outfit - Natalie Wise Blog

Pretty Party Dress and Lush Faux Fur

(Tobi provided these clothes to me for free in exchange for my post and honest review!)

Can you TELL by this photo how GLAM I am feeling in this crazy-cozy faux-fur collar cocoon sweater? It’s like a little winter sleeping bag of glamour that I can wear with anything. It’s so luxurious one lady thought it was real. The only thing that would make this EVEN better is a tiny little clasp to hold the two sides of the cardigan together, but I can add that with two stitches so it’s no big deal. This also comes in burgundy, which I think would just be FAB with dark red lipstick and sunglasses. So movie-star-esque.

This is the lace skater dress I chose to wear for my birthday brunch with my boyfriend. He was horrified at the amount of skin showing since it was January, but I am wearing hose, thick high wool socks, a cashmere sweater, a scarf, and the big cocoon coat on top. I was quite cozy in our little round booth as we ate deliciously soft scrambled eggs with local bacon, fresh fruit, and seasoned potatoes. Mmmmmm, can it be my birthday every day?

Tobi also sent me a “boss lady” jumpsuit and I picked up a top of theirs on my own, so I’ll be back with another post. In the meantime, go check this company out. I was quite worried, having never heard of them before, but now I’m seeing their stuff everywhere. I even saw a new with tags attached dress at my favorite consignment shop. The sizes fit normally (just pay attention to the measurements, but these are all smalls and fit me just fine!), the shipping and packaging was great. They have SO many cute things!

I’m excited for the weather to warm up a bit so I can shed a few of these layers and take this dress out for a spin again. I think that means the boyfriend will have to treat me to a half-birthday brunch. Totally legit, right?

(aaaand I totally just saw Tobi is having a 1/2 off site-wide sale so get overrrrrrr there!)

Natalie

New Firmoo Glasses + New Coat

Oh the little things in life are so good, ya’ll, so good. New glasses make such a HUGE difference for a girl’s confidence and selfie-game #amiright?! I was about to grab some new Warbys when Firmoo reached out and I just couldn’t resist getting a pair from them.

Then throw in my CRAZY-AMAZING new J.Crew Stadium Cloth coat and a girl is

all sorts of heart-eyes gahhhhhhhhh.

Super in love with this cognac and tomato color combo, aren’t you digging it? This is a thrifted vintage Hanae Mori handbag that is so much fun. The handle on top makes it.

Now, these Firmoo glasses. I’m loving them. Firmoo glasses are always high-quality. My last glasses are Firmoo, too, and they’ve both been great quality frames. While it can be a bit hard to decide online, the prices are so low, even if your pick isn’t a total-win, it’s not the end of the world. I’m still deciding how much I like these, but they grow on me daily. I was looking for something more “writer-y” and I think these nail that vibe. These frames are $19, ya’ll. There’s no arguing with that.

How good is red lipstick + writer-y glasses + fur hood?

#sogood

Thanks, Firmoo!

Birthday Pretties

So I’m a year older now 🙂

And I happened to have the most lovely dusting of birthday snow (I always hope for just a light powdered-sugar snow!)
to add to the blue skies!

As usual, I’m such a fan of birthdays and simply MUST dress like a confection of some sort as evinced by years past:
see here, here, here and here! I call this my “birthday skirt” because I have worn it for many birthdays!

Of course, if I am dressing like a macaron or cupcake or some such delicious baked good, I have to have my “frosting hair”
as I call my swirly bun, this time accented with a rosette ribbon headband.

Candy pink lipstick, cozy collar, and wind-blown hair! It was so windy the power was out until 2pm!

Sprinkle cookies (recipe from Averie Cooks) were in order, of course! Delicious and these taste just like funfetti cake!

But cookies are no substitute for a proper birthday cake, and this year I tried piping ombre pink rosettes
(3 colors of pink frosting, though it’s hard to tell since this picture was taken at night):

Harder than it looks to pipe these delicate flowers! But SO PRETTY!

3 layers of white cake inside, though I think I should combine the rosettes with the ombre green inside I made a few years ago, yes?!

