The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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my wardrobe: a very deliberate second step

What I wear all winter long - to "go-to" wardrobe for almost any occasion:

black cashmere cardigan - Lands' End.  If my entire wardrobe horribly disappears, this might be the first garment I replace.  Goes over every tee shirt, dress, or blouse, all year long. the short-sleeved sweater that matches the cardigan - also Lands' End.  Like a tee shirt, but cashmere.   black cashmere turtleneck - Lands' End AGAIN.  I wear it with jeans, I wear it with silk pants, I wear it with a velvet skirt. black cashmere v-neck sweater - LE, of course.  over a tee shirt, or on it's own... black velvet jeans - Eileen Fisher.  Jeans, but so much more. black velvet corduroy trousers - Eddie Bauer.  I love these pants ... View the Post

My Wardrobe: the curating begins!

So I've decided that I'm going to curate my wardrobe in groupings of eight, in keeping with the plan that seems to be working so well for other wardrobes that I build!  And first up, the highly utilitarian work wardrobe for the winter holidays.  Cotton turtlenecks from Lands' End, sweatshirts from Lands' End and Adidas, and jeans from NYDJ (stretch jeans are ESSENTIAL if climbing is in your job description).  I didn't need a lot of clothes, because I'd have to come home most evenings and immediately launder whatever I'd been wearing...   To me, this wardrobe, while not particularly dressy or innovative, is elegant, if you define elegance as simple, timeless, and appropriate to the situation at ... View the Post

The shopping fast: Month 5

This month's activities included some of my heavy-lifting job (jeans, cotton turtlenecks, sweatshirts), a few lunches and dinners out with friends, and one cocktail party.  I already owned everything I needed for all of these activities, so I never felt that "need" to buy new clothes.  And I stay out of the way of temptation in stores, I've cut out all catalogs; overall, I felt only the occasional twinge of admiration for something.  Admiration does not HAVE to equal desire; more on that idea tomorrow.

 

 

 

  ... View the Post

I’ve been ALL wrong…

I've been thinking and thinking (and occasionally writing) about a closet purge.  Now let's be frank, the word PURGE is pretty repelling - I can't come up with one good association to the term...

And it's just dawned on me - I don't want to PURGE my closet, I want to build and choose my wardrobe.  Construction, not destruction!

So the new plan is:

Try to determine a target number of garments (starting on the large size, and then whittling down as possible) Build a wardrobe based on "eights".  I don't know why, but the number eight seems to be a nice number of garments for a... not a capsule, but more of a "capsulette".  Capsulina?  Capsulechen? Sell or donate garments that don't survive the audition ... View the Post

The shopping fast: month 4

I'm now 122 days into my year-long "no new clothes" vow, and I am finding that, honestly, it's not difficult, and it's really quite... mentally freeing.  When you eliminate things from your life (like I NEVER think about sky-diving!), it frees you up to pay attention to other things.  Walking up Michigan Avenue without window shopping and mentally "trying on" all sorts of garments is what has given me the mental bandwidth to observe the various looks that I've been able to share with you.  And when I don't shop, it gives me some perspective on the buying behaviors of other people, which is quite educational.  More on that tomorrow...

What I wore in December?  Work clothes, my swimsuit (hot tub in my building!), and ... View the Post

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

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

A reassessment, and a New Year’s resolution

Maybe in your world it is NOT the first of the year, but for those of us who grew up in homes where it was all about education, September first is indeed the beginning of the year, at least in our hearts.

As you all well know, I'm not working.  Therefore, my whole "turning the hangers backwards" experiment with summer clothes has been a dismal failure; the only time my "work" clothes get out for an airing is if I have an interview.  Therefore, the vast majority of my (perfectly nice, wearable, "keepable") clothing is still hanging "hanger forward".  What to do...

A resolution: no new clothes for a year.

I have a LOT of clothing.  Really nice things.  Tons of stuff for the cooler weather that's in a storage ... View the Post

A plan for the closet purge

I have too many clothes.  It's not a terrible fate, but it is something that I intend to change.  So I'm jumping on the "turn your hangers around" bandwagon, with one modification.  After I've worn and cleaned/laundered something, I'll put the garment back in my closet with the hanger turned "backwards". (i.e. the pointy part facing front - see the white cardigan in my closet photo)  (Thanks to http://theclosettherapist.blogspot.com/ for this great idea!)

And I'm also instituting a monitoring policy in my dresser drawers: all garments which are normally stored folded which get worn will be put back into the drawer with the neckline toward the front, rather than toward the back as I normally store ... View the Post

Vivienne just rocked my world view – again!

I spent all day yesterday ironing.  Well, okay, I took a break and baked some banana/chocolate chip muffins, but I spent most of the day unpacking my summer clothes, checking them over, and ironing them.  (also working in reverse, packing away all things winter)

So I emailed Vivienne and told her what I was doing, and she wants to know "why does it take you so long?"

And I explain that I've got X number of garments that I don't wear in the fall and winter, but that I need for warmer weather.

First response from Vivienne - of course - you've got too many clothes.  I concede that.

And THEN, the killer question:  "Why don't you wear the same suits all year around?".

I explain about the weather here - it gets ... View the Post