The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Chic sighting Archives - Page 3 of 5

The ABC’s of Chic Sightings: Graceful, Honest and Individual

Awkward is always awkward.  If you seriously feel that this is something you want to improve, look into yoga, ballet, or some other physical activity. Nobody is too old to improve muscle control and enhance their grace.

More than anything else, you have to look like yourself.  You can dress up in outfits that are supposed to make you more professional, or sexier, or more elegant, but ultimately you have to dress like yourself.  Yes, of course it is possible for you to be more professional, more sexy, and more elegant, so long as at the core of everything, you continue to have a core SOMETHING that is truly you, as you are now.  

So many of the people that I see when I'm hiking around Chicago look as if they ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: White

June 27, 2013   As soon as the weather warms up, white clothes are a common choice, even in Chicago. I personally would be more likely to go out naked than to wear white - especially a white dress, but I admire many of these choices. They bring a freshness to summer, and color to the streets.   And note that there are, indeed, a pair of leggings in the mix here.  Worn, modestly, with a tunic that covers all of the anatomically graphic bits...  

Pink cardigan – L.K.Bennett, Earrings-Shanny Alon,  White pique dress- Damsel in a dress,  Pink ballet flats-Ras, White sheath – Dorothy Perkins, Purple belt – Ralph Lauren, Purple tote – Lacambra,  Purple jacquard sandals – ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Navy and Green

July 24, 2013   Navy and green summer outfits - some for quite warm weather, and others that I saw in the more spring-like transitional coolness a couple of week ago.  All of them were fresh, pretty, and stood out in the crowd.  

  I don't know if anybody noticed, but if you liked the way these colors looks,replicated a few of these outfits in your own wardrobe, and were a little bit rigorous in  sticking to one shade of green, you'd have a pretty nifty capsule wardrobe, or a pretty organized suitcase full of clothes:  

    love,

Janice ... View the Post

The ABC’s of Chic Sightings – Appropriate, Balanced, Comfortable

Lots of people ask me how I choose a Chic Sighting - and I don't really do any choosing - they just happen!  But I've devoted a lot of thought to what makes (or breaks) a Chic Sighting, and in my typically orderly fashion, I've tried to assign my observations to an alphabetic analysis.

First are foremost, you have to be appropriately dressed for your environment, both physically (the weather), and socially (no strapless dresses at rugby matches).  No matter how stunning your little dress and sandals might be, if it's SNOWING and you're just wearing a dress and sandals, you are not a Chic Sighting.

Balance is an elusive concept, but the absence of balance seems to show either dubious taste, or a lack of planning. ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Black with Metallic Accessories

June 21, 2013

There were lots of black dresses on the streets of Chicago yesterday, and lots of all-black outfits. But a few really stood out from the crowd by virtual of their carefully chosen metallic accessories. From the young lady in the spikey necklace and woven flats to the executive with her Ferragamo shoes and bag, (and great silver sunglasses), black and silver caught the eye.

The first woman I saw who really got me noticing the all-black outfits with metallics was wearing a simple sleeveless top with shorts, but her accessories really elevated what might have been a very stark outfit. Right behind her was a lovely person in a sleeveless dress with gold flower jewelry - uncluttered, but very charming.

In the Loop, ... View the Post

The Fundamentals of Chic Sightings

When I woke up this morning, it was snowing.  April 13th, in Chicago, is a little bit late for it to be this cold, but a bit of patience will make this all better - tomorrow the high is to be in the 70's F.

What does this mean for Chic Sightings?  That we have to be flexible, and well-informed.  I can't begin to count the number of women I saw during this past work week who were wearing sandals, in near-freezing temperatures.  Not going to a club, and not about to catch a plane for the Caribbean - these women were going to work.  (Note, I did not see ONE man in sandals...)

The first day of third grade, I wanted desperately to wear a new outfit that had been purchased JUST FOR ME for school - a sweater, plaid ... View the Post

Parisiennes: White Jeans in October

Women of all ages were still wearing white jeans, without seeming to even consider that they might be "out of season".  Except for avoiding slush and puddles, why NOT wear white jeans all year 'round?  The ban on white is sort of archaic, isn't it?

Jeans – J Brand, plaid shirt – Patagonia, loafers – Vaneli, sweater – Sheinside, pink loafers - Valentino  

Jeans – J Brand, sweater – Elizabeth and James, oxfords – Mel, flowered sweater – Dolce & Gabbana, kitten-heel pumps – Stuart Weitzman  

Jeans – J Brand, blouse – Equipment, white leather jacket – Blk Dnm, purple flats – Puma, chambray shirt – Madewell, cardigan – Zadig & Voltaire, pink flats - Modcloth  

Jeans – J ... View the Post

Chic Sighting: Black Top(s)

Black tee – Dorothy Perkins, denim shorts – Awear, sandals – Jimmy Choo, black asymmetrical top – Rag & Bone, capris – Patagonia, flats - Toms  

Black tank – Splendid, rose print trousers – Topshop, flats – Charlotte Russe, off the shoulder top – Red Valentino, floral print pants – J. Crew, sandals – Jil Sander  

Black camisole – BKE, linen pants – CP Shades, tennies – Converse Chuck Taylor, black polo – Barbour, chiffon pants – 3.1 Phillip Lim, wedge sandals – John Lewis  

Black blouse – Fever Millie, print skirt – Rebecca Taylor, sneakers – Keds, tank – Forever New, lace skirt – L’Agence, black pumps – Jimmy Choo  

Black sheer blouse – H&M, denim skirt – Industry of ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: A Base of White

Although it might seem reckless to wear white in the city, lots of us do it all the time.  New York was full of women using white as a base for a wide variety of very personal looks... Flowered tank – Tillys, denim capris – True Religion, purple sandals – Debenhams, dotted top – Giambattista Valli, capris – Dorothy Perkins, sandals – Jil Sander  

Sleeveless top – Romwe, denim shorts – True Religion, sandals – Bottega Veneta, striped tee shirt – Mango, Bermuda shorts – Vince, espadrilles - Debenhams  

Tee shirt – Kain Classic, linen pants – CP Shades, espadrilles – Missoni, red sleeveless top – Raoul, cotton pants – Moschino, loafers – Nicholas Kirkwood  

Tank – Malene Birger, ruffled skirt – ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Black & White Stripes

Striped sweater – D&G, red jeans – Current/Elliott, loafers – Jil Sander, bue sweater – T by Alexander Wang, striped & dotted skirt – Yohji Yamamoto, blue flats – Roger Vivier  

Striped dress – Dorothy Perkins, yellow cardigan – Black Fleece, sandals – K. Jacques, barcelet – Aspinal of London, striped shirt – Persona, white capris – J. Crew, pink flats – Bottega Veneta  

White shirt – Mango, Black pants – Derek Lam, Striped socks – Monki, white loafers – Tod’s, black tank – DKNY, striped skirt – Vila, sandals - Born  

Striped blazer – Romwe, black tank dress – Raquel Allegra, polka dot sandals – Marni, dress – Vince, striped bag – Jane Norman, ballet flats - ... View the Post