Chicago - October 24, 2007

Family Ties

Nora Marcella Fall Collection

In sixth grade she told you to peg your jeans. Then she called you a copycat. Freshman year she encouraged you to play the field. Then told Mom you were promiscuous.

When it comes to sisterly love, you’ll take what you can get.

Not Nora and Marcella Volini, sisters and designers of Nora Marcella. They may bicker on occasion, but creativity trumps the catfight.

Each piece in their collection incorporates Nora’s urban edge and Marcella’s vintage charm. The fall line, designed in Nora’s Chicago apartment, was inspired by The Graduate and college life in the ’60s and ’70s.

Vibrant colors and throwback patterns make for a sweet, retro schoolgirl aesthetic in the form of patterned dresses, high-waisted skirts, plaid boatneck tops, and sophisticated scoop necks.

Depending on how you accessorize, the look can go from casually laid-back to totally sophisticated.

It’s all relative.

Available at Tangerine, 1719 North Damen Avenue, at Saint Paul Avenue (773-772-0505). To see styles, go to noramarcella.com.

Photo Credi: Jacek Chorazy