silk scarf Archives - Page 4 of 11

The Finishing Steps: Shifting Accessories from Cool Colors to Warm Colors

February 15, 2016

When we left this project, it was neither fish, nor fowl, nor good red meat, as they say...But that's okay, because transition REQUIRES a period of "this and that." Unless you're going to throw out absolutely everything and start from scratch (which I don't recommend, and actively discourage!), you're going to find yourself in this kind of spot if you choose to make a major wardrobe shift. Just press on, patiently and intelligently...

Step 6 - Shoes for Skirts, and a Tote Step 6 of the clothing change gets rid of black skirts and move toward warmer pieces, so your black pumps and boots are pretty obsolete! And you might as well address a new tote bag, since you're in the "leather goods" mood.

Since ... View the Post

The 1st Five Steps: Shifting Accessories from Cool Colors to Warm Colors

February 11, 2016

To me, changing the color palette of your accessories is more difficult than shift a wardrobe of clothes! Jewelry might be valuable, scarves might hold sentimental value, and shoes can be just plain hard to find...

Especially when you're starting with a very nice assortment of items like this:

Step 1 - Defining Accessories need to change! As hard as it is to let go, this scarf WAS the defining core of the wardrobe from last week. And you'll want a new pair of earrings, to bring your warmer colors near to your face. And since your wardrobe is going to be more limited for a while, another scarf is a good choice - you can wear it to help your 2 color palettes work together.

There are 2 ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Reflections II by ImageDiary

WHAT a scarf...

And what delicious colors with which to work in a capsule wardrobe...

My goal here was to look for fluidity, as much as possible...What I wouldn't do for this dress, by the way. This is the kind of thing that you buy and then build outfits around - which wouldn't be difficult. While you can easily wear it as I show here, you could also put on tights, boots, a black cardigan and your Reflections II scarf in cold weather...

This scarf was described as having "water drops" as the pattern:

Pearls seems pretty obvious, when the theme is water:

PLEASE, cut the tag gizmo off of the blue sweater... What ARE they thinking?

There ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf – Hydrangea Haze by Ted Baker London

February 3, 2016 I love it when one of you falls into mad infatuation with something... This time, it's a lovely scarf!

It's easy for me to be sympathetic to those who fall for something from Ted Baker - the floral prints are SO GORGEOUS...

I actually own both a scarf AND a cardigan in the same fabric (no, I would never wear them at the same time, but I would pack them in the same suitcase in a heartbeat!).

The ground of this scarf is deep navy, and for today I'm using the soft grey flowers, and shades of pink, as the accent colors. There's definitely potential to use blue and purple as accents, if that's your preference.

Trailing spouse, my comfortably shod foot... She hates the term. ... View the Post

Pantone 2016 Colors, and an Accessory Refresh

January 13, 2016

This horridly cold weather in Chicago reminds me of the best aspect of writing The Vivienne Files - I don't have to leave the building. (seriously - grocery story, gym, pool, dry cleaner etc. all in the building!) But I begin to crave a change of colors, and something to brighten up my winter clothes, which begin to all look the same.

While we all understand pretty clearly that Pantone colors don't actually rule the world, nor do they actually find "new" colors, they can still be a useful guide to looking at some accessories in colors that we might not otherwise consider.

What could be more fun than a new bottle of nail polish, and maybe an inexpensive ring, to cheer up the end (?!?) of winter? I think things on ... View the Post

Tote Bag Travel for a Weekend Get-Away

January 11, 2016 Back to the real world....

This happens a lot in large cities - when the hotels become less expensive over the weekend, people from the suburbs come into "the city." They come in by train on Saturday morning to spend the day in town, have a nice dinner, maybe see a sporting event or a show, stay over, have a lovely brunch, and get back home before darkness falls on Sunday.

When I said I was going to create the smallest possible travel capsule wardrobe, THIS is what I was thinking of! (I'm so sorry, I have a hunch that I've really disappointed some of you.)

