noel vallens: winged traveler

this past sunday was a rainy dreary day, so i spent most of my time indoors working on some crafty projects.  the sun peeped out a bit in the evening and rick and i took a little walk for some snacks and treats.  rainy sundays call for big oversized cardigans and ruffly ruffles.

over the past week i’ve been experimenting a bit with my new hair, and have been going with the most ridiculously cutesy-cute curls.  (like here, but generally even curlier).

these are the curls that i long for…

however, when cutting my hair, i underestimated my tendency to wear cute things - ruffles, frills, polka dots, secretary dresses.  paired with my new curls, i’m feeling about as sweet as a cupcake.  so, i’m starting to gravitate towards a few new things now, to counterbalance my hair:

1. leather
2. lots of black
3. long, flowy drapey things
4. leopard prints
5. mini(er) skirts, low cut shirts

one of my weekend craft projects, i crocheted up this ruffled bib necklace, and put it on a vintage gold chain.  it turned out so adorable.  i know i was trying to stay away from ruffles, but i couldn’t help it.

and i’ve pretty much been living in this big batwing cardigan since i got it.  it was a recent purchase, from…walmart.  it’s a part of the norma kamali for walmart collection, and i love it!  and it was something ridiculous like $15 or something.  it was in the “athletic” category, so i was a little scared, but it’s adorable.  the quality is good, and the fabric is a little stretch cotton knit, but completely cute.

the jeans here are a gift from pacsun from the weardrobe conference.  they are totally cute!  this dark wash was my favorite of all the colors, and the fit is amazing.

and yep, i wear glasses. and so does joelle.  we’re pretty much blind as bats.

norma kamali for walmart batwing cardigan, uniqlo tank, self designed crochet bib necklace, vintage booties, oliver peoples glasses, pac sun jeans, vintage bracelets, glitter pop ring

noel vallens: glittery fun

so, first things first, last week joelle wasn’t the only one gilting it up. gilt hosted a fabulous fashion-filled party, to launch their new site, giltfuse (which by the way is a great site, similar to the main gilt site, but offers a more contemporary selection). unfortunately joelle was heading out of town so she missed Of Montreal’s crazy fun show, but rick and i, along with greta were there to enjoy.

we knew it was going to be a crazy show when santa and elves started a mambo line. then these girls came out on stage and had a little body paint party.

on the left is our lovely bartender, and friend of rick’s. all of the bartenders were wearing d.i.y. gilt fuse t-shirts. someone was got a little happy with the shredding. and on the right, of montreal.

unfortunately, i have no outfit pictures from that night. but i did take some photos from this weekend…we’ll get to that in a minute.

but first, it’s come to mine and joelle’s attention that more of you than we expected can not tell us apart. we know, we know, the long dark hair, the pale skin, the rhyming names, both of us are always jumping…… but we had no idea the severity of the situation. it came to light when i got an email from my mom (sent to both me and joelle) saying, “I was looking at your outfit, and I did agree that it made your legs look washed out….and then I realized it was joelle and not you!” so, apparently even my own mother has a hard time telling us apart.

so, with nothing left to do, i headed to the john barrett salon this weekend where i cut off over a foot of my hair! ahh. no big deal. hopefully this will help you guys out a little. just wait til joelle dyes hers blonde.

this fall outfit was put together after having a few days of especially fall weather last week…only to have wonderful summer weather appear again. but i’ve been waiting v.e.r.y. patiently to wear these boots, and finally couldn’t help it anymore.

frye lace up boots, levi jeans, target ruffle tank, self-made leather treasure pouch necklace, ny&co cardigan, fred flare sunglasses

noel vallens: shipley and halmos

this past saturday, thanks to my friend dan, i was lucky enough to get a ticket to the shipley and halmos show, which was just spectacular.

foregoing the runway, they displayed their line via videos which were projected on every wall.  then we got to peruse the collection first hand, by sifting through the pieces displayed on a rack along the wall.  all that was missing was a fitting room.

after milling about the show for a bit, we headed up to the high line for an impromptu photo shoot.  all of these fantastic photos were shot by cory.

this “dress” is actually a shirt, but i didn’t let that stop me from wearing it without pants.  it’s made of the softest jersey material ever and was so comfortable it was hard not to wear it to sleep.  the dress/shirt was a recent purchase (so recent it showed up on my doorstep the day of the event) from the gomattagirls site, which i’m becoming slightly obsessed with.  it’s a one-day only sample-sale kind of shop, so each day they’ll have completely new stuff.

n. fem dress, self made chain necklace, seychelles gold platform heels, vintage ferragamo purse, vintage gold bracelet cuff

nobody puts baby (hem) in a corner.

