Yearly Archives: 2012

A Beautiful Mind

(photos by Nadia)
It was such a dreary, off day (we all have them), and so first thing I did was hop on the train to Williamsburg for a quick visit to Nadia’s. That girl makes everything better! Lying around were these beautiful flowers in her room. We were basically just chatting on her bed as she snapped these photos of me. I was laughing by the end of my visit. What was once a gloomy, rainy day in NYC, immediately turned into something beautiful. She’s a genius.
Also, I just came home late, checked my emails, and was sent this gorgeous song by Broken Fences, written just for me… it’s called “Natalie,” and I honestly cried when I heard it. It’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. I hope you like it as much as I do. 

There are too many beautiful minds out there to go unnoticed.

Restless

There’s something about all white linens that I really like. Clean and simple. From my bed sheets to my blazer, the softer the better. Even this little cotton tee is a bit more worn-in than necessary. It’s become insanely ratty, but that’s only because I love it soooo. The holes are clearly getting more prominent with age yet I’m still having a hard time throwing it out. Anyways, I’m a fan of the fresh, all-white look for Spring, but secretly, I’m more into sparkle. These little booty shorts are bound to come out of the bedroom and through the city streets once it gets warmer. Maybe they’ll reflect light and help flag down cabs or something! Either way, I’ve always got a lot on my mind and so I just happen to get up early…in sparkle shorts or not. 

A Good Omen

  

Here is just a tiny sneak preview from my shoot with Kenny. The team and I flew out from NYC to beautiful La Quinta, CA.. the location for our campaign shoot. The desert sun was INTENSE throughout the day, making us all sweat like no other…but for some reason, I loved the heat. My skin was turning brown right before my eyes, no joke. I guess growing up in the valley of LA has something to do with it. The liberating feeling of climbing mountains, getting sand in my boots, and doing cartwheels barefoot is indescribable. And oh yeah, done in the most killer little frocks, vintage crochet, and everything you’d see a desert babe roll out of her tent in each morning with, was perfect. You can probably tell, but the shoot was right up my alley and so I felt most at home: earthy, fresh, with a little dust and dirt to it. Who wants to be perfect anyway? Not to mention, we ran into a bunch of insanely beautiful horses. I managed to take the white one out for a little spin! As the designer said, the day was full of good omens. Now, I just can’t wait for the final images and video to come out. 

For now, follow all my adventures through Twitter and Instagram (natalieoffduty)… because lord knows I’ve got a thing for it.

NEW GIVEAWAY: Ecco Shoes

Whenever I slip into these little ECCO heels, I’m immediately brought back to my day in Europe with the team back in February. Then, I was bundled in giant scarves, thick knits, and the warmest boots known to man. NYC is starting to get better each day, making it a perfect time to expose these neon pink toes around Soho! Though this “Montpellier” pair by Ecco is super dainty and pretty, I roughed it up a bit with an extra loose pair of orange jeans, a cropped knit sweater, and my favorite leather jacket. Right now, the colors in my wardrobe are all over the place, so it’s no surprise I’m taking on the city in all colors of the rainbow!

So to kick of Spring/Summer, I’m giving away this adorable pair of ECCO “Montpellier” heels to one lucky reader! 
Simply choose ONE way to enter:
Either,
a. Like ECCO USA Shoes on Facebook and post on the wall “I want to win a pair of ECCO Montpellier heels from Natalie Off Duty”
b. Upload a photo of the outfit you’d wear with your new Montpellier heels to the ECCO USA Shoes page  
OR 
c. Tweet “I want to win a pair of @ECCO_USA_Shoes Montpellier heels from @NatalieOffDuty! (Link to blog post). #NordicChic”
Yep, super easy right? 
Like me on Facebook/ Follow me on Twitter for all giveaway updates!

 (Contest ends May 7th, must be a US resident and over 18 years old. Good luck!)

UPDATE: Congratulations to the winner: Cindy Batchelor!! Thanks to everyone to entered. For now, you can still go to ECCO’s facebook..we’re giving away a shoe a day (Thursday we’re giving away this exact shoe again) Amazing right?!