The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Chic Sightings: A Mixture of Greens

I rarely see anybody wearing green, and I almost NEVER see a mixture of shades of green in one outfit, so it was truly a red letter (or a green letter, I suppose) day when I saw both of these women. Sometimes it's certain that these kinds of ensembles are the result of carelessness, or color-blindness, but in both of these cases it was clear that a deliberate plan was at work. Bold statements, but eye-catching and fun. Not for the faint of heart, but certainly something in this to inspire us. ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: RED, in the cold weather

We spent a lot of time running around the city this past weekend, finalizing the purchase of gifts for a host of interesting small people! And one of the best parts of being outside on a crisp winter day in Chicago is the people-watching...

The first outfit was pretty conventional, albeit beautifully pulled together; what made it really stand out were her bright red shoes! It was a perfect day for a statement shoe, as there was no precipitation, and nothing slushy on the pavement. She was young, with long dark hair and a brilliant smile. No red lipstick, although that certainly would have been an option!

And the 2nd ensemble was notable for a few reasons. First off, a white coat is a brave statement, and a cheering site in the sea of ... View the Post

How to Wear a Red Coat in a Capsule Wardrobe

Nothing seems like a better idea this time of year than a red coat - it's bright, on these darkest of days, it stands out in a forest of black, and it throws a flattering rosiness onto any complexion. But how do you make a red coat work well with your chosen neutral color?  As always, I have suggestion!

Grey Neutrals

I believe that any of us who deal with long winters deserve at least a couple of pairs of gloves, a couple of scarves, and more than one hat, so I'm showing multiples which can be worn in a variety of combinations. 

For gloves or mittens, it makes sense to me to have one pair that matches your coat as closely as possible, and another pair that are your neutral.

I think patterned scarves that pull the ... View the Post

How to Choose a Winter Coat to Wear with Navy

Many of you were interested in a coat to wear with navy clothes, and I had great fun obliging! Some of these coats cost MANY months of rent, but they are amazingly beautiful, and they give us a look and a level of quality to which we can aspire in our more normal coat shopping.

The Patterned Coat

Paisley! Subtle, and almost iridescent, This coat doesn't need much. The hat is divine, the infinity scarf is a subtle melange of the colors in the coat, and the cashmere gloves pick up one of the brighter highlight colors. Feather earrings echo the swirling feeling of the pattern of the coat. 

Note: These cashmere gloves are going to show up a few times - they are available in a range of colors, and are a very reasonable price ... View the Post

How to Choose a Winter Coat to Wear With Black

This is a project I'm working on in my own wardrobe right now, and I understand from comments and emails that I'm not alone! I personally have decided that I'd like to get a longer, straight, NOT double-breasted, possibly concealed button wool coat.

For our entertainment here, I pretend that I've either completely lost my mind, or won the lottery (which I have NEVER played), and I've indulged in some absolutely exquisite coats. Even if you'd never consider buying a coat this expensive, they're always worth looking at in stores in order to be better educated about quality fabrics and construction. That way, when you get around to buying your own more moderately priced coat, you can try to come as close as possible to replicating the ... View the Post

#2 How to Choose an Hermes Scarf: Sous l’Egide de Mars

Yesterday's post was so much fun that I thought I'd take another pass through this idea: building little outfit vignettes in order to facilitate making an expensive and/or important personal style purchase.  These ensembles here don't necessarily have to be about buying a scarf - I'm thinking of undertaking this exercise for the purchase of winter coats too...

This scarf is called "Sous l'Egide de Mars", which means (more or less) under the aegis of Mars.  It's lots of pieces of armor, as near as I can tell, and thus is all about war.  Still a madly pretty piece of work, as their scarves always are.

As always with me, I'm starting with a simple outfit in a solid color. I really like this tunic - it seems that it ... View the Post