skirts Archives

3 Capsule Wardrobes: Second Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – August 2023

August 4, 2023

Let's see what our other 3 heroines have going on in their wardrobes...

Our first heroine's wardrobe from last month was 23 pieces that gave her a good range of options...

This heroine was thinking of another skirt; as much as she loves her navy one, she would like one in olive! And while she's at it, she just wants to fill in some more olive in her wardrobe.

And she knows that if she wants olive tall boots, she'd better get on it!

I know that it seems really early to look at tall boots, but if you need a pair, don't delay! You'd be amazed at how many pairs of boots I almost added to these wardrobes, only to find that they're already sold out in a lot of sizes... sheesh!

This is what our heroine ... View the Post

Three Capsule Wardrobes: First Half of Six Paintings, 12 Months – August 2023

August 2, 2023

My favorite work every month! This, to me, is the closest The Vivienne Files can get to showing how a real wardrobe might grow, month by month. If we all (I mean ALL) carefully planned our purchases to be versatile AND to endure, we could eliminate a lot of waste in the world. At least we should try, eh?

Last month, we left our heroine with a wardrobe of 23 garments; it's pretty well balanced, except she might be challenged to wear her dress in cooler weather.

Tights and a sweater will get her through, of course, but maybe a skirt would be useful...

This heroine added another grey tee shirt to her wardrobe; the shirt she has is pretty sporty, and she thought a more classic one would be useful. ... View the Post

Start With a Skirt: black & white gingham linen

May 10, 2023

It's easy to look at a garment and think that you know how to wear it - we are, after all, adults. Mostly.

But it's easy to lose sight of possibilities; one of you is quite smitten with this skirt, but wasn't sure that there were enough options to make it worth including in her wardrobe.

Let's think...

This is the skirt - it's easy to see the appeal, if you're among the "black & white" crowd!

Let's start with the obvious - a white sweater, black & white jewelry, and a very modern pair of two-tone flats:

Similarly, a black sweater, bag and flats are easy choices. Adding pearls and shiny earrings help balance out the lightness and print of the skirt:

Any white blouse could be worn ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Shunbun – Vernal Equinox

March 20, 2023

I'm writing this on Saturday morning; the temperature is WAY below freezing... sigh...

The first day of spring is my anniversary! 19 years - it seems like almost 2 decades...

I was thinking of pretty outfits for Easter, or some other wonderful Spring dressy occasion. Having one truly lovely outfit in your closet is only right!

A dress with smocking looks MUCH better on a person, rather than just stark in a photograph...

First sign of Spring in a lot of the world:

A pretty blouse or shirt can be worn a lot in the warm weather - with a skirt, certainly, but maybe shorts?

At a distance, this skirt doesn't seem to have much pink in it - you need to ... View the Post

Part 3 September 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

September 9, 2022

Let's get back to these last 2 scarves - I'm quite chuffed about the pretty things that I've found...

This heroine has a LOT of navy in her wardrobe; maybe we should look for something lighter to serve as a neutral for her...

yes, one of these scarves is so expensive it might give you chest pains... but it's lovely, and even a cat may look at a king!

These new clothes blend into her wardrobe perfectly, but the overall feeling of things is (of course) a bit lighter and softer:

Her accessories are lovely; her scarf drawer is enviable!

All of her new purchases bring options to her each morning - she has a wonderful new way to get dressed up with her ivory skirt and pumps!

Last, this ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Dark Tops and Print Skirts

July 25, 2022

Michigan Avenue was packed yesterday! I was out among them, checking out how many women were wearing dark colors...

I was wearing a black dress, which is normal for me on even the hottest days. I migrate to the shady side of the street as often as possible, and I DID notice that a lot of people were doing the same!

And while I didn't see all that many dark dresses, I saw TONS of dark tee shirts and tank tops. Often, they were wearing their simple top with a glorious printed skirt:

I saw all colors of sandals:

A few women had managed to find PERFECT handbags...

