cool weather Archives - Page 3 of 21

Can You Really Travel with Only SIX Pieces of Clothing? I’m Going to Find Out…

Yes, I am going back to Paris on Tuesday...

It's a combination of a free plane ticket, a really inexpensive hotel (I'll tell you all about that when I'm back!) and a bone-deep yearning to see holiday decorations in another country.

But more than anything, I'm really eager to see how completely... unfettered? light? I can feel while traveling. Normally, there's the suitcase and the carry-on, and maybe a handbag, and while I know that this is necessary, I don't feel relaxed when I have these things to corral and transport. I want to be focused on external things - other people, mostly, and be able to put my own "stuff" out of my mind.

This isn't impossible - one could, in theory, go almost any place that has similar weather with just the ... View the Post

I Want a Wardrobe That’s Relaxed, but Pretty!

How about we revisit this amazingly beautiful scarf? When I did the very business/dressy wardrobe based on this scarf, I was assured that another wardrobe - more casual - would be welcome... (don't forget, until the end of 2017, you can get a 30% discount on anything on the KathKath website using the code vivkath30.)

I'm going to follow the steps that I took when I did the dressy wardrobe - I'm even going to keep some of the garments! So first up is a starter outfit of a black "suit" with a pink top:

As always, sometimes the only thing you need (for a quick overnight trip, for example) is a change of shirt or blouse. If anybody wants to get snarky because you're wearing the same cardigan and jeans, let them. It doesn't hurt you, and ... View the Post

Will Winter White Dress Up Navy? Let’s See…

Winter White (aka cream or ivory) is such a pretty option in cold weather! You of course have to be very cautious about street splashing on your lovely pants, but that's well worth the bright change of pace that this color brings to classic navy (or any other color!).

Two of these pieces are deliberately and obviously dressy, and two are more timelessly classic. Yes, I have an abiding passion for cabled sweaters; in cashmere, in an unexpected color, they can be absolutely lovely!

If you'd prefer less dressy trousers, Lands' End has corduroy pants in this color, that are styled like jeans - same unexpected color in a more relaxed fabric and silhouette! And Uniqlo has a fleece skirt that might be this color - it's hard to tell online.

As ... View the Post

Can I Wear Grey for Dressy Events? Heavens YES!

I was asked to show some options for cool colors - especially including grey - for dressy events in cooler weather. Grey can be so elegant...

First I went "shopping" for cool clothes - mostly in silver grey, but I could NOT resist that luscious aqua sweater! It also comes in grey, as well as a really light beige heather, and a glorious bright but heathery blue... The aqua and the blue are such uncommon colors to see this time of year - you won't see yourself coming and going on the streets...

To provide us with a basis upon which we can build some outfits, I'm referring back to A Common Wardrobe in grey that I used a few weeks ago. Realistically, you could easily wear both the grey sweater and the gorgeous silvery blouse with the lace ... View the Post

Revisiting A Casual Summer Wardrobe – Seascape by Van Gogh

Almost FOUR YEARS AGO I built a casual summer wardrobe around this painting - you can see that my brain was at that time beginning to come up with the "4 by 4 Wardrobe" concept upon which I now often rely!

I was asked to revisit this painting, and I thought that it would be interesting to use the 4 by 4 system, and then to carefully analyze the results in a variety of ways...

I'm always a big fan of making sure that every wardrobe has a solid core of dark neutral garments. If your choose to forego this step, make sure that you have a good alternative plan! Many of us would struggle to get dressed without these core pieces:

Even though this isn't particularly illuminating at this point, I'm still going to put these garments into the ... View the Post

What IS Dressing Up? Taking a Warm Common Wardrobe into the Winter Holidays

Of course I've been thinking a lot about what it means to say that you're "dressed up." In the absence of showing more skin than usual, I think I've learned that there are four ways to go about this process:

Anything metallic or sparkly - if you can find a garment in one of your colors that's been given some sequins, some beads, or metallic thread, the dressiness quotient is automatically raised. Ruffles, bows, or other trim that you would not normally wear. Swapping out an ivory cotton shirt for an ivory silk shirt with a bow at the neck can make a world of difference, while filling exactly the same role in your wardrobe. Swapping for a fabric with more texture or shine. Satin, velvet, lace, or brocade are all instantly dressy, even if ... View the Post

Navy, Camel and Olive truly can be timeless…

I really wanted to look back at another of these wardrobes; they truly were the moment when I began to hit my stride as a blogger and see the goal of "timeless" come into focus.

