Whatever's Clean 13 Archives

La Valise de la Garçonne, or How I Packed for Paris

By the time you read this, I should be back from a long weekend in Paris. Yes, 4 days... (in fact, literally the moment I was getting ready to walk out the door to the airport, I was SMACKED to the floor with back spasms, and have spent the entire time since then sacked out in bed, or sitting in the jacuzzi in my building, trying to recover... sigh...)

It was somewhat impromptu - friends were going there, and we talked so much about what we might do if I was going to be there too... I'm weak!

This painting sings to me. It feels like black, white and denim, which is my entire wardrobe right now! (I've lost interest in accent colors for myself - I can't explain why!)

My original plan was to pack all dresses, but then I realized ... View the Post

September Start with a Bracelet

Oooh....

Who needs lots of colors, when you have THESE????

The Manuscript Will be Available... For just a few days... She's going to be there lecturing for a week; it could NOT have been better timing!

She plans what she will pack - she knows that once she's there, she won't want to think about clothes, so she's making it pretty much foolproof.

Days in the Manuscript Conservation Room will be casual, completely with white gloves! And the lectures will be a little bit more dressy; she's quite certain that some professors there will sit in...

Since navy is her neutral, she knows that she wants to start here:

Since she's finally going to unlock the secrets hidden in that most elusive document, she realizes ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 13: A Dress

How fun! We finish the first 13 weeks - the Autumn segment of The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe... with a dress! (I love dresses... I find them the easiest, and possibly the most comfortable, thing to wear...)

If I still worked in an office, I'd have this dress in a New York minute:

Of course you might not want a dress, which is your choice. There are always options; you should insist on being yourself!

Yes, many of the accessories that you've used when wearing your earlier garments from the Weekly Timeless Wardrobe are equally useful with your dress...

It's NOT too early to start thinking about what you're going to want to wear for the winter holidays; the best dresses will be in and out of stores before you can blink ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The August Fierce Ambition bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs

What rich, luscious colors; there's NOTHING Halloween-ish about this beauty!

"Can You Come For a Month?" She's wanted to volunteer for them for YEARS! Finally, their needs and her computer skills overlap perfectly! And she's taking a sabbatical from her real job to go there...

"You can stay in the dorm with the other volunteers; there's laundry there, and we manage to cobble together meals that we share..."

"There's very little storage here, so don't bring your entire wardrobe! If you're going to be in a public-facing position in the office, you need to look presentable, but nobody needs to bring a tuxedo nor a ballgown... But do be advised that the offices get pretty chilly after the beginning of ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The July Pink and Grey bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs

It's that happy day of the month when we get to see a new and absolutely lovely bracelet set from Alison at Fierce Lynx Designs!

If you would like a bracelet in pink and grey that has a bit more muted pink, and a darker grey, check out her bracelet designed expressly for The Vivienne Files! I wear mine all the time... Her Uniform is Navy Blue... With accents of burgundy and khaki. And she's absolutely SICK of it...

Which is not to say that she doesn't love her job, or that she won't be happy to go back to it in a week... But for the cold evenings and warm days at the lake house, she's NOT wearing anything that reminds her of work!

Yes, taking white clothes on vacation might seem a little bit risky, but they're JUST ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The June denim blue and golden brown bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs!

They've rented their favorite cottage for the week of her birthday. They swear that they're going to take care of everything and that all she needs to do is relax and enjoy herself...

She's going to make getting dressed for the week as painless as possible, starting here!

Her color palette is going to be the simplest possible - positively foolproof!

She stands by her closet for a moment, and then quickly grabs four chambray garments. She loves her dress for those times when wants to feel "dressy" but in a casual way - nobody understands this but her! And her cropped pants and top match, so they look somewhat like a jumpsuit when worn together...

Most people might not pack a cashmere sweater for a June trip, but she ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – The May green and beige bracelet from Fierce Lynx Designs!

She knew immediately that it was just what she needed for her warm-weather wardrobe...

It suits her current color palette perfectly!

Why Don't You Come up For the Whole Week? She's GOT to finish the edits on her book. This week. By Friday. No jokes, no exceptions...

She had hoped to make it to her friends' home for the weekend...

It all seemed doubtful, until she picked up the call...

"Come up this evening and stay for the week; we've got electricity in the gazebo! You can sit out there all day, work, drink iced tea (until cocktail hour), and still be here to have dinner with us and spend the evening. The Wifi out there is better than in the house!"

Hmm... out of the sun, eating her friends' excellent ... View the Post