Some women were doing beautiful things with traditional color combinations, like navy and turquoise:

One doesn't see a lot of brown ... View the Post

July 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

July 4, 2022

My emails tend to come in waves, topic-wise. Recently, it seems that a great many people are concerned about having to return to "real life," be that an office, or lunch dates that used to be regularly scheduled, or other social gatherings that have been cancelled for the last 2 years.

So this month I think that our heroines are going to all look for a dressy-ish outfit that resembles either a suit or includes a skirt... Good for work, good for social events, good for worship services...

First up, if you have to go to an office, you can pretend that you're wearing a suit, if your pants and shirt-jacket are made of the same fabric!

Our heroine now has a 25-piece wardrobe, which makes getting dressed pretty ... View the Post

Packing (or just being prepared) for a Heat-Wave

June 17, 2022

If you're not living through record heat where you are, just be patient...

I recently heard from a friend who is just back from a long trip to Italy, and she talked at length about how the heat affected everything on her trip!

And I was once in Paris - relatively early in the spring - and was completely caught off-guard by some unseasonably warm temperatures; I had to scramble and make a couple of purchases!

It can happen anywhere on the planet, I'm afraid...

So what to do?

At a minimum, I think I will probably always pack at least a couple of sleeveless tops for almost any trip; they make great bottom layers when the weather is cold (almost like long underwear!), but of course might save you if the heat ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Peonies Silk Scarf by Arlo Goods

April 4, 2022

She's Always Rather Dressy... She always has been - they've all known each other since school, and she was always the most dressed-up of them all at any event! Not that she was ever inappropriate - just a notch or 2 fancier than them..

So when they make plans to get together for a long weekend in the city, they look forward to seeing her, (of course!) and seeing how she is dressed!

For what it's worth, she's hysterically funny, very generous, and an all-around great friend...

This weekend should be particularly interesting; they've got tickets to Orchestra Hall, and dinner reservations another night at one of the new, "fancy" restaurants that has recently opened...

They haven't all been together ... View the Post

April 2022: Six Scarves, 12 Months

April 1, 2022

I SO wanted to put dresses into these wardrobes, but (1) we've looked at lots of dresses recently, and (2) I sort of feel like skirts are more versatile. I should think about that, huh?

Let's start with golden leaves against a bright blue sky! (since it's snowing in Chicago as I write this - talk about April fools...)

After much searching, I found the perfect silk skirt! This could be worn a ton of different ways...

Each wardrobe now has 16 garments - I suspect we could pull together a pretty tidy "4 by 4" wardrobe from these...

And each wardrobe now has 12 accessories - this is SO INCREDIBLY WRONG in my world... I suspect that lots of accessories will be showing up in the next few months!

As ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #51: A Skirt

March 7, 2022

It's getting to be that time of year when many of us are going to be invited to something dressy - weddings, baptisms, graduations etc etc.

These things can be much more fun if you have your outfit sorted!

Please note - a lot of the garments that look like plain old ordinary tee shirts are, in fact, cashmere tee shirts! They aren't as warm to wear as you think they might be, and they give you a simple silhouette that's still dressy, because of the fabric...

For this first outfit - if you buy this bag, you'd not be crazy AT ALL to buy at least a couple of garments in this shade of blue; J.Crew has quite an assortment...

If you're one of us "anything, so long as it's black!" people, a snazzy blouse and some ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #38: A Neutral 2nd Layer

December 8, 2021

Time for another 2nd layer! In honor of all of the gift-giving occasions in the recent past and near future, I'm suggesting cashmere sweaters! (and yes, you can indeed purchase a gift for yourself? Who better to buy, and who better to receive?)

I'm recycling last week's skirts, showing them in a less dressy way. If you're going to own a skirt, you may as well get some mileage from it, right?

A simple, beautiful sweater can be worn with lots of things, and will always elevate your outfit by a notch or two; if I were to only own 1 sweater, it would be a black cashmere cardigan:

The same plaid skirt that you wore for a holiday neighborhood gather can be worn to work too....

The brown toile skirt ... View the Post