outfits - Natalie Wise Blog

Why I Cover My Head on Good Friday

I love to cover my head on Good Friday with a veil or scarf.

See I’m a big fan of tradition. Tradition has roots. Tradition has meaning. It has heart, if you let it. All of that feeling is up to us, though…tradition itself holds little, which is why we can so easily forget. What we bring in our hearts to tradition is where the beauty lies. The remembrance of things past that have lead us to this day, the longing of things yet to be…it’s all rather poetic and my heart clings to that.

Covering my head helps me feel the mourning of my Savior’s death. For MY sins. How could I not cover my head then, in sorrow and reverence for this act that was for ME? Because of me? I put myself in the place of the followers of Jesus who were there, who saw the God of the universe clinging to a cross, barely recognizable. And YES, we know He rises. But they didn’t, you see. They couldn’t comprehend that Jesus crucified, would soon be Jesus risen. Still today, 2000 years later, it is hard to comprehend the agony and beauty mixed together, even though I know He rises, that He is alive.

But the fact remains that the price was paid. The sacrifice was made.

So I wear black.

And cover my head.

A woman in mourning. For my Savior’s death. For my sins.

For the bleak and hopeless outlook that would be ours had Jesus remained on the Cross.

But this isn’t the end of the story.

Tell me, do you cover your head for Good Friday?

Scarf: Burberry//Wool Bow Dress: Vintage//Cashmere Sweater: White + Warren//Heels: Ann Taylor

Natalie

Spring Wardrobe Additions

It’s springtime! Ok, well, really, here in New England it’s mud season, but that’s nothing some Hunter wellies can’t conquer. I spent a bit of time hunting around my favorite consignment and thrifting spots for a few Spring Wardrobe additions, focusing mostly on neutral basics upon which to build with colorful accessories. Here’s what I picked up:

1.) Vince Black Leggings Perfect for everyday wear with any light sweater long enough to cover my bum. LOVE these tucked into my Hunter wellies on rainy days.

2.) Jill Stuart Cream Pea Coat A nice change of pace from my heavy down coat on the days I need it. I’ve only needed it a few times though!

3.) Catherine Melandrino Bell-Sleeve Openwork Sweater Oh my goodness I canNOT stop wearing this. I’m so in love with it. It’s baby alpaca so it’s warm but not bulky, and with a colored tank underneath it’s nice and cheery.

4.) Pink Gauze Star Scarf from American Eagle A colorful addition. I love my black/gray star scarf so much I had to grab this one when I spotted it.

5.) Adriano Goldschmied Brown Corduroy Pants I LOVE AG cords because they have the perfect amount of Spandex in them. I snagged these on ThredUp (review coming soon!).

6.) Gap Academy Blazer Adoring the neon pink lining on the cuffs & collar of this sweatshirt-material blazer.

7.) J.Crew Ankle-Zip Cords I already have these in seafoam, but gray is so versatile and looks great with all of my seafoam and light pink spring tops.

8.) Wool-blend shorts These are so cute and perfect for warm days in that almost-spring weather that’s warm with a cool breeze. I think these will look great with my light pink sweater.

Of course I also loaded up on some spring nail polish colors, which will be in a separate post 🙂 And a cute new polka-dot umbrella because it’s April, after all.

What have you added to your wardrobe for Spring? Are you loading up on bright things or sticking with neutrals like me?

Add Some Blue Skies to Your Day

A bright Spring coat, such as my bright pink wool version from J.Crew, is a must-have for this time of year. You’re sick of your heavy down winter coat, right? Me too. Investing in a transition coat (or a few, I also have a seafoam green coat and a red trench!) bring color and light to your wardrobe while still keeping you warm on the days Spring decides to be not-so-nice.

Oh Spring! How tempestuous a season you are! Snow, rain, “wintry mix”, this abominable thing called “freezing mist” and then…bright, glorious blue skies! How my heart soars! I’m absolutely LOVING my sky-blue nail polish from Sinful Colors (Bright Lucite-dont’ya love that name?!). Glossy, gorgeous blue sky nails are a sure-fire way to bring some brightness to your wardrobe (and your life!).

What are some ways YOU add color to your life this time of year? Do you have a bright rain coat, umbrella, wellies, or a favorite shade of nail polish? Let me know in the comments!

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

#allthethings and giveaway winner!

It’s Wednesday, which calls for a #allthethings post…the little random tidbits of life that I’m enjoying lately.

{cheerful birthday present for a friend}

{the very last sea-salt-topped peanut butter cookie…amazing!}

{Indian scarf & hot pink vest & j.crew striped wool sweater}

More little things:

1.) New YurBud earbuds for my iPod

2.) A new bottle of Clinique Dramatically Different face lotion (on bonus right now!)

3.) A “kiss” ice pack (gift from my mom, comes in handy when I fall on the ice or burn myself on the heater…I may be slightly clumsy)

4.) Swedish Sea Salt soap…in LOVE with this detoxing, exfoliating soap. I’ve picked it up at a few different places, but this most recent bar is from Urban Outfitters.

5.) Little fox ring dish (birthday gift) with my Kate Spade heart ring

6.) Sugar Rose fresh tinted lip balm

7.) Raspberry Glace Clinique lipstick (part of the current bonus)

8.) The Sephora Grapefruit/Gold nail polish I wore on my birthday

AND lastly…and MOST IMPORTANTLY…

to announce the winner of the Monogram Necklace Giveaway from Onecklace:

Lyddie

Congrats!

