The City Muse
Muse to Muse, Victory Rolls and Chasing Skirts By Ashley Wahl
N
icole Harvell isn’t wearing a costume. Those are her regular clothes. She doesn’t need a special occasion to wear her balloonsleeved Joan Crawford-era mink coat. Ditto her navy blue 1950s “New Look” dress, which has a full skirt and a stand-up collar. “A limited number of men appreciate the hair,” says the 27-year-old of her flawless victory rolls. “Guys say, ‘You look like my grandma.’” Unlikely that their grannies have legs like hers.
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Although she’s an ’80s baby, Nicole is an old soul with more than just a flair for vintage fashion. She embodies it. The girl swears by girdles and crinoline, wears bright red lipstick and nearly swoons when she sees velvet veiled hats. This isn’t just a phase, either. “I raided my mom’s closet in grade school.” At home, she lounges in 1940s nightgowns and listens to the likes of Vera Lynn and the Andrews Sisters. Yes, of course she has a record player. And she’s wild over Mad Men. She sums up the storyline in three words: “guys chasing skirts.” Nicole chases skirts (and other vintage garments) too, and has been selling them on her Etsy shop, Forgotten Muse, for several years. Last May, the Muse used her savings to open Artemis and the Scavengers, a collective marketplace on College Road. Her booth, I imagine, looks a lot like her closet. “They just don’t make clothing like they used to,” says Nicole, slipping on a pair of blue semi-sheer gloves. “The quality of vintage is so much better. This coat is from the ’40s. Just look at it.”
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In Greek mythology, Artemis was goddess of the hunt, lady of the wild beasts, and protector of young animals. Nicole may not have Greek blood, but she does make for a tenacious huntress of throwback threads and finds tremendous satisfaction in “rescuThe Art & Soul of Greensboro
ing” vintage furs. “I love finding old furs new homes,” she says. And she can’t walk past a stray kitten without taking it home. “I once owned seven cats.” And how many fur coats? Perhaps the Muse has forgotten.
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Artemis is a treasure trove. Follow your nose and find Two Trees all-natural handmade soaps, lip butters and herbal teas. The lavender soap is rumored to have magical powers. “The woman who makes it swears it calms down the children,” says the Muse’s mom, Vicki Harvell, who works at the shop and sells consignment clothing. Vicki’s taste is more modern than her daughter’s.
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Mosey along and find pens made in nearby Oak Ridge. “I’m having one custom-made for my fella,” says the Muse, who chose black wood for the barrel and a chrome bullet for the nib. Fitting gift from a gal who wears bullet bras. And what does the Muse want, besides clothes? “I’d like people to go back to giving the hostess a gift. That’s how it used to be. Now you go over and freeload.” From the shop, she recommends fabric wine bags by Golden Threads or Vintage Revival cake stands. Of course you’d buy local, organic wine or bake a from-scratch-yellow-buttermilk-cake to complete the package. There’s a booth for the boho-chic, and for those drawn to the coast, which no doubt draws folks from Flip Flops, the beach bar and grill next door. For men, find a museum-like display of World War II-era memorabilia, everything from Japanese sake cups to America’s World War II Monopoly. Although the history fascinates her, the Forgotten Muse will stick with fashion. You’d swear she’s from another era. Proof that time travel does exist. OH Our muse, O.Henry associate editor Ashley Wahl, is a born wanderer.
December 2012
O.Henry 17