noel vallens: steady as the rain

so, joelle and i had a bit of a blog-vacation during the thanksgiving break, hanging out with the family-family, the friend-family, and consuming lots and lots of food.  but now we’re back, today, taking photos in the dreary rain-sodden streets of downtown manhattan.

this big blousy shirt was something i came across at a thrift store, and although it has a wonderful stripe to it…it’s about 20 sizes too big for me.  so big that “tailoring” would mean just using the fabric to create a brand new shirt.  dreading that, it sat in the to-tailor pile until i decided that maybe the hugeness could be reigned in with a high-waisted skirt and a belt.

still gigantic, i like the puffiness in contrast to the super fitted skirt.  and i think i’ve done a pretty good job of concealing just how huge this thing is.

the other good thing about this shirt is that it’s surprisingly multi-seasonal.  new yorkers are always in search of those perfect items that work in both winter and summer to take up the least amount of space possible.  this one works perfectly as a big beach shirt that i wear over navy shorts.

and coats for some reason are really, really tough for me to find (and like).  this one was a somewhat recent find and it is pretty adorable AND useful with it’s little hood.  i’m still holding out for that perfect coat though.

also, some exciting things have been happening at weardrobe.  apparently, when you upload your picture, little elves scour in the internet and find similar items to what you’re wearing.

like this one.  however, those elves are never going to find an identical version to this skirt unless they are prepared to get dirty.

thrifted shirt, skirt and belt, self-designed pyrite necklace, seychelles heels

noel vallens: winged glamour

inspired by the vintage glamour in the sky, i sometimes walk into work more suited to take beverage orders and help out with heavy luggage than my actual work.  sometimes, i even get the occassional (frequent?) question, are you purposely dressed like a flight attendant??

this is actually an outfit i wore to death over the past year, and i’m surprised it’s never made an official visit to the blog.  one part parisian scarf, one part vintage stewardess.

the dress was a little something rick picked up for me in ohio long ago, and paired with a vintage scarf.  of course, everything is thrifted except the new boots.

vintage dress, vintage jacket, frye lace up boots, vintage scarf

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noel vallens: urban cowgirl

although this shirt has been hiding around in my closet for a while now, it took a while for it to make an appearance.  it’s a rich, warm plaid and the material has the best texture…almost like gauzy cheese cloth.  it always felt a bit too cowgirlish paired with jeans, but with a skirt it feels a bit more balanced.

and this coat is a favorite of mine that also took a while before it made it’s debut. a little leather thrifted treasure i found that unfortunately doesn’t have a big window of new york wear time.  even though it’s leather, it’s built like a blazer and not very warm.

so, this weekend, i was really excited to come across a bunch of vintage charms.  i found a few of these little hearts, and set it up with a chain to make this necklace…

…which i think turned out pretty adorable.

thrifted plaid shirt, vintage pencil skirt, seychelles heels, diy heart pendant necklace, vintage leather blazer

noel vallens: electric youth

yes, so i’ve been slacking a little this week, as joelle pointed out, but after traveling to the lovely state of new jersey for the week (and hardly doing any ‘partying’) i’m back just in time to wander around downtown newyork to find fake green astroturf to lay around on.  it looks real though, right?

this dress was collected during my electric blue phase.  joelle said she would only support my electric blue habit as long as i didn’t have a tan.  seeing as how that would never happen, i somehow managed to find a million electric blue items without even really trying.

and even though it is really cold around these parts, i refuse to actually wear a proper coat yet.   i will not give in to winter in november.

oh!  and i was inspired by the lovely erin from calivintage…

…to give my bangs a little trim.  erin is so completely adorable, and has the most amazing vintage style.

vintage electric blue dress, thrifted boots, h&m belt

noel vallens: new york was his town

last night, rick and i had a very woody-allen-manhattan style date.  roaming the streets of new york, we escaped the rain by ducking into the planetarium.  we heard a lecture about the stars, moon and galileo’s discovery of four of jupiter’s moons.

photo via Alfred Gracombe

the hayden planetarium itself is a magical and beautiful place.  afterwards, we were pretty much the only people in the natural history museum, and we got to explore some of the dinosaurs and elephants unattended.  (only we forgot to take photos! eek!)

my only regret (besides no dinosaur photos) was not being dressed a little more annie-hall-style for the outing.  but then again, i loved it so much that i’m already planning my next trip back to the lecture.

it was pretty amazing, except the lecturer kept referring to this summer triangle of stars as a slice of pizza, and one of the moons of jupiter as having a cheese pizza-like quality, with little bits of anchovies.  all of the pizza talk made me very hungry, so rick and i had to immediately find the first pizza place after the lecture.

this dress was an attempt to add a little color to a very rainy, dull day.  it used to be a below-the-knee frumpy dress that i took the scissors to and give it a new baby hem.  i’m learning that i really need to start taking some “before” pictures.

and then i rode off on my motorcycle. that i found on the street.

vintage dress - reshaped and redone, evan picone thrifted blazer, f21 belt pulled from a different skirt

noel vallens: mr. newton street style

on our first day of the weardrobe conference, our first item on the agenda was to be photographed by mr. newton in gramercy park.  i’m seen here, clinging to the gate, because we got kicked out of gramercy park, not once, but twice.

and here i am again, this time with the lovely greta.

this dress is a favorite of mine, and halfway because of the process it took for me to get it.  in a ny thrift store, i eyed a girl across the room trying it on and staring at herself, adjusting, making faces, staring.  i really wanted the dress, but i knew as soon as she smelled competition, she’d buy it immediately.  so, for nearly 15 minutes, i stayed far away, sneaking glances…like a wolf stalking its prey.  finally, she put the dress down and started browsing around, and when i felt she was a safe distance away i grabbed it up.  a few minutes later, when i was trying it on, i could see her little wolf eyes peering at me from around the rack.

since then, i’ve been in awe of this little dress and its amazing fit, and have tried to base some creations on it’s design, but to no avail.

seen here with style pill and blue collar catwalk.

and rebecca, this one is for you.  everyone.  jumping.  at the same time.

hunted and thrifted vintage dress, evan picone blazer, seychelles heels, simply vera wang necklace, f21 belt (worn backwards)

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