Weekly Timeless Wardrobe Archives

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 23: A Textured Neutral Top

There are few garments I like more than a good sweater...

The only real guideline is keep it a solid neutral with something interesting going on!

A simple ribbed sweater, with some festive earrings and a fun brooch, can be all you need for a nice outfit!

Note that Talbots now is THE source for holiday/winter themed accessories. They have been a go-to place for these kinds of things for pretty much my entire life! Fun for you, fun for gifts!

If you want a sweater with a "woven-in" texture, search for cables or pointelle. This sweater actually includes BOTH terms in the description!

If you're attending one of those events where the door is constantly open, a cuddly sweater is a good call...

The ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 22: A Neutral Print or Patterned Top

We've been accumulating a lot of solid-colored garments - which is the best way to build a functional wardrobe. But now, let's mix up all of these and find something with a bit of pattern interest!

If you have a favorite motif (like I am with stars...) this is the time to find it!

With all of the upcoming festivities, a pretty blouse that can stand alone with pants and some jewelry could be a good choice...

Or if you always wear a cardigan (or jacket) this time of year, a classic stripe underneath will work perfectly!

A print that's mostly your neutral, but that includes a fun accent color can give you a direction for some jewelry, or a pretty new bag!

If your style is casual, your new top can be something ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 21: A Warm Shirt

As much as I love a good sweater, nothing says winter to me like a flannel shirt!

But get a good one - as classic as possible. A well-made flannel shirt will last for years...

These shirts do NOT have to be plaid; finding a solid color that you love might take a while, but if it's what you want, it's worth the effort...

For the upcoming winter holidays, a shirt that includes a festive color might be all you need for those casual activities like cookie swaps, caroling, or walking about looking at decorations!

Speaking of patience, if you look long enough you can probably find a plaid flannel shirt in any color combination you can imagine. They're out there...

Yes, 4 earrings. Some of us wear more than ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 20: Dark Neutral Warm Cardigan

Ah, now that some of us have been snowed upon, it's time to swap out a warm-weather cardigan for something a bit more cozy...

Since this cardigan is a pivotal part of your wardrobe, you want to choose carefully!

I've kept quite a few garments from last week, to illustrate how all of these pieces might go together in your wardrobe...

Sometimes, all you need for an accent color is a tee shirt and some socks! (maybe earrings...)

You might stumble on a new accent color that you really like!

Twinsets don't have to be purchased together; you can find garments that look perfect together...

The simplest outfit can come together perfectly with a scarf, or the right necklace...

Those accent socks can ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 19: Dark Neutral Pants

First off, can ANYBODY explain ankle pants to me? I understand them in warmer weather, but with snow on the ground (I'm writing this on November 1, in Chicago, where we have had snow...) are bare ankles logical?

Do other people have really warm ankles that need to be exposed during the winter?

Are we willing to be uncomfortable, if it means that we're "on trend"? (I hate that phrase, for what it's worth...)

I will never understand!

So when you're shopping for pants, be VERY aware of the length that you're buying. You could be rudely surprised! But if you've spent your entire adult life having pants shortened, this could work in your favor...

And yes, this shade of honey isn't a really dark neutral, but it's uncommon and very ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 18: Dark Neutral Corduroy Pants

I know that it's really Autumn when I pull out my black cords!

Of course, if you're not crazy about corduroy, you have other options:

I love the way corduroy is dressier than denim (by a mile!), but is still relaxed...

Having dark neutral pants for cool weather lets your go a bit crazy with sweaters, socks - everything else!

Note: This following sweater might be accented with navy, rather than black. I honestly can't tell on the website, so I'm showing it... If it's not black, I apologize!

The texture of corduroy makes it easier to blend, rather than match, colors in your wardrobe. So long as things look nice together, they don't have to be perfect matches; who's looking that closely? (perhaps they need a new ... View the Post

What Does a Capsule Wardrobe Look Like? 3 Examples of Weekly Timeless Wardrobes

Many of you have been wondering what these wardrobes might look at in different colors - I've got some examples! And you were wondering about the weird round gizmo in the bottom left of the overall wardrobes images...

