The Vivienne Files

Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature

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How to Pack for a Long Autumn Weekend by Starting with a Scarf – Funky Foliage by Treasure & Bond

September 13, 2017

She really wants to go up to the lake house one more time... in the autumn...

She always feels really sentimental, and just a little bit homesick, in the autumn. Not homesick for home, but for that time when she was in school, and September brought fresh starts - a chance to begin again...

Autumn also brings back all of her favorite sweaters! So when her siblings starting talking about the need to double-check on the house before winter, she offered to go up...

A couple of evenings in front of the fireplace reading won't be the worst thing in the world...

And a few long walks in the forest will be nourishing to her soul...

And there's always a chance that the Fish & ... View the Post

How to Pack for a Business Trip by Starting with Art: A Farm by Piet Mondrian

September 11, 2017

When I think of Mondrian I always think of those black and white grid patterns with little patches of a primary color or two, but in his earlier days he was much more traditional...

Colors are always what catches my eye - I loved the strong blue, the almost acid green, and then the much calmer neutral rust and grey...

"Uses of Color in Distinctive Branding" Whoever names these conferences needs to get some imagination - how stodgy can you get? This doesn't sound at all appealing.... But she has been writing the book on distinctive color uses for decades; it will be interesting to see what these young people think they can teach her!

Her approach to color has always been to do the "wrong" thing, so ... View the Post

What I Packed for Florida, August/September 2017

September 4, 2017  

When you read this, Belovedest and I will be hanging out with my mother in Florida! It's super-easy to pack for these trips, because I can wear her clothes if I HAVE to (her coloring suggests a soft, cool, powdery-pastel wardrobe - not perfect for me!) and I can of course do laundry. That said, one always should have a plan!If this first outfit looks familiar, it should; it's what I wore to fly to Ireland earlier this month. It was really ideal, but I'm making just a few small changes to tweak it to suit Florida better. First up, instead of my favorite Bremerton pants from Eddie Bauer, I'll be wearing J.Jill stretch linen pants. (my Bremerton pants just got back from the cleaners - I splurged - and I'm sort of ... View the Post

Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Les Glaciers by Alexandre Sergejewitsch Borisoff

August 25, 2017

I don't remember where I found this painting, but the colors are absolutely stunning:

I hope for the artist's sake that he was painting from memory, or a photograph!

Let's dream an extravagant, completely unrealistic dream today... Remember that big conference of CEO's? "The one in Breckenridge? The board decided that you should fly out with the Chairman, because you're the best person to help explain the financial projections..."

the suitcase came in a perfect shade of aqua blue, which I didn't find until the very last minute...

"It's been described as "posh casual," so we assume you're going to need to buy a few things for the trip. Submit your receipts with your expense report and we'll take ... View the Post

How to UNPACK Your Suitcase

August 23, 2017

Ah, the eclipse was amazing! So was our 14-hour drive home... (a trip which charitably might take 6 hours if you're a slow driver....) If today's post feels a bit incoherent, understand that I got 2 hours of sleep!

After we got back from Ireland last week, our suitcases were laying open on the floor in our apartment for a couple of days - partly because we were tired and just didn't get around to doing all of the laundry immediately, and partly because I'm trying to cultivate a very slow and attentive process for unpacking. I'm doing this so that I can review what I packed (and remember what I forgot!) immediately after the trip, and try to learn something useful for future adventures...

You might remember from my ... View the Post

An Early, But Timeless Travel Capsule Wardrobe in Camel and Coral

August 14, 2017

This wardrobe was constructed over 5 years ago, but you could still pack every piece of this and wear it today... that's my primary goal. Timeless. Elegant. Classic.

When you know that you can wear something for years, you can feel quite a bit better about buying the very best items you can... It's only logical to make sure that your beautiful things will last, right?

love, Janice ... View the Post

What I’m Packing For Ireland, August 2017

August 2, 2017

I leave tomorrow! My original plan was to go to Italy, but my friend had to postpone, so Belovedest and I decided that I would just get off the plane in Dublin (through which I was originally connecting) and spend the 12 days there. I'll be in an Air BNB for 6 days, and then B arrives and we'll move into a hotel. I'm mad excited...

This is a really uncharacteristic pack for me - it's a TON more stuff than I often take. But I'm going to get up in the mornings and do an alternate sprint/walk down the river toward the docks. (The wander back will probably require coffee shops...) That means that I need running skorts, shoes, tee shirts, socks, and probably some 2nd layer; Ireland is a lot cooler than Chicago, this time of ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Both Coolness and Modesty: Baie de Cannes by Picasso

July 26, 2017

You have asked me this question a lot - how can you handle traveling to a hot destination, where you need to be appropriately dressed when occasions or locations require modest attire?

Modesty almost always means 1 or more of 3 "things" need to be covered: 1. your shoulders 2. your knees, or 3. your head

So we've got to make certain that we have available to us at all times (in the backpack!) a shirt with sleeves, a skirt (or the zippy-on pieces of zip-off pants...) and a scarf... If you're one of those clever people who can wrap and tie a scarf in such a way that it works as a skirt, you're in luck...

Let's start with a lovely abstraction of a wonderful beach destination:

These are lovely ... View the Post

A Travel Capsule Wardrobe that Starts with Art: Saint John by Gerhard Richter

July 17, 2017

This could qualify as Moderately Extravagant Monday!

And here's some art that might not be to everyone's taste, but colors that certainly have energy and make a strong statement:

(I personally love Gerhard Richter, and this work especially...) They Think She's Crazy...

She sleeps like a baby on airplanes. Well, any place she can sit down, she can sleep soundly. And she uses this to her advantage!

Those last-minute plane tickets that are dirt cheap, but only work if you can leave in 2 days, and only stay someplace for 3 days? She's all over them...

Most people eschew such quick trips, because they can never get over the jet lag, and they don't feel like it's worthwhile to spend all that time on ... View the Post

Do I Have to Use ALL of My Accent Colors in my Capsule Travel Wardrobe?

July 6 2017

Of course not! But let's look at an example: Just a Quick Weekend at the beach... She'll catch the bus Friday afternoon, and arrive in time for a late dinner. This part is easy - she can wear what she wore to work, with a light jacket to compensate for the Arctic air-conditioning on the bus.

She bought a new swimsuit, and she loves it - so much that she's building her entire (tiny, six-piece) travel wardrobe around the colors in it!

Yes, she's a serious swimmer!

This is what she sees as her color scheme, but she's really... hesitant... about the lime green!

Her travel outfit is navy and other shades of blue, which really echo the ocean and water colors of the swimsuit...

As she assembled her ... View the Post

A Travel Wardrobe Based on an Amazing Coat!

July 4, 2017

One of the best parts of writing The Vivienne Files is the ability to create imaginary wardrobes just to see how they work, without spending a ton of money...

A favorite from years ago was all built around an amazingly beautiful floral coat - I sort of imagined that someone was traveling for a wedding or other somewhat dressy party. The color scheme was mostly bright mossy green and white - NOT your everyday color scheme!

Revisit, and see if you can imagine wearing these colors...

Please note that I'm jetting around for the holiday, so The Vivienne Files will be on hiatus for a couple of days. Back soon!

love, Janice ... View the Post