December 2011
2 posts
5 tags
joelle van dyne: gold star
joellevandyne:
you may remember my birthday wishlist, which i posted here in september. these ridiculous miu miu sparkle butterfly sunglasses were on that list, and at last, they are MINE! i fell in love with these as soon as i saw them shimmering down the runway, and put myself on a wait list for them in august, hoping to have them as a 30th birthday gift to myself. by october i had given...
8 tags
crystal visions
after months and months of not being remotely interested in shopping, i decided that i needed new shoes. and a new dress. and 5 more pair of shoes. and a purse. i tend to take these things in spurts, and now my downstairs neighbor probably thinks i’m some sort of shipping distributor from all of the packages i get in the mail. oh, and even though i live in NYC, i pretty much do all of...
November 2011
1 post
4 tags
noel vallens: guess who's back
heeeeeeyy guys. miss us? after taking a very long, and much needed posting break, we are back! yay. after this little hiatus i wanted to start things off by posting these j brand jeans, where for every pair of colored jeans sold, they are donating 100% of the net proceeds to City Year, which is an organization to help keep kids in school.
so, anyway, on to the actual jeans. these things...
September 2011
4 posts
6 tags
joelle van dyne: haunted house
lucilleduquette:
i took these photos on the porch of the creepster house next to mine. both houses were originally owned by the same family, but while my house has been taken care of over the years, the neighborhing house has fallen completely by the wayside. i figured it was fine to snap some photos on the porch, since i assumed the house was abandoned. however, a few nights ago, our...
3 tags
noel vallens: lady in white
every time i wear this dress, in all of it’s fullness i always feel like a very proper lady. adding the ferragamo bow flats just makes it feel that way even moreso. growing up i can’t count how many time my proper southern mother told me ‘act like a lady’. i never quite listened to her, and yet here i am, wearing very lady-like dresses.
vintage dress &...
5 tags
joelle van dyne: making progress
lucilleduquette:
i’ve written a lot (mostly complaining) about my move to the attic floor of an old house in ditmas park, brooklyn. i had several requests to post some photos of the apartment, and i finally feel that the living room, at least, can be posted without too much embarrassment. i still have a lot to do, but since i’m not very talented with decorating, i thought i would show what...
6 tags
NYFW: advanced style + tavi gevinson
earlier this week, i headed over to the ace hotel for the tavi gevinson + advanced style party. new york fashion week can be pretty overwhelming, and this time i really only picked and chose the events/parties/shows that i really thought would be interesting and unique. after meeting and hanging out with the lovely and inspiring tavi a few years ago at the weardrobe conference, AND loving the...
August 2011
6 posts
6 tags
joelle van dyne: boca raton: the pants
lucilleduquette:
though i’m walking in prospect park wearing these crazy palm tree/marijuana leaf pants, i feel that the pants would be more at home in a florida retirement community, playing bocce ball or bingo.
these dvf beauties border on pajamas- they’re light linen with a drawstring waist, perfect on a hot day. i found them secondhand during the winter, and would you believe the...
10 tags
noel vallens: zig zag
yay! joelle and i survived the hurricane. with only a little bit of rain and some scattered leaves on the street, i think i managed to see the tiniest fraction of the storm. in any case, all is pretty much back to normal today and it’s gorgeous out!
this is going to be quick post today. i’m such a collector of chevron things and just made this zig zag necklace this past...
5 tags
joelle van dyne: summer fridays
lucilleduquette:
today’s post will be a quick one, featuring the very first outfit photos i’ve taken in my new neighborhood. this is on the corner of my block. one day soon i’ll take a bunch of non-outfit photos there, to show you how pretty the area is. i suppose to most people it won’t look very impressive- it resembles either an east-coast beach town, or a midwestern suburb. but in the...
4 tags
noel vallens: crazy skirt
things have been so hectic around here these days! my lackadaisical summer days were replaced by lots of work-work, as well as fun-work (sewing, crafting…). first of all, because i just took on a new set of projects (quilting! more about that in a minute) i had to make some space in the craft room…where i pulled out this skirt, which was waiting to be hemmed into a mini length. ...
6 tags
joelle van dyne: brooklyn jorts
lucilleduquette:
this took a lot longer than i expected, but i’m baaack! these photos are from last friday, which was a 5-star day, in which i got my new sofa delivered AND got the internet successfully installed.. almost 1 month after moving to brooklyn. it has been a long month. there is still a LOT to be done in my apartment, but at least now i have a place to sit. i didn’t foresee how...
noel vallens: long, long time
hey guys! miss us? i’ve been taking a much needed break……traveling for a week to portland, OR and now spending a week in savannah. these were some photos i took last weekend in the backyard of the greenport house, where we sadly spent our last day there for the summer. see you next year, little house.
a short and sweet post for today! it’s been so hot out...
