The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

Home » black » Page 56

black Archives - Page 56 of 59

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

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing the Last-Minute Suitcase

Someday, the call will come:

Your Aunt Trudi is in the hospital, and nobody else can get there to be with her! or The data servers are all down in Edinburgh - get there NOW and fix them, or The Excel trainer broke her leg - you've got to go to New York tonight to teach the seminar, or Honey!  We're going to Paris TONIGHT for a long weekend!  (this is a dream we share, eh?)

  So somewhere in the back of my mind, every three or four months, I consider what I would do if I got this call.  The best defense, of course, is to have a carefully curated and deliberately distilled wardrobe, so that you just just stick your hand in the closet and grab a handful of things and you'll probably be okay.  And if ... View the Post

Not so Crazy Eights: black for parties/holidays

Black velvet jacket – Alberta Ferretti, Sequined tee shirt – Oasis, Black silk chiffon top – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Black embellished dress – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Black washed silk pants – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Embroidered skirt – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Silk tank top – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Black velvet skirt – John Lewis      

1. Pumps – Christian Louboutin, earrings – Kenneth Jay Lane, clutch bag – Marc Jacobs  

2. Brogues – Miss Selfridge, bracelet and earrings – Monica Vinaeder  

3. Pumps – Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, necklace and earrings – Alexis Bittar  

4. Flats – Giuseppe Zanotti, ring – Alexis Bittar, bracelet – Alexis Bittar    

5. Mules – Sonia Rykiel, earrings – Alexis ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: jeans – seven ways

Jeans - Levi’s, blouse - Gianbaptiste Valli, woven bracelet – Roberto Coin, bangles – Citrine by the Stones    

Sweater – Acrobat, bag – Debenhams, boots – Humanoid, tunic – Theyskens’ Theory, cardigan – Surface to Air, silver sneakers - Vans  

Wrap top – DVF, black tank – Dorothy Perkins, jacket – l’Agence, white tee – Paul Smith, pocket square – Paul Stuart, shoes - Naya  

Halter – Warehouse.co.uk, clutch – mstylelab,  sandals – Born, silk top – Antik Batik, ivory turtleneck – Derek Lam, boots - Frye   ... View the Post

L’Armoire Idéale: black pants – seven ways

 

Print top – Beyond Vintage, tank – Chaser, shoes – Keds, bag – Mulberry, wrap top – Etro, blue tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins, necklace – Assad Mounser  

Dress – Vionnet, black tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins, bolero – Alaia, tank – Zoe Karssen, scarf - Kate Spade  

Corset top – Agent Provacateur, clutch bag – Monsoon, sandals – Rupert Sanderson,  gray top – James Perse,  scarf – Matthew Williamson   ... View the Post

The shopping fast: Month 1

 

Above illustrates EVERYTHING I wore in the month of September 2011.  A pretty modest assortment, but I have a few extenuating circumstances which kept this a pretty small collection.  

Foremost, I don't have a job, so I'm not getting up every morning putting on "grown-up" clothes to go out and play with the adults of the world.  

I spent a great deal of time wearing gym clothes; if I knew that I wasn't going out, and that I absolutely HAD to go to the gym (uh, that's every day!), I would put on my workout clothes immediately after my shower in the morning.  The other people in my (very large) building are accustomed to seeing me in these clothes.

Having stacks of sweaty gym clothes around ... View the Post

Maximize your ROI: A statement skirt

Skirt – Diane von Furstenberg  

Pearl & gold earrings – Lord & Taylor, Ivory blouse – Zac Posen, bracelets – Mathias Chaize, beige blouse – Paul Smith, necklace – Alexis Bittar, black blouse – Etro, onyx earrings – Primadina, black pumps – Bandolino, spectator slingbacks – Vaneli, black slingbacks – AK Anne Klein  

Ivory sweater – Carven, cobblestone necklace – Kate Spade, Beige sweater – Alexander Wang, leather & brass necklace – Lanvin, black turtleneck – Vince, beige scarf – Burberry, black lurex scarf – Chan Luu, slingbacks – Manolo Blahnik, camel pumps – Kate Spade, black w/beige slingbacks - Prada  

Beige cardigan – Zadig & Voltaire, black tee – 3.1 Phillip Lim, metal ... View the Post

Back to the roots of The Vivienne Files: Transition

Way back when, Vivienne assured me that she was not always going to have a wardrobe of black, white and red garments - she fully intended, as her hair turned gray, and her skin tones softened, to transition to gray, rose, and cream.

This is how I envision than transition...

Her original wardrobe, as we pictured it here, is this:

 

The first thing I could picture would be a feeling of discomfort with bright red.  Not every day, but just a sense that these garments were moving to the back of the closet... so they move out and a beautiful rose pink takes its place.

 

  The strongly contrasted black and white pieces would next make way for more muted items...  

    Black garments worn ... View the Post