I feel the earth move under my feet..

Thank you Deb for the gorgeous mohair sweater! It makes me feel like a fuzzy hand-knitted creature. Rawr?

My lovely friend Ellen modeling a mauve Marc Jacobs jacket. This gets a lot of wear because its versatile while still retaining the signature quirkiness of Marc Jacobs. Three-quarter length sleeves make it easy to throw on with any outfit, regardless of the weather, and an adorable yet subtle bow accents the collar nicely. (Although I do have to admit, the unfastened buttons are driving my crazy.)

Yes, this is a little creepy, but they were too cute not to photograph!

So for a few months now I've had a craving for the 70s- a craving that has finally been satiated thanks to a pair of (too long) flares from Barneys by MiH Jeans, an airy fairy blouse from Forever 21, and dangerously high clogs. If hippy fashion doesn't make a reappearance this spring I'll find solace in how flattering my high-waisted bell bottoms are in comparison to (dare I say it?) skinny jeans...WHAT NOW.

Alright alright so these -and- the clogs are by Steve Madden, but you knew going into this I'm working off a teenager's allowance. Besides... I mean come on..SPARKLY SHOES.

I found these feather earrings from a little boutique called Una Maes. My mother and I both have a pair except mine have quadruple the feathers. (I'll do a post on those soon-ish.)

For those religious followers, you may remember my post on high-heeled clogs making a comeback. Well, unfortunately, Miu Miu and Chanel were just slightly over my budget, however I did find a really great reasonably priced pair from Steve Madden. My blistered toes and sore ankles are painfully aware of the navigational difficulties 5-inch heels present... trust me when I tell you day-trekking around Los Angeles in these killers is no easy feat.

Bonjour!

Hopefully a few of you are pleasantly surprised to see Valleybean up and running once again, I know I am! My six month hiatus from the fashion world has left me terribly behind so bear with me as I get reacquainted with my old friends, Karl and Christian, over cocktails and promiscuous sex...er mineral waters. In the meantime, my posts will most likely revolve around what's currently stocking my wardrobe...I like to think I dress well so fingers crossed this won't be an issue for any of you.

xoxo Valentine

I'm late! I'm late for a very important date!

“I think my favorite Alice character is the March Hare. You can see I’ve made his watch rather prominent. This was a different design process for me, because I’m not usually so applicative—typically, I’m thinking about line, silhouette. But this time, I figured, why not just pile as much as I can on top?” —Nicholas Kirkwood

“I went to John Tenniel’s original illustration of Alice for inspiration. She’s seated at a table having tea, and her dress looks much more asymmetrical and theatrical than that boring Walt Disney version. It was also an auto-reference to my collections, as Lewis Carroll’s work has been one of the main inspirations of my label since its creation. Alice Liddell, the real little girl with long dark hair who inspired Carroll, is one of the very few icons that I have. The pictures of her are a constant inspiration for me.” —Charles Anastase

“I’ve always been intrigued by cutout silhouettes. They are so intriguing, so poetic—the shadow of a soul. They tell everything about a character and they are open to be filled with one’s own imagination.” —Ann Demeulemeester

“Alice’s silhouette is a blue upside-down dress with cage sleeve, as if she walked through the mirror and her dress completely reversed. A long ball gown has been reworked, upside-down, into a minidress. The bustier in taffetas becomes a pleated miniskirt. The petticoat in plonge becomes an asymmetrical draped top. The skirt in ‘plumetis’ tulle becomes a veil. A cage sleeve of whale-boned velvet ribbon is embroidered with pearls, crystals, and recycled jewels.” —Maison Martin Margiela

“My favorite character is the Duchess, who at first seems nearly as unpleasant as the Queen of Hearts. But she’s the antagonist of the queen, and at the end was only respectful and friendly, despite her tremendous ugliness. When I was designing this piece, I was seeing Alice running, escaping through the forest destroying her shiny dress.” —Haider Ackermann

“Running around careless and free in a romantic dress, falling down the rabbit hole, chasing time in a dreamlike state of mind, meeting unexpected characters with many tales to tell—sounds like many a girl’s night out!” —Chloé design team

Tom Binns joined a few other big names in the Printemps Alice in Wonderland Exhibition to celebrate director Tim Burton's take on a Disney classic. In the months leading up to the movie premiere Disney Couture asked designers such as Charles Anastase, Haider Ackerman, and Martin Margiella to create pieces that they felt personified a more modern Alice. Some chose to incorporate cliche symbols from the movie (i.e. key holes, tea cups, and pocket watches) with a gothic lolita backdrop, whereas other started from scratch completely. Anastase draped large quantities of white and navy fabric to create an androgynous bodice and then used playful tulle to lighten the mood. Another personal favourite was the upside down dress created my Margiella. He captured the plot of Alice in Wonderland without relying stereotypical Alice icons. The upside down skirt could be representative of Alice falling into the rabbit hole, the veil, her new warped perspective of the world, and the caged sleeves remind us that she is, in fact, trapped, despite her wondrous surroundings.

This is the sort of dress that grows on you gradually as you realize how the hell it's held together. The electric blue organza subtly emphasizes Mia Wassikowski's innocence and overall nakedness, as she ventures into Tim Burton's LSD trip of a Wonderland. If it were possible to bind up ice cold water and then wear it as a size extra large, I imagine this would be very similar to the resulting dress. Bonjour!
I know my opinions on the Alice in Wonderland wardrobe are waay over due but I thought I'd share them anyway. The iconic blue frock that Alice donned in 1951 has been traded for a more modern electric blue. I can't say that I'm surprised (as we are talking about a Tim Burton film here) but I also can't say I'm disappointed. Alice's new wardrobe gave her a completely new dimension. Before, she was confined to the innocence of a little girl and the stubbornness of an old lady, but now she has genuine curiosity. Just imagine looking at one of those dresses through the eyes of a cat: That girl! Why, she's wearing my toys! All my strings and shredded curtains, they're all right there dangling off of her! How very curious. hm.

xoxo Valentine

Just Some Photos

Chantal Thomas designed these brilliant PORCUPINE QUILL earrings!
(check her out at http://chantalthomas.net/home.html)

*ring ring* "Hello?" "We love you!" "Aaaaw I love you, too!"