July 2011
4 posts
3 tags
fashion fantasy friday at gary graham
lucilleduquette:
last weekend dark lamb and i enjoyed a fashion fantasy at gary graham, where we tried on several pieces from the spring/summer 2011 collection. this cutesy preppy dress really stood out in the store, so we both tried it on in different colors- you can click over to dark lamb to see it on rachel! the dress’s skirt is more than a full circle, creating loads of volume. if...
13 tags
noel vallens: orange sherbet
this past weekend, we spent four lazy days at the beach house. i think we did everything remotely american that we could think of. eating pizza and making homemade chipwiches (best thing EVER) before heading over to the really creepy local carnival and winning stuffed animals and framed pictures of white tigers. catching the fireworks in greenport, and then again (sort-of) in brooklyn. at...
6 tags
joelle van dyne: romp around
lucilleduquette:
i never in my life thought i would write these words, but here it is: I’M WEARING A ROMPER. with pleats. and a zipper. in order to pee, i have to get mostly naked. it is a very ridiculous garment, and yet i wore it twice last week. and i LIKED IT.
my first day out and about in my romper, i thought of ‘the man repeller’. i took my dogs out for their morning walk, and the...
7 tags
noel vallens: virgin child bride
after a particularly hard long but short week at work, i’ve finally excited to be sitting in my bed at home and finding a scrap of time to post! in addition to normal work, and planning for a holiday weekend, joelle and i party planned a farewell party for one of our dearest co-workers. in the end, everything came together spectacularly but it’s been a stressful week!
i...
June 2011
11 posts
3 tags
joelle van dyne: nothing matters when we're...
lucilleduquette:
not much to write in addition to these photos! i had so much fun at the jazz age lawn party on governor’s island yesterday.
12 tags
noel vallens: waterfront follies // summer jeans
last weekend, when it was particularly humid and hot out, my boyfriend was obsessed with showing off his new ‘summer jeans’. first, when heading out to dinner, he made everyone look at the stripes on the inside lining (“see, summer stripes”) and later when sitting out on the hot patio exclaiming about how cool his chambray jeans were (“these jeans are so cool. ...
6 tags
joelle van dyne: office cats
lucilleduquette:
last week i posted one of my ‘professional lady’ outfits on the blog, and got a few comments that you’d like to see more office-wear here. so, i am following through with that- noel took these photos for me at lunch yesterday, in what we call the “magic spot”- a slice of sidewalk between 2 busy streets where the light makes us look approximately 100x more smooth-skinned...
8 tags
noel vallens: monday morning
this weekend was a pretty low key one out at the greenport house. we cruised around an old sailor shop filled to the brim with every odd maritime relic you could imagine, including a little maze out back of these tiny rooms filled with rope, ship parts, buoys and other pirate gear. we also set up a backyard lawn picnic and moved the puzzling station outdoors (!) for outdoor puzzling time,...
6 tags
joelle van dyne: ketchup and mustard
lucilleduquette:
i’m going to keep this post very quick today. i’m trying to finish my work at a fevered pace so i can enjoy a ‘summer friday’ schedule. i wore this outfit to a work meeting earlier in the week. i’ve had the jcrew dress in my closet for probably 2 years without ever wearing it. i had wanted it for the longest time based on the nice catalogue photo, and finally my mom got it...
5 tags
noel vallens: bows and stripes
hey, guys! just a quick little post today. pretty simple and straightforward for a no-nonsense wednesday. a few stripes here, some little bows there. my days are being spent sewing/making birthday presents, enjoying decadent birthday celebration(s) mostly involving crack pie & peanut butter pie filling 100 ways, making paper beards (my new favorite hobby), celebrating my close...
4 tags
joelle van dyne: cinco de mayo
lucilleduquette:
i call this my cinco de mayo outfit not because i wore it on the 5th of may, but because, when i wore it, a passerby said to me “i like your outfit! you look very cinco de mayo”.
this vintage skirt is one of those never-weather-appropriate items; the colors are summery, but the skirt is very heavy. you can see why in the photos- while some of the patterned stripes are...
8 tags
noel vallens: make it good
this is my absolute favorite time of year, and my friend and i just snuck out of work for a bit to go hang out in the park with some sleeping pigeons, and other people whom i guess don’t work during the day.
it’s unfortunate that i didn’t get a close-up of this skirt and it’s weird texture mix of faux-suede, monochrome animal print detailing, and bright blue-purple...
4 tags
joelle van dyne: comptoir des cotonniers
lucilleduquette:
these photos were taken last weekend, by my boyfriend, on another perfect warm day. we had been aimlessly wandering around astoria, picking up bagels in one spot, and coffee in another. it was early, and warm, and not many people were out yet. we had just walked past the museum of the moving image when i noticed this grey building next door. i’ve probably walked past it a...