WELL... I'm envisioning these 4 colors (rust, light blue, pink and yellow) as the 4 symbol colors for the 4 seasons; rust = Autumn, light blue = Winter, pink = Spring, and yellow = Summer.

When I get the book about this written, these 4 colors will be used on each page to somehow signal what season is discussed on that page. I'm not entirely sure how this will work, but I have a vision...

So how would 13 garments look if they were chosen with this lovely painting in mind?

I'm thinking this little capsule ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 17: A Print or Patterned Cotton Turtleneck

It seems like there's a Monday every week, doesn't it?

This is a rare "scarf-free" post for The Vivienne Files; when you're including printed or patterned garments in an outfit, you don't really need a scarf. But I won't stop you if you add one!

And doggone it, once and for all, garments that are WINTER themed - like snowflake tops - are NOT reserved for only the period of time up until Christmas! I have a wonderful cardigan with reindeer and winter themes - not a Santa to be seen - but I get smart-alec remarks when I wear it in January or February. Seriously...

The only guideline for choosing a turtleneck in a print is that it looks good with 1 of your 2nd layers, and that you love it. If you would like it in a scarf fabric, ... View the Post

What Can You Do With a Weekly Timeless Wardrobe? Add an Accent!

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe is enough clothing for a lot of us - enough different garments, and enough colors. But what if you bump into an accent color that you can't resist?

For demonstration purposes, I'm going to start with the Week 16 Wardrobe...

And then let's imagine that our heroine sees this shade of blue on the L.L.Bean website. And she recognizes the value of true "whappage" - that feeling when you walk away, and are still thinking about something hours or days later. It takes a while to really know the difference between a crush and real love, and in the same way you have to cultivate your sense of "I could wear the dickens out of that color" vs "gosh, that's pretty..."

She realizes that her love is real, and she ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 16: An Accent Cotton Turtleneck

Yes, if you live where it's cold, you might easily want a stack of these turtlenecks! If you don't anticipate that much cold weather in your life, or you just don't feel that you're going to need more than a couple of these tops, you can skip this garment entirely, or substitute tee shirts or button-front shirts...

As always, you make the rules; these are just guidelines, within which you plan YOUR wardrobe!

One other bit of advice when purchasing these turtlenecks: if you're POSITIVE that you'll absolutely never take off your top sweater in public, you can certainly buy the tissue-thin version of these. But if you're like me and it's entirely possible that you're going to pull off your sweater in your friend's very warm home, or ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 15: A Dark Neutral Cotton Turtleneck

Planning for autumn makes me so happy!

Even if you're not crazy about these, it's worth getting maybe 1 or 2 if you have a fondness for big chunky sweaters that make you itch! These are like cotton "itch-proofing..."

If you have a sweater that's a bit... bold... the turtleneck can be a simple base. In this outfit, it gives you a nice solid core upon which you could wear all kinds of sweaters, cardigans, or a flannel shirt!

A cotton turtleneck can keep you nice and snug outdoors...

A cardigan and pants that don't match can feel awkward. Add in a cotton turtleneck that doesn't match either and you've got a nicely blended outfit. Notice that the scarf and the cardigan are from the same brand; if you're ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 14: A Light Neutral Cotton Turtleneck

Even though the days are still lovely and warm in Chicago, the rational part of my mind knows full well that it's wise to start planning for winter!

In all fairness, the cotton version of these turtlenecks aren't particularly dressy! But if you need something a bit more formal, consider looking for merino wool turtlenecks; they're light and lovely...

For those of us who live in cold climates, layering these tops under another sweater is the single best way to stay warm. And I like the way they look; they frame your face nicely...

A simple, light color can be very versatile...

Blending shades of a color is always nice...

Your light neutral might not be white or ivory, right?

If you are concerned about ... View the Post