shopping Archives - Page 4 of 9

My Year Without Shopping – February 2017

January 30, 2017

So far, so good for my year without shopping!

I bought one thing in early January, using a gift card that I received for Christmas. I've been searching for a hands-free way to carry essentials when I travel, and I never have much luck with crossbody bags. When I saw this very modestly sized - but not twee - backpack, I knew it would work well. It holds my travel toiletries, my tablet, and my backup phone battery, so it's just about perfect. So far...

I really like it's low key look - just the one logo, simple leather zipper pulls etc. And I'm the kind of person who always gets confused when I have a bag with lots and lots of pockets. "You'll be so organized..." Nope, I'm just rummaging around trying to remember ... View the Post

My Year Without Shopping – January 2017. The Reasons, The Method, and The Rules

January 3, 2017

Yes, it's true, and it's long overdue; I'm taking a year off from shopping! I've begun to feel just a bit too much like this:

Untitled (I Shop Therefore I Am) by Barbara Kruger

(By shopping, I'm including clothes, jewelry, and all accessories.) It's become apparent that I have a lot more clothes than I need, especially when considering my current life. It's not uncommon for me to spend at least 2 days a week in gym clothes - I'll wake up and put them on immediately, but then won't actually GET to the gym until mid- to late-afternoon. By the time I've finished working out and cooling down, (at least in the winter) it's time for me to shower and put on my pajamas! I could get ... View the Post

Planning my Fall Capsule Wardrobe Shopping: August 2016

August 8, 2016

Even though we're living in front of the fan, and running the air conditioner much more often than I prefer (those things EAT electricity!); I'm still already thinking about what I'm going to wear this winter. (well, I'm also thinking about what I'm going to pack for our trip to Italy next month...)First things first - you can't plan what you're going to buy unless you make a clear and complete inventory of what you already have! It's an amazing thing to read, repeatedly, about how women will buy a garment, only to return home and realize that they ALREADY OWN a very similar item. There's a big planning fail in there...

So I'm starting with my "Whatever's Clean" capsule wardrobe assortment for cool ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: August

August 1, 2016

In August, the stores have VERY little warm-weather apparel, so we'd better be prepared to plan ahead and pick up some things that will be useful in autumn and winter...For reference, the earlier installments of this series can be found here:

January February March April May June July

And for reference purposes, these are the 6 scarves with which we started the capsule wardrobes: (I can't wait to choose NEXT year's 6 scarves - maybe we'll vote?)

Navy– Hermes Voyage en Etoffes; brown – Hermes Tyger Tyger; beige – Hermes Le Voyage de Pytheas; olive – Hermes Cheval Mirage; grey – Hermes Cheval Surprise Remix; black – Hermes Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs

This ... View the Post

12 Must-Have Items for your Capsule Wardrobe in 2016? Let’s Consider…

June 18, 2016 I'm sure you see these lists too: "12 Things You NEED in Your Capsule Wardrobe in 2016." They always amuse me, and irritate me, in equal measure. Let me be perfectly clear: there is NOTHING that is required for every woman. Nothing. Every woman does not needs shoes. Every woman does not need to wear a bra. Really, so long as we're all covered enough to be decent in public, I think it should be much more of a free-for-all than it currently is. Conformity kills creativity... So let's look at this particular list, and see what we can learn that might be of use! 1. Ankle Boots If there were even an item that I would encourage you to consider, it would be this. If you live in a climate ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe One Piece at a Time

February 19, 2016

Unpacking my bag last night, I was thinking about how, for the last handful of trips I've taken, I've started my packing by choosing my travel outfit, and then adding 1 piece at a time until I'm at an appropriate number of garments for the length of my trip. It's a system that's working pretty well for me...

I then started considering the possibility of applying this concept to the building of a wardrobe. Some people just aren't in a position to buy an entire wardrobe, or even an entire outfit, at one time. And for those among us who are more comfortable moving gradually into changes, this might be just the ticket!

