warm weather Archives

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #20 – A Sleeveless Top

July 26, 2021

Is it swelteringly hot where you are? Chicago has finally settled into an extended stretch of hot weather, so sleeveless tops are timely!

Originally, I had thought that this top HAD to be in a light neutral, but I'm now in a more flexible mindset - anything that's cool, and that works well with your existing wardrobe, is what we need! Printed tops will be added soon...

For those of us who wear tank tops frequently, it's worth considering looking for things with some sort of lace, or other decorative trim. This might be just the touch of detail that your outfit needs...

I couldn't resist keeping the same "suit" and scarf from last week, and then picking a completely different accent color; this is the kind ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #19 – Dark Neutral Short-Sleeve or Lightweight 2nd Layer

July 19, 2020

Time to check in on our neutral, timeless wardrobe pieces; today we need something to wear on those freakish days in the summer that turn cool, or for the air-conditioning that turns normal places into meat lockers!

First, a simple column of white (or any color, really) can take on a ton of different looks with an overshirt and some accessories:

For me, this is the quintessential summer 2nd layer - a black cardigan that's warm enough to do what needs done, but sheer enough not to look like it's October!

It's kind of a suit... And here again, you could use a LOT of different accent colors!

A black "suit" can also be worn in a million different ways - some days you just want some silver and onyx, and a ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #18 – Dark Neutral Lightweight Pants

July 12, 2021

Even in the hottest parts of the summer, it's smart to have a dark neutral pair of pants handy. Serious life business is no respecter of weather!

Note that you don't have to match colors flawlessly to put together a beautiful outfit:

Classic drawstring pants are so useful in the summer...

You can look perfectly serious at work without melting onto the floor under your desk!

Maybe you really LIKE squares? A little gingham, and some square-ish accessory are just right...

It's not exactly a suit, but it works quite the same way when getting dressed...

I'm always surprised at how good green and grey look together!

Almost like jeans, but a LOT cooler:

For all new visitors, and ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Our Echo giveaway winner!

July 9, 2021

Sharon was our winner! And her choice of scarf was...

But we're going to be looking at VERY different colors than normal with this scarf!

Sharon is dreaming of a wardrobe for a getaway to Italy! Her dream includes ALL of the good stuff: museums, churches, shopping, a boat tour, lounging in cafes, romantic dinners, and maybe an alfresco concert!

Where's my ticket?

Sharon was thinking of a short getaway because she lives in the UK, but I went a little bit overboard with her packing! Summer clothes pack small...

I was trying to be careful about modesty - I can't count on both hands (and feet!) the number of people I've seen turned away from churches in Italy because they weren't appropriately dressed. ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #17 – Dark Neutral Shorts

July 4, 2021

Happy 4th of July to everyone! (even if you're not celebrating a holiday, you can still be happy, right?)

As with everything on The Vivienne Files, if these garments don't work for you, substitute things that will! If you're not a "shorts and sleeveless top" person, maybe you're a "cropped pants and tee shirt" woman...

First up - last week's pink tank top gets casual!

For those of you keeping each of these "individual garment" pages, I offer up some lovely brown...

Bright blue with navy shorts is a natural!

Olive accessories that didn't look terribly overly green were hard to find, so I chose brown instead; I think it works well!

For those among you who spend a lot of time near a beach, lake ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #16 – An Accent Color Sleeveless Top

June 28, 2021

Why yes, this is a day early... I'm in a bit of a muddle these days! I'm sorry to have to remind everyone that this means there will NOT be a post on Monday morning. Sorry for the confusion!

Accent colors make everything more fun! And I'm dedicating today's post to those among us who are - very suddenly - being summoned back to offices...

Why yes, you can layer this top under just about anything. And wear it to work out. And sleep in it, if necessary!

Maybe you're finding that some of your work clothes no longer fit quite right, but you can still wear your black shirtdress - wear it EVERY week, with a variety of accent colors:

Maybe work is very casual...

