cool weather Archives

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #45: Warm Pants

January 24, 2022

I know I'm getting old when I start reminiscing about things you used to be able to BUY... but who else among us can remember going into a department store (pretty much any of them!) and buying a pair of wool pants, fully lined? Possibly with the blazer and skirt to match?

Those were the days....

I thought that today I would share with you lovely wool pants that I found, but nearly everything that I saw broke 1 of my 2 general rules for garments on The Vivienne Files; lots of them were over $1,000 US, or they only came in single-digit sizes.

I wish I had kept some of my pants from 40 years ago...

Still, we have to get dressed even now, and unless we make our own pants, we're going to have to work with ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #44: Corduroy Pants

January 17, 2022

Corduroy is one of my favorite fabrics - and I have no reason why! I know that some people don't like the "schwoop, schwoop" sound that your thighs make when you walk in them, but I'm pretty sure nobody else can hear that!

I like the softness of the fabric, and the richness of the colors; corduroy seems to take dye beautifully. But if you just can't bear the idea, you can always just get a nice pair of winter pants in place of these. Maybe wool - remember wool pants? With LININGS? The '80s weren't all bad...

I'm assuming that we're all in the mood for a simple outfit - pants and a sweater. Toss on a scarf, and some fun shoes, as well as some jewelry, and you're out the door. Well, not these days; at least ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe in 3 Moods; Start with Art: Composition by Mainie Jellett

January 14, 2022

Curtain Call Her latest major work - a 3-movement symphony - is debuting this weekend, at the gala opening of THAT orchestra...

For years, these have been her colors, and her inspiration for clothing:

Mood #1 - Nervous, to the point of feeling "green around the gills" She's taking the train, and then will have a handful of interviews; it's not every day that a work by a woman composer is the finale of the Grand Gala!

note: this green turtleneck comes in 9 other colors...

Mood #3: Peachy-keen, after the concert! Once it's all over, she will be just fine! Since she gone to the trouble of making the trip, she's going to stay at least the entire next day, and possible into a 2nd day...

Her regular ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #43: A Print, or Another Accent Color Cotton Turtleneck

January 10, 2022

I have finally realized (for the millionth time, actually) that winter is NOT a good time to buy winter clothes. My goal for this week was to show you nice lightweight cotton turtlenecks in stripes, or paisleys, or some whimsical prints, that brighten up your winter outfits.

I could show you swimwear more easily...

So? I'm not a martyr to my lists, nor am I completely nuts; we're going to look at more options for turtlenecks in pretty accent colors. For those among us who crave colors, there's really no limit to how many different color bottom layers you can have in the dead of deep, dark winter!

For example - if you have a beautiful scarf that you adore, you should definitely be looking for a tee shirt or ... View the Post

I Love It, But Will I Wear It? Cream Space-Dyed Crewneck Sweater

January 7, 2022

I recently received a plea for some ideas about how to wear a really nice sweater...

They're currently calling this type of pattern "space-dyed;" I would have described it as variegated. Back in my youth, you could buy yarn or embroidery thread that was like this, in all sorts of color combinations...

But the young people must have their own terms, right?

Right off the bat, I was sure that this would be lovely with rust, blue or green because those colors are very easily seen in this sweater, even from a distance.

But just for fun, let's look closely!

I have to warn you - just because a color is present within a garment doesn't automatically mean that wearing that color WITH said garment will be ... View the Post

January 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

January 5, 2022

Let's GO!!!

First up is black...

Last week we started with 5 essential garments (well, essential for most of us!):

As soon as I saw this "rust red" - I know that this was where I wanted to start! To me, this color is very close to the color of warmly brown leather... maybe brown earrings would have made sense here but I didn't see any that impressed me, so I opted for these timeless black ones!

These 6 additions to the original 5 garments give you something that can legitimately be called a wardrobe! It's not huge, but for a long weekend, this would serve you well:

You've now got at least a few outfits...

Next is our soft, warmly-colored wardrobe:

Since I couldn't find 5 beige ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #42: An Accent Color Cotton Turtleneck

January 3, 2022

Happy New Year! Let's all be as kind, and as happy, as we can possibly manage! Why do anything else, right?

