the owls are not what they seem

joelle van dyne: gold star

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:48:22 -0500

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 up on ever receiving a pair, but then, lo and behold, in the end of november, they arrived. once a birthday present, now a christmas present.

when i went to pick them up, there was another woman at miu miu yelling at the sales associate “i KNOW you got the glasses! i don’t know why you’re lying about it! i’m sure you kept them for yourself!” she had ordered a pair from the same collection and was QUITE upset about not getting her glasses. i waited until she was safely gone before proudly announcing that i was there to pick up my own!

i like to celebrate these glasses by dorkishly matching my entire outfit to them: shiny golden stars, a yellow dress, and boots that make me feel like a superhero. i can’t wait until i’m wearing these glasses on the beach with a gold lame’ swimsuit instead of a fur coat. to do before spring: acquire gold lame’ swimsuit.

miu miu sunglasses, vintage fur coat, rebecca taylor blouse, black halo dress, wolford tights, stuart weitzman 5050 boots, jcrew bracelet

crystal visions

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:56:30 -0500

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 my shopping online. ebay and etsy are the best, and even stores like madewell and zara are in the city, why would i get out of my pajamas when they want to bring me everything to my doorstep for free?

so….my favorite purchase? these black prada heels. always in need of work stuff that isn’t overly frumpy these are pretty perfect. simple and straightforward but a pretty modern shape which helps balance out all of the vintage i wear.

another purchase? this witchy black dress (a vintage calvin klein find on etsy) that made me feel particularly stevie nicks-esque.

with lots of work travel recently, i’m finally able to use all of the little totes, bags and fun stuff that came along last fashion week. my favorite is this little zipper bag from the alexa chung/madewell collaboration. it even has cats! it’s the perfect size for toting my jewelry around.

…….which leads me to this new necklace i made. small, layered rectangles, which unfortunately is now sold out in the shop!

thrifted prada heels, vintage calvin klein dress and evan picone blazer, cynthia vincent grocery tote purse, a common thread rectangle necklace, vintage sunglasses, alexa chung for madewell tote c/o madewell

noel vallens: guess who's back

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:29:00 -0500

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 are buttery soft, and fit so well! i’ve been wearing them everywhere. i loved the orange ones for the summertime, and am finding these hunter green ones go with everything. especially the muted leopard print.

alright, everyone! i’m off for a work trip to hartford for the rest of the week. have a great week!

jbrand jeans in vine (gifted by jbrand), vintage coat and sweater, vintage gucci purse, a common thread rectangle necklace, lucky penny oxford shoes, cheap monday sunglasses

joelle van dyne: haunted house

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:20:00 -0400

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 downstairs neighbor was sitting out on his fire escape, and swears he saw a dark figure approach one of the windows in the house next door, and stand there, staring at him, until he got scared and went inside. eek!

this is probably my last post before my 30th birthday- just warning you in case you don’t recognize me next time, since i’ll look so old. next week i’m headed to austin to enjoy the warm weather, eat tons of cake, and maybe do some vintage shopping. if you have any recommendations for where to go, it would be much appreciated.

and before that, i get to celebrate my baby sister’s birthday with her! she’ll be in NYC for the weekend so i can spoil her rotten. i’m very excited. hope you all have a great weekend too.

+j uniqlo romper, loft military jacket (c/o), jcrew cardigan, fiorentini & baker boots, miu miu bow bag

noel vallens: lady in white

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:24:42 -0400

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 & sunglasses, ferragamo bow flats, cynthia vincent leather tote

joelle van dyne: making progress

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:24:31 -0400

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 i’ve got, and ask for suggestions. so, here’s the view from the hallway- it is an odd space with two levels.

here’s the top level, for now. i had initially planned to make the lower level for seating/watching tv, and fill the upper level with a large dining table. then i realized the lower level would be too cramped with a sofa + tv stand, so for now, this is the arrangement i’m trying out.

