Week in Review #16: What I Packed for Carmel and Chicago

...plus some thoughts on competition and abundance.

If you follow on social media, you already know it was a late night with a lot of flight delays, and I’m typing these words to you from the air! I am making my way back home after a wonderful week away in Carmel and Chicago for a Natalie Borton Designs pop-up event as well as some product sourcing for an upcoming collection that I cannot yet share about (sorry!).

If you live in the Carmel/Big Sur area, I’m happy to report that the NBD pieces are going to remain there to shop for another week — currently, this is the only place where you can find The Natalie Belt (dropping online next week!) and the newest hair pin design — the Shell French Pin — which isn’t available only for another several weeks.

You know you can count on me to share the packing list, so keep on scrolling for everything that made it into my bag. As always, I only packed a carry-on and a tote and I felt like I had a ton of options:

TOPS:

• Black high neck tank

• Cream high neck tank (or in white here)

• Denim button-up shirt (Natalie15)

• Cream crop tee (Natalie15)

• Black crop tee (Natalie15)

• Olive green crop tee (Natalie15)

• Striped long sleeve top

• Black cashmere turtleneck

LAYERS:

• Dark brown cashmere cardigan

• Light brown alpaca cardigan

• Cream cotton sweater

• Tan trench coat

BOTTOMS:

• Blue barrel jeans (Natalie15)

• High waisted wide leg jeans

• Black horseshoe jeans

SHOES:

• Black ballet flats (15BORTON for first order)

• Tan ballet flats (15BORTON for first order)

• Cream high top sneakers (I go down 1/2 size for these)

• Black strappy heels (15BORTON for first order)

• Black sandals

LOUNGEWEAR & ACCESSORIES

• Brown tee & sweatpants (I like to size up in the bottoms!)

• Black leather belt

• Suede & brass bags in olive and black

• 1980s-inspired sunglasses

• Jewelry & French Pins, including these earrings and this ring

Are you traveling at all this fall or winter? Where are you headed (and what will you pack to wear?!)

Thought of the Week

via @ebbandflowpoetry

I saved this one over the last week or so and have come back to it several times already. SO POWERFUL. It’s a concept that also is discussed in 10x is Better Than 2x, which I’m still in the process of reading. In the book they discuss competition, and how we can never truly compete with anyone other than ourselves:

No one else has the exact same goals or standards you do. Therefore, measuring yourself against someone else’s results or standards is a losing game because you are not ultimately optimizing for the same thing. You’re not playing the same game…

Your standards aren’t the same as anyone else’s.
Your objective isn’t the same.
Your Unique Ability and calling aren’t the same.
There is no external competition.

Therefore, measuring yourself against someone else’s results and standards is a sure path to becoming average or good, but never uniquely great, one-of-a-kind, and world-class. You can’t beat someone else at beating them, just like someone else cannot beat you at being you.

The scariest and most courageous thing you’ll ever do is to be yourself.

Back in Stock

My favorite linen dress is back in stock in limited quantities and it’s one that I always get asked about, so I didn’t want you to miss it if you were waiting for it to come back! It gets tons of wear during the hot summer days, and I think the terra brown and black colors make great pieces to transition into fall. Just throw a sweater over your shoulders and you’re good to go.

P.S. I have some exciting news about this coin necklace coming soon!

3 Essential Fall Accessories

Unsurprisingly, all three are from NBD — but what kind of designer & entrepreneur would I be if I wasn’t obsessed with the products we make?! These three are the stars of my outfits this season…

• The Natalie Belt | This belt has leveled up ALL of my outfits this summer and fall and has become a wardrobe staple. We sold out of almost all of our first batch at the event in Carmel this weekend (we have 3 or 4 available in store at TEJIDO on Mission St), but our next shipment will arrive next week and we plan to go live with them online on Wednesday, October 9th.

• The Mara Bag | Truly, the handle of this bag is a work of art, made by hand by our artisan partners in Kenya. I wore it the entire week (these were the only bags I brought!) and they worked for dressy and casual occasions alike. We are currently sold out, but we have another batch on the way so be sure to pre-order before they’re gone again!

• French Pins | Every fall and winter, the static comes for my fine hair and makes it impossible to wear my hair down a lot of the time. French Pins are my saving grace, offering a really easy & chic way to pull my hair back and off my face. The two new designs are especially great for a French Twist, which is all the rage right now!

Currently Reading & Recent Saves

• Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen | I am nearly finished with this one and loving it. Admittedly it took me a while to get into it and the beginning felt a bit slow for me, but I’m glad I kept reading!!

• Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten | I pre-ordered this book forever ago and it finally got delivered!! Starting it this week — I am not usually a memoir person, but I have always loved Ina Garten and cannot wait to dive in.

• 10x is Better Than 2x by Dan Sullivan | Almost done with this, but I already know I’m going to immediately read it a second time so it all soaks in. Wow. If you’re an entrepreneur, definitely give this one a read!

I didn’t do much reading here on Substack this week since I was traveling, but I did come across two great posts that I think you might like.

Creative Constraints vs Hard Styling Rules | “Constraints offer up a chance to problem solve, and to get resourceful. The constraints provide the creativity vs taking it away.”

Creative constraints Vs hard styling rules

Offline Dopamine | “Remember, dopamine isn’t exclusive to the digital world. There’s an abundance of offline experiences that offer the same dopamine rewards—whether through nature, creative hobbies, learning, or connecting with others face-to-face. These moments are not only achievable but essential for living a balanced and more intentional life.”

Offline Dopamine

Hope you have a great weekend — until next time!

xx
Natalie

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