Let's start with this outfit; maybe this is someone's very favorite ensemble, including ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Hermes Panthera Pardus

February 2, 2016 The minute I saw this scarf in the store, I knew I wanted to use it here on The Vivienne Files, so you all could see it too:

He's got green eyes! The colors, and the details here, are just gloriously beautiful. I always particularly admire the contrast edge on a scarf, because it's pretty, and because I can't even imagine how difficult it is to silkscreen that part, and then roll it and hand stitch it so perfectly. Artisan genius... and it comes in other colors!

The range of possible colors that can be used here was pretty impressive, and a bit unusual. Hermes can always be counted on to come up with color schemes not seen elsewhere. When I do capsule wardrobes like this, please ... View the Post

How Are Designers and Consumers Alike? or How SHOULD They be Alike?

January 22, 2016

When I go to Paris, I always try to find a new book or two that discusses some aspect of personal style, fashion, clothing history - just anything that interests me, and that might in turn interest you!

Right now, I'm reading this:

The second of the 101 "little secrets" tells us that "designers create collections, not simply isolated garments..."

Isolated garments - that's a pretty thought-provoking phrase! But I think that's the results from how a lot of us shop - we see something fabulous, we buy it, and we don't necessarily stop to think about the degree to which said gorgeous object will work with the rest of our wardrobe.

That's why I'm always hammering home the idea of having a plan; if ... View the Post

Paris Store Windows, December 2015

December 18, 2015

Oh, did I window shop....But before I get to that, I have to answer a question someone asked, before I forget: What about my hair care needs when I travel?

This is it. I shower in the evenings, and then untangle my hair again the morning, re-dampen it, and scrunch it with my hands. Stick in a headband, and I'm done! I haven't got a lot of patience for primping; if I had to blow dry my hair every day, I'd shave my head....

Makeup = lipgloss, and of course I'm wearing sunscreen. Done.

I have to suggest an very small, empty spray bottle to almost anybody who's going to fly. Yes, you can buy those Evian spray bottles that are going to outlive us all in a landfill, or you can get one of these and ... View the Post

In Which I Try to Spend my Nordstrom Gift Card

July 15, 2015

After I was pondering if I should write about the Nordstrom Pre-Season sale, I remembered - I just had a birthday, and one of my gifts was a gift card to Nordstrom! So I can maybe indulge some pondering about what I should buy...

First off, I have to say that if I needed lingerie, I would hot-foot it to the Nordstrom site to see if they have my favorites on sale; their sale includes LOTS of lingerie.

Similarly, if I were interested in buying new bedding at this change of season, I'd also look at Nordstrom; it's also a category in which there seem to be lots of markdowns.

But I need neither of those things - I'm not buying undergarments of any ilk until I'm quite through losing weight and getting more ... View the Post

Prints, no Stripes, nor Flowers, nor Animal Prints

July 18, 2015

It can feel some days like there are no printed garments in the world that aren't striped, flowered, or animal printed - I know that I feel like I have to be careful not to inundate you all with tops from those categories. So today, I decided that I was going to commit my work day to find shirts, blouses and tee shirts that were printed, but that had a different take on the idea.

You do understand that I will not, EVER, try to convince you to wear any garment with something written on it? Good... I'm sick beyond belief of shirts with silly phrases written across one's bosom...

This might be a good way to add a little something to your current season wardrobe in order to get through the rest of the season, or ... View the Post

How Many Pieces of Clothing do You Need?

July 14, 2015

The question I'm asked the most often: How many pieces of clothing do I need to have in my wardrobe?

Nothing like a simple question to keep me thinking!

But I've figured out, finally, that if you can answer four questions (two easy, two more difficult), I can tell you EXACTLY how many pieces should be hanging in your gorgeous vintage armoire.

1. What is the time period for which we are planning?

For planning out your completely wardrobe (not including gym clothes or leisure attire), you'd start with the number 365 - we're planning a wardrobe for a year. But the nice thing about the formula I figured out is that you could also answer 180, if you wanted to know how many pieces of cold-weather clothing you ... View the Post