pants Archives

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

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #44: Corduroy Pants

January 17, 2022

Corduroy is one of my favorite fabrics - and I have no reason why! I know that some people don't like the "schwoop, schwoop" sound that your thighs make when you walk in them, but I'm pretty sure nobody else can hear that!

I like the softness of the fabric, and the richness of the colors; corduroy seems to take dye beautifully. But if you just can't bear the idea, you can always just get a nice pair of winter pants in place of these. Maybe wool - remember wool pants? With LININGS? The '80s weren't all bad...

I'm assuming that we're all in the mood for a simple outfit - pants and a sweater. Toss on a scarf, and some fun shoes, as well as some jewelry, and you're out the door. Well, not these days; at least ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #32: Trousers (or Pants)

October 25, 2021

When I first wrote out this list, I was picturing that this week would feature really nice wool pants, or maybe a ponte knit if wool isn't your thing. Something that could span the "dressy to casual" spectrum with ease...

HA! Such things are almost impossible to find these days. And by the time I find a pair of that doesn't cost $1,400, comes in sizes larger than 8, and has photographs in which the model isn't hang gliding over the Great Wall of China - well, they're just ugly.

So, for our wardrobing visuals I'm using more corduroy...

But I MUST tell you about Red Thread. www.redthreadcollection.com

There are no sizes here - you take a couple of photographs of yourself (don't worry, their system walks you ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #18 – Dark Neutral Lightweight Pants

July 12, 2021

Even in the hottest parts of the summer, it's smart to have a dark neutral pair of pants handy. Serious life business is no respecter of weather!

Note that you don't have to match colors flawlessly to put together a beautiful outfit:

Classic drawstring pants are so useful in the summer...

You can look perfectly serious at work without melting onto the floor under your desk!

Maybe you really LIKE squares? A little gingham, and some square-ish accessory are just right...

It's not exactly a suit, but it works quite the same way when getting dressed...

I'm always surprised at how good green and grey look together!

Almost like jeans, but a LOT cooler:

For all new visitors, ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #6 – Dark Neutral Lightweight Pants

April 19, 2021

It's not quite summer yet - you don't feel like wearing corduroy pants, or fleece-lined jeans, but you still need a "real" pair of pants...

yes, I wore a cashmere sweater all day yesterday; we're supposed to get snow on Tuesday!?!?!?

These are the kind of pants that you can wear during Spring and Autumn - not too warm, not too cool:

Any accent color goes with navy, I'm convinced!

These pants and a nice sweatshirt give you the option to use any color of the rainbow as your accent:

You can still look like spring, even if you're wearing 2 shirts and shoes with closed toes!

Navy and red were made for each other!

Sometimes, your tote bag will dictate what your accent color will ... View the Post

February 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

February 1, 2021

Ah, I'm so happy! I love these scarf-based wardrobes...

If you want to catch up on where we left off last month, click on this sentence to jump back there!

Since we are (for now) loosely following the Starting From Scratch wardrobe guidelines, this month brings us to a 2nd pair of pants and a shirt.

For most wardrobes, these pants will be chosen so that our heroines will each have a pair of jeans and another pair of pants that are somewhat dressier. The new shirt will be neutral if that's what they need, and accent if that's what's missing. A few more accessories, and any of us would be in good shape for an overnight trip with what's included so far.

This is our first scarf, and palette. The only possible ... View the Post

January 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

January 1, 2021

Amen and Hallelujah!

This year, I'm going to try to be a little bit more deliberate (from time to time) about how these wardrobes come together. There were years in which I just found the 6 most fun outfits every month, and watched the wardrobes either work or struggle. So maybe being just a tiny bit more practical is an interesting change...

First up, let's refresh our collective memories of the 6 scarves and the color palettes from them:

In choosing these first outfits, I referred back to the "Starting from Scratch" wardrobe building series that I wrote years ago. While the idea of starting with a nice pair of pants doesn't make a lot of sense for many of us right this ... View the Post