Today, I'm looking at the possibilities of a suit with a turtleneck. Not a "real" suit - although you could certain wear a real suit if your life calls for one. I'm thinking more of a matching 2nd layer top and pants. This can be sweatpants - we're not judgmental...

First up, no matter how grey the day, or your wardrobe, the addition of butter yellow brightens up everything!

Why yes, Santa is bringing me this lavender turtleneck... Gift cards can be lovely...

Oddly enough, you are going to see this next turtleneck twice; sometimes scarves that I see seem to suggest the same accent ... View the Post

Start with Art: Lucinda by Sofia Bonati

December 31, 2021 An Expert in Medieval Flower Illustrations...

You know, those flowers that appear in the ornamented capital letters at the beginning of a manuscript chapter?

Or in the dividers between sections of a breviary, or other sacred document?

She knows why that particular flower was chosen, and what it means!

It's a niche bit of study, and she is the acknowledged master of it!

From the time she chose her thesis topic (a few years ago, to be honest!), she realized that her wardrobe made a great deal of sense if it was the black of print, the ivory of old paper, and the shades of rose and lavender that are the colors of most of the flowers. If they were colored, of course!

So when she travels to ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #41: A Dark Neutral Cotton Turtleneck

December 27, 2021

Now that we've all survived the extravagance and jollity of the early winter holidays, it's time to remind ourselves that - most of the time - we need some practical, neutral clothes to serve as the base for our more wonderful and distinctive things...

I suspect that many of us got sweaters for Christmas or Hanukkah... (yes, a sweater you buy yourself is still a gift!)

If you're trying to find an easy way to wear your new sweater, how about layered over a neutral column?

This is also a good way to bring a new scarf into an outfit in a way that really emphasizes the color(s) and pattern of the scarf!

Think about what fabric you want, and what cut. Do you want a more lightweight turtleneck? All natural ... View the Post

Start with Art: Southern Window by Louis le Brocquy

December 17, 2021 Not Feeling Festive...

It hasn't been a festive year for her, and she is really struggling to get in the mood for her holiday trip...

But, assuming that she will be able to travel during the health crisis, she knows that she's going to have to pack! Her family doesn't do anything amazing for the holidays - she will spend a lot of days in the house with the older family members, and some time walking outdoors with younger people. Cooking, helping clean up, reminiscing...

She decides to pack mostly neutrals - grey, navy, brown, and ivory - with a couple of pieces in dark green. It will be an interesting challenge to mix things together, and will be somber enough to reflect her state of mind. This is NOT ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #39: A Dress

December 15, 2021

Yes, many of us don't wear dresses very often, but it's worth keeping in mind how very EASY it is to wear a dress. One garment - DONE... No coordinating separates, no worrying if you tee shirt is too short to tuck in (or too long) etc. etc...

And you can pretend to be all dressed up, even if you dress is made of sweatshirt fabric, or fleece!

This is the dressiest dress I'm sharing today - but this could get dressed down a lot with brown boots, and a brown sweater (or rust, or camel!). This weight of dress could be useful for all but the hottest weather, too.

If you're only going to own one dress, this next one is worth a look. Black ponte knit, short sleeves, modest neckline but beautiful swirl of skirt. ... View the Post

Start with a Sweater: An L.L.Bean Fair Isle Sweater, and a 1 Piece at a Time travel wardrobe

December 10, 2021

I am asked 2 questions pretty often - how do you build a wardrobe around a specific garment, and how do you decide WHAT to pack?

This post is going to try to answer both questions!

First up, let's start with this classic sweater, perfect for this time of year in much of the Northern Hemisphere:

For me, the 1st step is to look, really look CAREFULLY, at the colors in our focus garment. You're looking for the easily seen, visible at a moderate distance colors.

Like these:

By now, you know full well that I'm going to go a bit nuts emphasizing how important your travel outfit is - you could easily have to wear it for 36 hours, so you need to love every stitch of it!

It's an obvious ... View the Post