The Vivienne Files - Page 259 of 260 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Things Europeans own: Hot water bottles

The first time I met Vivienne, I was unpacking my suitcase, and she was opening a bottle of wine and torturing the room service staff to find us some food. (she works for the hotel, so it wasn't really torture, more like good-natured teasing to challenge them to feed us on the sly...)

It was November, I think, and the room I was going to be staying in for the week had not been occupied for some time. So Vivienne, very helpfully, tells me that I should get out my hot water bottle (La bouillotte, as she would say) and tuck it into the bed now to take the chill off the sheets.

Well, I was NOT travelling with une bouillotte at the time, which didn't terribly surprise her, and so it passed from my mind.

Fast forward to living in ... View the Post

Vivienne Veto: long toenails

I could easily have found a photograph to go with this post (just Google long toenails and you will be enormously creeped-out), but I thought I'd just share a beautiful night photograph of Notre Dame to accompany Vivienne's latest rant.

She works in a hotel in Paris that is very large, and she sees both tourists and business travelers from around the world. Thus, she is... lucky.... enough to see all sorts of fashion statements, both good and bad.

But this morning, I heard from her, and she was pretty inflammatory in her criticism of a guest who was checking in, who had toenails which extended at least an inch beyond the ends of her toes. The guest of course was wearing sandals, which Vivienne pointed out ALSO extended ... View the Post

Traumatized by Trench Coats

Every list of "essential" garments for women includes the trench coat. And I've tried, believe me, I've tried. Two years ago I picked up the lovely thing pictured above, and....

I look like a sausage with a rubber band around it. Deeply and profoundly NOT flattering. I should have known that double-breasted is not a good idea for me, and belting isn't something that I do very often either. But I was determined to take the fashion mavens at their word and I believed that if I just did.... something..... ANYTHING.... differently, this would be the coat of my dreams.

Nope.

So I sold this beauty on ebay, waited 'til I saw the right thing, and I scored the women's version of this:

from Burberry. Okay, ... View the Post

Coup de Coeur

Vivienne taught me years ago that it is essential to only buy things you really love - for which you experience that elusive "coup de coeur". This is a phrase I particularly love, because while it is generally understood to mean love at first sight, it has a more... physical? feeling about it. After all, a coup de pied means a kick, and a coup d'etat means overthrowing the government, so to me, a coup de coeur is like a kick in the heart, or your heart being overturned. What we're looking for here is a really deeply felt, visceral reaction.

And this is something that I've struggled with for a long time. I've always been very influenced by other people's opinions about the right things to own and wear, and so ... View the Post

Paris shopping: Diwali

Of course everybody in Paris wears scarves almost all the time! (seriously, it's true, at least in cooler weather) But these aren't the square, Hermes style silk scarves nearly as often as it's the more relaxed rectangular "echarpes" loosely looped around the neck. And where do these millions of scarves come from?

Diwali - yes, the same word as the Indian festival of lights. There are at least three or four of these stores scattered around Paris - I know of one on the Rue Mouffetard, and also on on the Rue Soufflot just down the hill from the Pantheon. These stores are the absolute mother lode of scarves in any color and any fabric you can imagine! You have to go in with some sort of a plan or clue ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 3

Just a quick snippet of the original Vivienne today...

"As to the matter of shoes - she usually has 3 pair in "rotation" and has 12 pair total. But these shoes are (just like her clothes) the best things she can get her hands on. $300 for a pair of shoes is reasonable to her. But she has them resoled and re-heeled repeatedly; she estimates that shoes last her at least 10 years. I know she's wearing one pair she has had since college, and she's 34 right now." ... View the Post

Vivienne just rocked my world view – again!

I spent all day yesterday ironing. Well, okay, I took a break and baked some banana/chocolate chip muffins, but I spent most of the day unpacking my summer clothes, checking them over, and ironing them. (also working in reverse, packing away all things winter)

So I emailed Vivienne and told her what I was doing, and she wants to know "why does it take you so long?"

And I explain that I've got X number of garments that I don't wear in the fall and winter, but that I need for warmer weather.

First response from Vivienne - of course - you've got too many clothes. I concede that.

And THEN, the killer question: "Why don't you wear the same suits all year around?".

I explain about the weather here - it gets ... View the Post

Easy as…. biscuits?

I firmly believe that at least once every late spring/early summer, dinner should consist of nothing but strawberry shortcake! It's not nutritionally balanced, but it's not the worst thing you could have for a meal, and everybody needs to take some time out once a year and truly savor strawberries. As William Allan Butler reminds us "doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did."

If you really want to look like a cooking genius with very little effort, make homemade biscuits to use as shortcakes. Biscuits are truly one of the easiest foods in the world, if you have the essential tool (show above): a pastry blender (or cutter). Sure, you could ... View the Post

Paris shopping: Au Nom de la Rose

These tiny little shops are tucked all over Paris, and they are like little floral jewelry boxes, with fragrance added. They often spread rose petals on the sidewalk outside their shops, which just about breaks your heart. Floral arrangements are available from the most tiny nosegay (what a treat to carry to dinner!) to the most immense "boy did I screw up" apology bouquet imaginable. Only in Paris could roses be so cherished!

www.aunomdelarose.fr ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 2

I think this will be the regular Wednesday post until I run out of the original content! As I noted last Wednesday, this information remains timeless, which is as good as reason as any to seriously consider incorporating these insights into my life.

"She buys a new outfit every 3 or 4 months, and thus gets rid of an outfit about that same time. This is her work wardrobe only, remember (although that is the lion's share of her clothes) so out of the 15 outfits she has, they last 3 or 4 years each. Bear in mind, she buys REALLY REALLY good things - Sonia Rykiel is one of her favorites. She made a strong point of reminding me that she does NOT dry clean everything each time she wears it. She rinses out sweaters and blouses ... View the Post

A coat that I admired…

Getting off of the train on my way to visit relatives, I started chatting with a woman wearing the above jacket. Her outfit was very simple, black pants and a classic handbag, and the jacket made her look - simple and elegant. I've not had another rain jacket in my shopping plan, but this sighting of sleek chicness has me thinking...

love, Janice ... View the Post

Why am I doing this?

So I’ve been pondering why I chose to revive the Vivienne Files, and I think it comes down to one goal: I want women to be happier than they are. Too many of my friends and acquaintances are bogged down in a routine that seems to have been determined by other people, and they don’t enjoy their relationships, their work, or their own life. They drift, doing what they think they should do, and seldom if ever pause to look at their goals, their dreams, and what plans they have in place to make these things happen.

And, at least to me, it seemed like Vivienne had that all sorted out. She shopped with a plan, saved with a plan, worked with a goal, and overall seemed to live a life of deliberate purpose and intent. I’d ... View the Post