About

Hi! I’m Ileana!

Argentinean girl.

Fashion lover.

Book addict.

Frequent traveller.

Met Austrian boy.

Moved across the world.

Started a blog about all things cute…

yummy…

fashionable…

and pugs!

My name is Ileana Druetta and I was born 25 years ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This means that even though I write in english, my first language is spanish!

Growing up, I was obsessed with dinosaurs and wanted to be a Paleontologist… gladly, someone told me that it involved a lot of digging and working with bones, so I inmediately switched to a related field: fashion design. I know why I was interested in Dinosaurs (the tv show Dinosaurs and Jurassic Park), but I really do not have a clue how I became interested in fashion at such a young age. My guess is that it has something to do with the Olsen twins and Clueless!

Definitely a dream come true! Though I must confess it was a lot of work, the clothes I made during college were either too weird or too small and I’m glad I was living with my parents as you really need a lot of room to store all the sketches, fabrics and little things that could be used to create a cool texture. During those four years I was hoarding fabrics, buttons and anything that I could eventually sew or glue on a prototype.

Halfway through my studies I realized that even though I loved fashion design I was more interested in other related things, so I started taking classes to figure out what it was that liked the most. All this while still finishing my studies in Fashion and Textile Design! I took some fashion production classes in college where we learned about styling, runway productions and fashion editorials… and I loved it! In between semesters I went to NY to take an ESL Fashion Promotion at FIT.

This was one of the best experiences ever! Not only I had amazing teachers but also met a bunch of new friends from all over the world! This was my first time travelling alone and it made me crave for more… so a few months later I went to Tennessee for a whole semester! I was so thrilled that I was accepted at my first choice, East Tennessee State and decided to give fashion a break to take literature related classes. During this period abroad I learnt what it’s like to have a roommate (I’m an only child!), trust God and even met a bunch of amazing friends… including my boyfriend, an exchange student from Austria! For some pictures of this you can click here.

After a few years of long distance dating, we finally got married in 2012! I kept my last name as it felt uncomfortable to suddenly have a different name… also, I think my first name doesn’t work with his last name. Anyway, that same year I started Novelstyle and moved to Europe! This proximity to many countries gave me the chance to visit many fabulous cities and attend a bunch of amazing events (including Fashion Week and Bread & Butter!). We also added a cute new member to our small family! Lemon is the cute pug that appears in most of my Instagram pictures!

After a little bit more than two years in Austria, we started 2015 in our new home… Valparaiso, Indiana! A beautiful city close to Chicago

Wanna know more about the story behind Novelstyle? Check the About Novelstyle section!