the sofa is a new acquisition. the night before i moved, i realized my much-loved room & board sofa wouldn’t fit through the narrow doorways of the house, so it had to go. the boyfriend and i took a trip to the bronx to visit the ABC home & carpet warehouse store (true story: mimi and i once saw alexander wang shopping there with his parents). we didn’t have much time, so we hurried through the store, and found 3 affordable sofas we liked. my 1st choice was a beautiful tufted leather sofa, but turns out, it was too tight a fit through our doorways, so we ended up with this calvin klein one, which was the boyfriend’s 1st choice. i liked that the upper cushions are a different fabric from the rest. anyway, i highly recommend the ABC warehouse if you find yourself in a furniture emergency!

my end tables came from craigslist, the pillow and fur rug from ikea, and the rest from various antique stores in ohio. i loved the marble horse bookends because my grandma has a very similar set. and the face vase was another lucky find, during a time when i was doing research on visual illusions.

here’s the lower level of the living room, which is mostly empty, except for a few too-small pieces of furniture. eventually i plan to put the little white table in the backyard, but until i can find a proper dining table, it’ll stay here. the wooden coffee table was made by my boyfriend’s father. right now it is hiding our internet router, and storing magazines.

so clearly, i still have a lot to accomplish. the main things i need are a place to sit and eat, a place to put my feet up while sitting on the couch (i think my dad is going to make me 2 x-bench ottomans for this!), and additional seating. if you have any suggestions for pieces of furniture to look out for, ways to arrange the room, ways to accessorize, etc. etc. i would really appreciate it!

and in case anyone is wondering, here are some details—

sofa = calvin klein; rug, pillow, and white boxes = ikea, wall color = restoration hardware sycamore, framed infinite jest poster that needs to be hung = sam potts (this poster is one of my favorite things in my whole apartment), coffee table = custom made, everything else = vintage or antique

NYFW: advanced style + tavi gevinson

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:37:51 -0400

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 advanced style blog, i was excited both of these groups are coming together for a spectacular party. even though there are generations between the two, i think tavi fits in just perfectly.

joelle van dyne: boca raton: the pants

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:02:03 -0400

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 tags were still on?! this is an older dvf print, so i know they’ve been languishing un-worn for several years. i wonder why..

on an un-related note, have you noticed how my hair is looking remarkably less flat in these photos? i posted awhile back about being treated to a day at edris salon, and promised i’d be back there for a haircut. i finally visited ronnie there recently, who did a great job of giving some life to my limp hair. he also gave me loads of helpful styling tips, both for lazy and non-lazy days. i’ve been following his advice of putting a little bit of mousse into my hair when it’s wet, and twisting it tightly away from my face (leaving the ends alone), so that it dries into loose curls.

today i decided to try his tips for non-lazy days, and used hot rollers- again, leaving the ends of my hair un-curled. though it obviously isn’t very curly in these photos, it did have a lot more volume all day. i has taken me years to find a hair stylist i really like, so i just had to mention how wonderful edris salon is- and particularly ronnie!

maybe next time i’ll ask him how to style my hair for a day of bocce in boca.

lux tank top, diane von furstenberg pants, frye sandals, miu miu bag, chloe sunglasses, old navy scarf

noel vallens: zig zag

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:05:08 -0400

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 week (having earthquakes and hurricanes gives you a lot of free time at home).

vintage shirt, sunglasses and skirt; madewell purse; rachel comey sandals gifted by neiman marcus

joelle van dyne: summer fridays

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 08:34:54 -0400

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 center of brooklyn, it IS impressive, with block after block of old victorian houses.

i’m trying to leave work early today, so i can enjoy the pre-hurricaine weather and spend some time either here:

prospect park dog beach - harper is crazy about swimming

or here:

coney island

i want to enjoy my options before i’m stuck inside, forced to work on my apartment. have a great weekend!

very old suede halter top, vintage skirt, prada nude shoes, mulberry alexa bag

noel vallens: crazy skirt

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:08:00 -0400

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. the pattern is crazy and bright, and i thought it might be too much in it’s current state. my laziness and need for craft space led me to other conclusions, and here it is being worn in its full color craziness.

this skirt has the perfect amount of swooshiness…and when worn with some strappy heels that have a small glint of gold when you squint your eyes, i almost feel like Baby from dirty dancing. so much so that when i was waiting for the elevator at work (alone) i pranced right into the elevator (heels up) and was caught off guard when the doors opened up some businessmen caught me swishing around with my arms us (baby-style). oops!

and…….i have been making things like crazy lately. i finally finished a little pair of pleated ballet slippers (so useful) and a pair of cotton socks (a little less practical since they can have sloppy cuffs).

