(Volcom top, Free People cardigan and skirt, Vanessa Mooney necklace/rings, H&M hat)

Snow, grey skies, and my boots leaving trails of ice throughout my apartment. NYC, when will you cheer up? I’m braving it out and thinking “only a few more days until I’m sporting cropped tops and denim cut-offs” in Austin, Texas! I’m ready for cowboy hats, dusty roads, and the hot sun beaming on my face. Right now, you can find me passed out on the couch after a long day’s work under the blanket, bundled in all sorts of random layers. Oversize cardigans, long plaid skirts, and loads of Parisian stripes keep my dark winter wardrobe a little more upbeat. This week has been filled with early mornings, and hunching through the rain and puddles under my umbrella, literally using the thing as a safety weapon as I make my way to the studio or factory! Every day’s been one to create and honestly, I feel work never really ends. There’s always that one extra silly thing I find the need to do at the end of the day, whether it be jotting down notes, or scribbling poems that I had going through my head on the subway. Anyways, TGIF! And rather than resting, Dylana will be in town, meaning late nights with never-ending conversations and laughter! The city’s always better when she’s around. The excitement in never really knowing what we’ll end up doing. Luckily the guitar’s got all new strings, and can calm us throughout the day. I’m still dying for another day of recording to just get all these tunes out there. It’s next week that I’ll put the guitar to rest as I follow my favorite bands through Austin…whistling in the wind.

Loads to come, so just follow my Instagram (natalieoffduty)!

ZINK Magazine Spring ’13 photographed by Harry Fellows

(Citizens of Humanity vest, Chaser brand velvet dress, A.P.C coat, Joie sweater, Vanessa Mooney necklace, “Natalie + Dylana Suarez x Modern Vice” JETT MESSENGER bag, Nine West x Pamela Love boots)

Philadelphia is one place where I can run around the streets and honestly, not even see a soul. It’s can get so incredibly quiet in my sister’s area called Fishtown that it can be so calming compared to NYC, where I literally step outside my doorstep and there’s no avoiding running into people. The homes are narrow yet long, and each have that gritty, “been here for decades” type of feel. Old drapes shade the windows, and the colorful paint of the closely rowed homes have been chipped for years. There’s a bit of charm in the place that I quite like. And it’s been cold. Really cold! Cold enough for a vest, a wool coat, velvet, and sweater all layered into one! I found this vest lying on my sister’s clothes rack and I fell in love with it. I needed that one extra layer before going out, and this quilted denim beauty was perfect. Shot on a sleepy weekend, I may have been the loudest thing on the streets that day, clickety-clacking in my western boots! Sometimes a sleeping city needs a little awakening.