Maybe it's summer in an otherwise ... View the Post

June 2021 Start with a Bracelet: The Tropical Hibiscus Bracelets

June 25, 2021

please note that all sorts of things are selling out at a shocking rate; I literally chose our hat at 11 a.m. and by 1 p.m. they were GONE... Seize the day indeed! She's going to sit under an umbrella...

and watch everyone else get sunburned, and get sand in their creases and crevasses...

Her color palette is easy - bright and summery! (even though cool evenings are always possible...)

It takes about 90 minutes to get there on the bus; she's ready with her mask and something to read!

Once she's there, she can hang up a few things, grab another book, and head down to either the bar, the deck, or the nearest reaches of the beach...

Her friends don't expect her to have a vast wardrobe with her - ... View the Post

Accessories for 2 Spring Weekly Timeless Wardrobes – beige & rust, beige & green

June 23, 2021

As much as I loved these wardrobes, THIS is where the fun starts! Even accessories as simple as earrings and sandals can make SO much difference...

Remember this wardrobe?

We need accessories for this, but I don't want to just jump into things willy-nilly! This isn't a definitive list for every woman alive, but it's a nice start for our purposes:

With this very general guideline in place, I've assembled 4 outfits from this wardrobe, and put accessories with each of them. Of course, I didn't really stick to the shoe suggestions...

I know some of you can't imagine wearing a cardigan AND a scarf right now, but today in Chicago it's going to top out at 70 degree Fahrenheit, so indoors it ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #14 – a sleeveless top

June 14, 2021

No, you do NOT have to show your bare arms! But I often find that the most useful garment in my suitcase might be a simple tank top - it can replace a sweaty pajama top, or serve as a layer under something that has too much "show through," or it can bring a sliver of color to an outfit - I've even worn one over a button-front shirt as a vest!

In all modesty, my arms are still pretty glossy, but that doesn't mean that I want to share them with the world...

And sleeveless does not necessarily equal tank top!

I have 2 sleeveless button-front tops that I've had for years - black and white dotted, and black and white striped... I wear them under a light black cardigan and they're just right...

If you want to ... View the Post

13-Piece Spring Wardrobes – Black and White, Olive and Beige

June 11, 2021

I can clearly see that I want to do at least 2 more of these after today! The denim/chambray/soft pink idea MUST be investigated, as well as... what other color?

But today, we look at black, and then at my nemesis, green!

First up - a wardrobe that I could envision buying if I lost every stitch of clothing that I own... the pink skirt would be a real adventure for me, but why the HECK not try it?

This may not qualify as a completely "Whatever's Clean 13" wardrobe - I can see some of us feeling uncomfortable wearing the blue tee shirt with the pink skirt. But if one could find the right scarf, necklace, or bracelet to tie them together, or if one just plain and simply LIKES the 2 colors together, why not? (it's ... View the Post

Two Spring Capsule Wardrobes, Using the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe

June 9, 2021

Ah, you would have laughed if you could have seen me starting this post - I thought that I would just open ALL THIRTEEN of the earlier posts, and copy things from there...

Now remember, since the beginning of the pandemic, I've been blogging from a laptop!

Just as well it didn't work out - many of the garments from early weeks are long gone in many sizes...

So I've used quite a few familiar garments, and picked up some new things to fill in the blanks!

I really like to show these wardrobes to reinforce my personal conviction that these classic garments can come together to give you a great travel wardrobe, or the base of a Garde Robe du Mois.

I love the subtle elegance of these colors:

Just imagine this ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #13 – a summer dress

June 7, 2021

Dresses! I wear a LOT of dresses in the summer time, because they're fast, easy, and modest but still cool...

I know that the list of garments that I wrote years ago specifically says "shirtdress," but we can be flexible... I like shirtdresses because you can wear another top under them, or use them as a swimsuit coverup, or as a duster jacket over another outfit etc.

Let's look at some ideas!

For those of you who are saving the individual garment images, here's the glorious dress all on its own:

I often see women wear button-front dresses with a contrast top underneath, and the dress itself unbutton down to mid-torso. It's a nice look...

And I'm picturing this scarf tied around a pony ... View the Post