Cool and Crisp

(Vintage coat and plaid shirt, Urban sweater, Zara leather pants, Bally bag, Banana Republic shoes)These next 2 weeks are going to be intense! Final exams as well as shoots are coming up! Juggling both has kept me so busy. I find myself spending every spare minute in the library or at my desk, getting all of my last minute work done. I am so ready for the holiday fun to start! My family and I are already planning our holiday vacation and I can hardly wait! We're thinking a snowy getaway! It'll be freezing, but absolutely beautiful.Here I am wearing a very simple, casual outfit that is perfect for this time of year. It is so chilly in the mornings that I simply layer a plaid button-up blouse under a cable knit sweater along with a great pair of skinny pants. I opted for leather today. They are extra thick n cozy! Before leaving the house, I make sure to grab this classic black coat. It's vintage, made of 100% Italian wool, and is a great layering piece to keep me warm throughout the day. It's so chic and has the ability to make any outfit I have on look more pulled together.Gaah, I want it to be holiday break already!! Tons of work to do till then. I'll keep you posted chickadees!Btw, the winner to my $50 Threadsence giveaway is the lovely
Inspirafashion, coming from Berkeley, CA! Congrats girl! Happy shopping!!

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A Holiday Look I Love

Here are a few images of me for Calista Holiday 2010. Shot in New York over the summer and photographed by Erika Hokanson. This shoot has inspired me to sport silk button-ups, velvet pants, and lace frocks this holiday season. A little fur thrown in and I'm set! As for makeup, I love what the makeup artist did. A smoky eye with just a little gold shimmer in the inner corners, and of course a huge red pout. Definitely a fierce holiday look that is bound to make a statement. Kinda releases my inner rockstar ya know? Happy holidays tooo youuuuuuuuu my pretties!

HERE!

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For the Moody

I'm currently tucked under my covers, laptop on lap, browsing through the giant load of photos packed into an folder that desperately needs to be saved on a disc or something before my computer explodes. Here are my picks for the day. I cannot get enough of these images. A mix of moody, complicated, real, beautiful, raw photos. Feast your eyes on this honeybunches!

Daria's home. Pamela's locks. Serge and Jane. Lara Stone. Biker babe. Sparkles. Freedom. Jane Goodall. Simplicity at it's best. Top hats. A barefaced Dree. The not so perfect perfect side braid.Image sources: The Fashion Spot, Stockholm Street Style, Our Youth

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Heavy Knit

(Zara sweater, Vintage scarf, Rich & Skinny jeans)Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone got to spend the day with their loved ones and eat lots of good food! This year has been so crazy and amazing. So many wonderful things have happened that I never thought I'd be given the opportunity to do. I have so much to be thankful for. I want to give a special thanks to all of my readers. You guys are the best, and have really encouraged me to continue this blog. It makes me really enjoy doing it, so thank you!I actually didn't end up feeling too well on Thanksgiving, got some kinda bug in my tummy! I have nooo idea what it was! But after having some tea, I felt so much better. The weather is still freezing and the wind just makes the cold that much more intense. I quickly stepped outside to take a few snapshots of my look. Nothing beats a heavy wool knit and a chunky vintage scarf at the moment. I love dark browns and blues together. And with this weather, I find myself living in skinny jeans! The thought of throwing on a minidress this holiday season brings chills up and down my spine. This pair from Rich & Skinny are an incredible "jegging" style with side ankle zips. Perfect for curling up on the couch watching movies! Just a really simple and casual look for a holiday weekend with my family. This week I saw "Love and other Drugs" and it was amazing! Jake Gyllenhaal, I LOVE YOU. I'm a sucker for those puppy dog eyes!Oh and here I am in Aneka Yess! magazine of Indonesia! Thanks for the feature! xoxoHave a fantastic rest of your week! Stay warm!

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Aviator

(Storets jacket, Stylesofia top, Hudson Jeans, Banana Republic shoes, Vintage bag)I live in an older Victorian home here in SoCal and it is always soooo chilly. Envious of those w/ extremely cozy homes lol! Even around the house, I'm bundled in clothes. Let's just say I've got a wool throw wrapped around my legs, grandpa style, while typing this. But thank goodness for all things shearling. I love how the aviator looks is back. I've been seeing them everywhere! From runways to editorials to the streets. I received this one from Storets and it is so snug and warm! It even gives off an awesome icankickyourass kinda look. Casual and chic with a striped top and my favorite Hudson skinny jeans. Not bad eh?Are ya'll ready for Thanksgiving? I'm stoked! We're doing it a bit differently this time. We've nixed boring ol' turkey so there will be tamales, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry pie, you name it, cooking in my house and I can hardly wait. Things have finally calmed down for me, giving me more time at home for the rest of this week! Friends and family are in town as well. It's refreshing to see some old faces. Awkward moments due to major time gaps are just inevitable. But who cares? Make the best of your holiday weekend! xoxoinspirAAtiooonnn. enjoy.

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ThreadSence $50 GIVEAWAY!!

