The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for 1 night in New York with no suitcase

Yes, I'll be in New York for about 24 hours - I'm flying in, having dinner, sleeping (I hope), and then running literally TWO errands the next morning, and flying back.  Because I'm going to be racing about with very little "down time", I've determined that I don't want to pack more than I'm prepared to carry with me at all times...To the rescue - the Tumi bag that I've been carrying for almost 10 years as a brief case.  It was originally a diaper bag, but it's logged more miles as an all-purpose bag than I can remember.  I've determined that I'm NOT going to wear my usual argyle cardigan - switching from black & white stripes to grey with Hermes will give me at least a different feeling on the 2nd day. Clothing, pajamas, ... 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

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.

 

  ... 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, 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

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

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for Uncertain weather, in black & grey

Pearl earrings – Majorica, Gray blazer – Stella McCartney, striped tee shirt – A.L.C., grey trench – Burberry, black cotton pants – Michael Kors, bags – Tumi, shoes – Thierry Rabotin, pearls – Kenneth Jay Lane, scarf - Hermes  

Often, I receive questions about what to pack if one is uncertain of the weather at the destination. This is a question I wrestle with often, because my favorite time of year to travel is in those "iffy" months when a lot of families can't travel, because school is in session, and when the weather isn't warm enough to sunbathe, nor cold enough to ski.

Grey cotton cardigan – American Vintage, Striped cardigan – Day Birger et Mikkelsen, black knit skirt – T by Alexander Wang, Fair Isle silk sweater – ... View the Post

Wardrobe: black, brown, with accents of berry

Someone mentioned yesterday that black and brown might be made to work with shades of red - so I made a few alterations to yesterday's wardrobe;  the versatility of core neutral garments is truly amazing... All clothes – 3.1 Phillip Lim  

Jacket – Vince, Cardigan – Closed, Blouse – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Tee shirt – Michael Stars, dress – Michael by Michael Kors, sweater – Closed, pants – Michael Kors, Skirt – Alberta Ferretti   

Tweed coat – Lanvin, striped tee – Vince, black and brown tweed skirt - Carven, cranberry tee – Splendid, cardigan & sweater – Malene Birger, long sleeved tee – Dorothy Perkins, sweater – Miu Miu  

1. Pumps – L.K. Bennett, necklace – Heather Moore, bag - ... View the Post

Wardrobe: a base of black and brown

All clothes – 3.1 Phillip Lim  

Jacket – Vince, Cardigan – Closed, Blouse – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Tee shirt – Michael Stars, dress – Michael by Michael Kors, sweater – Closed, pants – Michael Kors, Skirt – Alberta Ferretti   

Tweed coat – Lanvin, striped tee – Vince, black and brown tweed skirt - Carven, blue sweater – Alexander Wang, blue cardigan – Vero Moda,  blue tee – John Lewis, white tee – Debenhams, white shirt – Helmut Lang  

1. Pumps – Bandolino, bracelet – Monica Vinaeder, bag - Fendi  

2. Umps - Ferragamo, necklace – Alexis Bittar, earrings – Sahani Azibo  

3. Oxford - Anniel, scarf – Hermès, pearl earrings - Majorica  

4. Flats – Debenhams, ring & ... View the Post

Wardrobe based on 2 suits: Was Chanel right?

December 23, 2011   One of my favorite Chanel quotes is "One shouldn't spend all one's time dressing. All one needs are two or three suits, as long as they and everything to go with them, are perfect."   So I thought about how this quote applies to the wardrobes that I build - let's try on Chanel's advice!   First, two suits: one black, one taupe. Now, to me, a suit is a jacket, pants, a skirt AND a dress. (sometimes, nothing looks better than a dress and jacket). Yes, I'm taking the definitions very loosely...  

Next, you need the things that go with the 2 suits.  One twinset that matches a suit, and another twinset in an accent color.  One turtleneck that matches one of the suits, and a ... View the Post

The shopping fast: Month 3

 

This has in many ways been the easiest month so far.  Day to day, I'm only wearing a variety of gray or black tee shirts, jeans, and my work shoes. (and of course, my apron, which is NOT pictured here...) If anything, December might prove to be even more dull fashion-wise than November!

Working in retail is a great way to condition yourself away from constant shopping; the endless glut of unnecessary stuff that we have to handle every day makes the idea of actually buying something and taking it home absolutely repulsive.  What an insane frenzy of over-consumption the holidays are in the United States...

And I must give a warm, grateful shout out to my work shoes - Camper Pelotas.  They are durable, ... View the Post