The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Wardrobe: ORANGE!!!!

Jacket – Missoni , Cardigan – Acne, White tee – Vince, Silk blouse – Marlo, Black pants – Missoni. Skirt – Piperlime, White jeans - Levis, Scarf - Hermès  

I really love you all.  Seriously.  You take time every day to read my writing, look at my work, and give me feedback and challenges.  What else could I ask from total strangers?

I particularly enjoy the wardrobe requests I get.  This one was AMAZINGLY difficult:  "I'm a gold jewellry wearer and love to wear orange which I think always goes well with black or white depending on the season. I would love your suggestions for a core wardrobe for a femme d'un certain age." 

This is my best effort - I threw some ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe with two suits

Gray blazer – Chloé, Striped cardigan – Aubin & Wills, Pink sweater – Ralph Lauren, Henley top – Dolce & Gabbana, Black sleeveless dress – The Row, Gray crewneck – The Row, Black & gray tweedy crewneck – The Row, Cream long-sleeved tee – The Row, Tweedy skirt – Markus Lupfer, Gray flannel skirt – Vionnet, Gray pants – Donna Karan, Black lace-trimmed tee shirt – Jason Wu, Black blazer – The Row, Black pants - Gucci

 

Square scarves - Hermes, Sequined muffler – John Lewis, Bracelet – Blu Bijoux, Black and silver balls necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane, Silver hammered disc earrings – Dorothy ... View the Post

Wardrobe: Hermès Ferronnerie in burgundy

Blazer – Maison Martin Margiela , Cardigan – Ralph Lauren Black Label, Silk blouse with merlot cuffs – Stella McCartney, Tee Shirt – J. Crew, Pants – Maison Martin Margiela, Skirt – A.L.C., Jeans - Levis, Scarf - Hermès  

Silk blouse - Aces, Trench coat – Derek Lam, Winter coat – Vanessa Bruno, Dress – Balenciaga, Corduroy jeans – J. Brand, Skirt – Diane von Furstenberg, Sweater – Stylebop, Black wool jacket – Alexander McQueen   

Dress – J. Crew, Cardigan - Crumpet, Purple tee shirt - Debenhams, Tee shirt – J. Crew, Cashmere v-neck – Ralph Lauren, Pants – John Lewis, Sweater – See by Chloe, Sleeveless ... View the Post

Accessories for a bright, graphic, colorful capsule wardrobe

Square scarves – Hermès, Quotation mark gold earrings – Tom Binns, Black faceted onyx earrings – Primadina   

Umbrella – Kate Spade, Striped cashmere muffler – Michael Kors, Black stone necklace – Amrita Singh, Smoking lips necklace – Lynn Ban, Cuff bracelet – House of Harlow 1960, Red tassel earrings – Citrine by the Stones, Watch – Movado, Bag – Michael Kors, Gloves - Forzieri, Silver oval pierced earrings – Swarovski, Tall boots – Christian Louboutin, Black & red pumps – Kors Michael Kors, Polka dot flats – Dolce & Gabbana,   

Black white loafers – Bass, Slingbacks – Stella McCartney, Yellow sandals - cocolico, Black short ... View the Post

Wardrobes mantra: Carefully Curated and Deliberately Distilled

So far, all of the wardrobes I've built have been posted under the heading French Chic, and I'm frankly becoming a bit uncomfortable with that.  We've wandered quite a distance from what the original guidelines of Susan Sommers' iconic book, and I'm not sure that I should continue to exploit the title which is so indelibly hers.

Thus, I'm just going to call them wardrobes.  And with that decision, I thought I should share with you the mantra I use for the building of these little gems.

First: Carefully Curated.  Each garment has to make the cut.  I've heard some fairly harsh criticism recently that "good enough" is really okay for one's wardrobe, and I have to disagree.  Yes, in some circumstances we do have ... View the Post

French Chic: if you’re really exotic and work in advertising!

Blazer – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Cardigan – Acne, Blouse – Yves Saint Laurent, Tee Shirt – Topshop, Pants – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Bermuda Short – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Jeans – Alexander McQueen, Scarf - Hermès  

One of my friends has long black hair, an outrageous personality, and works in advertising.  This is for her!

White blouse – Marc by Marc Jacobs , Trench coat – Dolce & Gabbana, Winter coat – Maxmara Studio, Dress – Alexander McQueen, Pants – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Leather Skirt – Helmut Lang, Sweater – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Leather jacket – Helmut Lang   

Dress – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Jacket – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Tank – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Tee ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 8: Vivienne’s Valise, continued

I've been asked how I managed for almost 6 weeks with the very limited amount of clothing that I took with me on that trip that will live in infamy. I had a plan, believe me!

Just for reference, remember that these are the clothes that I had with me.

For flying, I pretty much always wore jeans, with the black v-neck sweater. Usually I would put either the white tee shirt or the striped tee shirt under the sweater, depending on how warm it was where I was leaving, what the weather would be where I was arriving, and what was clean!

First thing I did in the door of every new hotel in every new city/country was to give some clothing to the in-house laundry. This is always risky, because you never know when someone's going to ... View the Post

What my French friend wears to work: The roots of the Vivienne Files

Vivienne and I first got to be friends because of packing - she works in a hotel in Paris and was helping me pull together a training session I was running - and after the first or second day, she said something like "you got dressed in my closet this morning" and then we wound up having drinks, and THEN she came up to my room to eat room service (Gratis, since she works for the hotel) and hanging out with me while I did my ironing.

Bottom line, I know the girl's packing philosophy cold, since she and I have the same approach.

Start with a base of 5 garments, no matter how long or how short the trip:

Jacket or cardigan Pants that match Skirt that matches Top that goes with the above Another top that ... View the Post

One French woman’s Small, Simple wardrobe: Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files

June 9, 2011 This is from a posting in a discussion group in which I listed the entirety of Vivienne's work wardrobe. I imagine that it has changed very little in the intervening years. Note that I've assigned "days of the week" to these little vignettes, but I don't know that this necessarily corresponds to how and when Vivienne actually wears things.

 

   

  Here's the inventory...  (1) Charcoal gray flannel pants, gray and black striped sweater  (1b) red and gray twinset  

    (2) Black short knit skirt, black merino twinset (2b) black and white striped turtleneck longer (tunic length?) sweater  

    (3) Black pants and blazer, black and white ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 4

the following is a direct quote from the original Je Ne Sais Quoi discussion group postings I made regarding my friend Vivienne:

Someone asked me what Vivienne thinks of my wardrobe - to put it mildly she thinks I'm crazy! Admittedly, she has never actually been in my apartment and seen the beautiful arrangement (by color) of my bounty, and I HAVE seen her apartment (but not her closet) but she assures me that she has about 4 linear feet of hanging space. (Well okay, slightly more than a meter) But she thinks that I'm a genius packer - the last 2 trips I've made to Paris on business, she has come over to my hotel with me and hung out while I unpacked, pressed and otherwise got my act together. She ... 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