warm weather Archives - Page 3 of 26

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #8 – short-sleeved light neutral shirt

May 3, 2021

It's starting to feel like summer clothes might actually be useful this year!

What we're looking for this week is the "go-to" shirt for warm weather, to be worn either as a shirt on its own, or as a shirt-jacket over a more bare top:

Pink as a neutral is fun, because it looks like an accent color so often!

yes, this is the same black cardigan and pants that we saw last week; being able to wear clothes in lots of different combinations is sort of the point...

If you're wearing a top that's sleeveless and maybe scoop-necked, or open in the back, having a shirt to wear over is good sun protection, air-conditioning protection, and modesty protection!

Maybe your light neutral is warm rather than ... View the Post

Start with Art: Courtesans Strolling Beneath Cherry Trees by Kitawaga Utamaro

April 30, 2021

This post is for those among us who are deeply smitten with a particular color for their spring and summer wardrobe; I think that one can wear quite a bit of their favorite color without sacrificing a coherent wardrobe!

OH, she's got cherry trees...

She's got all KINDS of trees under which she plans to sit; she has a STACK of books that need to be read this summer!

And she has her eye on a particular color that she wants to wear this summer; when she saw this painting she began to formulate her plan:

She eschews the almost green shade of beige, and she chooses to believe that the darkest kimonos are black (while it's possible that they're navy...)

This is what she's starting with:

And this is her ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #7 – Dark Neutral Cotton or Linen Cardigan

April 26, 2021

Ah, let's start with a version of my FAVORITE travel outfit...

Even though it gets to be quite hot here in Chicago, I find that I often need a cardigan or jacket when I'm indoors - because of air conditioning, or outdoors in the evenings when the wind turns and blows in off the lake...

This week I chose this black cardigan at least in part so that I could introduce you to COS - a store that I discovered a few years ago in Paris. They now have locations in a lot of countries, and they also do mail order...

My all-time favorite tweed dress came from COS, as well as a couple of tops and a jacket that I quite thoroughly love - I've had excellent luck with buying from them!

We all know how versatile a ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #6 – Dark Neutral Lightweight Pants

April 19, 2021

It's not quite summer yet - you don't feel like wearing corduroy pants, or fleece-lined jeans, but you still need a "real" pair of pants...

yes, I wore a cashmere sweater all day yesterday; we're supposed to get snow on Tuesday!?!?!?

These are the kind of pants that you can wear during Spring and Autumn - not too warm, not too cool:

Any accent color goes with navy, I'm convinced!

These pants and a nice sweatshirt give you the option to use any color of the rainbow as your accent:

You can still look like spring, even if you're wearing 2 shirts and shoes with closed toes!

Navy and red were made for each other!

Sometimes, your tote bag will dictate what your accent color will ... View the Post

Accessories! Revisiting Dance Dance by Jacqueline Osborn

April 16, 2021

Who doesn't love this painting?

Our heroine from Wednesday has assembled a really lovely, warm-toned and warm-weather travel capsule wardrobe:

Now she needs accessories! She knows that her color palette for her accessories will be the same as for her clothes, with the addition of gold for anything metallic:

She takes a look at the 24-piece accessory wardrobe that has been used before on The Vivienne Files; it seems like a LOT of things for a trip...

And she also looks at the suggestions that I made once upon a time:

And then she realized that if building her wardrobe 1 piece at a time worked so well, it might be a sensible way to assemble her accessories too!

She started with an ... View the Post

Start With Art: Dance Dance by Jacqueline Osborn

April 14, 2021

She's Been Cold... for over a year. Not really physically cold, so much as missing the "chaleur humaine" - the human warmth of society...

So when she knew that she was going to finally go on vacation, this was her heart's desire:

okay, just feel free to pause right here and go admire this artist's work - I will forever be grateful to readers who send me links to new artists!

After a year of stress and tension, she's determined to be in complete control of her travel wardrobe! She decides that a "one piece at a time" approach to packing will suit her just fine...

After she gets that essential 2nd top in her bag, she starts with the easiest of packing - a dress!

