The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 264 of 285 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Just because I really like you…

I'm going back through ALL of my old posts, and "re-tagging" them to have the colors of the wardrobes included in the tags.

What does this mean to you?  You can find every navy wardrobe.  Or green.  Or grey.  At the bottom of each post, there's a list of "tags" for that particular post.  If you click, for example, on the words business travel, you will be shown all of my posts that I have tagged as being of a style that suits business travel.

This is a long process, and not a precise one.  If you have suggestions about how I might label any particular post, PLEASE, let me know.

The whole purpose of this blog is to give you ideas and suggestions.  If I can do anything that makes that process easier, I ... View the Post

The shopping fast: Month 7

It's amazing how much wearing a uniform for work can change the way you look at getting dressed in the morning!  Most days, by biggest concern is getting my tie tied correctly, or seeing if I can finagle being allowed to wear a hairnet rather than a visor or ball cap.  Oddly enough, the hairnet is cooler, and doesn't interfere with my peripheral vision as much.  Plus, I sell more because I get that little old lady sympathy purchase...  

But I did dress up a few times - working the pink and grey combo a lot this month...

 

On St. Patrick's Day, in honor of the last day of the 6 Nations Rugby tournament, I wore my completely out of character "This is NOT Soccer" tee shirt...

 

  And late in ... View the Post

Customizing the Classics: The Navy Blazer

Navy blazer – Armani Jeans    

Biker – Dorothy Perkins, silk twill – Jil Sander, wool – Balenciaga, silk tussah – Stella McCartney, waterfall – John Lewis    

Double-breasted cardigan – Marc by Marc Jacobs, self-belted cardigan – Steffen Schraut, leather belted cardigan – Michael Michael Kors, silk cardigan with pockets – Marc Jacobs    

Grey, black and taupe blazers – Topshop, brown blazer – Jil Sander    

Navy merino cardigan – J. Crew, black cardigan – Zadig et Voltaire, beige belted cardigan- Schumacher, white drawstring cardigan – Hugo Boss     ... View the Post

A Chic Sighting, and a cautionary note on “payday shopping”

So I finally get a day off, and wandered about down in the "Loop" meeting a friend for lunch, stopping by to see belovedest, and just hiking about taking in the sights...  The young lady represented in the above assembled outfit was a shining light of cheer on a gloomy day; I first noticed her radiant smile, but her well-curated outfit caught my eye too!

And another thing I saw: payday shopping.  Back when I was in soft-goods retail, we always knew that the 15th of each month, and the last day of each month, would be very busy at lunch time, and after the end of the office work day.  Why?  Insert graphic of money burning a hole in someone's pocket.

There's nothing theoretically wrong with shopping the same day you ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing in grey, teal & claret

Claudia asked about a travel wardrobe in grey, with accents of teal and merlot.  What lovely colors to work with...  If this isn't exactly appropriate for the weather anticipated, shorter sleeves, and maybe capris could be substituted for some of the items here.  As always, I'm long on accessories, and layering possibilities...Enjoy!

 

The Travel Outfit

Tee shirt – J. Brand, blue diamond studs – ice.com, cardigan – Patagonia, Grey pants – Stella McCartney, scarf – Missoni, teal washed leather oxfords – Maison Martin Margiela, tote bag – Big Buddha  

The Travel Capsule Wardrobe

Wool/silk abstract scarf – Oolmoo, grey wrap top – Yves Saint Laurent, grey scarf – White & Warren, wavy scarf – ... View the Post

My Wardrobe: season-less essentials

These next eight garments are things that I wear almost the entire year - maybe not the dog days of August, or the teeth of a bitter blizzard (not that I really remember what that's like), but month in, month out, these clothes never go into storage.And the accessories - same thing.  They are my standby goodies, over and over again.

Both striped tops - L.L.Bean bot tee shirts - Lands' End both dresses - Lands' End both pair of pants - Eddie Bauer

Scarves - Hermes Flacons, and Jardins des Metamorphoses earrings - Cartier Stone necklace - J. Jill pearls - Etsy gold penny loafers - Cole Haan cross-body bag - Osgoode Marley Tote bag - Tumi

If I were to pack the eight solid black garments I chose for my last wardrobe ... View the Post

A Black Dress: From Conference Room to Cocktails

I did a "conference to cocktails" post over at Tish's last week, and quite a few people asked me to replicate the project with a neutral-colored dress.   A very near version of this LBD is in my closet already, so this was a lot of fun to put together!   Any other requests?  Pants?  A suit?  Let me know...  

   

Bracelets – 1928, Red scarf – Yves Saint Laurent, red ballet flats – Repetto, black & white beaded scarf – 

Kate Spade, black wristlet – Stella & Dot, black diamond & pearl earrings – Astley Clarke, 

slingback shoes – Robert Clergerie    

Black & white cardigan – L’Wren Scott, black diamond stud earrings – Lord ... View the Post

Chic sightings: LaGuardia International Airport

One common characteristic that all of these women shared: a sense of planning.  They weren't over-burdened with a bunch of stray bags, they knew where their ID and boarding pass were, their hair was neat and clean, they wore modest but attractive makeup, they just didn't appear to be frazzled and out of control.  And some of the outfits that you might assume were worn by younger women were in fact being sported with great elan by women of a certain age.  With confidence and flair...

 

London 2012 sweatshirt – John Lewis, White capris – Monsoon, ballet flats – French Sole, black dress – DKNY, blue cardigan – Kenzo, tights – Fogal, bag – 3.1 Phillip Lim, pumps – ... View the Post