Weekly Timeless Wardrobe Archives - Page 5 of 7

What Does a Winter Capsule Wardrobe Look Like? 3 Ideas, Starting with Art!

Ah, before we dive in, I have a few observations that I want to share:

Winter clothes are flying out of store - it wasn't at all easy to find these garments for these wardrobes! If you need something, start looking now. L.L.Bean still has a full assortment of sweaters and warm pants, but most other places are running out of sizes/colors even as I type. NOW I remember why I started this project before the season had even really started! By the same token, if you need specific things for warmer weather, be prepared to start looking by the end of January. It's weird, but it's the way the retail world seems to want us to shop... Lots of garments are currently sporting a "puffy sleeve" thing - especially at the shoulders. What we once ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 26: A Warm Dress

The last garment for winter! I know that I plan these wardrobes to be forward-thinking; the best clothes are always in the stores long before a normal person could wear them (unless they're traveling). But this seems early, even to me!

Next Monday I'm going to show a couple of "what a Weekly Timeless Wardrobe might look like" options, and then in January we will plunge back in and start getting our wardrobes ready for the advent of Spring...

Scarf update - my Aspinal of London scarf arrived, and I'm VERY pleased with the quality. These scarves cost literally 36% of what an Hermes scarf costs! Yes, there are differences. Yes, they're a bit thinner, and then hems aren't hand-stitched. BUT STILL... It's a beautiful scarf, that I will be ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 25: A Warm Mid-Calf Skirt

December 16, 2019

Yes, it was just about zero degrees Fahrenheit, and I had a job interview. Back in the day when YOU WORE A SKIRT - preferably a suit - to an interview.

Mid-calf wool for the win! The skirt was lined, the tights were wool, the socks were silk, the boots were too dressy to be really warm, but they worked...

So now, for me, it's a staple. On normal winter days, this can be a fun way to be dressy without being "dressy." If you can follow that bit of linguistic gymnastics!

Everybody is going to go about this in their own way, as should always be the case when assembling your wardrobe! But patience is the biggest thing that I can counsel; these skirts aren't easy to find. Unless, of course, you can work with a ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 24: A Neutral or Accent 2nd Layer

December 9, 2019

Great heavens, it seems like it's Monday every 7 days...

This week I feel like looking at the wonderful versatility of a lovely cashmere cardigan. If you keep your eyes peeled, these are often on sale. It is well worth the wait!

How to choose a color? If you don't already have an obvious favorite accent color in mind, you could look at a scarf from which you'd like to get a bit more mileage (or a colored necklace?) and pick something happily compatible.

And no, it's not wrong to hint for a sweater for a gift! Nor to hint for a scarf... (insert big cheesy smile emoji here, in your mind!)

Yes, warm accents look lovely with cool colors. Look to nature, where warm and cool combinations are ... View the Post

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