cool weather Archives

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 2: A Dark Neutral Top

Ready for another week? This week, we're going to the darkest logical version of last week's top...

As always, (I don't think I can emphasize this enough!) this is a guideline, not a carved in stone life rule. If you don't wear dark colors, or you don't wear tee shirts, or you don't wear long sleeves, this will NOT apply to you exactly like this. You can choose a substitute, or skip this week entirely.

And this does NOT mean that you have to go buy something! This could be as easy as checking your closet for the appropriate garment and making sure that it's clean and in good repair before the cooler weather arrives. (right now, it seems as if it will never come again...)

If both of your neutrals are relatively dark, this is ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 1: A Light Neutral Top

We could talk all day about why I'm starting with this particular garment, but I finally determined that I had to start somewhere, so this makes as much sense as any other!

If you're interested in buying a tee shirt like this, consider getting one in your dark neutral, as well as your accent color(s) at the same time. Lots of retailers have discounts on multiple purchases, or will have some sort of site-wide discount in the next few weeks. Get on the mailing list of your favorite tee shirt source, and strike while the price-cut iron is hot!

I want to make this really clear, right from the start: I'm NOT telling everybody to rush out and buy this particular tee shirt! I'm suggesting, rather, that you figure out what the ... View the Post

Start with Art: Farm near Duivendrecht by Piet Mondrian

Her farmhouse doesn't look quite like this...

Gradually... Since she inherited the farm, she's been trying to decide what to do... She rents the fields - she's NOT going to start farming when she retires!

But she is going to live there. Starting just before the end of the year - she will be there by Christmas! There's so much hiking, bird-watching, and just general relaxing there...

She has committed to work through the middle of December, but she wants to start moving NOW, and she has a fairly excellent idea. Why not take things up to the house every time she visits? Some winter clothes, some bedding, some books... If she takes a car-load every visit - say maybe 9 times before the final move - she will save some moving ... View the Post

What I Wore, What I Packed, and What I Bought in Dublin

Packing for unpredictable weather is always tricky... And since it's been snowing CATASTROPHICALLY in Ireland, off and on for the last few weeks, this trip was really a challenge!

But I managed to cobble things together well enough - hallelujah! Of course, knowing that I would have my coat on most of the time makes things much easier.

2 things were really issues, the expected cold weather, and the unexpected moving out of the AirBNB into a hotel. I packed relatively lightly (for 10 days) because we were counting on doing laundry pretty regularly during our stay. Belovedest ran TWO Parkrun 5K's when we were there, so there were gym clothes in need of care...

So, theoretically, I would have been okay with just the clothes on my back when ... View the Post

Adding Just Enough Accessories

Yesterday she managed to wrestle her wardrobe into shape, so today she want to be certain that she has enough accessories. She's not mad about having tons of stuff, but it is pretty important to have at least some appropriate shoes!

Her color palette looked like this when she was finished:

She thought for a bit, and chose gold as the metal color for her jewelry (maybe just for this season - who knows?)

And she's going to rely a bit on navy as a "cooling" influence on her wardrobe, as she moves away from those warm olive-ish greens that made her feel drab. So she drafted a 2nd color palette, like this:

Now that her colors are all settled, she things for a minute about what she's going to look for in her closet, and then buy ... View the Post

The Most Popular Post on The Vivienne Files (so far!)

I am surprised that this was this most visited post - I suspect that Google's statistics aren't always reflective of the real world!

But this is still a really interesting post, based on information from an old (and very popular) fashion book called Hot Tips...

I was heartened to see that all of the outfits I suggested would still be perfectly appropriate and undated... that's my goal!

For what it's worth, I am just now starting to mend from the flu, so I can't guarantee that there will be posts every day on The Vivienne Files. I'll do my best, but I can assure you that flu + fibromyalgia = a long recovery...

love, Janice ... View the Post

Paris Packing – A Parka, and Lots of Stripes

You might remember that I was supposed to go to Paris back in December, when a sudden fibromyalgia "interlude" caused me to cancel; I was literally IN THE BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA OF THE AIRPORT when I realized that I wasn't strong enough to make it up the escalator to check in, let alone fly all the way to Paris...