joelle and i recently had a craft excursion out to my apartment in brooklyn.  on the way, we passed some pretty doorways that we couldn’t resist climbing into and snapping some photos.

noel: my skirt is actually one of my recent d.i.y. tailoring projects.  i found this in a recent trip to providence, rhode island but it was originally very long and very church lady-ish.  but the red plaid is so bright and wonderful. i thought it could use a bit of freshening up with a shorter hem.

i have a huge stack of skirts in my apartment that are just waiting to be hemmed but i keep putting it off because i’m not much of a hand-sewer and as joelle knows hemming a full skirt can be a pain.  however, i just recently discovered the baby hem and it is my new best friend.  it’s so easy quick and easy to do…and no hand-stitching!  it makes a nice neat little topstitch on the edge of your skirt…and is really great when you’re working with slinky, slippery fabrics.  the best part is, it makes hemming full skirts sooo easy.

here’s the full how-to baby hem tutorial.

also, this past weekend, rick and i went shopping on our street (i.e. stoop sales) and i picked up this super adorable red purse.  and joelle cleverly pointed out that it can transform into a clutch in just one fold!

joelle: the abaete nancie skirt i’m wearing today was a favorite on my most beloved fashion site of all, fashionism.org. it has an exposed silver zipper in the back, and comes with a detachable puffy white crinoline. i actaully wanted the skirt because of the crinoline- i love adding vintage slips to skirts and dresses. but the minute i put the abaete combo on i felt like a french maid. oh well- i like each piece alone. i really recommend this skirt- i’ve seen it on so many people over on fashionism, and it looks great on everyone.

today’s shirt is another brooklyn consignment find (from the same place i got the studded belt i posted recently). i’ve decided i want all my shirts to be banded in elastic on the bottom, like this one is- that way there’s no annoying bunching when you try to tuck things in. perhaps NOEL could do a special DIY about how to add this sort of banding to all of my shirts. *hint hint*

noel: thrifed self-altered plaid skirt, black tank, h&m belt, seychelles heels, second hand purse

joelle: vintage top, abaete nancie skirt, modern vintage shoes, marni bag, vintage mouse belt

noel vallens: pour myself a cup of ambition

whenever i come in to work every day, no matter how modern and 2009-y the furniture…this is all i see.  computers are replaced by clicky typewriters, phones have dials instead of buttons, and the concept of internet sounds like something bewitching and magical.

so, naturally in order to fit in with the decor, the appropriate secretary dress is necessary.  of course, this isn’t the first time i’ve professed my love (obsession?) with secretary attire.

just ask joelle.  she has to work with me everyday.  and this is pretty much what we do.

we smoke cigarettes while we chat on the phone, give each other catty looks, and drink martinis on our lunch break.

this dress was a find during a thrift store shopping trip during one of my visits to home to savannah.  the color is a wee bit mustard-y for my skin color, and i’m just waiting for joelle to steal it away (she’s somewhat addicted to mustard yellow and sea foam green).  but the detailing on the shoulders and collar are perfect!

vintage dress, seychelles platform heels

noel vallens: country clubbing

wearing clothes during the hot humid summer is sometimes unbearable and all you want is something that floats around you.  something akin to joelle’s pirate shirt.

this dress is so sheer and flowy, it’s perfect for summer. see, it literally floats.  the weightlessness of the dress is offset by the solid, chunky platforms.  (please disregard the awkward one-legged-shin-growing-out-of-my-knee thing going on).

i love how the skirt pleats don’t stop at the waist and just keep going up to the collar.  the belt is a bit matchy for the dress, so i’ll probably try experimenting with others in the future.  another plus about this dress…i’m so prepared for that next country club event that i’m invited to.

vintage dress, seychelles platform heels

joelle van dyne: a doll's house

back again with another all-white outfit- i am so predictable. i’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to wear this beautiful vintage blouse, and finally, i just got tired of waiting.

i like all-white outfits because they’re appropriate for any occasion one might find herself in: a white party, an impromptu wedding, hiding against an all-white wall, or even blending in with one’s pastel home-decorating scheme, as you see here.

i bought this vintage lace blouse from pangs on etsy. the owner of that shop has become sort of a friend of mine- we share a love of all things vintage, fashion, sewing, DIY, aaaand collecting toys (blythe dolls in particular). in fact, she has another etsy shop, sleepforever, dedicated to making beautiful tiny blythe-sized dresses that i am just in awe of (sewing those tiny things is MUCH harder than sewing human-sized clothes).

i can’t get over all the pretty details in the lace of this blouse. it has the cutest little buttons on the back- next time i wear this i must remember to put my hair up so they’re visible. i can’t wait for fall so i can wear it with high-waisted pants.

this photo is inspired by a particular blythe doll that was staring at me from across the room. i was trying my hardest to look just like her. one of these days perhaps she can make an appearance here.