Little goodies popped in throughout the day: this lovely sparkly Zoya nail polish from the boyfriend, and this
Audrey bag and pearl bracelet from his mom…

(oh such pretty, happy things!)

Notecards, lipstick, flowers, a For the Makers subscription, pink champagne, and more.
These are just things, though, and really, I am so grateful to have amazing family
and friends who love me and support me.
That means more to me than any pretty little thing ever could.

And I always choose a birthday song, so this year’s was, of course, Taylor Swift. I’m still obsessed
with the music video for Blank Space with its gorgeous costumes, scenes and imagery.
Just keep in mind it’s a parody of what people say about Taylor,
and that no animals, actors, automobiles, trees, or anything else were harmed in the making of the video 🙂

Can we talk about the clothes for a sec?

Vintage schoolgirl meets Town-and-Country meets Grace Kelly meets Taylor Swift and I am in loooooove.

So there we have it, the birthday roundup!

Now, into a new year!

Lavender and Wine

I simply canNOT stop wearing this orchid merino wool sweater with gold shoulder zips from J.Crew. It’s a bit drapey, but with fitted sleeeves and the nice side vents to give it shape. Perfect color for autumn, don’t you think? I love this orchid color with navy, wine (as my boots are), chocolate brown, olive green, deep golden yellow, and tan, like my hat. Such luscious combinations!

I’ve said before there are about 2 days each year where the shorts-and-boots combo actually works, and this was the fall day! Wool shorts are a unique specimen in and of themselves…because they’re, well…WOOL. SHORTS. I mean…

But I did get compliments on the shorts, and I think they’re super cute with boots.

Fall is the absolute perfect time for all of my wool hats, including this gem from American Eagle, believe it or not. I love its curvy 70’s-style brim that highlights sunglasses just perfectly. And the bright bangles and earrings are from J.Crew, too, and add a fun pop of contrast to this outfit.

Have you ever worn shorts with boots? What do you think of the combination?

Natalie

Something Fascinating: What a Hat Can Do For a Girl

(fascinator provided to me by Vivo Masks in exchange for my honest review)

There is just *something* about wearing a hat or fascinator. Something utterly delightful and intriguing, don’t you think? It’s unique, it’s vintage, ever-so Princess-y, and entirely fun for the wearer and those who may admire the lovely hat or fascinator perched on her head.

Pin This Image: Hover and click the pink heart to pin any image.

What can a fascinator do for a girl? Here are 4 of the many things:

*A fascinator can bring interest and attention to your face, to highlight your natural bone structure and stunning eyes.

*A fascinator can show off your beautiful hair by adorning it with something special.

*A fascinator can visually balance your shape or outfit with a nice little lifting of the eye upwards.

Last, but CERTAINLY not least:

*A fascinator is a most beguiling way to show off your personality and sartorial flair.

It’s funny to me that these days we think it takes great courage to wear a giant flower on the side of one’s head, and perhaps it does, but just a generation ago, hats were a daily ritual for women. One I’m sad our culture as a whole has abandoned. Not I! It’s a ritual I enjoy greatly and am thrilled to show you my new favorite beauty, the Faith fascinator from Vivo Masks.

This is truly, truly a handmade work of art, with delicately ruched silk, horsehair and feathers. I simply had to take some more artistic shots to show you the delicate beauty of Faith:

So ethereal.

Utterly delightful to behold with the golden morning light behind it.

Here you can see the beautiful ruched silk on the disc and the vintage velvet polka-dot veiling.

What a cheerful and uplifting thing. Vivo calls it a “sensation” and I’m quite inclined to agree! BEYOND fun! One might think a giant pink flower would be difficult to wear, but I find it just the opposite. The delicate nature means that the hat itself won’t overwhelm an outfit. I can envision this with a black silk jumpsuit, a little white or cream suit dress, and any simple black dress.

Vivo Masks and Fascinators is based out of Traverse City, Michigan (and Canada) which tickles me pink. I love that this hat company has Midwestern roots, like me. Their hats are all handmade in Europe, and their Venetian party masks are handmade in Italy.