I see these people every weekend, and it seems that they are often hauling about a lot more "stuff" than they might need. This might not ... View the Post

Choosing an Hermes Scarf, using handbags, shoes, Chanel brooches…

December 18, 2015

Yes, I'm absolutely going to write more about Paris, probably later today, but this was sort of a rush, emergency request...A chance to choose a scarf for a holiday gift... and you wanted to see how they paired with Chanel brooches??!?!?!??!?! Chanel brooches aren't in my usual repertoire, but why not take a look?

She's narrowed it down to these:

This looks a lot like my friend: smoothly coiffed hair, always in immaculate taste. Plus I like the oval pearls that echo the tiny faces in the scarf!

Sometimes, there's nothing more fun than the juxtaposition of a Chico's necklace with a Chanel brooch. Coco would flip...Although I could easily see her in this also, the sheer ... View the Post

How to Tie An Hermes Scarf (or any other square scarf!)

December 7, 2015

This is the time of year when I'm supposed to be BURYING you in links to expensive gifts, so I get lots of commissions. But NOOOOOO, I'm a knucklehead, and I'm going to talk about scarf tying today. Sometimes, I do the most un-businesslike things....First off, let's be clear - you don't EVER, in your life, need to own an Hermes scarf. You will be just fine, trust me. But they are beautiful works of art, so if the opportunity presents itself, and you find that you do indeed love wearing scarves, it's something to consider.

But you should make sure that you wear scarves a lot, and in order to do that, you want to start with much more reasonably priced scarves from places like Talbots, Nordstrom, Brooks ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Vintage Rose by Kathkath

November 13, 2015

Who wouldn't want this?

Such lovely colors....

I wanted to think more about the idea of the "Whatever's Clean 13" and different ways to go about creating a grouping that will simplify your life - at least when you're getting dressed!

So I thought I'd dig WAY back into the archives of my brain, and The Vivienne Files, for the "Not So Crazy Eights" - the idea that owning eight garments in the same color might be the smartest thing you can do.

Let's hypothesize that someone in the world is pretty committed to her black wardrobe, so the first eight aren't terribly difficult. That said, she's in a little bit of a pickle for the upcoming holiday season; her friends and family aren't the strapless sequined ... View the Post

Scarf Selling Saturday: Gucci Flora

Another Saturday, another beautiful scarf!I've read stories that this scarf was designed originally for Grace Kelly. I don't know if that's true, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me. This is so beautiful...

This is what the full scarf looks like. This is NOT my photograph, but the scarf I'm selling is exactly like this...

These are detailed photographs of the four corners of the scarf, taken by me, Friday morning the 6th. This scarf really is in excellent condition, and the details are amazing! I took picture with the scarf folded, so you can see some flowers showing through the fabric. Like little ghost flowers...

If you like to wear pretty flower colors, there's a million ways to wear this scarf. I ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with a Scarf: Black Dahlia by Yuh Okano

November 5, 2015

When this scarf arrived Chez Vivienne Files, I thought "there's no way on planet Janice that I'm giving this scarf away!"

But of course, I managed to rein in my enthusiasm and genuine admiration for this beauty, and I'm going to give it to one of you. Leave a comment... and yes, no matter where you are in the world, you may certainly comment and be entered to win! I'll ship anywhere...

It's a crispy but sheer silk organza (?), and it's primarily black, white and shades of grey, but there's this elusive hint of pink that makes it just... riveting. You can get truly mesmerized looking at it! The size is about 6' by 1' - a nice manageable size for a big fluffy bow...Colors were so ... View the Post

Cleaning Out My Scarf Drawer, in my Own Odd Way…

I have too many scarves. It's just that simple - when I'm looking for a specific one, I struggle to find it, and I wander past a LOT of beautiful scarves that aren't getting the love and attention they deserve.

So I decided to clean up!

For no really good reason I can think of, I decided to choose 10 scarves to send out into the world. And from there, my methodology was bizarre, but effective...

First off, I got to thinking about how there are really only two kinds of clothes - good ones and bad ones. You can define these two terms however you like, but for me, good means good fabric, well constructed, by people who are paid a decent wage and work in decent surroundings, and which are sold by people who are also treated with ... View the Post