Email me (goodgirlstyleblog at gmail dot com) and we’ll get you set up with your $50 credit! I can’t wait to see what you choose!

Thanks to everyone who entered, remember you can still create your own here:

(just click anywhere other than on the pin it heart when you hover on the image)

Have a great Wednesday, friends!

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

Birthday Dress

It was kinda-totally my birthday a few weeks ago!
#checkyes

We had lots of beautiful birthday snow, I made my trademark birthday coffee cake, wore a hot pink birthday crown, shared my birthday with a few other ladies from my church with the SAME birthday, had pink champagne and chocolate-hazelnut cake, received pink flowers, and all-around felt like the most-loved girl there is!

{birthday flowers!}

I love this swingy “Cream Puff” dress as I call it, with my “Cupcake Frosting” hair. Obviously I wanted to dress like desserts on my birthday! Ha!

{birthday manicure}

I also love the high-low of this outfit…the jacket and shoes are crazy-expensive, but the tights are from Big Lots, the sweater is from a tag sale, and the dress is from a consignment shop and doesn’t have a label.

It’s just like happiness, y’know? Find happiness in the small things and the big things. I was never a huge fan of my winter birthday so close to Christmas (someone was always sick, we weren’t in school yet so I missed the fun of a classroom birthday, I wanted an outdoor party, everyone was burnt out from Christmas and stretched thin and presents came in Christmas paper, etc. etc.). So I’ve created my own traditions. Little things.

{hazelnut-orange GF cake and pink champagne}

I choose a birthday song every year, pick up some pink champagne, and always bake a coffee cake on the morning of my birthday and put candles in it.

(those links will take you to past birthday posts of mine for more pretty fun!)

Here’s this year’s birthday song:

An outfit doesn’t have to be all high-end designers. And a birthday doesn’t have to be all bells and whistles.

Find joy in the little things, the unique things, and I think you’ll find extra joy you didn’t know was there.

And Happy Birthday to all you other near-Christmas/winter babies!
🙂

******

Dress: No label // Sweater: Vintage//Earrings: Charlotte Russe//Coat: Rebecca Taylor//Fleece-Lined Tights: Big Lots//Sunnies: Local store//Heels: Diane von Furstenburg

Natalie

New Specs and a GlassesUSA Review

I need new glasses, ya’ll.

So these are my current/old glasses. Horn-rim Chaps, oval, get the job done.

But it is time for an update.

I really wasn’t sure how to go about this process, since it’s always so difficult to choose new glasses. But I decided to try one of these online glasses places, and be brave. When GlassesUSA contacted me to do a review of a pair of glasses, I jumped on board! I’d been eyeing (ha, I crack myself up) their site anyway, so it was a great fit.

I don’t just need glasses, you see (clever me, all the puns). I don’t need just frames, or readers. I need prescription glasses. Like, Coke-bottle glasses. Really-really-really thick glasses. Hazardous-to-my-health-AND-your-health blind without my glasses. Such is life. So I always have to get the primo lenses (read, expensive), so saving on the frames is a MUST for my budget. GlassesUSA eyeglasses are a great buy, and their clearance/sales/coupons section is also worth a look.

Here are my two picks (I purchased one pair with my own money and the other one partially with a GlassesUSA.com credit):

Muller in Brown

Personal Shopper in Blue

I made a video to show you the frames in person and tell you a little more about my experience:

GlassesUSA Review from Natalie of Good Girl Style on Vimeo.

I love the lucite and tortoise sides of the Nicole Miller Personal Shopper.

Muller has metal and crystal detailing.

GlassesUSA is always offering crazy-good discount codes, so check out their Facebook and Twitter pages for exclusive discounts. You can also use the code: Blog10 for a 10% discount. You can also try their new Virtual Try-On feature. This wasn’t available when I chose my frames, but I highly recommend giving it a try.

They have a 110% lowest-price guarantee and 100% money-back guarantee, so you’re safe no matter what you decide. Overall, if you need to buy glasses, I’d say GlassesUSA is a great place to update your look!

Soooooo now the question is, should I keep them? Just one? Which one? Both?
And which frames are YOU eyeing?

xo
Natalie
PS> We’re not talking about the craziness that is my bangs in these photos right now, ok? They’re not chopped weird, I promise, they were just being weird. #whoknows

#allthethings

This is a new feature 😉 It’s “Hashtag All the Things,” or #allthethings, as it is popularly referred to. It’s the hodge-podge catch-up, favorites, little things posts. So here we go…

The best thing about the day after Christmas? Leftover lasagna. Lasagna and Christmas toffee for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes I really am Buddy the Elf.

Christmas Poem from Natalie of Good Girl Style on Vimeo.

Christmas Night, my poem for Darling Magazine, read by me as a special after-Christmas treat! Wearing my Christmas Eve outfit!

Can I just take a moment to recognize how amazingggggggggg my hair decided to look on Christmas Day with a terrible webcam shot?!

Christmas Day outfit: Feather/Velvet hair barette from Anthropologie, Gold Silk Charmeuse Blouse from TJ Maxx yearsssss ago, Vintage black cardigan with black beading, jeans from ON, black lace-up boots from Timberland.

Just a few little things for ya’ll!
Hope you had a Merry Christmas!
xo
Natalie