Of course these clothes would eventually date - in a decade of two! As I said before - they're sufficiently timeless! These images are from a post on December 30th, 2011, and if you saw a woman wearing these clothes today, you'd admire them just as much. Eschew trends and invest in the classics is my motto...

Five pieces of clothing (a cardigan and top, with jeans, pants and a skirt), as well as a piece of outerwear - these are the neutrals around which an amazing number of possibilities revolve... It doesn't feel terribly intimidating when you break it down ... View the Post

Is Classic Clothing Really Timeless?

Well, no. There's no such thing as truly timeless clothing... Unless you're still wearing a toga!

That said, I was just looking at a post that I did FIVE YEARS AGO, and I would cheerfully pack and wear any of the clothes shown. Some are still available, and in all cases it was possible to find something similar!

Given that clothing will eventually wear out, I consider that "sufficiently timeless." Can I coin that term?

I love navy with these rich colors; they just feel like autumn...

love, Janice ... View the Post

What do I Need to Wear for the Holidays?

A question as old as time - WHAT WILL I WEAR FOR THE HOLIDAYS?

Okay, maybe not that old, but it's still something that many of us wonder about!

It doesn't have to be terribly complicated, if you can isolate a color that you're happy to wear more than once, and you can assemble just 4 pieces of clothing...

My working thesis here is that you can start with just 1 skirt or pair of pants, which are in a fabric that immediately elevates the dressiness quotient of anything from a silk blouse to a sweatshirt. Add in a cardigan with some sort of festive flair, and then a couple of tops. (and yes, you might very well have some of these things already in your closet!)

The cardigan can be pulled on over a tee shirt and jeans to shift the entire ... View the Post

What if I Like Unusual Color Combinations? Start with a Scarf: Calm Scarf by KathKath

Housekeeping note - if you left either of these comments on the Talbots #becauseimalady giveaway post, please contact me at theviviennefiles@gmail.com, because YOU WON a $100 gift card to Talbots!

#becauseimalady I know classy never goes out of style. #because I'm a lady I know why there is a difference between sweatshirts and sweaters!

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She's sort of the human embodiment of Peace and Reconciliation...

When there are quarrels, disagreements, or flat out fights, corporate headquarters send her in...

She delights in studying both sides of a conflict and finding the common ground that makes the beginning of compromise possible. She believes that there ... View the Post

Does Navy Have to be Predictable? Start with a Scarf: Red Tulip by KathKath

There are so many traditional, classic accents to wear with navy - red, burgundy, bottle green... but what if you want something brighter, and more "off the beaten path?"

Nobody else wants to go...

But she's going to the lecture. Alone. And she's really excited!

(Her sweater also comes in orange... she's very tempted...)

Everyone claims that the University shuts off the heat on weekends, so she's prepared to dress warmly for the lecture. And her hotel advertises that they provide a full brunch IN YOUR ROOM, so she's certainly going to avail of that opportunity...

Yes, she's going to pin a brooch to her cardigan that she's wearing with a flannel shirt! And yes, she'll carry the necessities for the evening in a wee flowered ... View the Post

Is It Possible to Pack an Interesting Overnight Bag? Start with a Scarf: The Joy Rose Scarf by KathKath

She's not a boring person...

And so she's embraced these colors!

And now she has SATURDAY NIGHT season tickets to the opera! Just 1 ticket - nobody else she knows loves the opera enough to deserve to go with her...

Saturday morning she heads into the city:

Her bag is tiny, and quite light - how much will she need for 30 hours?

When everything is gathered together, it looks so pretty and cheerful - sort of like how she feels when she gets to go to the opera!

She knows that nobody else there will be wearing a yellow dress...

She can wear her coat as a bathrobe when her brunch is delivered... and if it's cold the next morning, she can always wear her flowered shirt under her pink sweater!

Do you ever go somewhere all by ... View the Post