pants Archives

Six Paintings, 12 Months – a 2023 Preview!

December 23, 2022

It's like an early Christmas gift! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, it's just a gift, full stop.

This was quite a bit harder than choosing 6 scarves; there's something to be said in defense of any painting, so rejecting any of them was difficult...

Let's get started!

I couldn't resist this! Black and white with pink and purple, and just enough blue to include denim in the wardrobe...

Flash back to the wardrobe from when we first saw this painting.

I'm starting each of our heroines with some simple essentials:

Yes, we looked at this painting just recently...

But for those of us clamoring for brown, this is worth looking at some more!

Her basics are pretty lovely, ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Tōji – Winter Solstice

December 21, 2022

The days start getting longer tomorrow! And while I'm quite ready for a big massive snowstorm (I love snow...), I'm also ready for a bit more daylight.

We live in a place just a bit too far south, and too brightly lit, to ever see the Northern Lights. Sigh...

For no clear reason I can offer, this post turned into 3 pairs of outfits - maybe I'm thinking about the balance of the solstice?

First up - a 2-piece dress!

You could pack the 2-piece dress, and then this sweater and pants; you would at that point be ready for at least a couple of parties!

Doesn't this look frigid, and beautiful?

If you find a scarf that you like somewhere, it makes sense to look at that same retailer for ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Taisetsu – Large Snow

December 16, 2022

I kept thinking that I would hold this post for a few days, until we actually HAVE snow in Chicago. I've surrendered...

But I must mention - this was DIFFICULT, because lots and lots of stores are running out of things. I have a policy on The Vivienne Files that I won't show any item unless it's available in a full range of sizes; right now, that makes finding the clothes I want to share with you hard to find.

So be warned that if you love something, grab it pretty quickly or be prepared to be disappointed!

What about some outfits that you can wear to work, or to something festive, and fit in without wearing Santa earrings or an ugly sweater:

Maybe you want to wear pastels this winter!

This ... View the Post

I Love It, But Will I Wear It? Black Tweed Pants

November 16, 2022

Black and white tweed. Pull-on waist (which is delightful is you're among those of us who don't tuck in our tops!). LINED TO THE KNEES!!!

Pretty tempting...

Well yes, if you can use a pair of nice but not formal pants, these would be great...

Of course they're perfect with all of the black sweaters in the world:

If you like pattern mixing, tweed is maybe the easiest pattern to include. It's subtle enough not to glaringly clash with other things...

These pants will go with ANY solid color - bright, muted, pastel, neutral:

If you find yourself attending those kinds of events where NOBODY knows quite how dressy things will be, these pants are a great option:

If you like subtle ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Rittō – Beginning of Winter

November 7, 2022

If it's REALLY the beginning of winter, we will need something warm! I have to admit - I have 2 vests (pink and black) and I wear them a LOT - they're just enough warmth to get me down the block to the drugstore or other "near" errands...

If it hasn't snowed or rained, there's no reason that you can't still wear white jeans. I'm sure someone, somewhere, still feels the prohibition of "white after Labor Day," but we don't accept those limitations!

This next outfit has just a hint of the holiday season...

These really EARLY sunsets can be hard to take...

If you have a favorite accent color, a vest in that color can be both useful and fun!

Maybe if you lie in a snowdrift wearing a white ... View the Post

Part 1 November 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

November 2, 2022

What do you do when you've got a real longing for some new clothes?

What about when you're in a store, and you decide you're going to shop?

That's what I'm thinking about this month... Our first heroine wanders into Boden, and wander out with some interesting things!

Remember, her inspiration is this scarf:

Our heroine was pretty disciplined - she stayed with green and pink accents for her purchases... The sweater, though...

When she brings her new things home (or when they are delivered, more likely!), she can see that the pants blend in perfectly, her green silk top goes with a lot of things, and the paisley sweater... is lovely.

Maybe this is the time for her to remember that her entire ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Risshū – Beginning of Autumn

August 17, 2022

Here in Chicago we felt it yesterday - that sense that autumn is coming. We all know that there will be sweltering days ahead, but we were reminded...

For me, that early cool day reminds me that I might want to check my wardrobe for upcoming autumn weather. This is a good time to start looking for the accent cashmere sweater that you will wear every week for six months, the scarf that you will cherish for years to come, or the warmer trousers that you need to replace the ones that you've worn to pieces this last few years...

Even if you live somewhere that doesn't get a lot of snow, you might still need a warm outfit or two!

This leaf perfectly conveys where we are, right now!

When I was ... View the Post

Part 3 August 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

August 5, 2022

I really like doing these monthly wardrobes in 3 posts, rather than 1 REALLY large post. You can imagine how much work goes into getting all six wardrobes ready, and I feel like taking my time over them gives me a chance to do a better job!

What do you think?

So let's look at the glorious hydrangea scarf... I love hydrangeas - the mix of colors in the blossoms delights me! My phone wallpaper is a photograph of mixed pink and blue flowers... sigh...

A navy blazer. It just seems like something that someone who loves navy might want to consider - especially if this heroine likes classic, timeless styles...

And if you're going to buy the blazer, buy the pants (and/or the skirt) while you're at it. Yes, it's a ... View the Post

Part 2 August 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

August 3, 2022

Have any of you done enough shopping that you can see the trends for this autumn?

I've seen tons of clogs. Literally tons. I know that they're very comfortable for people who work in hospitals, so I would assume that everybody might find them comfortable... Maybe if you need shoes, they are worth trying?

And someone, somewhere, put together a million miles of smocked fabric! Not the traditional smocking, like we used to do on gingham fabrics, where you would join together certain squares in the print with stitching to create beautiful patterns...

Nope - this smocking is machine stitched fabric that is gathered with elastic thread. There's nothing inherently wrong with this fabric, except that you can't swing a ... View the Post

Part 1 August 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

August 1, 2022

We're going to have to do the "Six Scarves, 12 Months" posts in segments this month, because it's just THAT difficult... I hate not finishing in 1 post, but I have to admit when I can't finish in time!

This is a great lesson for how to handle shopping when everything in the marketplace seems to conspire against you.

In a "normal" year, I could easily expect to see piles of cashmere sweaters in 30 colors all OVER the retail world - but not this year...

Websites should be chock-full of cabled sweaters, and corduroy pants, and tweed blazers, and all of the traditional garments of autumn. But not this year!

It might be reluctance to stock merchandise that may not appeal - nobody's really sure how people are going ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year

April 25, 2022

When I started working on this post, it was pouring rain in Chicago. I mean pouring buckets and barrels and VATS of rain...

The next day, the temperature is over 20C, and quite lovely. If the wind doesn't (literally) blow you over...

Which made me realize yet again that there are really more than 4 season in the year; they've apparently always know that in Japan!

So I'm very intrigued by the idea of 24 Seasons - which are divided into 72 wee mini-seasons! I'll stick with this 24 for now, but I never rule out doing something fun with 72 seasons!

My thinking, at this early stage: an outfit for each mini-season, 3 garments. That would be a 72-garment wardrobe - considerably smaller than what I currently ... View the Post

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