But this is better because (a) Belovedest is going with me! and (b) we'll be there for Valentine's Day! Sweet, eh?

As much as it's fun to be in Paris for a romantic holiday, we have to bear in mind that the weather will be cold, and quite wet - and as much as I'd love to travel without a big heavy coat, it might be plain stupid to try to get by without it - nothing is more miserable than being cold every day. So this wardrobe is ... View the Post

Updating a Bone-Deep Glamorous Travel Wardrobe

Remember this heroine? I felt that, with Valentine's Day on the horizon, it might be fun to see what she's been doing...

Well, she was shopping one day and saw these... She was smitten...

She had a casual trip coming up - taking a few students to The Cloisters, outside of New York. She's been doing some work on the symbolic significant of roses in Gothic art and architecture, and they're going to go take a look at a couple of important pieces there...

So it seems only fitting that she embrace roses as a personal trend!

It's also an opportunity to add just a touch of pink to her wardrobe. She's not sure that this will be a long-term addition or just a whim, but it's very much at harmony with much of her existing wardrobe...

She ... View the Post

A Colorful Moon by Alain Paillou – Start with Nature to Inspire a Tote Bag Travel Wardrobe

Once in a .... She almost didn't pick up the call when it came in; she didn't recognize the number, but something told her that it was important...

It was the Probate Court down in the capital... She needed to come down because she was a beneficiary of her great-aunt's estate...

And - oh yes - there was a check being FedEx'ed to her to offset her expenses. She was planning to take the train down, so she didn't really expect to have expenses...

A REALLY BIG CHECK! With a note from her great-aunt telling her to spend it ALL on herself, and to really be silly about it...

Well okay, if that's what she really wants, I must respect her wishes, right?

If this is the expense money, it's anybody's guess what the actual inheritance ... View the Post

L’Oiseau Forestier by Max Ernst – Starting a Wardrobe with a Tote Bag Travel Capsule

Assertiveness, Channeled

"Why is SHE going?"

"Well, she was just named chief negotiator - didn't you hear?"

"She IS? She always seems so... ladylike... I don't see her as the arm-wrestling for the last dime kind of negotiator..."

"Don't get me wrong - I know that she's as smart as a whip..."

"Shouldn't she be wearing some serious pantsuit with shoulders out to HERE?"

"She doesn't even wear blazers!!!"

always trust the jealous rivals to focus on how you dress, eh?

As in all things, the details matter...

If anybody ever troubled to look, they would see that her jewelry looks like the weapons and body-armor of a Barbie-sized warrior race... Even her oh-so-trendy flower brooch is black! She channels her aggression ... View the Post

Paysage de Neige by Renoir – Start with Art to Assemble a Weekend Capsule Wardrobe

It isn't what you think of when you think of Renoir - which is good! Expanding your horizons is never wrong...

Quiet...

She was smitten with the painting from the first time she saw it. Others looked at it and saw cold, or sunshine, or the homes in the distance. She saw peace, quiet, silence... And that's what she craves!

"You know that there won't be anybody there... You'll probably have to eat all of your meals by yourself!"

Oh, she knows....

"I guess you probably got an amazingly good deal on your room - they'll be so grateful that there's anybody there that they'll give you the best room in the hotel dirt cheap..."

Why are her friends so obsessed with "anybody?" And is it wrong to want a little solitude?

"What fun ... View the Post

Build a Weekend Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Blue by Kinuko Imai Hoffman

The first of the "12 Art Works of Christmas!" wardrobes - not the only time I'm going to look at this painting, though. I think I'll revisit this one every 3 months or so to expand the wardrobe to all seasons...

Frankly, any paintings by this artist would be amazing sources of inspiration for a wardrobe - if you see anything that strikes your fancy, let me know!

Creative Austerity

She's always believed that the truly creative people were the ones who could do something original within strict guidelines...

This inspires her:

The possibilities are vast, just with these 2 shades, and a bit of texture... Maybe the occasional pattern... Anybody can wear orange tights, a green skirt and a purple sweater and stand on the street corner and ... View the Post