I was also very excited to get to wear some of my vintage glove collection with this outfit. Little lace gloves and pure white leather ones that I said are, “Like wearing marshmallows on my hands,” because these are the descriptors I come up with and they are SO.SOFT.

I’m also wearing some sentimental light-pink pearls that were given to me by my parents on the occasion of my first ballet company performance when I was a teenager. Pearl earrings as well, another gift, to complement the necklace.

The cotton brocade (imagine, it isn’t shiny!) dress is a lovely foil for the hat…the texture grounds the delicate nature of the feather flower, but the simple shape and straps don’t distract.
The coat is one of my favorite pieces, a Rebecca Taylor gray jersey, silk and sequin jacket that hugs nicely. And the boots are my beloved wine suede wedges from Steve Madden.

Just be sure your hat is properly affixed or you may end up with a wilting flower! 😉
However, I knocked this off my head myself (I’m graceful like that), but extensive wear testing shows the elastic stays
tight and neat in place for long periods of time and activity.

What’s that, you say? You’d like to try your hand (head?) at wearing a fascinator? Yes, please!
We’re having a GIVEAWAY for any under-$50 fascinator of your choice, starting Monday!
Check back then for your chance to win.

Happy weekend!
xo
Natalie

From back when it was summer…

You guys I just remembered I never posted this outfit! In all it’s cute Labor Weekend red-white-and-blue-ness! Shame, shame.

Here it is…an Anthropologie clearance rack number with a quirky vintage purse, red lipstick and big sunnies. How I roll.

Anyway, happy almost-Friday!
xo

Natalie

Sequins and Suede

My friends have been asking me for more style posts. Truth be told, you wouldn’t want to see most of my style from recently, ha! It’s been your standard March-in-New-England parade of jeans tucked into muck boots with varying sweaters, vests, and scarves. It’s all rather formulaic and predictable.

But Sundays…well, on Sundays I can be persuaded (per-sueded? ha, crack myself up ;)) to put on some suede and sequins. And some color. Oh man am I craving color in my wardrobe right now! So this outfit is from Sunday 🙂

Are you craving spring and your spring wardrobe? I am! It’s almost here!

Sunnies? Local store

Cutwork sweater? Kohls

Bauble necklace? Caroline G.

Sequin Tank? Ann Taylor

Orange jeans? Target

Suede boots? Steve Madden

Natalie

Pink Fur Coat

Sometimes a girl just needs to pull out the pink fur coat.

Natalie

Hello Sunshine

There’s no getting around it: it’s cold. But the sun has been shining, so it was the perfect time to bust out my Hello Sunshine Kate Spade hat. So cheerful! I adore it. It pulls out the yellow in my favorite winter handbag just perfectly.

{close-up of hat detail}

Had to include a dorky picture because that’s how I roll.

Also, yes, that is my fake-fur coffee sleeve on Starbucks (and there IS hot tea in that cup, which I’m about to spill in all of these photos!).

In my popular posts about how to wear skirts & tights in winter (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2…that’s also a solid look back at how my style has evolved!), I note that simply waiting for the sun to come out makes wearing a dress feel much more do-able. I love a sunny winter day! So good for the spirit.

Hat: Kate Spade, consignment shop//Sunnies: local shop//Pink necklace: Forever21//Dress: Forever21//Fleece-Lined Tights: Big Lots//Scarf: thrifted//Blazer: H&M//Gloves: Dollar Tree (!)//Coat: J.Crew//Purse: Missoni, consignment shop//Boots: Timberland, consignment shop

Natalie

Zipper Edge Hat

Some days coffee and sunshine is all you need to put an extra spring in your step.

A fabulous hat? Icing on the cake.

Hope you have a sunshine-y day!

Hat: local store//Sunnies: Local boutique//Necklace: Vintage//Lace/Chiffon Sweater: local boutique//Dress: LC by Lauren Conrad//Tights: local boutique// Steve Madden

Natalie