The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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Back to the roots of The Vivienne Files: Transition

Way back when, Vivienne assured me that she was not always going to have a wardrobe of black, white and red garments - she fully intended, as her hair turned gray, and her skin tones softened, to transition to gray, rose, and cream.

This is how I envision than transition...

Her original wardrobe, as we pictured it here, is this:

The first thing I could picture would be a feeling of discomfort with bright red.  Not every day, but just a sense that these garments were moving to the back of the closet... so they move out and a beautiful rose pink takes its place.

The strongly contrasted black and white pieces would next make way for more muted items...

Black garments worn near the face would gradually give way to more ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing for two weeks in Europe

One of the stranger joys of keeping a laptop for a REALLY long time is that you stumble across files that you completely forgot existed.  To wit, I found my old travel planning file from 2003/2004!  And thus I can tell you with a great deal of certainty what I wore on a combination business and leisure trip I took to Copenhagen and Berlin in late August and early September 2004.  What a blast from my wardrobe past it was to find this.

As with all business trips I take, I grew to roundly detest all of these clothes by the time I got home.  But this trip required only a carry-on bag, and I always consider that a success! ... View the Post

French Chic: if you’re really exotic and work in advertising!

One of my friends has long black hair, an outrageous personality, and works in advertising.  This is for her!

Please bear in mind that I couldn't wear this.  But it takes all kinds, and doing this wardrobe made it clear to me that the concept of core garments works for any style or personality.

I've noticed that the most straightforward way for me to "build" a wardrobe is to start with the scarf and work from there.

And as I think about it, this could be a good strategy for anybody looking for some guidelines and some structure around which to build their clothing choices.  The beauty of this approach is that you don't HAVE to actually own the scarf - you can find one that resonates on a deep level with you ... View the Post

One French woman’s Small, Simple wardrobe: Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files

  This is from a posting on a discussion group in which I listed the entirety of Vivienne's work wardrobe. She tells me that it has changed very little in the intervening years... Note that I've assigned "days of the week" to these little vignettes, but I don't think that necessarily corresponds to how and when Vivienne actually wears these.

  Here's the inventory...  (1) Charcoal gray flannel pants, gray and black striped sweater  (1b) red and gray twinset

  (2) Black short knit skirt, black merino twinset (2b) black and white striped turtleneck longer (tunic length?) sweater

  (3) Black pants and blazer, black and white paisley blouse  (3b) black and white mixed cashmere crew (3/4 ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 4

the following is a direct quote from the original Je Ne Sais Quoi discussion group postings I made regarding my friend Vivienne:

Someone asked me what Vivienne thinks of my wardrobe - to put it mildly she thinks I'm crazy! Admittedly, she has never actually been in my apartment and seen the beautiful arrangement (by color) of my bounty, and I HAVE seen her apartment (but not her closet) but she assures me that she has about 4 linear feet of hanging space. (Well okay, slightly more than a meter) But she thinks that I'm a genius packer - the last 2 trips I've made to Paris on business, she has come over to my hotel with me and hung out while I unpacked, pressed and otherwise got my act together. She ... View the Post