AND finally, my favorite new project of all…quilt-making. when i was in savannah, i visited my grandma’s house where she pulled out dozens of old quilts that she made when she was 15 (!). all of the hundreds of pieces on the front were handstitched and then hand-quilted. AND for the cotton batting in the middle…my grandma actually handpicked the cotton from the field, ran it through a gin, and matted it out to make the cushioning layer. now, i’ve been working a few different ones myself!

vintage skirt, sunglasses shirt and belt; cynthia vincent for target wedges; butter london nailpolish in full monty

joelle van dyne: brooklyn jorts

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:08:42 -0400

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 strange and empty the place would feel after moving from a 1-bedroom to a 3-bedroom. first world problems, anyone?

after spending a good hour online friday, the man-friend and i decided to make our wonderful day even better by walking the dogs to prospect park.

here we are! just last night i was showing him these photos, and he asked why i never post his picture here. “because it’s all about ME” was my response, but today i feel like sharing.

i’ve been wearing this pair of cut-off jorts all through the process of moving. i guess it’s like a new brooklyn uniform. i had to finally wash them last week, yet i kept searching for them each morning, running through the apartment yelling “where are my JORTS?! i NEED them to LIVEEEE!!!”. it was such a relief to get them back. they’re nice and loose around my thighs, which, for me, is an important, yet hard-to-find feature in shorts.

i fancied-up my jorts with this shiny new hex-nut bracelet. noel and some other friends and i made these in brooklyn bridge park last week, after a failed attempt to see ‘breakfast at tiffany’s’. i’ve been having so much fun making simple jewelry this summer. i brought home a bag full of colorful plastic beads from ohio, and can’t wait to dig into it.

free people striped shirt, vintage crochet slip, hudson denim shorts (c/o), comptoir des cotonniers hat, anthropologie sandals, feed bag (c/o)

noel vallens: long, long time

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:48:54 -0400

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 that i’ve been looking for the coolest thing to wear possible. things should be returning back to normal around here when I get back to NYC. i have so many new things to show you, and my new current project obsession!

vintage chambray skirt, blouse, belt, purse and sunglasses; rachel comey sandals

fashion fantasy friday at gary graham

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:17:39 -0400

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 you’re into twirling, this is the dress for you.

next i tried on this beaded top and odd pants/skirt/diaper thing. if i remember correctly, it has 3 possible leg holes. i chose to put my legs through the outer two holes to make it look more like a skirt than a diaper, but you could really go either way with it.

i will have more from gary graham to show you next friday- in fact, i’m saving up both of my favorite looks. for now, i think it is important to mention two things. one: heidi klum was our 3rd shopping pal last week. the three of us are total besties. (okay, maybe she just happened to be shopping in the store at the same time with her adorable kids… but still). and two: rachel gave me a very helpful photoshop tutorial over brunch. it is all thanks to her that i can make these masterful collages! just don’t look at them too closely.

sorry for the lack of posting lately. i actually posted this originally last week on the day i was moving from sunnyside back to brooklyn. and now i’m on vacation! i hope to be back to regular posting this week.

noel vallens: orange sherbet

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:41:27 -0400

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 this point, i don’t think i’ll be able to eat another grilled hamburger for a long time.

