Boticca  

Inverted diamond earrings – Q, squared studs – Dorothy Perkins, pearl drop earrings – Novica, blue topaz earrings – Novica, crystal pave earrings – Loft,square earrings – Ann Taylor, spike stud earrings – Luis Morais, pearl stud earrings - Novica  

Half-moon earrings – Novica,  Olive studs – Otte NY, green amethyst earrings – Ice.com, tourmaline drop earrings- Ylang23,  blue topaz studs ... View the Post

Quarterly Shopping: 4th Quarter 2013

December 5, 2013

I discovered when I was on my seemingly endless road trip that I wore the same earrings for 11 straight days - the earrings pictured above.  I love that sort of thing - when I find something that's so perfect that I don't mind constantly wearing it...Since the beginning of October, I bought the earrings, a striped sweater, and a new pair of grey pants to replace the pants of years gone by that collapsed from fatigue.  Belovedest bought the terribly beautiful scarf for me...  I already adore it.

I don't have the charcoal skirted leggings yet - they aren't going to be in the store for 2 weeks, but they're my last purchase for 2013.  The link for the skirted leggings takes you to the black version, which are ... View the Post

Small Changes that Make a Big Difference

December 3, 2013

Now that my mother is living in a nice warm climate, I've repossessed some sweaters that I have given her over the years. My  favorite is this Irish cardigan, from the Blarney Woolen Mills...

But I didn't like the wood buttons.  There's nothing particularly wrong with wood buttons, I just didn't like them.  So I changed them for bone buttons.

I'm much happier now...

Sometimes you just have to really look and think through why you're dissatisfied, and take appropriate action.  This was a $10, 20 minute fix.  I now have a cardigan that I will literally wear for the rest of my life.

love,

Janice ... View the Post

Plagued by the Muchness of Sameness

I don't imagine that it surprises you to learn that I look at literally thousands, if not tens of thousands, of garments and accessories each day.  Of course I peruse most of these online while I'm building beautiful vignettes to share with you, but I look at them nonetheless.Why do I have to look at so much STUFF every day?  Because the vast majority of it either (a) looks like most of the other things I've seen, or (b) looks cheap, poorly made, poorly photographed, and utterly unworthy of your attention.  Often, I see clothes that qualify for both (a) and (b)... the true losers of the wardrobe world.

What can we do to combat this infinite sameness?

1.  Don't give in to it.  Buying basics is wise and often a ... View the Post

Thanksgiving Irony

Today, in the US, we're supposed to take a day off and reflect upon our many blessings, and the abundance of our lives.

Tomorrow, we're supposed to go buy stuff that we really really need.

Maybe, tomorrow, try to remember how contented and comfortable you feel today, and sincerely question what you're buying.

love, Janice ... View the Post