She knows that she will be ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #5 – Denim Capri or Cropped Pants

April 12, 2021

Before we go anywhere, I MUST tell you about Red Thread... They make just a handful of garments - mostly black pants. But they make them BASED ON YOUR BODY... no sizes!

When you start an order with them, they send you a link that guides your phone through the process of taking 2 photographs of you - pull on your swimsuit, or leggings and your swim top (that's what I did...) and the phone tells you what to do. It's sort of weird, but fun!

And in 2 weeks or so, you have a pair of pants that fit amazingly well. I ordered the ankle pants, which are styled a lot like ski pants - they have stitched creases in the front and back, and deep pockets of sturdy fabric, with zippers on the pockets. The fabric is ponte knit - one ... View the Post

Start with Swimwear: Paradise Aqua Space Dye Tankini from Lands’ End

April 7, 2021 This Year, She's Going to Swim...

She read last year on her favorite blog that these swimsuits were so flattering that any self-consciousness about being seen in public in swimwear will change forever! So true, and after a missed year at the beach house with her extended family, she's not going to skip anything...

This is her planned palette:

Most relatives will drive to their MASSIVE shared beach house, but she's going to take the train... Experience has taught her that she really needs a cardigan; those trains can be FREEZING in warmer weather!

She's thrilled to see a long-sleeved swim tee! And a swim skirt - now she has 4 swimwear pieces, which gives her 4 combinations... She could even be tempted by ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #2 – Dark Neutral Tee Shirt

March 22, 2021

Hurrah! I love these posts...

And I've been really disciplined about NOT showing you yet another black tee shirt. While in my world, a stack of black tee shirts is a necessity - almost as important as coffee! - I know that for many of you, black is anathema...

So let's go olive!

Just for reference purposes, here's the master list. I'm going to try to replicate the 13 items for Spring in my own wardrobe, soon...

This is a great color - hard to find, but lovely, warm and rich:

This is a perfect color with beige...

If you feel like your skirt's a little bit dressy, a simple tee shirt will bring down the dressiness quotient a lot!

And don't miss this handbag; it costs as much as a rent ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #1 – Light Neutral Tee Shirt

March 15, 2021

Ah, the Ides of March mean that Spring is almost here, and that means that we can revisit the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, starting with Spring!

Of course, you can easily wear a tee shirt this time of year, with something over it, but we're going to look at a few different ideas for why this tee shirt never needs to be put in storage...

Just to refresh everybody's memory, here's the master list of garments that I (and I alone!) consider to be the core of a wardrobe:

I personally always wear crewneck tee shirts, so just to shove me out of my comfort zone, we're going to consider a v-neck tee today:

Obviously, this tee is perfect in warm weather. Worn with shorts, and layered under a summery ... View the Post

Start with Art: Abstracts by Tony Daley

February 26, 2021 The Sun is Out!

It's not going to be insanely warm at the gardens, but warm enough that she can take a couple of days to check on the bee hives...

So she decides that she's going to wear pretty pretty pretty colors, and pretend to be one of the flowers...

She dresses somewhat warmly for the trip...

She's not sure how long she's going to stay, nor how warm it will be, so she plans to pack an assortment of possibilities...

To start, she makes certain that she has her beige cardigan, shorts, and cropped pants. Her tan skirt is almost the same color, so she adds that...

Then a couple of tee shirts, a cardigan and her favorite floral top...

When she gets to the ... View the Post

I Love It, But Will I Wear It? Beach Roadtrip Silk Scarf by Kate Spade New York

August 19, 2020

One of you has had a moment of serious whappage, and asked for my opinion...

This is the scarf in question - it's SO pretty that I might be tempted to buy it and figure out how to wear it later; THAT'S not the cleverest way to shop!

Oh my HEART - this scarf screams summer in so many different ways....

Our heroine has been invited to go along with her spouse to a fishing cabin that's walking distance to a very charming little town. While she won't be doing any fishing, she WILL be sitting outdoors reading, walking into town to browse about, and probably doing a bit of walking on the trail around the lake. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

My approach for her is to assemble 3 little clusters, based on the ... View the Post