The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 234 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Paris: shopping @ Agnes B., Muji, French Trotters

Of COURSE we shopped.  It would require super-human discipline for belovedest and I to stay out of stores in Paris.  Partly, of course, shops in Paris are a great opportunity to get some insights into the French aesthetic - the way the stores are arranged, the way the merchandise is displayed - it's just NOT like shopping in Chicago.And then, there are some stores that just don't exist in Chicago - specifically Agnes B. (who had a store here which closed a few years ago), Muji, and French Trotters.  If I were absolutely forced to purchase all of my clothing from one store, it would be Agnes B.; her designs appeal to me completely.  And Muji is just cool - streamlined products of every possible sort.  French Trotters ... View the Post

“It’s Not in My Plan”

My best friend, whom I refer to as Slim, is possibly the best-dressed woman I've ever known.  What makes this fact even MORE fun is the knowledge that she buys over half of her clothes from ebay or from consignment shops and thrift stores.  Her taste is exquisite, and her ability to find a high-quality item in a sea of ordinary is almost supernatural.

She told us a story Saturday about a recent shopping excursion to one of her favorite consignment shops.  She was looking for black pants, and found a pair of Jil Sander pants for $50. (easily less than 10% of the original retail price)

But the extraordinary part of her tale: she also saw a sea foam green cabled cashmere sweater, in her size, on sale for $28. ... View the Post

Capsule Wardrobe Project 333: from the sublime to the ridiculous

After we got back from Paris, belovedest and I agreed that we could have packed less - we had more options than we strictly needed, and we wouldn't have minded having even SMALLER bags...And that made me start pondering the number of options inherent in any "Project 333" that includes 33 pieces of clothing - theoretically more than 1,000.

So, I started illustrating them all....  and my brain ground to a halt at 160 outfits.  This would easily get me through 5 months, and I haven't even begun to address the possibilities of my dresses.  Wow.  I really do NOT need a lot of clothes - I re-learn this fact every day.

Note: although you can't really tell here, the 3 pair of black pants are VERY different from each other ... View the Post

Parisiennes: White Jeans in October

Women of all ages were still wearing white jeans, without seeming to even consider that they might be "out of season".  Except for avoiding slush and puddles, why NOT wear white jeans all year 'round?  The ban on white is sort of archaic, isn't it?

Jeans – J Brand, plaid shirt – Patagonia, loafers – Vaneli, sweater – Sheinside, pink loafers - Valentino  

Jeans – J Brand, sweater – Elizabeth and James, oxfords – Mel, flowered sweater – Dolce & Gabbana, kitten-heel pumps – Stuart Weitzman  

Jeans – J Brand, blouse – Equipment, white leather jacket – Blk Dnm, purple flats – Puma, chambray shirt – Madewell, cardigan – Zadig & Voltaire, pink flats - Modcloth  

Jeans – J ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Alphonse Mucha Summer

Yes, there's plenty more to come from Paris, after jet lag has released it's relentless grip...This painting made me want to find things that were soft, feminine, but with a certain inner strength or control.  The expression on her face is pretty confident!

Tee shirt – Thakoon, corduroy jeans – Current/Elliott, ankle boots – Mango, cashmere turtleneck – Eickhoff, skirt – 3.1 Phillip Lim, pumps – Salvatore Ferragamo    

Top – Moschino Cheap & Chic, skirt – Jenni Kayne, sandals – Dorothy Perkins, halter dress – Missoni, sandals – Manolo Blahnik    

Dress – Diane von Furstenberg, slingbacks – Miu Miu, blouse – Aubin & Wills, pleated skirt – Alexander McQueen, ballet flats - ... View the Post

Paris: Hotel Pavillon des Lettres

Our hotel was perfect.  It's rare that anybody can say that with complete sincerity, but in this case, there was absolutely nothing we would have changed.

The Pavillon des Lettres is a 26-room hotel, designed around the theme of authors.  Rather than numbering the rooms, they assign each of them a letter (hence the 26 works our very well).  Each room is then dedicated to an author who's last name begins with the letter of the room.

We stayed in Ibsen.  It was very small by the American standard of "one must be able to square-dance in one's hotel room" (yet another reason to pack lightly!), but exquisitely designed, quiet, and comfortable.

Anybody who believe that Parisians are rude has never stayed at this hotel ... View the Post

A Common Capsule Wardrobe, with brown

She has an unnatural fondness for trees... Rumor has it that she once sat in one for a VERY long time, to keep it from being cut.

 

Knitted scarf – Missoni, rings & stud earrings – Jenny Bird, square scarf – Bottega Veneta, drop earrings – Leva, 

watch – WE WOOD, necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane, bag – Embawo, studded bracelet – Karen London,

 tube bracelet – Marc Jacobs, wool cashmere scarf – Epice, flats – Born, belt – Isabel Marant, boots- Mulberry  

 

 

  ... View the Post

How I Pack: The Clothes…

October 4, 2012   Now that I'm appropriately dressed for flying, the first thing I'll pack will be an outfit in solid black.  This gives me my "core of 4" in black...  

 It's hard to imagine, but at this point, with six articles of clothing, I in fact have twelve different outfits.  Okay, twelve different, really REPETITIOUS outfits, but this would in theory be "do-able" for a while.  Remember, nobody is keeping track of what you wear (if they are, they've got bigger problems than you can solve), and you can always get laundry done while traveling.  Accessories could brighten this up quite a bit, too.

 

  The other thing I definitely plan for is any activity that I'm sure of, that ... View the Post

How I Pack: my Travel Outfit

For me, the single most crucial decision in travel is what to wear on the plane.  It's all well and good to say that I'm carrying my luggage onto the plane, and thus I'm not going to be trapped in these clothes forever, but...

One may be "requested" to check one's bag.  Thus, it goes where no man has gone before, and you may not see it for quite a while. Flight delays.  You may be wearing these clothes a LOT longer than your schedule suggests. Hotel check-in timing - when we arrive in Paris, it will only be about 8 a.m.  Arriving in the city between 9 and 9:30, we will be HOURS too early to check into our room.  Thus, my first three or four hours in Paris will be spent wearing these same clothes.

I see ... View the Post