The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 250 of 269 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Customizing the Classics: the trench coat

Trench – A.P.C.  

Yellow – Burberry, blue – Burberry, green – Lanvin, bright indigo – Burberry, purple – Max Mara, red – Burbearry, raspberry, orange – Burberry  

Sage green – Wallis, white – Ann Demeulemeester, pale grey – Moncler, olive grey – Organic by John Patrick, apricot/lt. blue – Dries van Noten, light denim – Derek Lam, grey – Preen, yellow – L.L.Bean  

Trench coat with ruffled hem – Miu Miu, drawstring hem coat – Acne, san suede waterfall-front coat – Ralph Lauren Black Label, cotton belted coat – Carven, leather jacket – Preston Knight, beige coat with black leather piping – Marni, short waxed cotton jacket – Vince, military style jacket - Gryphon  

Metallic brown ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Packing in taupe & blue

This is the last of the cardigan-based travel wardrobes that started with last week's "Flying in Cardigans".  This assortment is ideal for a short business trip which combines dressy and more casual activities.  I apologize for my currently messed-up schedule, I'm going to have to rely on your imaginations to build all of the possible combinations yourself!

Cardigan – BANK, earrings – Majorica, tee shirt – John Lewis, pants – Michael Kors, cotton parka – Altazarra, loafers – Burberry, scarf – Etro, tote – Michelle Vale  

Linen cardigan - Toast, blue top – Reiss, taupe silk blouse – Alexander Wang, earrings – Amrita Singh, taupe sweater – Paul Smith, Dress – Isaac, cropped pants – Reiss, skirt – Marc Jacobs, ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – What to pack for Paris in grey & black

This is pretty close to what I pack when I go to Paris (or most other major cities that I visit).  I always take a pair of jeans, because we try to go to a rugby match when we're there!  My suitcase would probably have even more jewelry in it, and quite a few scarves; I find that I don't mind wearing monochromatic outfits day after day if I have my favorite accessories with me.   If I had to augment this assortment for a slightly longer trip, I would add a grey cotton twinset, and another pair of capris - maybe in a black and grey paisley print.   If you ever see someone in an airport dressed like this, come up and say hello - it will almost certainly be me!

A Simple Black and Grey Travel ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for Paris in orange and beige

You DO understand that when we invoke the "dream meme" of Packing for Paris, we also mean "a plan for what I will purchase this spring and summer"?  I know we're not all going to Paris, but it's a lovely structure around which to plan this season's carefully curated and deliberately distilled wardrobe additions...And I've got to go to work soon, so you'll have to build your own outfits from these choices.  Someone once commented to me that it was like paper dolls!  Enjoy, and thanks for being here.

Cardigan – Oasis, earrings – Roberto Coin, tee shirt – Michael Stars, khakis – Mulberry, jacket – Burberry, loafers – J. Crew, scarf – Debenhams, tote - Madewell  

Cardigan – Richard Nicoll, Tank – A.L.C., ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for April in Paris, in navy & yellow

Cardigan – Erdem, aquamarine stud earrings – Lord & Taylor, tee shirt – Debenhams, pants – J. Crew, jacket – Barbour, navy loafers – Robert Zur, scarf – Ralph Lauren, tote - bcbg  

Cardigan – L.K. Bennett, scarf – Liberty London, gold hammer stud earrings – Lord & Taylor, aquamarine bracelet – Pippa Small, Sleeveless top – Acne, yellow stone bracelet – Baccarat, Dress – Erdem, navy enamel necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane, navy earrings – Kate Spade, navy skirt – Nicole Farhi, navy flats – Jil Sander, yellow pants – Pucci, cropped pants – Marni, 5 tee shirts – J. Crew, yellow sweater – Burberry Brit, yellow flats - Bloch   ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe based upon a cardigan

A lot of people were very intrigued by my absolute addiction to flying in an argyle cardigan - I got lots of emails asking for variations on the patterned cardigan theme for travel.   My travel policies:  

no jeans, no sweatpants, no pajamas, no yoga pants.  I don't find jeans comfortable for sitting for hours.  You have to remember, when flying from the US to Europe, that you may be wearing the same outfit for the entire day of your arrival.  I don't like to spend my first day in Paris wandering about in pajama pants, no matter how comfortable they were on the plane.  It's not like I'm going to sleep that much on the plane anyway... Small earrings, so I can lean on things and rest during the ... View the Post

The shopping fast: Month 6

This month saw a couple of dinners out with friends, and a couple of job interviews which weren't overwhelmingly dressy - the bakery job didn't really require full-on suiting, thank heavens.  So I found that for another month, I had everything that I needed or wanted, and was comfortable, appropriate, and (I hope) attractive for all activities.

I visit catalogchoice.org every week to continue to pare down my temptations which arrive in the mail.  Fewer catalogs = fewer dead trees, less recycling, and less time thumbing through them looking at things I don't need.

 

 

 

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DIY: What’s Hot, What’s Not

Every season, you can find lists upon lists of "what's hot, and what's not", which basically means "what you should go out and purchase, and what you should throw away".  I refuse to let someone else tell me what I need, like, or prefer, so I decided to put together my own personal "What's Hot" list.  The results follow....Sometime soon, when I catch up on sleep, I'll do a "What's NOT" list too.

 

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I’m really not dead…

But I've started a new job - in a BAKERY!!!  My schedule is totally kerfluffulated (yes, that's the technical term), and my ability to do anything but work and sleep is very limited.

I'll be back, as soon as I get myself sorted out.  I think of you all, every day!

love, Vivienne ... View the Post

From the Style Shelf: Hot Tips by Frances Patiky Stein

Some of the advice was timeless, and some of it is quite dated, but it was a delightful blast from the past to thumb through this again...

My favorite bits from this book were always the "15 ways to wear a ______".  Below is my take on the 15 ways to wear a tee shirt.  Note that I've not bothered with the last 3 suggestions, as 2 of them were to wear a tee shirt over a swimsuit, and the last idea was to wear tee shirts for sleeping.  I think you don't need to see that one illustrated... ... View the Post