This is an antique tiara my friend let me borrow for my Birthday.

Bonjour!
I apologize for the lack of posts! The past month has been so incredibly busy...Spring break saved me just in time! Anyway, above are some new accessories that I acquired a couple of weeks ago from friends and swap meets.

xoxo Valentine

"Heaven is a feeling I get in your arms"

Bonjour!
I have been busy busy busy lately. I'm having a bit of a panic attack because I need to find a piece of furniture to paint by tomorrow. It's for the notorious furniture project that my art teach assigns intermediate students. Last weekend I went to Berkley and I haven't fully recovered from the lack of sleep combined with the high stress atmosphere. It's one of the largest national debate tournaments in America and I placed in the top 8 for junior varsity...the words "numb" and "ecstatic" come to mind. I also won 7th place for speaker points (points on the style and eloquence of your speech ^.^). Okay okay, I'll hush up about debate and move onto the clothes. I'm wearing a vintage sequined top I bought at Una Mae's. I reserve this snazzy number for parties because it's a little over the top for just a day out in the neighborhood. In order to balance out the shoulder pads, I paired it with my harem pants. Harem pants look cute on runways but in real life they are extremely unflattering. If you absolutely MUST wear them at least make make your shoulders and thighs equally disproportional.

xoxo Valentine

Wish Upon a Cupcake

Sooo, last Tuesday (February 9th) was my 15th Birthday! It often surprises people that I'm not born Valentine's day. I was SUPPOSED to but I had other plans. I didn't have a whole lot of time to post, for this I apologize. That night I went to Denny's to eat breakfast for dinner...classy.

Then, my really good friend Darby and I went rollerskating. Tuesday is organ music night so the rink was filled with old people and pros. We had a blast nonetheless!

But before all of that happened we did a quick photo shoot. I just bought this really adorable dress and wanted to make sure I had some decent pictures of it. Darby modeled it for me in front of an old movie theatre wearing shoes 2 sizes too small.

She didn't know I took this.

I opted for red velvet...the oreo one was later smashed in my face.

Bonjour!
My Birthday is becoming hazier each day...I don't like it one bit. I woke up (in the morning feeling like P Diddy) to a bed filled with presents! HURRAH! My mum got me a really retro looking record player along with some killer vinyl: The Velvet Underground, The Best of Jackie Wilson, Tracy Chapman, Fur and Gold (Bat for Lashes), Vacation (Gogo's), The Unforgettable Fire (U2), Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits. They're all super. I also went shopping with my dad the night before. I bought a lot of sparkle embellished tops as well as the cute dress you see in the pictures. For now let us focus on the dress; I'll do a post on everything else later. Well, it's pastel which is an automatic plus. I wreckin pastels will be especially popular this summer. I guess you can say I'm endorsing a trend..but hey, why shouldn't I if the trend is adorable? Onto the glorious sleeves! I've always been a huge fan of the really puffy little girl sleeves. I borrowed my friend's antique tiara so that I could pull off the princess look to the best of my ability.

xoxo Valentine

"Then a silence that chilled my soul"

I was in english class when I heard the tragic news. I feel sorry for all of the girls in my class who were absolutely oblivious to the pure art that poured out of this man. "Yeah, this guy Alexander McQueen just died...I think he's a designer or something." They continued on with their conversations as if nothing had happened, as if one of the most talented and dedicated designers in the world hadn't just passed away. It was just a couple of months ago that I was oggling at Atlantis and now *poof* he's gone forever. I always dreamed of getting married in one of his wedding dresses because such an occasion calls for true beauty. He lived an inspiring life and he will be missed dearly. RIP Alexander Mcqueen. <3

-Valentine

"Solitude, I'm doing fine. I dance alone with my head high."

Miu Miu clogs 2010!

Chanel 09 Clogs. I think the Tower of London guards should wear these.

I read a story about this horned snake man who gave his wife a dress made out of snake skin so that she'd become a snake too. I imagine these shoes to have the same mystical powers.

I love how the little pink flowers soften the normally rugged interpretation of clogs.

Louis Vuitton mustache clogs!

Bonjour!
I had a very busy Saturday so I'm balancing it out with a very lazy Sunday. Yesterday I went to a Speech and Debate tournament from 7am (x.x) until 8pm. I won third place for my humorous interpretation of Alice in Wonderland and rounded off the day with some rollerskating. Now onto fashion: I've just realized how much I like clogs! Yes, you heard me correctly...C.L.O.G.S. I remember I had an adorable bright green pair when I was in 4th grade as well as some old fashioned red ones in 6th grade, but that's about as far back as my clog-wearing history goes. Anyway, I never really payed much attention to the clog clad models in the 09 Chanel, and Louis Vuitton shoes...until now. I think this new-found love has a lot to do with Miu Miu's newest 2010 collection. They've taken tacky prints (you know the really cheap ones that you forced onto your Barbie dolls?) and have turned them into into something so bad its good. Fashion has become a game of "let's see who can make the most egregious thing stylish." This definitely puts Miu Miu in the lead with the help of daisies, kitty cats, and, of course, clogs. They'd be so cute with a pair of colorful tights and a flouncy high-waisted skirt, don't you agree? I never thought about making clogs into heels. I think it gives them an extra boost (pun absolutely intended) that makes them less grandma/4 year old.

xo Val