(yes, yes, clearly i had too much time on my hands tonight.)

vintage blouse, skirt, and scarf (worn as a belt), chloe shoes

joelle van dyne: the light bends toward chalky blue

finally i am back home in nyc with my entire closet available to me. this would be more of a relief if the weather in the city wasn’t disgustingly humid. in this kind of heat, clothes are just not fun to wear no matter how pretty they are.

the shirt i’m wearing is a recent acquisition from this store ‘fille de joie’ in williamsburg. apparently the store opened up just at the time i moved out of the neighborhood, which is a bummer because i loved everything in this place! my photo isn’t very good, but you can just make out the picture of two white kittens in the window (that’s what first caught my eye), and an entire rack full of white clothes (which of course i made a beeline for). the owner of the store was really sweet- she has quite a collection of dolls (hurrah!) and interesting things in the shop. basically it looks like a place i’d like to move into! if you’re ever on grand street definitely stop by.

this daisy ring is from the same shop. i thought it was really sweet.

i took a bunch of photos trying to show off the sleeves of the shirt- they have so much volume! every single pose looked goofy, but oh well. you get the idea. the fabric is so light and airy, it’s exactly what i want to wear in the summertime. at first i thought it seemed like a sleeve stevie nicks would like, but then i realized it was more along the lines of…

“but i don’t wanna be a pirate!” …or…

“why yes sir you DO look like a pirate!” (wish i had found a better picture- i LOVE arrested development.)

at least my accessories are decidedly non-pirate-y. i’m carrying my loeffler randall hattie bag. one of these days i will do a post about my love for loeffler randall and all the items i own from them- it will be a very, very lengthy post.

i missed my chloe shoes while i was gone! even though i was only going to the park to eat breakfast, i had to wear them.

the multi-colored heel is my favorite part. it’s not often you see a wedge mixed with a cone heel.

vintage blouse, jcrew mica mini skirt, chloe shoes, loeffler randall hattie bag, vintage ring, vintage locket

joelle van dyne: john vs. colorado

sometimes i like to play a little game in my head where i think of 2 things that have the same name, and choose which one i like better. for instance:

cat stevens vs. cat power

harper lee vs. harpers bazaar

paris, france vs. paris hilton

i have sometimes wondered about john denver vs. denver, colorado. i really enjoy cheesy 1970s music, so i always leaned towards john denver as the winner of this battle. but after spending the past 2 weeks in denver-the-city for work, i have to eat my words and say that colorado is the hands-down winner.

for one thing, i got these giant chloe sunglasses for a whopping 50 dollars! i had considered them at saks earlier this summer for 7x that much.

what idiot goes hiking in the mountains with a balenciaga bag? this one right here. in my defense, i didn’t think i’d be in denver long enough to hike.

here you get to see me wearing 2 things that i only wear when absolutely necessary: sneakers and shorts. so i’m glad i had the balenciaga to counteract their grossness.

this was in Red Rocks, which is probably the most picturesque place i’ve ever seen. i can’t wait to go back and see a show in the amphitheatre there, which is built into the rocks, with a view of the whole city. i was able to sit there and listen to a choir practice, and the acoustics were just magical.

now that i am back home, i promise to be posting soon with some more fashionable outfits than the one you see here.

s.u.d. express shirt, old navy shorts, asics ontisuka tigers shoes, chloe sunglasses, balenciaga bag

noel vallens: on a midnight train

at long last, after being m.i.a. for a very long time, i’m finally back! joelle has been holding down the fashion fort from denver, and before i went out to rescue her, i was traipsing up and down the east coast, all the way from providence to savannah.

while visiting savannah, we headed to the salty marshes of south carolina, climbed aboard a catamaran and set sail into the sea.

lounging aboard the catamaran (i like to call it a yacht) and sipping champagne, one must be fully dressed for the occassion. unfortunately the fashion photos did not make it back to dry land, but i’ll do my best to re-create it for you.

decked in a luxurious (cotton) floor length dress, the long skirt kept the sun away (for the most part) during the day, and the chilly wind at bay for the ride home. the print on the skirt reminds me of something that belongs in barcelona.

and of course, it’s paired with gold jewelry and golden sandals because that’s what one wears while on a boat.

after docking in quiet little southern town and feasting by the water, we headed back to dry land at sunset.

f21 dress, vintage bangles, urban outfitters sandals