7 tags
noel vallens: their hearts were full of spring
now that it’s full on summer around in NYC, the last thing i want to be doing is sitting indoors, and have been spending lots of time out on the beach, laying in the backyard in the grass, eating lots of grilled food, and drinking fruity cocktails. hence the sparse posting around here.
these past weekends out at the greenport house, i learned that….
you can grill a pizza...
5 tags
joelle van dyne: sprinkles and sparkles
lucilleduquette:
i hope you all had a nice long weekend! mine was just perfect. i walked all over sunnyside to look at the gardens in bloom, attended 2 picnics, saw ‘bridesmaids’, sat in central park with my girl friends making bracelets, and i wore this crazy sonia rykiel dress. i really like things that walk the line between ‘regular clothes’ and ‘costume’. the sparkly pailettes make me...
May 2011
7 posts
9 tags
noel vallens: good vibrations
the only thing i want to be doing right now is driving out to the beach, but instead i’m stuck and work, searching online for beach things and waiting for the perfect time to sneak out of the office. this weekend is our first weekend away at the greenport beach house (yay!). i thought the day called for something overly bright and pretty and bright.
and here are some of the things i...
6 tags
joelle van dyne: nice day for a white wedding
lucilleduquette:
this past weekend, i headed to naples, florida, for my little brother’s wedding. i meant to take some photos of the dress i saved up for the day, from erin fetherston (copycatted from kelly who wore it here). however, i spent the trip alternatingly having fun with my family, and sweating grumpily beneath many beach towels while they laid out in the sun. that left no time for...
noel vallens: when it all goes south
hey everyone! we’re back from a little hiatus. i took little mini-trip down to charleston, south carolina for a wedding, for a complete southern experience. we drank box wine on the beach, danced barefoot on a crowded dancefloor, and ate amazing things like fried chicken & homemade biscuits. (i miss the south!)
also! right before taking off to charleston, i bought a new...
4 tags
joelle van dyne: wrap it up
lucilleduquette:
yes, i’m back again with the peep-toe boots, like a real hypocrite. i’m still looking for some leather to sew onto a sock, in order to make these look like regular, reasonable, non-peep-toe boots, but i haven’t had much luck so far. i think i might need some other kind of shoe in this color- that’s the part of the boots i find hard to resist. i liked the warm orangey...
11 tags
noel vallens: in my leisure suite
in new york, it’s the equivalent of the magical hour in terms of weather. warm, sunny and just chilly enough to wear a bit of layers. so it’s time for little blazers and transition-wear like shortsleeve sweaters or quilted mini-skirts which literally has a window of about 3 weeks before it gets too hot.
i feel very 70s in this one…which i’m attributing to marc...
6 tags
joelle van dyne: copycat
lucilleduquette:
here we have my poor-man’s version of the marc jacobs runway looks posted here. i tried to maintain some of the sense of volume, and some of the colors. i wish this uniqlo skirt came in some bright shades, because i’d probably buy them all (i promise after today i’ll stop posting this skirt so much).
anyway, i know this isn’t going to pass for MJ, but i was...
9 tags
noel vallens: time for a picnic
working 15 hour days, through the weekends, for days and days on end is NOT fun. i took a little break this weekend for a picnic. and i wore some clothes. now….back to work! hope your week is more enjoyable than mine!
vintage sweater and skirt; cynthia vincent for target wedges, cheap monday clairvoyant sunglasses
April 2011
12 posts
4 tags
joelle van dyne: fashion fantasy friday at morgane...
lucilleduquette:
last weekend i posted a couple of casual outfits from my visit to morgane le fay, for dark lamb’s fashion fantasy friday feature. this week, we are decidedly more fancy, in 2 different versions of the same gown.
this would make such a pretty wedding dress. i love the draping on the front of the dress, and the tulle ‘pockets’ in the skirt that let the material spill out a...
15 tags
knit striped sweater pattern
continuing my obsessions with knitting and stripes, i put together this knit cotton sweater pattern. it’s meant to be a bit oversized and slouchy, and short sleeved for the summertime. i have to admit though that after knitting it up, i was really excited to wear it and actually haven’t blocked it yet. which means it’s going to grow a bit more, which is good since i intended...
7 tags
joelle van dyne: hat attack
lucilleduquette:
apparently, may is skin cancer awareness month. i had no idea until the folks at hat attack asked if i’d like to style one of their hats to help with the cause, and i gladly agreed.
though i’m fortunate to have never had personal experience with skin cancer, i’ve had numerous scares resulting in uncomfortable biopsies, followed by days of anxiously awaiting the results. my...
