The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

The Vivienne Files - Page 264 of 282 - Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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

my wardrobe: a very deliberate second step

What I wear all winter long - to "go-to" wardrobe for almost any occasion:

black cashmere cardigan - Lands' End.  If my entire wardrobe horribly disappears, this might be the first garment I replace.  Goes over every tee shirt, dress, or blouse, all year long. the short-sleeved sweater that matches the cardigan - also Lands' End.  Like a tee shirt, but cashmere.   black cashmere turtleneck - Lands' End AGAIN.  I wear it with jeans, I wear it with silk pants, I wear it with a velvet skirt. black cashmere v-neck sweater - LE, of course.  over a tee shirt, or on it's own... black velvet jeans - Eileen Fisher.  Jeans, but so much more. black velvet corduroy trousers - Eddie Bauer.  I love these pants ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for spring break – no bikinis, no shorts

The most interesting thing I've discovered in building four spring break wardrobes is how many items can be worn regardless of one's age or preferred level of modesty.  Every wardrobe has had a striped tee shirt or two, a Chan Luu bracelet, ballet flats, the same white denim skirt, a tote bag, some simple tee shirts, and a cardigan or two.  Timeless, indeed!    

     

Navy silk tunic – Vince, Swim dress - Speedo, cover up/tunic – Milly Ava, silk dress – Yves Saint Laurent, flowered dress - Lanvin, striped tee shirt – Velvet, grey tee shirt, white tee shirt – Acne, glitter espadrilles – Toms, navy sandals – Dezario, linen cropped pants – Seasalt, flowered skirt – Cacharel, grey twill ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for spring break, leaving straight from the office

It's not uncommon to have to go straight from the office to the train/car/airport, so this selection accommodates that need.  An oxford striped shirtdress as a swimsuit cover-up, some more modest shorts, and more dresses than before make this a very adult vacation ensemble!  

Tee – Splendid, blazer & pants – 3.1 Phillip Lim,  tote – Alexander McQueen, earrings – ice.com, bracelet – Chan Luu,  flats – Bottega Veneta, carry-on bag - Victorinox  

swimsuits – Nina Ricci, flat metallic sandals – Jimmy Choo, navy & white striped oxford shirtdress – Thom Browne, stripeacd dress – Michael Kors, print cardigan – Crumpet England, Dress – Diane Von Furstenberg, draped top – Alloy, white sneakers ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for spring break, in red, white and black

This is a bit more adult version of yesterday's pack, with longer shorts, an additional skirt, nicer quality sandals... but it's really all about the tote bag!  

Tee – A.P.C., Jeans – Yves Saint Laurent, black linen blazer – Paul Smith, tote – Totem, earrings – Debenhams, bracelet – Mars & Valentine,  flats – Tod’s, carry-on bag - Rimowa  

swimsuits – Norma Kamali, shirtdress – Miu Miu, red studded sandals – Balenciaga, cardigan – Organic by John Patrick Sleeveless dress – Valentino R.E.D., draped neck top – Steffen Schraut, striped top – Tsumori Chisato, white skirt – Closed, shorts – Marc by Marc Jacobs, white sandals – Miu Miu, tank tops – Patagonia, black & white sandals – Matt Bernson, ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for spring break, in aqua and ocean blue

A young reader asked me to suggest what to pack for spring break, based on her preferred water colors, and on two bikinis she owns.  These are my ideas...  

Tee – J. Crew, Jeans – Place des Tendances, cardigan – J. Crew, tote – Modcloth, earrings – Jamie Joseph, bracelet – Chan Luu,  flats – Nine West, carry-on bag - Heys       Note that I ALWAYS recommend long pants, closed-toe shoes, and a cardigan or jacket for travel.  When you embark on a voyage, you truly have no idea how long you'll be traveling, or under what conditions.  But you know that (a) planes are cold, (b) airports are big, and (c) it's nicer to take off too much clothing than it is to wrap oneself in an airplane ... View the Post

My Wardrobe: the curating begins!

So I've decided that I'm going to curate my wardrobe in groupings of eight, in keeping with the plan that seems to be working so well for other wardrobes that I build!  And first up, the highly utilitarian work wardrobe for the winter holidays.  Cotton turtlenecks from Lands' End, sweatshirts from Lands' End and Adidas, and jeans from NYDJ (stretch jeans are ESSENTIAL if climbing is in your job description).  I didn't need a lot of clothes, because I'd have to come home most evenings and immediately launder whatever I'd been wearing...   To me, this wardrobe, while not particularly dressy or innovative, is elegant, if you define elegance as simple, timeless, and appropriate to the situation at ... View the Post

Wardrobe: Warm Colors, Casual Styles

Lots of people really liked my post about a "Chanel-inspired" wardrobe based on 2 suits, but expressed concern because they found it too dressy.  So I've tried here to work from the same general idea - four garment groupings in 2 neutral shades, and then build around them for a 24-piece wardrobe.  This is primarily a very casual wardrobe, with only one skirt, and one dressy blouse.  There are some flowers, and some lace, and the obligatory Spring 2012 pair of "fashion color" pants...  Enjoy!

Sweater – Topshop, pants – Rabens Saloner, tee shirt – Shakuhachi, denim pants – A.L.C., olive sweater – Cacharel, olive pants – Closed,  blouse – Bruuns Bazaar, shorts – Denim & Supply  

Beige Cardigan – ... View the Post

Drool-worthy, or how’s your legacy looking?

February 12, 2012

 

So if you're not busy Friday, there's an auction of vintage Hermes items, in Paris.

Artcurial has Hermes auctions twice a year - vintage everything made by Hermes.  Just scrolling through the lots here will give you food for many drooling dreams...

Which begs the question in my mind: am I leaving anything behind me, at the end of my life, which would even be WORTH auctioning?

I don't want to have wasted every penny I've ever spent on things that my heirs will just throw away...

love,

Janice ... View the Post

The Follies of Reckless Experimentation

One of my great assets has always been my skin.  It's pale, smooth, and immune to pretty much any abuse - I could wash my face with laundry detergent, and I don't think it would matter much!  So when a very dear friend of mine gave me a few skincare product samples to try, I didn't think there was any risk involved.

Now mind you, this was product from a VERY reputable company, and it is quite well-known stuff.  Desirable, even.  Quite high priced, and considered to be the bee's knees of beauty goop.

So I apply said goop to my normally asbestos face.  60 seconds later, itching.  90 seconds later, a shade of red normally seen on ripe summer fruits.  120 seconds later, AMAZING swelling commences.  121 ... View the Post

Chic Sightings in the Chicago Loop: red coats

Maybe because it's been dark and gloomy, or maybe because Valentine's Day is barreling down upon us, but I've seen quite a few red coats in the last week, on women from 18 to 80.  They certainly brighten up an otherwise severe city sidewalk!

Red jacket – Donna Karan, black skinny jeans – Rag & Bone, red hi tops – Converse Chuck Taylor, red peacoat – DSquared2, striped scarf – John Lewis, navy trousers – Reiss, navy loafers – Easy Spirit,  

Trench – Burberry,  tote bag – Kate Spade, black boots – Liz Claiborne, black tights – Oasis, scarf – Yves Saint Laurent, wool coat – Mauro Grifoni, grey pants – Viyella, patent loafers – Kate Spade   ... View the Post