on saturday, we hopped two ferries (in the car!) over to the south fork and cruised through the hamptons over to montauk for the annual ‘epic yard sale’ by the owners of melet mercantile. the first thing i noticed was a table setup in the front by a little girl (about 8 years old) selling friendship bracelets. she was such a professional little businesswoman! when i asked if she made them, she said, “no, they were handmade by a family in mexico.” and after suggesting a few different color schemes that she thought i would like, i bought one and she shook my hand saying “it’s been a pleasure doing business with you.” she also showed us her miniature camper/trailer set up in the front yard which was her room!

the outfit was perfect for montauk’s little beach town. i’ve been sort of obsessed with bright jeans lately, so i was so excited when these little j brand orange jeans showed up on my doorstep. they are so incredibly soft and the most striking orange. at first i was a little worried having the right thing to wear them with (they are SO orange) but now, i’m realizing they pretty much go with anything.

j brand 811 mid-rise skinny leg in orange (c/o j brand); jeffrey campbell woodies clogs; vintage tank top & sunglasses

joelle van dyne: romp around

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:35:12 -0400

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 garbage collectors were on my street. usually they do some sort of cat-calling at me, so i walked by quickly with my gaze averted… and… nothing! then i decided to take the long way to the subway, where i go over a busy bridge that, again, yields a cat-call or two from some AARP-card-carrying truckers. and again… complete silence!

thus, it seems that i have managed to find the least sexy garment known to man. if your goal is to avoid any lascivious male attention, get thee to uniqlo while this little number is still dominating the super-sale racks!

uniqlo +j romper, chloe sandals, balenciaga day bag, rayban clubmaster sunglasses

noel vallens: virgin child bride

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:11:04 -0400

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 bought this dress last week on a whim from the lovely shop Fair Season, thinking ‘this reminds me of joelle’. sure enough, when it came in the mail and i tried it on, my boyfriend comments “you look like a virgin child bride”….aka something joelle would wear. to confirm the child-bride suspicions, these little pockets, adorable as they may be, are completely made for little child hands.

also new (it was a busy shopping week!) is this vintage bracelet, and a pair of super long chain earring i whipped up before work earlier this week. i’ll probably be adding a few more of these to the shop soon!

have a great holiday weekend everyone!!

vintage dress from fair season; rachel comey shoes c/o neiman marcus; vintage sunglasses and bracelet’ a common thread earrings

joelle van dyne: nothing matters when we're dancing

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:19:44 -0400

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.

noel vallens: waterfront follies // summer jeans

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:43:36 -0400

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. everyone needs summer jeans.”) by the end of the night, he’d pretty much convinced everyone at the table the need for these things, and i kinda secretly wanted my own.

so, earlier this week, while digging through my closet, i was pretty happy to come across my very own pair of chambray sailor pants. i’d completely forgotten about these guys! i love that they are so dramatic. and……as much ‘summer jean’ talk i endured last weekend, i have to admit they are kinda great.

the length of these require some sort of heel that doesn’t make the legs look all short and stubby. and i’ve been waiting for so long to pull out these rachel comey sandals that i picked up a few months ago. after much fretting, i picked these up with the gift card neiman marcus generously gave us during the tumblr fashion week extravaganza. wise decision; i love these things.

j. brand ‘skipper in atlantic’ jeans c/o j.brand; vintage shirt & purse; rachel comey platform sandals c/o neiman marcus; cheap monday clairvoyant sunglasses

joelle van dyne: office cats

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:41:00 -0400

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 and attractive than we actually are. i wish i could bask in this spot all day.

anyway, this is another of my typical ‘i have a meeting and can’t dress like a slob or wizard today’ outfits: silk dress, jacket/cardigan, and a bag that fits my computer. the double-leopard patterns were unintentional. i prefer this combo to a pencil skirt + blouse duo because i feel less stuffy if i wear it out after work.

since i live in nyc and work in a semi-creative industry, i don’t ever have to be too formal. my office is in the financial district where, even in the current 80 degree weather, i see people running around in full suits and HOSE. i pity them until i remind myself their salary is probably 10x mine. how dressy do you have to be for work?

theory blazer, madison marcus dress, prada wedges, mulberry alexa bag, juicy couture sunglasses