10 tags
noel vallens: casual friday aka T.G.I.F.
given that joelle and i work in a typical office setting, we are lucky enough to not have any constraints around dress code or any limitations on what we can wear. the only price we pay is some stares from our boss, and maybe an odd comment here or there. i mean, some co-workers wear t-shirts with cartoons on them to work. are turbans, mixed prints, and crinoline skirts really that out of...
7 tags
joelle van dyne: his n hers
lucilleduquette:
a few days ago my boyfriend wore this shirt, and i commented on what a nice plaid it was, and how well it fit him. so the next morning, while he was sleeping in, i tip-toed into his closet and helped myself. i’ve been meaning to try a few plaid-on-plaid outfits, and had been lamenting the fact that i don’t own a single plaid shirt. how did it never occur to me that my...
8 tags
noel vallens: stripes extravaganza
i don’t know what my obsession with stripes has been lately, but it’s all i’ve been knitting (or thinking about knitting lately) and i’ve bought not one, but two, black and white striped bottoms (this skirt and another pair of pants). maybe i just have a deep rooted desire too look like a circus clown/beetlejuice. by the way, i can’t wait to post the...
6 tags
joelle van dyne: she blinded me with prada
lucilleduquette:
i think this is a pretty granny-esque way of wearing a pashmina scarf, but it just might be my favorite way. i have a major attachment to blankets. growing up, it was a standard thing in my house to be wrapped in an afghan at all times, and it’s a habit i’ve never broken. i keep a blanket at work, and have several scattered across my apartment so i can always reach for one,...
11 tags
noel vallens: party tights mardi gras clown dance
happy monday, everyone! lately i’ve been feeling a bit stir-crazy (maybe after months of winter, and anxiously awaiting spring?) and have been playing more and more with color as an outlet.
as a sunday (and monday) routine, my friend julie and i have been taking ballet lessons, which has led me to researching new dance outfits, which has led me to the world of crazy tights on ebay. ...
7 tags
joelle van dyne: cotton candy trees
lucilleduquette:
i’ve been wearing this hooded coat a lot lately since there’s been rain on and off, and i think it’s having quite an effect on what i wear underneath. any time i try to add the slightest bit of red to an outfit, i got way overboard and wear every shade of red in my closet.
i picked up this printed tee shirt intending to only wear it to bed, but it quickly wormed its way...
8 tags
noel vallens: just a swingin'
so, before we move on to things like clothes and outfits…i have some photos from this past weekend’s trapeze lesson, which was AMAZING. it was so terrifying at first, but SO MUCH FUN. i want to go back and do it again immediately.
we started out with a simple little knee hang…easy, right? then we added a back flip dismount. still hanging in there. on our 3rd time, we...
14 tags
joelle van dyne: sister wife wardrobe remix
lucilleduquette:
i mentioned last week that i had a 2nd purchase from the uniqlo +j line (other than the skirt in the post here), and that i needed some opinions on it. so here we have it- what i deem the “sister wife dress”- doesn’t it seem like something nicki would wear on ‘big love’? i was feeling a little iffy about it, since it is somewhat loose, and hits at mid-calf. i decided to try...
10 tags
noel vallens: mustard dreams
i was finally able to take some photos this past weekend of my FINISHED mustard/honey/golden cowl. the pattern is from madeline tosh, and was a pretty quick and fun knit. i used knit picks capra yarn, which is a cashmere blend and it is SO soft and squishy. especially in this honeycomb pattern with lots of slipped stitches.
moving along, my new pair of favorite jeans, designed by my...
March 2011
16 posts
6 tags
joelle van dyne: throw your hands in the air
lucilleduquette:
do you notice my semi-grungy look here? and the angsty expression i’m making (and/or attempting to make)? that’s because this outfit, my friends, is inspired by the greatest of all decades: the 1990s, aka, 10 years of making rebellious faces and wearing baggy clothes, cut-off fingerless gloves, and stocking caps.
i found myself going through my closet recently, hoping...
14 tags
noel vallens: panda pin knit pattern
i’ve been working on a lot of knit projects lately, the latest being this little adorable knit panda pin. having a little leftover yarn from the scarf, and wanting more adorable accessories, i created this little guy. read down below for the pattern.
so many new things to talk about! first of all, besides knitting like crazy this weekend, i went to see the bill cunningham documentary...
5 tags
joelle van dyne: whiteout
lucilleduquette:
i was not lying when i said i was excited about my thom browne shirt. i’ve worn it twice this week. in today’s instance, i was feeling rushed and lazy, and the shirt happened to be strewn over a chair in my bedroom, so on it went, and out i went, and my outfit is pretty boring.
i had only a minute for the indecision of tucking in vs. not tucking in. looking at these photos,...