Victoria Villarroel Takes Us Inside Her Narnia-Girl Heaven Closet

Victoria Villarroel describes her home as a treehouse, an oasis in the hills overlooking the city of Los Angeles, where her three dachshunds—both in true form and as embroidered pillows and diamond earrings—reign supreme. Beyond her fur babies, her space is defined by Facebook Marketplace finds, including her vintage armoire that houses all of her accessories; the place she goes to play, get creative, and curate finishing touches after putting on an outfit. "You start in your closet, you finish in the armoire," she says.

You might know Villarroel for her high-profile friendships and close-knit group of It girl friends (see: Kylie Jenner, Gabbriette). Now, we know and love her for being the co-host of the Better Half podcast, where she and bestie Stas Karanikolaou chat candidly about dating and pop culture in a setup that feels like peak girlhood: a tiger print couch, a pink rug, and a generally stripped, laid-back vibe that makes it feel more like an unfiltered group chat than anything else.

On a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, Villarroel took Coveteur inside her closet and showed us the vintage finds she couldn't leave behind and the most treasured item.

What's the most Victoria item you own?

"I don't want to sound too commercial, but that new Chanel bag I just got. It feels very me because it's a little Dalmatian print. I love it. I want a chair with that print. I would want a couch with that print. I want an ottoman with that print. I love that bag very much. I also love my Louboutin platforms—the red bottoms are just sexy. I feel tall, powerful, sexy, and unstoppable up there. It's nice, it's refreshing, the air is crisp."

How would you describe your personal style in three words?

"Sultry, unique, and vintage."

How has your personal style evolved over the years?

"I wasn't as playful before—I kept it safe."

What made you feel like you could be more playful now?

"Maybe my age. I'm just more confident in who I am. Cute clothes make me feel good. So, I just always want to be in cute clothes."

How do you organize your closet?

"I keep my accessories and my shoes in a separate armoire. I like it because I know it's a place that I can go and get creative. My cute purses are in my special Narnia closet.  I got it on Facebook Marketplace for $300. It's my Narnia girl heaven."

What are your favorite websites for online shopping?

"The RealReal. You know what I started doing? I sell on The RealReal a lot, so I have them give me credit instead of giving me a check. So when I shop, I never pay because I have credit. It's girl math. I'll see a cute pair of shoes, and it just feels free. I also shop on eBay, but it's kind of hit or miss."

What do you search for on eBay?

"Well, I went to a store called Cannonball & Tilly on Fairfax and they had these Mandalay deadstock dresses—Mandalay used to be a cute store in LA with dresses. I got four Mandalay dresses and wore one to Gabbriette's wedding. So I've been searching eBay for other dresses by them. You have to get very specific on eBay. Sometimes I get things that are amazing, sometimes I get things that are trash."

What items in your closet are getting the most wear this season and where did you find them?

"The jeans that I'm wearing right now. They're the Addison Rae x Lucky Brand collab. I wear them every day. They're so cool. I wear Hanes tank tops from Amazon and my Margiela Tabis everywhere every day—they're ruined, honestly. Havaianas, too. For everyday, I keep it simple. I have my uniform, which is denim and a tank top. I get more creative when I travel. If I'm traveling, I get more excited about planning outfits and make a cute little PDF with all my photos. My friend Stas taught me that."

What is the most treasured item in your closet?

"I try really hard not to be super attached to material things because we die and we don't take them with us. My mom gave me a ring that I keep losing, but I always find it. It's a very special ring. I also have these diamond dachshund earrings that my boyfriend gave me. I keep them safe. Plus the duffel bag with [my dog] Whiskey on it. That's very special, and I would be really sad if something happened to that."

What's your best vintage find?

"The Dolce & Gabbana dress with the fringe at the bottom—I think that's special. I have cool jackets, too. The Jean Paul Gaultier jacket with the corset back is insane."

What piece of clothing do your friends always borrow?

"We're not lending each other clothes like that anymore. All my closest friends have amazing clothes. I do borrow, and Stas lowkey helps me a lot. She let me borrow a lot of things, and she just took one of my tops to Ibiza. A cute little beaded red one that I recently posted."

Who would you swap closets with?

"Paloma Elsesser. I want everything that she posts. And I want her house too, if we're doing that."

Who do you call for fashion advice?

"My boyfriend. I trust him because he's a fashion designer. I think he has pretty good taste. And my sister because she's extremely blunt. She'll be like, 'Victoria, what the fuck?' Sometimes, I get so playful that my outfits are a little crazy. So she'll be like 'Super fun, but change the shoes.' She'll be very honest. So I trust that she's not playing me or telling me what I want to hear."

If you could give yourself style advice 10 years ago, what would you say?

"I have selective memory, so I forget a lot of my past. I feel like I just didn't dress well. But our generation was different. We didn't have TikTok to teach us so much or inspire us. It was so different. We were inspired by what we saw in everyday life, and none of my friends at the time were fashion muses. I think I would tell myself to keep being you—you'll find your lane."

Has living in Los Angeles changed the way you dress?

"Of course. I was obsessed with The Hills, so I came here to be Lauren Conrad. Also, just having cute fashion friends has inspired me with great taste."

What's the most unhinged thing currently hiding in your closet?

"I buy some sexy dresses from Amazon. Like mesh dresses with holes everywhere in case I ever want to spice it up."

Can you tell us the story behind what you wore for your first podcast filming?

"The Better Half is very girly—we have a tiger print couch and a pink rug. I went on the RealReal, looked at new arrivals, refreshed, and the first thing that came up was a Dolce Gabbana leopard dress. I got it, got it tailored to be super, super mini, and then that's it."

What's your shopping ethos?

"I shop for future me. I'll see something, and I'm like, 'Wait, I like this. I don't know where I'll wear it to, but I just know I need it.' Like the 1920s dress, for example. I didn't need it, but I know something's going to come up. Someone's going to invite me to a 1920s-themed event, and I'm going to be ready. I'm also into manifesting."