(Threadsence dress, Vintage coat and bag, H&M men's scarf, Banana Republic shoes)It's been raining cats and dogs and I LOOOOVEEE it. My huge vintage coats are finally out of their garment bags and able to breath, all ready to fight the cold weather that's coming our way! This coat is one of my favorites. It is vintage, made in France, and totally stunning. It's much like a men's/schoolboy coat. Very structured with a strong collar. Definitely saw similar coats strutting down the fall '10 catwalks! This one works perfectly with my new Threadsence maxi dress, which works perfect all year round thanks to layers layers and mooore layers. Speaking of which, GUESS WHAT?! Starting today, I am giving away a $50 Threadsence gift card to one lucky reader!! To enter this giveaway simply: 1. follow me on Bloglovin' 2. Comment below stating your favorite Threadsence piece in the new Threadsence LOOKBOOK (don't forget to leave your email address too). 3. You can also tweet me your entry by mentioning @natalieoffduty and @threadsence as well as #nataliethreadgiveaway This contest will run for a week, until next Sunday, November 28th! Winner will be picked at random and emailed their online shopping code!GOOD LUCK BABES!!

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Gem Tones

(Calista blouse, Forever 21 scarf, Rue De Jeans, Banana Republic shoes)I finally found some time to take a few snapshots of my outfit. Whenever I'm busy working during the week, sometimes I have to get up as early as 5:30 and I'm in no mood to look through everything in my wardrobe. That's when I find myself grabbing a basic silk button-up blouse and a great pair of skinnies. The perfect uniform, wouldn't you agree? The blouse is so soft, I just wanna touch myself in it hehe. It's made by Calista, the NYC designer label I recently did a shoot with while I was in NY! Remember this post? And this one? Yep, I'm still a huge fan of Calista and am dying to go back to NY and meet up with the designer duo to see more of their pieces. The jeans are from the new label, Rue De, based out of LA. Gaaaaa the fit is perfect and I can't stop staring at my butt in them! amazing! They're really unique in that their back tag is made of elastic, so they're comfy throughout the entire day...even after that burrito if you know what I mean. The scarfs a little something I picked up at the one and only Foreverrrrr 21. Gem tones are so fresh in the fall and make a simple look POP!Night night my pretties! Gotta hit the books before bed. Got a shoot downtown tomorrow! Definitely looking forward to it! You know I'll keep you posted!

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Cool Air

Wow, I am so exhausted right now! Just got home from my shoot with Volcom for their Fall 2011 collection for both US and Europe. So much fun, we had a ton of laughs on set! And let me tell you, the new pieces look amazing! Everything was very much my style: silky button-ups, tight fitted skinnies, and fringe handbags. I am so excited to get my hands on some pieces and show them to you! Anyways, I am currently bundled in cozy pjs and a bathrobe with a cup of tea admiring the latest inspiration images I've gathered this past week.

Pastel florals. Fresh faced beauties. Vintage dresses. Shearling jackets. Black velvet. Wool wraps. Abstract prints...all on display perfectly.Image sources: Fashion Chalet, The Fashion Spot, Studded Hearts, Oh Dear it's Liana

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Violet Shades

(Bebe cashmere sweater, Free People bralette, Vintage skirt and bag, Forever 21 accessories, Bally shoes)Currently inspired by all things bohemian. Florals. Velvets. Chunky jewelry. I grabbed a few dark violet shades and threw it all on. The best thing about fall is that you can just pile on up and layer, layer, layer. As you can see, I'm still obsessed with throwing on a bralette over basics. Makes things a lot more fun! I put all of this crazy stuff together with a simple and basic black cashmere sweater by Bebe! It was a gift and has become one of my favorite classic sweaters for fall. While shooting the Bebe video with Dylana, I came across some really cute basics that work perfectly with everything in my wardrobe. I was asked to style this sweater for their fun Facebook contest will be starting this week!Also, many thanks to everyone that commented/tweeted to enter my giveaway: a $100 gift card to online superduperchiceverythingscool 80's Purple! The winner is the lovely and oh so stylish: Ilanka of Fashionnerdic! Congratulations!! Have fun shopping girl!I hope everyone had a really relaxing weekend. Weather was beautiful here in Cali so I took a long bike ride. Haven't done a big workout in a while so my body hurt quite a lot afterward. OUCH! Caught up on reading... and studying (boo!) as well. But I'm looking forward to the rest of this week. I am shooting for some of my favorite brands, including Volcom! ! Woohoo! I'm definitely going to try to find time in between to do a few blog posts here and there. I don't know why everyone's constantly like "I WANT IT TO BE THE WEEKEND ALREADY!" umm, it's only Monday. Take it easy. I love the hustle n bustle of weekdays.For more timely updates, just follow me on THE TWITTER hehe :)

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Black Shearling

(Spotted Moth jacket, Urban Outfitters top, Zara leather pants, Free People bralette, Vintage bag, Banana Republic Boots, Stylesofia ring)

I have no idea why I am up at this time, on a Friday! Worked late at Juicy last night and didn't hit the sack until after 1, which is actually late pretty late for me. I like my sleep. So I'm currently waiting for the coffee to brew, and blogging in the mean time, all while looking like a completely sleep deprived mess. I'm trying very hard not to think of all that needs to be done this weekend! I've got exams to prepare for and shoots going on all next week. Eeepers! (Please don't hate me professors for constantly rescheduling exams!)Anyways, back to the outfit. It's been sooo chilly and windy this week. This past month it has gone from really hot to pretty cold in a matter of days. But worst of all, it is FREEZING in my house. Trying to stay warm with a bunch of layers. At the moment, I love shearling jackets, especially this one by Spotted Moth. They aren't big or bulky and still keep you relatively warm. Same goes with my leather pants. I know they look scary and uncomfortable, but these are really easy to move in and made of incredibly soft leather. One pair is more than enough and I don't think I'll be investing in another anytime soon! This look is pretty much a mix of tough, rough around the edges, pieces with a pretty floral top. Just the way I like it.

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